Ronin

Dark and elusive, Ronin looks like a favourite brunch place for vampires. Except that no blood is served. I had quite a hard time finding Ronin because it doesn't have a signboard. There is only a sign outside stating its address 17 Hong Kong St. 

Visited at 11am on a Saturday morning and was very pleased to find quite an empty cafe. #victoryscored

Communal table spotted in the middle and several bar tables nearer to the open kitchen. Common sense says don't sit near the kitchen unless I want to smell like my food. 

A glance of the drinks menu and Wicked ($5.50) caught my eyes. Blink blink. It is actually a mocha mint which was refreshing and cooling, and surprisingly mint complements the mocha very well. I like that it is not bitter and yet not overly sweet. My friend got the pretty Matcha tone ($5.50) that had steamed milk on top of a thick layer of matcha. Which was highly raved as intense and nice.

We both ordered the brioche French toast ($14.50), a sumptuous brunch which comes with braised apples, bacon and hazelnut butter and syrup. I like the fluffy toast and the hazelnut butter sauce that drenches and complements it nicely. But the apple was too sour for me. 

Service was attentive too. I like that Ronin doesn't charge GST or service charge, which made our brunch pretty value for money. I think I'll go back for Wicked soon.

Address: 17 Hong Kong Street Singapore 059660

Peramakan

Thanks to The Little Nyonya, I fell in love with everything that is Peranakan. I love the kebaya. I love Jeanette Aw and Joanne Peh. I love the Peranakan food.  So when I saw Groupon offering $20 for $40 worth of food at Peramakan, I quickly took the wise action. 

Peramakan has 2 branches, one in East Coast Road and the other near Harbourfront in Keppel Club. We visited the East Coast Road after making a reservation. I love restaurants that take reservations. Because queuing is a waste of life. (PS: The East Coast outlet closed already! Now left with Keppel Club outlet)

There were a lot of choices in the menu and we took quite a while to decide because all of them sounded good. 

Babi Pontay ($14++)which is braised fatty pork was one of the dishes we ordered. Peramakan's Babi Pontay was soft and tender and the delicious bean sauce which was slightly salty enveloped in the meat.

The Chap Chye ($10++) is cabbage and other assorted vegetables cooked in a yellow sauce which was probably made from beans. Hearty and feels like homemade dish that mama can cook.

The Otah ($18++) was substantial and has a lot of ingredients - prawns, fish. We can even see the mackerel fish meat. And the prawns. It was very spicy and moist. And the portion was very big. 

Rice is $1 but it is refillable for free. Service was attentive and the waiters will refill water and rice whenever they see that my glass and plate is not filled. Overall, while the food is not heavenly but more homely, I think this place is worth a visit especially when there are special offers. 

Menya Sanji

Orchid Hotel has a lot of famous Japanese restaurants, for example the wildly famous Keisuke chicken ramen, and Teppei which I have given up on getting a reservation. Totally surrender. Menya Sanji is like the hidden gem that dishes out surprisingly good ramen.

The shop has very few seats, probably maximum 25 including bar seats? But we were able to get seats at 5pm on a Saturday. We got the Sanji Ramen ($11.5++) each. 

The soup was distinctively more milky white than other ramens and I could taste caramelized onion. But the main star is actually the char shu (pork). It has the right ratio of fats and lean meat that melts in the mouth. The edges were also crispy and the meat was flavorful. Excellent. The egg was also perfect - sweet and runny.

I think I would be going back very soon.

Address:  Orchid Hotel, 1 Tras Link #01-14 Singapore 078867

Phone: 6604 8891

328 Katong Laksa

Time: 3pm

Location: 328 Katong Laksa

Mission: To eat the legendary laksa that beat Gordon Ramsay.

My detective nose could smell the coconut milk and laksa fragrance in the air just a few shops ahead. The lady boss was cooking the broth. I got XS size for $5. It was really XS. Hmmm good things come in small sizes? 

The noodles were short and hence no chopsticks required, typical of nyonya laksa. What can I say? The gravy is indeed to die for. For me, it has the best balance between coconut milk and chilli spices. The umami flavour was distinct in every sip. And the sambal chilli was full of oomph - very spicy. The prawns and fish cakes were size XS too. There were also tiny prawn bits which gave a nice finishing texture to the gravy.

Even though a bit expensive for street food and the size is quite small, it is a must eat to complete my food pilgrimage. And I guess a must eat at least once in a lifetime for everyone. Mission accomplished!

Tip next time: Remember to go to the aircon room next door instead of sitting in the hot coffee shop.

Address: 216 East Coast Road Singapore 428770