AromaCookery

Ma Maison (The Central)

For my birthday last Saturday, I cooked a simple vegetarian meal for Ricky and my mom. Guess I've reached the age where:
(a) birthdays are not just about me;
(b) or big presents and lavish meals, for that matter;
(c) what matters most is time spent with loved ones; and
(d) I try to gain karmic points by being eco- and animal-friendly.

Cha soba salad (S$7.00)

The last point being especially true as we had to redeem ourselves following a lovely omnivorous meal at Ma Maison, the charming Japanese restaurant masquerading as a French one.

Tonkichi (Ngee Ann City)

Whenever the crave for tonkatsu (deep-fried pork cutlet) attacks, it's the ever reliable Tonkichi I head to. Using premium cuts of pork, their tonkatsu is consistently crispy, juicy, and not oily. Portions are generous, with refillable rice and shredded cabbage. Service is efficient, and the decor clean-cut but cosy. Prices, for the quality, are reasonable, too. What more can one ask for?

            
            Freshly roasted sesame seeds.

While waiting for the order, a bowl of roasted sesame seeds (to be added to the tonkatsu sauce) will be given for you to crush. I think this is a great idea as grinding the sesame seeds just before eating ensures its maximum freshness and fragrance. As you crush the seeds, a gentle waft of fragrance floats from the bowl. Inhale the lovely aroma - it's strangely therapeutic!

Noodle House Ken

       
        Tamago ramen (SGD$12.00).

Ventured into relatively unknown territory today - Japanese ramen. There are few shops in Singapore that specialize in ramen, and Noodle House Ken is one of them. Its appearance is small and unimpressive, but I've heard that this is one of the better authentic ramen shops in town.

Ichiban Boshi (Wisma Atria) - Value Meal Promotion

About a month ago, R and I were shopping at Wisma Atria when our tummies started growling in unison. "Where shall we go for dinner?" R asked, thinking that his food blogger wife would probably already have a place in mind.

"Oh, I don't know. I'm too lazy to think, and too hungry to venture out of this building. How about somewhere tried and tested? Ichiban Boshi?" This was most unlike me.

            
            Chicken katsu curry set (S$14.80).

This isn't the first time nor the second time that I've blogged about eating at Ichiban Boshi. Truth be told, there have been other visits there which I didn't blog about. Can't keep writing about the same place, you know. But right now, the Wisma Atria outlet is having a Value Set Meal promotion which is too good to miss. Good news must be shared, hence this post!

Nagano Japanese Restaurant

This post is a culmination of three visits to Nagano Japanese Restaurant, a modest-sized, family eatery located at Valley Point Shopping Centre. Nagano used to be a foodcourt stall at the former Orchard Point food court, but it is now a full-service restaurant. The decor is sparse and simple, and the food is unpretentiously homely, but with friendly service and affordable prices (no service charge and GST), who's complaining?

            
            Grilled saba (mackerel).

The grilled mackerel (above pic) was part of the rice set that includes miso soup, pickles, and fruit. The fish was soft and juicy inside, while the skin was crispy and slightly charred, just the way I like it. The miso soup, which had seaweed and small cubes of tofu, wasn't too salty and tasted just right. At S$7.00, this set was pretty good value, wouldn't you say?

            
            Grilled saba set (S$7.00).

Dainty Dinner

After shopping for groceries at Great World City, it was time for dinner. I didn't have much appetite, but I knew I had to eat something. My previous experience with gastritis, caused by irregular mealtimes, has taught me never to skip my meals.

Well, I ended up with a rather dainty and colorful take-out dinner: sushi from Kuriya, the Japanese Fresh Fish Market, and Indonesian pastries from Kedai Kue-Kue. Both outlets are situated at the basement level.         

            
            An assortment of sushi items (total cost: S$3.60).

Clockwise from top-left: unagi sushi ($0.90), ebi sushi (S$0.90), chuka iidako (seasoned octopus) sushi (S$0.80), tuna maki (S$0.50), and tamago maki (S$0.50). The tuna and tamago maki both come in pairs. My favorite were the unagi and chuka iidako.

Ichiban Boshi Japanese Restaurant (Wisma Atria)

Hi everyone! Just had a lovely Sunday dinner at Ichiban Boshi Japanese Restaurant (Wisma Atria) with R. But editing a backlog of photos, the following 10 photos, as well as uploading them onto TypePad, took me 2 hours. It's rather late now, so I'll try to post the commentary within the next 24 hours. My apologies. I also apologise for not being able to reply to your comments in the previous two posts yet; have been really tied up the past few days. In the meantime, enjoy the photos first, and have fun guessing what the following sushi are! :)

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I'd never been a fan of sushi. First, I don't eat raw food, and since many sushi items come with sashimi, they are no-nos for me. Second, I grew up loving hot, fluffy rice (it's a Chinese thing), and mentally, I just couldn't fathom eating cold, sour(!) rice. Ah, I can already hear the protests from sushi lovers out there, yelling, "You're missing out on a lot, Julia!"

Well, the creative sushi chefs at Ichiban Boshi have revolutionised my thinking towards sushi. They have a main sushi menu boasting of at least 60 items, and a great number of them have cooked ingredients. That was the first factor that let me overcome my mental barrier against sushi. The second factor that made me fall in love with their sushi was simply how divine they tasted. For the first time, I discovered that lightly vinegared rice is so refreshing and appetising on the palate. The few, rare occasions that I ate sushi, had rice that was too sour, and they turned me off.

Like me, R isn't a sushi fan, but he too, was bowled over by the delicious and innovative sushi we had. There is a kaiten (conveyor belt) for sushi diners, but we could also sit at another table and order ala carte, which was what we did.

            
            Crispy lobster salad roll (S$1.90).

This was our favorite. A rice seaweed roll is fried in tempura batter, then sliced and topped with lobster salad and spring onion. The lobster was sweet and crunchy, and there was just a teeny hint of wasabi mixed together with the creamy mayo. Oishii!            

Ichiban Boshi Japanese Restaurant

My work often brings me to the vicinity around Great World City, at least twice a week. As a lone diner, I usually have a quick meal at the foodcourt, Delifrance, Yoshinoya, or at one of the fastfood outlets (only as a last resort when I'm really tired of the first 3 choices). I'd been wanting to try Cedele, but it was closed when I went there on Thursday night. So, I thought I'd splurge a little on my weekday dinner and go Japanese at Ichiban Boshi, which is located on the basement level.

The front section of the restaurant is dedicated to selling prepacked sushi and sashimi (sorry for the lack of pics). It is a rather large area, and the selection looked fresh and appealing. Within is the restaurant, and in the middle is the kaiten (conveyor-belt sushi). Tables for non-kaiten diners are lined along the walls. The whole place was actually very nicely designed. The wood panelling and predominantly biege color scheme, together with mood lighting, created a classy yet cosy ambience.

            
             Tempura & chawanmushi set (S14.80).

Amanogawa

       

Located at the basement of Raffles City Shopping Centre, Amanogawa is one of the several cosy-sized eateries there serving up quick Japanese meals. It is located across Out of the Pan, the cafe serving up crepes.