[ Vegetarian Food Review ] A certain someone and I have been trying to incorporate more vegetarian fare into our diets — yes, me, voluntarily eating vegetables, and no, it’s not a parallel dimension — and since we had errands to run in town, figured there’s no better opportunity to finally dine at Real Food in Orchard Central. (Don’t worry, this was weeks ago before the rise in cases!)

Real Food has been a relatively popular brand amongst the local vegetarian circle. The food is quite reminiscent of 2nd-tier Chinese cities’ take on Western fusion (except with a hint of local flavours too), where traditional ingredients are made into much lighter, and more carefully curated profiles to fit the mindful diner. While such culinary style can get monotonous quickly without variations in taste intensity, it’s great for someone watching their diet.

By the time we arrived, it was past 8pm. But even then, we just managed to snag the last non-bar seats available. Unfortunately, our luck did not hold — most items were long gone, and after a good 20 mins of back-and-forth with the kitchen, we finally managed to cobble together an order. Welp.

Perhaps we were a little oversold by our peers, but neither of us found the food particularly memorable. So much so that it took me weeks to consider posting this because of how sparse my taste memory is!

The best item of the night was their Steamed Dumplings ($10.80). The little garden each morsel contained was vibrant in taste and texture, and the tamari really added a whole new dimension to the dish.

My main of Organic ‘Belachan’ Fried Rice ($10.80) fared pretty well too, with the substitute of fermented soy for dried shrimp doing a pretty good job of evoking a piquant fragrance not unlike belachan. Unfortunately, the entire thing was so oily I couldn’t get past more than half of it.

A certain someone’s Cheesy Miso Tofu ($15.80) wasn’t great, and didn’t leave much of an impression either. The batter-dipped fried cauliflower on the other hand, was utterly inedible: the poor florets were tarred in a thick layer of unseasoned, and oddly limp batter. Never again.

[ Food Review — Casual premium Kyoto fare with multiple donburi and bento options! ] Don’t you just love it when a deluxe kaiseki-only place decides to open a casual spin-off that doesn’t gouge a gaping hole in your pocket? I sure do! (Gotta thank the bestest bestie for bringing me here!)

Where Yoshi (at Forum) specialises in kaiseki meals, Nozomi by Yoshi’s menu is lined with donburi and bento options. No, I’m not talking about selections that can effectively be squeezed onto a name card masquerading as menu, NBY has a whooping 27 items in its donburi and bento section — that’s excluding sashimi + sushi + other hot and cold mains — which cater to the more budget-conscious (they start at $16) all the way to the semi-extravagant ($98 for their season special omakase bento).

In other words, you don’t need to lament the impossibility of tasting Kyoto’s famed kaiseki — just come here and sample adjacent fare for a fraction of the price. (The menu at NBY is designed by the parent restaurant btw!)

And yes, they do deliveries and takeaways.

We had an early dinner here — it occupies the old Uma Uma unit — and while it wasn’t full, it’s started filling up towards the end of our meal. Better book!

As enticed as I was by their gorgeous donburi spread, I had to taste what their bento was like. That’s how I ended up with my Zaru Soba and Sashimi Bento ($22) while the bestie got her usual order of Barachirashi with Hokkaido Uni and Ikura ($40) w/o salmon.

Don’t be deceived by how compact our orders look — I was genuinely struggling to finish my soba near the end! The raw fish cuts were fresh and light, and the knifework was a cut (heh) above most other places of similar price points. The soba was lovely too, with the signature mild grainy texture a sign of careful handmanship, so much so I finished every last strand. The pork belly kushiage was a nice texture and flavour contrast, but while well made, was quite overwhelming in contrast to the rest of the bento.

I also missed having such careful presentation when eating at more casual Japanese places, so to enjoy that care whilst being in shorts was a nice change of pace.

If it weren’t for the strange times we live in, I’d definitely dine at NBY more!

[ Food Review — Brunch (and all-hours) food you can’t go wrong with! ] Due to increasing workload, I’ve been eating out a lot less for brunch/lunch these coming weeks. :’) But because a certain someone was nice enough to swing by for a quick meal today, we ended up convening at our fav hangout spot: Kong!

I was absolutely knackered today, but Hanna was sweet enough to offer us a glass of fresh juice each — orange for me, carrot for him; they’re on the menu too for $6.50–$7 each! — and that perked me right up! I haven’t had juice in literal years, which meant the cups brought back some lovely taste memories. Thank you! What an enchanting way to start the morning!

Today, we were famished. This is a good thing, because it meant one of us could get what is imo one of Kong’s most acclaimed items on the menu: The Kong Breakfast ($23). We added on sausages ($5), because their sausages are actually worth the added calories (Hanna does n o t skim on getting these darlings, trust me ;))! (I got my usual order of Smoked Salmon + Scrambled Eggs & Toast ($16) because I knew I wouldn’t be able to finish… And more importantly, a certain someone who allow me to peck off his plate, heh.)

Let me reinforce why after so long, Kong is still my fav place to be at — their food keeps improving! If it’s obvious enough to folks like us who dine there relatively often, I can only imagine how stark the difference must be to those who have more extended visits.

Why we love the breakfast set is for how cohesive the flavours are. Admittedly, in the early days, you still had to navigate a bit of taste divergence — the salad was too heavily sauced; the egg wasn’t as smooth — that splintered an otherwise unified exp. But not anymore! The full, rounded flavours of the bacon and sausage are mellowed out by the airiness of the eggs, and the sprinkle of salad with its milder dressing refreshed each bite without intruding on the chutney. This is why you’ve gotta get the set if you can — it’s truly scrumptious!

A friendly FYI: Because of the tightened covid restrictions, to keep our fav F&B outlets from being fined, please try to keep your visits under 2 hours, and refrain from doing work/using your laptop/devices unless you’re actually having a meal!

[ Food Review — My new-old neighbourhood Indian restaurant haunt ] Ever since Curry Gardenn closed for good, I’ve been trying to find a replacement in my neighbourhood. Cue a certain someone non-too-subtly reminding me of Indian Curry House at Sixth Avenue Centre. (Thanks for the reminder — my fam hasn’t visited in years, oops!)

Most restaurants tout themselves as offering restaurant quality food using fine ingredients in a deluxe setting/ambience. Big surprise, most of them don’t. ICH extols the same things with one major difference — it actually lives up to the standards! (Don’t worry, the prices aren’t inordinate.)

As it tends to be when we eat out, we were famished, which prompted us to order a little too enthusiastically. And that’s how we ended with this mini feast before us: Mutton Sheekh Kebab ($17.90), Kashimiri Rogam Josh ($17.90), and Chicken Masala ($16.90) as our mains, Aloo Gobi ($12.90) as my much needed veg side, and finally Garlic Naan ($4) for him and Peshawari/Kashmiri Naan ($6) for me. (Spoiler: We had to takeaway a bunch of stuff!)

Goodness, the flavours were even better than I’d remembered! Perhaps it’s a product of how ravenous we were, or maybe it’s my expanding appreciation for Indian cuisine, but I was more than satisfied with everything on our table. (As a bonus, the food arrived hot, and didn’t take too long either!)

A couple of highlights for the night: The kebab was excellent! When I get a kebab, I’m not just looking to have meat roasted on a stick (I can do it in my kitchen, or grab some satay) — I’m looking for that earthen roast and charcoal singe that give the outer layer its characteristic flavour. And yes, you do get that here! Better yet, these were packed with a kaleidoscope of spices bursting forth with each bite. I was smitten.

The other surprise of the night was the rogam josh. I’m usually not one for tomato-centric (and even less so for onion-heavy) curries, but the mutton here was so tender, and the curry was so vibrant, that despite already being full-up lamb from the kebab, I continued to spoon this onto my naan!

Oh their naan was excellent too! Defo get yourself 1-2 servings — the texture is excellent!

(Pst, they may still have 20% off for DBS cardholders!)

[ Café Revisit – Brunch food at night = peak adulting ] It’s approaching the end of the week, which means it’s time to indulge myself — by eating brunch/café food at night! (It’s s o much more satisfying than having it during the day, heh.)

Usually I’d get FW’s DIY brunch — for the curious, here’s my usual mix: brioche ($3) + shrooms ($3) + salmon ($4), with the occasional streaky bacon ($4) or scrambled eggs ($4) — but since I had an immense and late lunch today, I figured no better time to finally try a side I’ve been putting off for literal years: Curly fries ($6).

On the other hand, C^2 was ravenous, so she ended up getting what is imo one of the best items to get here: Panko Breaded Fish & Chips ($14). Here’s the thing — I can’t and don’t eat fish and chips. Dislike it immensely to the point of having strong reactions when tasting most. (Key being most.) But that doesn’t mean I’ll snub value when it’s in front of me, especially when it’s both economical and delish!

The main draw of FW’s fish and chips to me is simple: It’s huge. More often than not, you’re presented with a plate that’s actually dominated by the fish fillet; if you’re lucky, you’ll net one that even curls over the edges mid-dance, a testament to not only the size, but also how crisp the batter is. Add on the sides, and this will fill even the most ravenous of my dining partners! Oh, did I mention the batter is thin and light; a craggy exterior that works more like a skin than a full on layer that retains the fish’s succulence within? Yum!

Alas, that fish dish ain’t for me. As a functioning and responsible adult, I decided a basket of salty curly fries and two bottles of kombucha would suffice as my meal for the night! (No regrets; I’m more than satiated!)

Since I normally get their tater tots instead, I’m super glad I got these today. Turns out I actually prefer them! Instead of just rolling around tiny bullets of rough potato pops in your mouth — the texture gets old quick – you can enjoy the hard-soft duality of the fries, which no surprise, holds sauces better as well. (Yes, it comes with a dip, but ask for chilli sauce instead; you can thank C^2 for the tip!)

[ Food Review — Ever been to a coffeeshop bar? ] What are two things that my neighbourhood is lacking in? 1) Coffeeshops, and 2) bars. And I guess that’s why Bar Bar Black Sheep decided to set up shop here — the dearth of both makes it the perfect fit!

I’m not particularly fond of coffeeshops (until we have a smoking ban), and I haven’t been bar hopping since my uni days (allergies, phooey). So what brought me to the confluence of two things I’m not all that partial to? (Hint: I a m a food insta)

The food ofc!

Gonna preface this by saying the food isn’t exceptional; what it does have is a mix of eastern-western food options that is right up my alley, served with a surplus of cool drinks on the side, and packaged in a casual atmosphere that’s walkable from mine. Check, check, and check!

After Omakase Burger closed at Turf City, I was devastated. But after it took up residency at BBBS, right next to Thai, and Indian food stalls — both of which have pretty robust menus as well — I had to swing by one day for a bite of that crunchy sala-, I mean…burger. Cause some of the ingredients inside are crunchy.

Despite being branded as a coffeeshop-bar, don’t expect the prices to be near hawker fare. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing: Sans OB (which has only gotten pricier), the Thai and Indian stalls serve up restaurant-adjacent dishes with pretty substantial portions.

I’m going to skip on a OB review since I did one a couple while back (refresher: 100% get the salad; pretty good, albeit kinda small, burgers with fluffy buns). My winner for the night: Aloo gobi. Cooked to order, it arrived in a tantalising lil mountain of vibrant colours, and even more vibrant aroma. We spent most of our stay plucking studs of potato and cauliflower from it; we could have just gotten this and paired it with rice and another side and be done — that’s how hefty a portion it was!

The prawn cakes weren’t about to be outdone too. The crust was gold and thin, and the interior was moist and sweet — it was the perf snack to end on, esp when eaten hot. A lil pricey for 3-pc, but if you want to share a main instead, their fried rice and noodles is responsible for feeding >50% of the tables!

[ Food Review — Teck Hin Fishball Noodle ] Finishing the weekend with something I grew up with — fishball and fishcake noodles from Bukit Timah Market! (Nope, it’s not Sheng Cheng!)

I know quite a few people who diss TH in favour of SC, but hear me out: Handmade fishballs and fishcake cooked à la 1970s style.

Sure, the couple can be grouchy, and sure the number of toppings you get have dwindled significantly over the years, but if shelling out for a large is what I need to do to get their springy, succulent fishballs, sign me up! Their fish cakes are even better IMO — the crumpled mantle of gold that coats each slice has excellent texture, especially when paired with chilli! Moreover, since they do a more even blend of fish and flour than other traditional stalls, you get an actual crunch with each bite, which makes the overall mouthfeel even more remarkable.

For those who are still sceptical, think about it this way: You’re tasting a part of SG’s rapidly disappearing food heritage. Who knows how long we will have left before such flavours become eroded by time, only existing in the ambiguity of our memories?

If you’re looking to try this, climb up the stairs to the food centre and make a left. After you pass the first dual-stalls row, it’s the one immediately after — backfacing the entrance and flanking the edge of the row. (Or you can just keep an eye out for #02-141!)

[ Café Food Review — Did I finally find a replacement for P&W?? ;u; ] Starting the weekend by rinsing off my (honestly embarrassing) spell of mediocre culinary experiences with today’s gem: Grand Jeté Café at Taka!

Those who’ve followed me from back in the probably know I used to live out of Patties & Wiches. But alas, the pandemic finally did them in, and I haven’t made any headway in finding a replacement…until now!

For those wondering how they’d missed out on a new café opening in Taka, it’s because GJ isn’t new! It’s been there since 2017, but likely only accessible IF you know where it is. (Here’s a hint: It’s outside Tower B, to the left of the turn into Taka — not the main mall building)

GJ specialises in Western-Japanese item, and does the full-works. By that, I mean they’ve tonkatsu, soba, curry, pastas, you name it, jazzed up with either Japanese or SEA influences. Honestly quite impressive given the size of the place. And the food is not that pricey either (it’s a good bit cheaper than P&W)!

When we visited, it was one of those awkward 4pm-not-sure-if-lunch-or-linner kinda meals. I figured their signature Tonkatsu Sando was a safe bet for a between-meal snack, while a certain someone — who was so enamoured by their fried croquette on his last visit — decided to replicate his prev order. To help wash our fried items down, we got a side of kimchi — a little unorthodox for a café run by a Japanese lady — and a pot of lychee green tea (which was marvellously fragrant, but sadly no top-ups).

Oh boy, the food was much better than I’d expected! Don’t be fooled by the deceptive size of my ‘wich — it filled me up quick! The katsu was lean yet juicy, and was encrusted in crust that had an almost biscuit-like texture to it, which paired really nicely with the blooms of cabbage shreds, and did not overwhelm the thin bread slices.

Their croquette was where their frying technique really shone. Clad in vibrant orange, these nuggets were delicate and dry on the outside, and revealed a languid pool of pale gold within. I’m not one for croquette, but my goodness, if this is what all those anime protags have been munchin’ on, no wonder they always look so smitten!

[ Food Review — Vegetarian Food mini feature: D’Life ] For those unaware, it’s Earth Day yesteday! It has been ongoing since 20th of Apr, but dw if you missed it: All the cool talks on tech, climate literacy etc are still viewable on the official site!

Since this is predominantly my food dairy, I’ll spare you my droning — instead, we’re gonna look at one (of many!) way to help mitigate climate change through our love for food: Eating more vegetables.

Yeap. That’s it. Swap out some of the meat (especially beef; yes, I know it’s hard fellow steak lovers) and replace it with greens, and bam! Lower carbon footprint AND lower calorie count. Amazing right?

Even tho I’m still not the biggest fan of greens, my mum changed that by doing this one thing: She brought me to vegetarian restaurants that mimicked things I love to eat. While the flavours aren’t quite the same, the elaborate myriad of textures and tastes did wonders to abate my apathy! (Ofc the caveat here is don’t eat items that are solely flour! Go get some of those unprocessed greens for that good ol’ fibre action!)

Since my grandpa is vegetarian, one of the places we tend to go is D’Life. They’ve multiple branches; the closest for me is at Beauty World, right outside exit B. Two reasons to eat here: Huge menu + affordable prices (think zichar w/o seafood). For ref, our entire spread here was ~$50, and I was stuffed!

You know how I said try not to have too much flour if you go for vegetarian food? Well, tha doesn’t mean you’ve to avoid mock meats; it just means you need to find places that has a high enough skill floor to incorporate goodies like tofu and ‘shrooms into their “meats”.

Don’t know what to order here? Simple: Replicate our order here (CW from top: Curry mutton, satay, broc + monkey head shrooms, nonya fish, soy nuggets)

If there’s ONE dish you need to get tho, it’s this: Nonya Fish

For me this dish was love at first taste! The sauce is tangy and much richer than most veg replicates; but even if you want something non-spicy, just get their fish dishes. Trust me. The way they fold the tofu into a dense mille feuille does a brilliant job of mimicking actual fish texture — no other place comes close!

[ Café Food Review — slow, small portions + lacklustre service ] I’m just going to open off by saying I don’t get the hype with Kara Café & Dessert Bar. Some background: C^2 and I have been wanting night café food in BKT for a while, and since the reviews for Kara looked fine, why not try it?

First visit: This was more a supper since we ate prior. Our goal was to try their Okonomiyaki Tater Tots after @lausybren recommended it (thank you!!), so we checked that it was available, ordered, and got a seat. After we paid and were mid-drink, we were told the tater tots were sold out. Mind you, no one else ordered it nor did we see it served. After the refund, we were stuck with drinks when we could’ve gone home instead. Great.

Next visit: This time, C^2 and I decided to pop by during dinner time instead. She placed the order for it first to be safe before we looked for mains. Many of their mains were sold out, so we got their Pork Belly Miso (apparently a signature) + Tempura Fish Kimchi. Alas, 15-20 mins later we were informed again that the tempura was sold out. Cue needing to pick another bowl and pay $2 more for something I didn’t particularly want (their katsu).

Here’s the only silver lining of the night: The tater tots were great!! /chef kiss/ (Did have to wait 30mins for it tho.) Despite being covered in sauce and mayo, the potato bites were still crispy, and the spring onions and furikake garnishing made the dish a lot more and staved away impending saturation.

The rest of our mains, not so much. My goodness, the portion sizes were dismal. While we did get a slab of pork belly, it was fattier than I’d expected, lying next to a strange inclusion of fried instant noodle bits, and flanked by a sad mess of onions and some edamame. At least the mix wasn’t bad.

If I thought the belly was bad, wait until you see their katsu. Not only did we have to wait nearly an hour for it (they told us 20mins more 30mins in), when it arrived, we were given h a l f a piece of katsu that I could’ve eaten in a bite or two. An hour. For that. Better yet, the entire dish was dull, plain and bland. Took a few bites, and we were done with it.

Nope, never visiting again.

[ Food Review — Going to a ramen shop for its non-ramen dishes! ] Anyone else completely flummoxed by what to eat given the constantly dithering weather? After deliberating, we came to a conclusion: We want agedashi tofu. But because Sushi Tei’s version leaves a lot to be desired, and we weren’t looking to travel too far, we found ourselves at the closest alternative: Sanpoutei at Holland!

So no, we didn’t go to a ramen shop for its ramen. We went there primarily because they’ve agedashi tofu, and also because we could pair hot and cold items from their menu. (Onigiri and tsukemen are technically not h o t food, right?)

Since I already did an in-depth review of Sanpoutei’s ramen in an earlier post, I’m just going to summarise my Nikumori Spicy-Rich Miso Ramen as deeply flavourful and smooth, and great for equalising the fat bits in the broth.

A certain someone’s Dried Sardine Tsukemen was honestly more enticing than my order. (Fun fact, it ranks in my top 3 items from SPT!) Pairing its Niigata heritage with contemporary Tokyo sensibilities, this allows you to enjoy the best of both worlds: You get to taste the intense resonant flavours of the concentrated sardine dip without committing to a large bowl’s worth, and you can enjoy SPT’s sprightly noodles without investing in a hot bowl of soup in SG’s heat. Our only complaint was (and is) how small the dip bowl was, heh.

Onto the main reason for our visit: the agedashi tofu! For folks who love textural contrasts without wanting tempura batter, this is a great alternative. By covering tofu cubes in a light dusting of potato starch, you end up with a diaphanous layer that is more crisp than crunchy. Served in tentsuyu — or tempura dipping sauce — it is a light and easy dish that’s fun to eat and pairs well with most mains.

SPT’s covered all traditional aspects, and even elevated the mild flavours with a generous dollop of tarako (cod/pollock roe). The tofu was delicate and the broth was pleasantly mellow. My biggest gripe with it however, was how the nearly soup-like amount of tentsuyu melted away most of the crisp, turning the skin into a sticky web of starch. Shame, because the flavouring was pretty good!

[ Café Food Review — Aesthetic =/= Quality ] It’s rare for me to order in food at home — not a fan of the unnecessary waste generated + no to lukewarm food — but unfortunately, it really is the only viable option on some days.

If I do order, it’s normally via Deliveroo. The delivery costs are cheaper, their discounts tend to be better (but for a small group of brands), and it means I don’t have to support Grab, yay!

And that is how I ended up with the order of Buttercake N Cream’s All Day Magical Set (25% off) ft. Chef’s Roasted Half (Spring) Chicken + Caesar Salad side + Peach Sparkler for $14.18, and a side of Chicken Nuggets for $7 because yours truly can’t say no to nuggets.

Here’s the only summary you need: If I’d been at the café, I’d have sent almost everything back. Which was an unpleasant discovery for me because apparently BnC has been voted as a great spot for food (then again, said vote is from a local forum), and takes pride in not just fostering a conducive ambience, but its gastronomical creations too. Apparently.

The frustrating thing is the food didn’t have to be horrible! I could taste the effort in balancing the flavours. For e.g., the spring chicken was honestly not bad — it was seasoned decently, with variations in herbs and condiments. So what’s the problem then?

Everything was d r e n c h e d in oil. And if it didn’t need oil, sauce.

No matter how good whatever I picked up was, it was absolutely ruined by the viscous sheen of oil that seeped and clung to every damn thing. The fragrance of the potato? Stifled by the oil. The crisp of the nuggets? Sodden by the oil.

The salad then? Inundated by dressing.

Now remember how I have horrible oil sensitivity? Add two and two together, and bam, guess who was rendered virtually incapacitated for the better part of my lunch. The silver lining? At least I’m home with access to all my meds.

Oh, and the drink wasn’t bad I guess. Not too sweet but lacking in body; but hey, it did wonders in washing the deluge of oil from my mouth.

Worst item of the day? The nuggets. Bland, limp, and drowning in enough oil to risk a USA invasion.

Best? The taro pie from Burger King my dad (thankfully) got for me.