Nihon | Oishīdesu 🇯🇵

Newly opened at Raffles City is Kanshoku Ramen! They got popular thanks to their Signature Truffle Ramen & boy did they do it right!

It's been years since I tried it the first time & they have been so consistent. It tasted exactly the same as when I first had it. The creaminess of the onsen egg paired with the fragrant truffle oil, perfectly cooked ramen, and sweet charred slices of chashu-it's no wonder this is their signature bowl!

Their new outlet is located at B1, right next to Tokyo Cheesecake store. With limited seats of about 20 pax, expect to see long queues during peak periods!

Located next to Genki Sushi at Suntec City, Kiwami serves up Hokkaido-style Tonkotsu broth ramen. Their menu is pretty simple - ramen & gyoza.

Their ramen options ranged from the plain Tonkotsu to spicy and garlic options. For toppings, you can have it as a bare basic option, or top up for eggs, seaweed, bamboo shoots & the usual suspects.

I opted for the basic which was the Premium Tonkotsu Ramen. What makes it premium is the char Siew, which thick slices of pork collar as opposed to pork belly. The fat to meat ratio in the pork collar was just right, with that extra bounce & bite in every slice which makes pork collar so much better a cut than pork belly.

As for the broth, a thick consistency is observed which makes it extremely tasty without being overbearing.

Known for their Truffle Ramen, Kanada-Ya has expanded to 5 outlets across the island serving up hearty bowls of ramen!

The latest addition to the menu is their Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen 🌶 The thick tonkotsu broth comes with an added dose of spiciness, amping up on flavour & heat with every mouthful of bouncy, perfectly cooked ramen noodles. Pair it with their thinly sliced fatty chashu & hanjuku egg, this hearty bowl is perfect on a rainy day!

Available till 31 May, do get your hands on these bowls before they run out 😉

A must order whenever you're at an Izakaya is grilled ika aka squid. Himonoya uses Himano squid, which comes from Iwate prefecture, which is situated along the coastline.

This is probably the best grilled squid I've had anywhere so far within Singapore. The tenderness of the perfectly sliced squid tastes so good on its own. It doesn't have the chewiness that some other places does which really shows the skills the kitchen team has in handling this dish. It also comes with 3 different dips for you to enjoy the squid with-with just plain lemon, grated ginger, horseradish or Mayo. Either ways, what these sauces do is show you just how sweet the meat is on its own, making you go in for another slice.

I know, you must be thinking, who orders corn and mushrooms at an Izakaya? Well, if you think about it, if they can't do these simple dishes right, they probably can't do the bigger ones any better.

That aside, both were simple joys and great starters to the meal! The corn is topped with butter and Bonito flakes for that added saltiness, with charred edges as it comes sizzling on a hot plate.

While the shrooms came perfectly grilled, and well, anything with butter is always a good choice 😉

Service was also extremely prompt & quick! The turnaround is insane, so kudos to the FOH team!

You're not seeing double, we ordered two portions of rice balls just because we were really hungry. Nonetheless, both the Shoyu Onigiri (foreground) and Ikura Onigiri (background) are worthy orders!

These carb balls look really cute and are slightly bigger than palm size. The rice is marinated with shoyu then grilled on both sides, giving you that crispy texture and charred bits, a lil like claypot rice. Topped with their homemade soy sauce butter or ikura, the addition of saltiness elevates the rice balls! The simpler version also pairs with the pickled daikon that comes on the side, to cut through the saltiness.

If you're looking for a carb to order while at Himonoya, this ball of rice is what you gotta get. The marinated rice is rolled into a ball and grilled on both sides, giving you a crispy texture (a lil' like claypot rice). Topped with these juicy bursts of the ocean, the saltiness elevates the rice ball to another level. Don't be fooled by the size, it does get quite heavy if you're having it by yourself, so share this with a friend, or two!

Located within Vision Exchange at Venture Drive, The Gyu Co serves up affordable & amazing dons that's easily accessible to everyone!

When you think of gyudon, you might think that it's crazy expensive, but they have kept it at an affordable price tag for the masses to enjoy, of course, without compromising on quality.

We tried the Truffle Foie Gras Gyudon aka the full works - where you get all the best things on a bowl. It is an extremely hearty bowl & definitely not for the faint hearted.

To start, the base of Jap rice can be individually seen grain by grain and cooked perfectly. It also comes with the chef's mix of sauces which makes it extra flavourful! Topped with caramelised onions, Wagyu shabu, grilled Foie gras and truffle slices, each mouthful is decadent in every aspect.

You get a mouthful of fatty foie, meaty wagyu & salty truffle slices - giving you the maximum umami satisfaction. Sprinkle some chilli oil or chilli flakes on to add a spicy kick to the mix if you'd like as well!

One of our fav date spots & go-to Izakaya is located across the great Zion Road Hawker & Great World City. This cosy lil' spot surprised us when we first dined as the items on the menu, ranging from skewers to mains blew our minds whenever we dine.⁠
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Apart from your usual skewers of Hatsu (chicken heart) or Momo (chicken thigh), Yujin Izakaya also serve simple bowls that are equally satisfying.⁠
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One such bowl would be their Somen ($16). The somen comes as a cold dish, which is perfect for the crazy hot weather! The perfectly al dente noodles are topped with cubed salmon & salty bursts of ikura, then balanced with their mixture of yuzu dressing & topped with spring onions. The result is a well-balanced bowl of somen that checks all the boxes for flavours

Look at this beautiful gorgeous platter?! 😍😍⁠
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This was the start to the many courses at @kyuubyshunsui. We went big this time around with the full upgrade ($179++) but it was well worth it!⁠
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We were treated to counter seats right in front of the chef, which allowed us to watch him slice each piece of sashimi so delicately & piece them all into a gorgeous platter.⁠
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The assortment of 7 sashimi included Salmon Belly, Scallops, Ebi, Hamachi, just to name the few. Each slice was thick & juicy & so so so fresh. & it was probably the day I had the most amount of uni & ikura. Btw, this tray you see is for 2 pax & is only just the start to an amazing meal.⁠
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Not somewhere you'd eat daily, but the experience & quality was that you get is value for money!⁠
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🍴From Our Pockets⁠
🛑 👫🏻👯⁠
💲 $$$$⁠
⭐️ ☆☆☆☆☆⁠

Tempura Oji looks like a normal eatery on the outside, with just a triangular table for 6 pax with a menu board.

However, beyond the fridge door, you'd be transported to another dimension with dim lighting, chill in the air (aircon is real cold) & thick heavy curtains. What you get is a vibe-y interior (even without music) where you soak in the sounds of cocktails shaking & chatter among the tables.

For ending sweets, we were recommended the Tenkasu S'mores Ice Cream ($16). The s'mores are torched upon order, allowing you to watch the entire caramelisation process of the honey marshmallow coating which leaves your mouth watering. While the exterior stays warm & toasty, the icy cold interior of dark chocolate tenkasu (tempura flakes) & vanilla pod ice cream adds another layer of sweetness with a pinch of saltiness to this dessert. This recommendation was definitely extremely worth it!

Recently opening their latest outlet, nozomi brings hearty jap food & shelves-load of sake to Star Vista.

I was fed their sponsored ads on IG & bought into it (thanks for making me your target audience) but it was a great choice to pay them a visit as their service and food were spot on!

Hubs & I ordered their Wagyu Beef Shiogayaki Don ($26) and Hokkaido Pork Katsu Yaki Capellini ($29).

The latter is a fusion blend of Italian meets Japanese. The capellini is tossed in sweet sauce (kinda like a yaki-udon style) and topped with bonito flakes. On the side, a huge crispy breaded Hokkaido pork loin cutlet accompanies the pasta. For the capellini, we would've preferred if it were soba or udon instead as the texture felt a tad bit strange. That aside, the pork cutlet was crispy and fried to perfection, maintaining its juiciness with every bite. Every piece has a thick layer of fat that melts in your mouth while retaining its natural juices.

🍴From Our Pockets
🛑 👫🏻👯👯‍♀️
💲 $$
⭐️ ☆☆☆☆
📍Nozomi, Buona Vista