[LIMITED TIME ONLY TILL 2ND DEC] Handcrafted pastas that were made right in front of our eyes!

It’s a special occasion at Waterfall Ristorante Italiano of the @shangrilasg. The hotel flew Mamma Ria, the mother of restaurant manager, Andreano Carbotti, into Singapore from all the way in Italy!

I was fortunate enough to try all three pasta dishes that were exclusively made by Mamma Ria in true South Italian flair!

1. Homemade orecchiette pasta with braised stockyard Australian wagyu rayu. ($38++)
2. Homemade trottole pasta, grilled eggplant ricotta rolls and basil. ($32++)
3. Homemade cavatelli pasta with fresh seafood. ($35++)

Each of the three pasta dishes held a special place in my heart as they were amazing and had their own merits. The pasta integrated well with each of the sauces and had a bit of grit that reflected how raw and natural the pastas were crafted by hand. My favourite was definitely the wagyu ragu because the meat was so tender and hearty. Transported me back to my days in Italy.

A mountain of beef offals on top a mountain of sliced meat on top a mountain of vegetables!

This crazy gigantic mountain in a pan is what the Japanese call “chirotori” which translates to dustpan because it looks like it’s served in one.

For the sliced meat, one can choose between beef ($18 small, $34 large) or pork ($16 small, $30 large). After the stove is switched on, the mountain slowly crumbles into the brown sweet sauce where everything simmers to a beautiful stew.

The beef wagyu offals stew to become these plump, slightly translucent nuggets of love. With each offal tasting like fat of a great steak with that melt-in-the-mouth texture. I’d really recommend this dish and also to add on the cheese curry risotto which transforms this dish and gives it new life!

A mountain of beef offals on top a mountain of sliced meat on top a mountain of vegetables!

This crazy gigantic mountain in a pan is what the Japanese call “chirotori” which translates to dustpan because it looks like it’s served in one.

For the sliced meat, one can choose between beef ($18 small, $34 large) or pork ($16 small, $30 large). After the stove is switched on, the mountain slowly crumbles into the brown sweet sauce where everything simmers to a beautiful stew.

The beef wagyu offals stew to become these plump, slightly translucent nuggets of love. With each offal tasting like fat of a great steak with that melt-in-the-mouth texture. I’d really recommend this dish and also to add on the cheese curry risotto which transforms this dish and gives it new life!

[NEW WINTER MENU] Where has this been all my life?

I’m gonna be honest, I’ve never had kushikatsu in my life before until my visit to Kushikatsu Tanaka this week. Well, what can I say but I wish I had tried it sooner!

Kushikatsu is deep-fried skewered meat, fish or veggies. Why Kushikatsu Tanaka’s kushis tasted so good was most probably because of its secret preparation method as well as its secret formulae for the batter and dipping sauce. The skewers were covered with the restaurant’s own brand finely-ground panko crumbs that’s imported from Japan, where the brand has about 170 shops! The skewers were then fried in a unique blend of oil that contains beef fats. (WHAT?!) This resulted in the fried skewers having a distinctive crisp and light taste that most importantly, wasn’t too oily and kept me wanting to have more!

Recently, Kushikatsu Tanaka introduced its winter menu which includes snow crab leg, spicy flounder and leek kushis which all I would highly recommend. Each kushi cost between $1-2.50 except the winter exclusive snow crab leg which was $4

[NEW WINTER MENU] Where has this been all my life?

I’m gonna be honest, I’ve never had kushikatsu in my life before until my visit to Kushikatsu Tanaka this week. Well, what can I say but I wish I had tried it sooner!

Kushikatsu is deep-fried skewered meat, fish or veggies. Why Kushikatsu Tanaka’s kushis tasted so good was most probably because of its secret preparation method as well as its secret formulae for the batter and dipping sauce. The skewers were covered with the restaurant’s own brand finely-ground panko crumbs that’s imported from Japan, where the brand has about 170 shops! The skewers were then fried in a unique blend of oil that contains beef fats. (WHAT?!) This resulted in the fried skewers having a distinctive crisp and light taste that most importantly, wasn’t too oily and kept me wanting to have more!

Recently, Kushikatsu Tanaka introduced its winter menu which includes snow crab leg, spicy flounder and leek kushis which all I would highly recommend. Each kushi cost between $1-2.50 except the winter exclusive snow crab leg which was $4

My favourite fries.

In my opinion, my favourite fries are @pscafe’s truffle shoestring fries ($8 for half, $15 for whole). For $15, one can get a whole mountain of golden crisp shoestring fries capped with a generous amount of parmesan shavings. The whole portion was good enough for 3-4 people. Warning: they’re dangerously addictive.

Pleasantly surprised with the pizzas af PS.Cafe!

Don’t get me wrong, PS.Cafe churns out good food at its various aesthetically pleasing locations but I didn’t expect its pizzas to be matching in quality with those Italian pizzerias!

I had the PS.Bolognese which had a combination of minced beef and pork over a tomato base and littered with basil leaves. The dough was crafted using Caputo “OO” flour and hand stretched to order. It’s baked at 315°C leaving a thin, crisp and charred crust. The resulting dish was so good that a friend and I finished the 8 slices in less than 5 minutes. It goes great with the house crispy chili oil that gives the pizza a fiery kick!

When will I stop eating beef udon? NEVER!

Ventured for the first time into Marusaya at Robertson Quay for lunch. A good sign was that all the staff and all the patrons were Japanese! The restaurant offered a number of value-for-money lunch sets which a few of them caught my eye. It specialises in shabu shabu but I decided to go for an inexpensive option of the sukiyaki beef udon set.

The set included the sukiyaki beef udon and a poached egg, with the option to have it hot or cold, as well as to have a free upsize portion of udon or not. The set also included ohitashi (Japanese spinach salad), a vegetable appetiser, pickles, mini chawanmushi and dessert.

The beef slices were definitely superior to other udon establishments but the broth was too light even after the addition of bonito flakes. The udon was too al dente for me as I prefer it softer and chewier.

Overall, it was still a good bowl of udon but when I come back, I’ll definitely try the other sets. The restaurant was full but not overpacked for a Sunday lunch which made it a good option to bring the family.

When will I stop eating beef udon? NEVER!

Ventured for the first time into Marusaya at Robertson Quay for lunch. A good sign was that all the staff and all the patrons were Japanese! The restaurant offered a number of value-for-money lunch sets which a few of them caught my eye. It specialises in shabu shabu but I decided to go for an inexpensive option of the sukiyaki beef udon set.

The set included the sukiyaki beef udon and a poached egg, with the option to have it hot or cold, as well as to have a free upsize portion of udon or not. The set also included ohitashi (Japanese spinach salad), a vegetable appetiser, pickles, mini chawanmushi and dessert.

The beef slices were definitely superior to other udon establishments but the broth was too light even after the addition of bonito flakes. The udon was too al dente for me as I prefer it softer and chewier.

Overall, it was still a good bowl of udon but when I come back, I’ll definitely try the other sets. The restaurant was full but not overpacked for a Sunday lunch which made it a good option to bring the family.

When will I stop eating beef udon? NEVER!

Ventured for the first time into Marusaya at Robertson Quay for lunch. A good sign was that all the staff and all the patrons were Japanese! The restaurant offered a number of value-for-money lunch sets which a few of them caught my eye. It specialises in shabu shabu but I decided to go for an inexpensive option of the sukiyaki beef udon set.

The set included the sukiyaki beef udon and a poached egg, with the option to have it hot or cold, as well as to have a free upsize portion of udon or not. The set also included ohitashi (Japanese spinach salad), a vegetable appetiser, pickles, mini chawanmushi and dessert.

The beef slices were definitely superior to other udon establishments but the broth was too light even after the addition of bonito flakes. The udon was too al dente for me as I prefer it softer and chewier.

Overall, it was still a good bowl of udon but when I come back, I’ll definitely try the other sets. The restaurant was full but not overpacked for a Sunday lunch which made it a good option to bring the family.

[23/24 Nov only] Familiar tastes in unexplored territory.

I had the privilege of having Chef Mads Refslund degustation menu exclusive to SKIRT.

As a champion of New Nordic cuisine, Chef Refslund’s influence is definitely evident over the 10-course menu. Though the menu didn’t exhibit the spoils of Nordic countries, it definitely exemplified the purity and freshness of ingredients, a sure requisite for New Nordic cuisine.

I enjoyed how for each dish, the elements were distinct but they fused well together. For example, the first main, the sweetness from the banana slices was balanced by the saltiness of the caviar clumps and enriched by the umami of roasted seaweed. It was a case of how in most marriages, opposites attract.

What I loved most from the menu, was the seafood and how Chef Refslund brought out its sweetness: a paste of oyster and parsley, hamachi with black radish, sweet shrimp with salted plums, buttery king crab with rosemary. These were a few of my favourite things.

I’m so glad to have tasted a sliver of New Nordic cuisine and I can’t wait to try more.

A formidable brunch that packs a punch.

The salted yolk chick n’ waffles is meant for the hungry and ambitious. Three golden crispy pieces of fried chicken, a block of charcoal waffles and a whole potato gratin definitely sounds like a mouthful.

I love the idea of southern fried chicken and waffles with a drizzle of maple syrup. It’s a beautiful combination further enriched with a small bowl of molten salted egg yolk sauce. But in this case, though the fried chicken was juicy, it lacked seasoning which thankfully the salted egg yolk sauce made up for. Also wish there was more maple syrup to balance the saltiness of the whole dish. But overall, it’s still a sweet deal for brunch considering the quantity of protein! Made even sweeter if you have a 1-for-1 Entertainer subscription.