天天有鱼 (Tian Tian You Yu), ABC Brickworks Food Centre

Came across Tian Tian You Yu (#01-142 ABC Brickworks Food Centre, 6 Jalan Bukit Merah). These guys share the same stall units as Soon Lee Fish Soup and a little bird whispered, having seen the staff from both stalls wear the King Grouper Fish Soup tops. So I guess they're all the same?

No complains with their sliced grouper. It's not necessarily the better tasting ones out there, but it was also not of mediocre quality. Those brown bits were fried cai por (preserved radish).

Also decent-ish lu rou fan. Sliced pork belly was pretty tender and the gravy's passable. This bowl actually rocks with some of the fermented bean sauce. 

Kinki, Japanese unagi and yellow croaker at Nakajima Suisan

Another satisfying breakfast at Nakajima Suisan (一, 二, 三, 四, 五, 六, 七, 八, 九, 十, 十一, 十二, 十三, 十四, 十五, 十六, 十七, 十八, 十九, 二十, 二十一, 二十二, 二十三).

Pretty surprised that they have kinki. Seems like they're also pushing the envelop with that since kinki isn't cheap and this was the most expensive set we've ever gotten at $49.90. That being said, I recognise that this was a lot less expensive than what most places charges for a fish like this. If you didn't know, there's a prawny flavour to the fish and it was delicious.

There's also a limited quantity unagi kabayaki teishoku featuring Japanese eels. Equally as pricey as the kinki but sadly not great. Meat was a little mushy. Don't expect the standards that one gets from Man Man/Unagi Tei. Or even Uya and Unatoto for that matter. Won't be getting this again.

Their yellow croaker is still available and still huge. Great value for quantity and the fish, though leaner and less flavourful, wasn't bad at all.

Natto, shoyu and rice.

Sakunthala's Restaurant, Syed Alwi Road

First time eating at this branch (88 Syed Alwi Road, tel : +65 6297 0895) of Sakunthala's. We've previously eaten at their other branches at Race Course Road, Dunlop Street and Safra Mount Faber. Their food so far have been hits and misses for me.

Had their Mysore mutton briyani. Not a fan of their Mysore mutton. The spice paste was spicy and nutty which I liked but the meat was a little hard and stringy. Hard and stringy's a dealbreaker. The rest of the stuff on the plate was decent.

Their onion uttapam was nice. The pancake was lightly browned with a crisp exterior and a toasty aromatic sweetness from the shredded onions. Their chutneys were serviceable but not memorable.

So...back at Suju @ Mandarin Gallery

We found ourselves back at the Mandarin Gallery branch of Suju ( 一, 二, 三, 四, 五, 六, 七, 八, 九, 十, 十一, 十二, 十三, 十四, 十五, 十六, 十七, 十八, 十九, 二十, 二十一, 二十二, 二十三).

Miso cream cheese without white corn. Without the distraction from the corn, the miso marination along with the rich creaminess was put into focus. Love this. Love this with the wasabi as well where the sweet sharpness turned out to be a great pairing.

Nasu dengaku - or eggplant topped with their house miso. Nice and that's mostly because of that miso.

Got myself a kanpanchi shioyaki teishoku today.

Delicious fish with moderate oil richness layered with flavour from the browning and salt.

Chicken rice from Food Republic @ Breadtalk IHQ

That's the cheapest $5.50 plate. Not bad tasting. Portion was a little small. The chilli was a little more sweet than it was lime-y.

More spicy kuey teow 白 with vinegar from Authentic Teochew Tradition Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle (潮州传统香菇肉脞面)

Another breakfast at Authentic Teochew Tradition Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle. No more crazy and crazy slow queues because it's not the old guy cooking these days. The Chinese lady running the shop appears competent and responsive.

The question that came to mind was - were they seriously trying to get the old folks around here to eat these thick chunks of dried sole? 🫠