Time For 2

And so I decided to give it a try. Called in this morning to see if we could get a seating and boy we did get 2 seats for the tempura counter.

We chose the Koubai omakase @ $100 before taxes and service charges. The koubai set features an appetizer, a seasonal vegetable, 11 pieces of tempura (7 seafood, 4 vegetable), a tempura kakiage don with miso soup and ice cream.

It was overall a good meal though I felt a little overwhelmed by the time the kakiage don was served. Perhaps this set is a little too much for me. The batter was very crisp and light, and the seafood were all fresh and juicy.

Also ordered a serving of ikura sashimi, with every spoon bursting and popping in my mouth with sea fresh umami goodness.

Would I return?
Yes to try the sushi.
While the tempura was very decent, it will be a while till my next tempura meal. But will definitely return if I crave a decent tempura meal.

Ambience and setting:
Nice place to take a friend who enjoys tempura. The setting and ambience was nice. Although the service crew are not as attentive as those from the likes of Shinji, Hashida, they are generally still friendly and helpful. No complains.

Total bill for 2 including the side order and service and taxes:
$250.

This bad boy ended up weighing about 320g... and after watching them carefully portion it out and presenting it to us, I knew it was going to be a winner. The meat was perfectly cooked to medium rare as you can see, but that burnt onion base and the bone marrow sauce makes the dish....

Food is consistent with what I have tried at the Hong Kong street outlet but with a much laid back ambience.

The service was attentive and the live singing was excellent!

We were served marinated olives the moment we plonked into our seats.

What we ordered
- Fried calamari with feta cheese (batter was crisp and light, complemented by the savory feta, just missing a wedge of 🍋)
- Jamon croquettas (so creamy and smooth)
- Pork ribs (nicely charred albeit a little too fatty we got jelat towards the end)
- Grilled cauliflower with capers and manchego cheese (this came in a whole cauliflower! It was charred nicely outside, yet the natural sweetness of the vegetable was more so highlighted by the savory cheese and pickled capers!)
- Iberian pork paella (having tried the squid ink paella before, we decided to go porky, this came served with loads of pork ribs, sausages and mushrooms - I prefer the squid ink)

Overall a really nice place to chill out when in Sentosa!

Sometimes it's just nice to take a break from the usual pace and decompress in a lush surroundings of trees, birds and peacocks!

Breakfast at The Knolls was peaceful and enjoyable.

Decided on a impromptu lunch at Cassia as we were staying over at Capella. Must say the quality of the food is excellent. Will find a chance to come again!

We ordered:
- Abalone Siew Mai
- Double boiled birds nest with dumpling and bamboo supreme broth (this was excellent!)
- XO carrot cake (generous XO sauce, fresh scallops and prawns and loads of dried scallops!)
- Crystal dumpling that was oozing with a rich earthy truffle taste
- Truffle Kurobuta Char Siew Bao (didn't manage to snap this as husband dived into it before I could whip up my phone!)

Tried 5 of the toast on the menu finally after wishlisting for a while.

Sourdough is hearty and good. I love the nut butter with honey, hummus and the sage cream cheese with berry compote. The egg salad and vegemite with cheese was also decent.

Interesting and delightful dessert course to round up the overall meal!

Had the Patagonian toothfish that was nicely executed. It's was done just right and a fork was all you needed to enjoy this dish and the fatty fish pulled apart easily between the layers.

The cauliflower was also roasted well and served with crunchy hazelnuts and capers to balance the texture and taste.

Love.

We ordered the lobster spaghetti for appetizer and the signature veal chop parmigiana and a charred brocollini to share. Dessert was chocolate semi fredo with pistachio. Overall a good hearty meal. Though I must say the service was sub par and passive.

The pasta menu was refreshed so I did not get my oxtail ragu that I was looking for.