Shin-Sapporo Ramen

In Japan, it is common to see people eating cold ramen during summer.  Local grown Shin-Sapporo has come up with a summer special to save us all too. 

Ok I know now is more like autumn already. But doesn't matter.. Because Singapore is summer all year round! 

I was at the new orchard gateway outlet. Orchard gateway is just next to somerset MRT and 313. How convenient.

The summer special, which will be available till 31 October, comprises of tenchirashi ramen which is a cold ramen, ebi tofu, and miso steak tofu.

Tenchirashi Ramen ($15.80)

A light taste chilled ramen served with mixture of tempuras, prawn, shitake and shimeji mushrooms, lady fingers, and top off with poached egg.

Destroy the poached egg and mix the flowing egg yolk with the noodles. The noodles used are the Hakata style noodles which are the same used in tonkotsu ramen. These noodles are firm, thin straight and have a high content of egg white, perfect for coating with the egg yolk from our poached egg. The cold ramen was cool, refreshing and savoury with the egg yolk and sauces. The tempura mushroom, prawns and lady fingers were lightly coated and not heavy on the palate. Be sure to eat them asap before they turn soggy. 

Do mix the egg with the noodle thoroughly or else it will be tasteless.

This was an interesting surprise as I was a bit skeptical about cold ramen initially. Turned out I liked it a lot! 

Ebi Tofu ($6.80)

This is a cold appetizer that combines prawn and tofu to enjoy a lighter taste, served with home-made sesame sauce. Very light on the palate and I loved the peanut sauce that accompanied it.

Miso Tofu Steak ($6.80)

Miso is fermented soya beans and I recalled it being salty with a tinge of pungency. Shin Sapporo's miso tofu steak is accompanied with thick miso paste which was really heavy on the palate. Served sizzling on a hot-plate, this would be be ideal for those who really love heavy salty food. Fried potatoes are found hidden at the bottom.

Miso ramen ($14.80)

We also got a miso ramen which is not part of the Summer Special. Miso ramen uses a thicker and curly version of noodle so that the thick miso broth does not slide down the noodles when you lift them up. I am not really a big fan of miso but I think miso lovers would be able to appreciate this ramen which is more flavourful, saltier and intense than tenchirashi ramen. I like the char shu which was lean and thin. The egg could be better and more flavorful.

Chocolate lava cake ($8.80)

Omg this is a must try! The lava cake is ultra nice and I love that it's piping hot, the chocolate is intense and thick and the sponge cake is moist and airy. Mix with cold ice-cream and I'm transported to heaven already! This might be Chocolate Origin's Cuppa Lava Cake's twin brother separated at birth!

Heads up: The lava cake is freshly made only when you order. It takes about 15 min to be prepared, so do manage your time. 

I like that this outlet is not crowded on a weekend afternoon. Especially when we are talking about weekend in Orchard.

While Singapore is an air-conditioned nation and we don't really need cold ramen, it's refreshing to see some restaurants come up with seasonal menus for a change. We all like novelty don't we?

Thanks to Nicolette and Shin Sapporo for the invite!

Address: 277 Orchard Road #B2-04A/05, OrchardGateway, S(238858)

Shokudo Japanese Coffee House

Shokudo is strategically located to attract the hungry movie-goers after a movie at Cineleisure. Especially those who finished their popcorn before the movie started.

The menu has so much variety.. pastas, pizzas, western grills, burgers, omy rice, udon, sushi, donburi, curry rice, chicken chop, pork chop..  Hanging out with a bunch of friends who have different cravings? This is the place that everyone will land on amicably. But we took forever to decide what to order.

Teriyaki cheese curry baked rice ($13.80++, below) - My three favourite things in the same line - teriyaki, cheese, curry. How can I not order?? 

The chicken with teriyaki sauce was a tad dry and hard. But it was revived by the cheese that infused the rice and covered with curry sauce. Curry sauce was the Japanese version which was non spicy but sweet. The accompany miso soup was salty. I kept drinking water, which was not free.. $0.50 per cup. 3.75/5

The grilled chicken curry omu rice ($15.80++, below) came with a scrambled egg on top of the rice, which you are supposed to drizzle with the curry that came in a separate bowl. It was oiishi.. The chicken was well grilled and tasty. 3.75/5

When I see a matcha cheesecake ($6.80++, below), I have to order it. Matcha is my greatest love and so is cheese. They are my definition of happiest marriage. The matcha cheesecake mousse was ethereally light with matcha and cheese flavors infused. Not overly intense or rich.. Just nice as a dessert after a sumptuous meal. 4/5

Service was a bit inconsistent but nothing unacceptable. This is a great cosy place for people-watching especially if you sit by the windows. 

Address: 

Cathay Cineleisure Orchard

8 Grange Road, #02-06A/B
Tel: +65-6736 0971
Sunday to Thursday:
11.30am – 2.00am
Last order at 1.15am
Friday, Saturday & Eve of PH
11.30am – 3.00am
Last order at 2.15am

Yayoiken at 313 Somerset

Yay it's the start of the super long Hari Majulah weekend (Hari Raya on Thursday and National Day on Friday). Started the long weekend with dinner at Yayoiken at 313 Somerset. Yayoiken offers set meals whereby there is a meat dish, accompanied by a bowl of Japanese rice, Miso soup and Tofu.

The Yayoiken outlet at 313 Somerset is actually located all the way down at Level B3 where all the other eateries such as Yoshinoya, Fish and Co are situated. So it's quite easy to find. We were greeted by bowls of cute appetizing food displays outside the restaurant that made us crave.

Wow, $9.90 for a Japanese set meal with rice, soup and tofu.. Sounds value for money in Orchard!

I loved the seat structure of this Yayoiken restaurant as it is designed like cubicles and there are partitions separating the seats. Hence it offers a lot of privacy. But no, this is still not a place for secret affairs as you still share a cubicle with another table haha.

There are 2 types of menu : the Ipad menu for the tech-savvy and the hardcopy menu for the technologically-challenged. So thoughtful of Yayoiken! We made our orders by tapping on the Ipad menu and the orders were sent to the kitchen.

You can monitor the status of your orders real-time.. The icon with a bowl meant the dish was served and the icon with a cook meant the dish was in the process of being prepared.

The Mix Toji Set ($13.90, below) was a mixture of fried prawn, pork cutlet, pork slices and eggs. The set also comprised of miso soup, tofu and rice. The crispy meat, enveloped with the the battered moist egg, was rich and sumptuous. It kept us going for more.

The Miso Katsu Set ($14.90, below) had a breaded pork cutlet simmered in a thick gooey miso paste. The first bite into the meat delivered a salty savory taste. But after a while I thought the miso paste was a bit too intense and salty, and I got sick of it after a while. Probably a wrong choice made :( My friend was enjoying her Mix Toji Set very much.

Overflowing half-boiled egg and potatoes that accompanied the Miso Katsu Set:

Luckily, the comforting bowl of miso soup (below) that came with the set meal helped to counter the overly-rich miso paste.

Instead of the Miso Katsu, they should have used more salt and flavors for this tofu (below) which was bland and tasteless.

Ikageso Kaarage ($3.90, below), a dish of deep fried squid tenacles, was chewy and flavorful when dipped with the mayo and eaten with the lettuce that was drizzled with a tangy sauce.

You can also get a hot green tea (free flow) for just $1.. However, we had to press the "call for service" button on the Ipad for three times before the service staff came to refill the tea.

Tip 1: For the hungry customer with a stomach that is like a bottomless pit, this is a really value-for-money place as you can top up your rice for free.

Tip 2: Being the sharp bargain hunter, I saw this promotion for a free dessert if I joined as member of Yayoiken. Just need to go to this website Http://jpremium.asia, fill up a short form and you can redeem a free Matcha ice-cream or free Shiratama Zenzai (red bean soup) on the spot. Other privileges of being a new member include 1-for-1 Santouka ramen, free drink at Maison Kayser, 50% off Ginza Bairin pork menu etc. Wheeee!

Here is my free Matcha ice-cream (worth $3.50, below).. We felt it tasted more milky than green tea.. Nevertheless, a refreshing end to a big meal.

The warm Shiratama Zenzai (worth $4.90, below) is actually red bean soup with four glutinous rice balls. Although the red beans were overly sweet, the soup was subtle and balanced (it absorbed the sweetness of the red beans) and the glutinous rice balls were soft and chewy, another great way to end the meal.

The meal cost only $20 per pax after GST and service charge, which was extremely affordable considering I left with a very full stomach that was going to burst.

I am definitely going back to Yayoiken again but I shall make a wiser decision next time. Think I ordered the wrong food this time. Initially I thought the miso should be quite light and tasty just like how miso soup tastes. Didn't know the taste was so strong and overwhelming.. After the meal, I researched more about Miso and this is from Wikipedia - Miso is made from fermenting rice, barley and/or soybeans and the fungus Kojikin. The most common flavor categories of Miso are:
- Shiromiso (white miso)
- Akamiso (red miso)
- Awasemiso (mixed miso)
The difference among the misos is mainly due to fermentation time. The red miso is aged more than a year and hence the taste is much stronger and saltier as compared to the white miso.

Yayoiken has 3 other outlets at Bugis+, Amara Hotel and Liang Court.. Strongly recommend this for a value-for-money meal.

Address:
313 Orchard Road
#B3-33/34
Singapore 238895
Check out their website for their extensive menu (www.yayoiken.sg)