A Taste of Champion Curry from Japan

Today was the last day of a food festival in the basement of Takashimaya that featured this chain from Ishikawa. It is apparently the creator of Kanazawa-style curry, which was not just thick, but very earthy, being the polar opposite of that super-thin one from Yomoda. But this one was also a tad sweet, which meant that I didn't like it much. At least the katsu on top was fried to order, and the metal tray and spork were memorable too.

Torasho’s Tsukemen (Self-Proclaimed) “Singapore Best”

Torasho has an oddly named tsukemen on their menu. I don't really aggree with their proclamation, but there were some pretty good parts of this, including the chewy noodles and fatty chashu. But the broth was mildly sweet, reminiscent of Taishoken. In that sense, I'd rather wait for IPPUDO to bring back theirs...or maybe just go to Sanpoutei.

Trying Song Kee Fishball Noodles Again

I recall liking a Song Kee outlet in the past, as well as its family variants. So it was nice to be able to get a quick bowl at its location across from Serangoon Stadium today (100 Yio Chiu Kang Road, 9336-2745). Yes, the dumplings were good as always, but this time I finally took more notice of the fishballs themselves, which had a mildly gritty texture that made them so much better than the smooth ones that are typically served at other shops. I also liked how they tossed the noodles here with a generous amount of oil, as well as some dried shrimps, if I tasted it correctly. The only letdown was the tofu, which was fine on its own but a bit of a bore compared to those crispy natto pouches that I've been eating from Yomoda.

Returning to Tokyo Soba in Tanjong Pagar

With AmiYaki in its former spot, Tokyo Soba has moved to a bigger location next door (12 Gopeng Street #01-12), where I grabbed that slimy yet refreshing nebaneba soba above. The more interesting thing were those little tofu pouches on the right, as they were stuffed with natto and deep fried to make them crisp and greasy on the outside yet rich and gooey on the inside. It might not sound very appealing, but I liked them so much that I went back for another serving.

Trying Out Hundred Grains in Singapore

This small chain is kinda interesting in that they have a long spread in the center of the restaurant where you fill your empty tray with a variety of precooked food. It’s not a buffet though, because you pay by weight, and it adds up: my selections above totaled S$18 (US$13), which was multiple times what one would have paid at the many "economic rice" places around.

That's probably the wrong comparison though, as the food was centered around mainland Chinese tastes. Indeed, it was reminiscent of those liangban shops but with a selection of hot proteins, not to mention free rice and drinks. Granted, it also reminded me of corporate cafeteria food in China, which can't exactly compare to a properly cooked mapo doufu like the one from Wowodian yesterday. But I still cleared my food with ease.

Ven Pongal for Breakfast at Annalakshmi

When did Annalakshmi start putting prices on their menu? Anyway, their third floor cafe at Downtown Gallery (6A Shenton Way #03-26) made for a convenient breakfast this morning. I wanted idli until I noticed this pongal, which looked even more interesting. It was spongy, but I was delighted whenever I came across the many whole black peppercorns in there. It was nice to have ghee drizzled over it too. There were some other things on their lunch menu that looked interesting enough to come back for.

China's Wowodian at Raffles City Shopping Centre

A chain restaurant from Sichuan has opened in Singapore (252 North Bridge Road #B1-13, 6513-5598). And yes, it was good. That mapo doufu above was seasoned just right and featured pleasantly firm tofu and quality meat. We also had a bacon rice pot thing that went well with it, even if I wish they had left it to scorch on the bottom of the pot. Actually, the thing to get here is supposed to be a steamed sourdough bun, which we didn't have stomach space for. But that's all the more reason to come back, especially since Qiu Jin Xiao Chao is gone already.

Japan’s Yomoda Curry at AmiYaki in Singapore

So it looks like the AmiYaki folks are related to the Yomoda Soba people after all. Part of their menu is now dedicated to Yomoda Curry, which is apparently award-winning and presumably based on the soba shop's broth.

I was surprised to find though that it was watery-thin, making it more like a soup curry than a thick one. What was weirder was that those chicken drumlets on top were stone cold, like they were pulled straight out of the fridge.

Well, I still ate it all, especially since those thin slices of grilled pork were kinda nice, and my side of natto came in a super generous serving. I won't come back for the curry, but the pork slices would be worth coming back for, especially since they have dropped gindara from their menu.

China’s Jia Yi Bing at Singapore’s Chinatown Point

There is a new stall in the basement of Chinatown Point, with this one being a shaobing chain from China (133 New Bridge Road #B1-51B). They have a variety of fillings available like the pork and spring onion one above, but it was the flaky pastry that is the draw here, especially since they make each one to order. They also offer a bowl of suanlafen to go with it.

Naples’ L'antica Pizzeria Da Michele in Singapore

A Michelin-listed pizza shop from Naples has opened an outlet at the new Mercure ICON Singapore City Centre (8 Club Street #01-08, 9823-5724). Despite having a full menu here, the original location apparently only serves marinara or margherita, the latter of which I grabbed above. The rich cheese was the most memorable part of it, not to mention the fact that the thing was gigantic, being twice the size of what Beyond The Dough serves. The crust here was also much chewier, but my preference is still for L'Operetta, especially since their tomatoes are not as acidic.

China's Xishaoye ("Bingz") at Westgate in Singapore

Another roujiamo chain from China has opened in Singapore (3 Gateway Drive #B1-27, 8547-7783), albeit with a rather odd-sounding name. I understand what they were trying to do with the "Bingz" name overseas, but frankly I think Master Xi sounds much better. Anyway, I didn't care that much for the food either, as the roujiamo's pastry wasn't as flaky as it could have been, while there was also no chili oil to put inside either. Well, I don't mind trying some of their other items, like the veggie version or even the butter chicken one. But hopefully they open another outlet in the city to make it easier to get to.

Mee Siam from Killiney Kopitiam

I'm assuming that a big chain like Killiney Kopitiam isn't the best place to get mee siam (and the way this came out looked totally different from the photo on the wall). Nonetheless, this light yet super tangy thing was just what I needed this morning, even if it isn't something that I'll be getting regularly either.