Flash update - Selamat Hari Raya Puasa - Taste of kampong ties

It started early in the first morning of my long weekend. My Muslim neighbour popped over my flat and gave us these homemade cookies as a celebration of Hari Raya Puasa. It was so heart warming! It might not be the most delicious cookies but it tasted of home. Is this the taste of the long lost Singapore kampong ties?

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)

Midweek flash update - Prawn Aglio Olio, Cracked Mayo Burger, Green TeaLatte

I decided to do a midweek flash update to quickly summarize my worthy eats during weekdays.  First up is tasty spicy King Prawn Aglio Olio ($17, above) at Raffles Place Bistro located at Level 1 of the Sail. The spaghetti was cooked al dente and there was a generous amount of prawns which I enjoyed biting into the flesh that was coated with fragrant garlic and olive oil. And of course caffeine was needed to counter the post effects of this carbs-filled lunch. 

Crispy patty that is actually made from soy, and it tastes like chicken. Coupled with mayo, the Cracked Mayo burger ($5.90, above) from VeganBurg was a delish midweek treat :) Usually I top it up with a drink and fries for $3. 

Since when Spinelli started its own green tea latte version? Spinelli's matcha latte ($5.50, above) is more bitter than Starbucks' version which has melon syrup that gives that sweet refreshing touch. Starbucks' version wins for me..

Ramen Kagetsu Arashi

Ramen Kagetsu Arashi is a famous ramen chain in Japan.. They finally landed in Singapore in May. There are two outlets so far: Star Vista and Tampines One. I visited the Tampines outlet.

There are five ramens to choose from:

- Arashi Genkotsu Ramen, which is their signature tonkotsu ramen and best seller 

- Arashi Genkotsu Sio Ramen, with a sea salt white broth

- Arashi Genkotsu Miso Ramen

- Arashi Genkotsu Barikara Ramen, which includes chilli paste

- Arashi Toripaitan Ramen, a chicken soup base ramen

There is also a wide range of condiments available, including a pot of chilli chives:

Good selection of additional toppings at $1.50 each, as well side dishes:

The signature Arashi Genkotsu Ramen ($12.90, below) lived up to its reputation as the best seller. The tonkotsu broth was very tasty and flavorful, and the noodles were springy. The thinly cut char siew slices were sweet and tender. However, the egg was not the runny soft boiled type. It would have been perfect if they gave the soft boiled version instead. Was a bit disappointed when the waitress said they can't change the hard boiled egg to soft boiled and I could only get it as an additional topping that costs $1.50 more.

Loved the crispy and fragrant Ebi Fry ($6, below) too..

On the other hand, the Arashi Genkotsu Miso Ramen ($12.90, below) had quite an average and less flavorful soup base.

Overall, I would definitely return again for the yummilicious signature Arashi Genkotsu Ramen.