Japanese

4.5 munchies: Diced toro, salmon, and white fish served atop al-dente sushi rice. The top-grade sashimi was lightly marinated in O-KU's house-made sauce to not just impart umami, but also retain the freshness and flavour of the assorted raw fish. Every grain of the vinegared rice was cooked to the right firmness, which balanced the sashimi's delicate texture and taste. The generous scattering of ikura and tobiko also added a note of brine, sweetness, and crunchy texture.

The O-KU Bara Chirashi is available on both the lunch and dinner omakase menu. This was a hosted meal by O-KU Japanese Tapas Bar, courtesy of Sixth Sense PR. #RASEpicurean #Burpproved

O-KU Japanese Tapas Bar was the award recipient of Best New F&B Establishment (Casual Dining) at the RAS Epicurean Star Award 2017.

3.5 munchies: The Ocean Trophy for my curry choice comes loaded with prawns, squid, scallops, blue mussels, and assorted vegetables such as baby corn, broccoli, eggplant, green pepper, potato, and Japanese soft-boiled egg. With three categories of spiciness to choose from – Baby Bear (Levels 0-5), Adult Bear (6-15), and Crazy Bear (16-30), I played it safe and chose Level 15 which wasn't spicy enough. I then picked the sweet-savoury tomato soup base that had a slightly thicker consistency. The umami-ness of the soup stock complemented the curry spices and seafood really well! I also liked how the assorted vegetables remained fresh and crunchy despite being simmered in the tasty broth. #Burpproved

4 munchies: One of the best pork jowl dishes I’ve ever eaten, the slightly charred strips of meat were grilled to tender perfection with crisp texture. The tofu purée might be light and smooth, but I’d have preferred it served as a dip on the side as there was too much purée doused on the flavourful pork. Thankfully, the mentaiko and Vietnamese-infused sauce enhanced the smokiness of the hog with savoury and fiery flavours! #Burpproved

This was a hosted meal by Maru; many thanks to Burpple for the kind invitation!

2.5 munchies: Heard so much about Sumo Bar Happy’s collagen-rich, umami tonkotsu broth after long hours of simmer, but I couldn’t get over the slight burnt taste in my char siew ramen. I also wasn’t particularly a fan of the thin texture of the ramen. Thankfully, the thick-cut roasted, slow-braised char siew from Nagano was super tender and had a good amount of fat.

All ramen dishes come with house-marinated bean sprouts, toasted seaweed, black fungus, and free-flow marinated soft-boiled eggs.

1.5 munchies: Tonkichi may be my go-to place for crispy and crunchy panko used in its freshly-made tonkatsu, but I'm not at all thrilled by the special delivery menu offerings inspired by local favourites. The Chilli Crab Sauce Katsu Don featured here failed to pay homage to one of Singapore’s greatest culinary inventions. No crabs were used to infuse the thick, eggy and spicy sauce, which explains why there were hardly any sweetness and wok hei flavours. This is exactly why I'm usually sceptical about fusion food.

The special menu is exclusively available through Tonkichi's delivery partners – foodpanda and honestbee. It will also be soon made available on uberEATS. I say just dine in at Tonkichi for its foolproof original tonkatsu.

This was a hosted meal by Tonkichi; many thanks to YCP Dining for the warm hospitality and invitation!

3.5 munchies: Last 3 days to beat the waiting line at the Bib Gourmand-listed Man Man Japanese Unagi Restaurant if you wish to get a taste of its famed unagi! Air-flown live 4 times a week from the Mikawa Province, the freshwater eel is charcoal-grilled by hand at Man Man and the cooking process is overseen by both Chef Teppei Yamashita and unagi master Chef Nakagawa.

Despite not being a huge lover of unagi, and that the unagi featured in this special collaboration is not as tasty as the one served at Man Man (according to some of my dining companions who have dined at both places), what I got was a thick slab of fish with some crispy char on the skin. The mild-sweetness from the fluffy tamagoyaki also made a great pairing with the coating of glistening, sweet-savoury sauce on the tender seafood. I honestly can't wait to be eel-ectrified at Man Man! #Burpproved

The Unagi Tamago Don ($17.80), Chopped Unagi Kaisen Don ($19.80), and Unagi Bento ($24.80) are available only until 31 August 2017 at all seven Teppei Syokudo outlets. Quote "Munchingmarc X TeppeiUnagi" to enjoy 15% off total bill at its newest outlet at Plaza Singapore!

Craving for Japanese food at midnight but don't wish to hurt your pocket? Look no further than Barashi Tei that serves traditional Japanese food till 2am. My picks are the Moriawase (12-piece mixed sashimi platter), Spicy Salmon Maki, Ikura Chawanmushi, and Gindara Nabe (Codfish Soup – not in picture). What also stood out for my dining companions were the Foie Gras Sushi (not featured) and Wagyu Beef Don! #Burpproved #BurppleSGLateNight

Simply book your table by clicking "Book Now" on Barashi Tei's Facebook page!

📷: Canon EOS M5 with the EF-M 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM lens, courtesy of Canon Singapore and Ogilvy PR.

4 munchies: While most of us are familiar with the clear soup base served at Tamoya, I'm really glad that the udon specialist has recently launched a new hotpot menu. Out of the Beef Sukiyaki Udon and Tempura Udon, the Spicy Miso Pork Udon featured here is my absolute favourite. The spicy-savoury broth was packed with so much flavour as well as added richness when you break the onsen egg. Paired with succulent sliced pork, all you need to do is dip the bouncy handmade udon into the soup for seconds to enjoy!

Thankfully, my dining companions preferred the Beef Sukiyaki Udon so I was able to finish all the robust broth by myself without any guilt! #Burpproved

This was a hosted meal by Tamoya; many thanks to Brand Cellar for the warm hospitality and invitation!

2 munchies: Recognised as the highest grade of fugu, the thinly sliced torafugu (also known as tiger puffer fish) featured here is loaded with collagen and protein. With a tougher body form, I wasn't a fan of the fish's overly chewy texture, though. The sashimi itself was also tasteless – thankfully it was paired with Chef Tomita's special ponzu soy sauce that had a wonderful mix of zing, tart, and savoury flavours. #doyoufugu

3 munchies: It almost felt like a dream come true when Teppei's famed Kaisen Don and Man Man's charcoal-grilled unagi marry in a bowl. In this delectable collaboration, Japanese food lovers get to savour both cubed raw fish tossed in Teppei's secret sauce and tender unagi served on top of a bowl of fragrant Japanese rice! As the chopped unagi lacked texture and a good bite, we very much preferred the chunkier slice with lightly-crisp skin in the Unagi Bento.

The Chopped Unagi Kaisen Don ($19.80), Unagi Tamago Don ($17.80), and Unagi Bento ($24.80) are available only from 19 July to 31 August 2017 at all seven Teppei Syokudo outlets. First 100 readers who quote "Munchingmarc X TeppeiUnagi" can enjoy 15% off total bill at its newest outlet at Plaza Singapura!

This was a hosted meal by Teppei Syokudo; many thanks to Julius for extending the invitation!

3 munchies: I always feel the extra need to eat clean on Monday after all the binge eating and drinking over the weekend. Featured here is the Garden Salad made with 12 types of fresh vegetables including squash, bell peppers, and baby corn. While the flavour of the homemade curry dressing could have been more pronounced, the non-oily oba leaf (green perilla) vinegar gave the dish a refreshing finish with its pleasant aroma.

Diners can now enjoy both soup and curry dishes in the same bowl at the first Japanese soup curry specialty here in Singapore! Located in the new OUE Downtown skyscraper complex, featured here are the Ocean Trophy (Tomato soup base), Hungry Bear (Wafu), Oink Oink (Coconut), and Cheesy Bear (Coconut).

The spice level is customisable in 3 categories – Baby Bear (Levels 0-5), Adult Bear (8-15), and Crazy Bear (18-30). I went for Level 15 and managed to finish my Ocean Trophy without sipping any of the iced green tea. We were also given 4 flavours of the soup curry to choose from – Coconut, Tomato, Wafu, and Shrimp. Go for the first 2 with stronger flavours which we really enjoyed!

📷: Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II, courtesy of Canon Singapore.