Oishii-ness Overload

Nanbantei's $13.80++ Lunch Bento Set is damn good value for money (even more so nowadays since everything else is getting so expensive in Singapore). Why do I think that? Well, what you get is a compact box with neatly-arranged, well-grilled skewers of chicken and leek, quail eggs, meatballs, bacon-wrapped asparagus and pork with shiso leaf, as well as a couple of raw vegetable sticks plus an accompanying miso paste dip. The other half of the box is filled with a thin layer of rice blanketed in separated sections of seaweed, mushrooms and minced pork (the latter two have a yummy sweetish taste from the sauce used).
Included in the set is a bowl of piping hot miso soup that's served at the same time as the bento, as well as a petite dessert of chilled red bean with a single button of mochi that always automatically appears when you're nearing the end of your lunch.
The impression I have after coming here for close to two decades is that nearly everyone who visits in the middle of the day, tends to order this. There's proof of its enduring appeal.

For high-end sushi meals, the kind that costs three figures even without alcohol, my preferred restaurant right now is Sushi Kimura. What I like about this place (it was introduced to me by @angelineongsuming) is that beyond the excellent sushi, their omasake and set menus include interesting gems that are very well executed.
Chef @tomosushiiii sources only the freshest seafood to create his dishes. So depending on the season, you can expect courses to differ when you visit throughout the year.
For example, I have had the chawanmushi three times and on each visit, it has been steamed with different ingredients. The most recent one featured Hokkaido sweet corn and crab meat in the slinky-silk egg, which I have to say, is my favourite so far.
It was the same for the monaka dessert which had Muscat grapes replace the gigantic strawberry of my previous omakase meal.
One of the items on the menu that remains a welcome constant is their signature rice bowl. In this, you will find a gorgeous creamy blend of beaten onsen eggs, freshest Ikura and uni. I do know though of a regular customer who prefers his with the components unmixed.

Limited to only 5 servings for lunch each day, Suigei's Chirashi Sushi Set is of the delicate tasting type.
Assorted fresh seafood, which changes according to the season, are cut into neat little pieces and strewn over a bed of sushi rice. Mixed in there are a few slices of Japanese cucumber, lotus root and chopped up pickled radish - they never overwhelm the raw seafood due to their small quantities. As expected, only fresh wasabi is included.
The set meal is presented on a tray with a small cup of miso soup that contains a bit of Japanese yam (you'll need to stir before sipping), pickles and a freshly fried crab croquette (I'm pretty sure this changes all the time).
On the day of my visit, dessert was a choice of either ginger soya milk pudding with kinako or soya milk pudding with matcha cream. I went for the former and it pretty much blew my mind. Actually, I suspect the latter would have done the same.
Suigei is a sake bar by the same owner of Ginza Sushi Ichi right next door. The space is intimate and even at lunchtime, it has a quiet, rather formal vibe with conversations conducted at a low volume.

I feel the omakase we had at @yodajapanesedining was worth the $100++ as Chef Fabio served plenty of premium quality ingredients throughout our meal. Here's what we had in order:
1) Oyster shooter - It was the huge and creamy variety and the dressing was a good blend of savoury and spicy with a hint of sour.
2) Raw squid and okra with mentaiko - Chewy and slimy with an umami kick.
3) Cold poached egg with wasabi-marinated octopus and ikura - A really sensuous creation.
4) Sashimi - The botan ebi shrimp and thick cuts of otoro, chutoro and kanpachi were superbly fresh. When we were done, the shrimp head was taken away, deepfried and served again, all hot and crispy this time. Total scrumptiousness.
5) Two kinds of tempura with mentaiko mayo - I love, love, love the natto and seaweed because I am a natto fan. The Tai fish with Shiso leaf was also delicious.
6) Crab and foie gras - The former, which was really fresh, had been cooked in a light sauce, while the latter was pan-fried. The chunk of braised daikon below proved a nice foil to the richness of this dish.
7) Mangalica pork with burdock root crisps, edamame and potato salad - I chose to replace the original item of lamb with this because I am more of a pork person.
No regrets.
8) Sanbo Rice - Not shown here but I posted this separately as it is too good!
9) Somen with chives - The soft noodles look plain but every strand was full of flavour from being cooked in a tasty stock.
10) Japanese musk melon - One half was original but the other had been soaked in whisky (thanks to @jiaknonstop's instructions to the chef). Both were divine.
Conclusion: The ambience of this rather spacious restaurant isn't anything to shout about but the quality and variety of the food at those prices makes it worth traveling for.

This was the second last course before dessert in tonight's Omakase dinner ($100++). It's basically a premium version of a do-it-yourself handroll.
We were each presented with a bowl that contained very fresh minced fatty tuna, uni, ikura and sushi rice. On the side, neatly fanned out, were a few sheets of crispy roasted seaweed. The correct way to enjoy this was to first give everything in the bowl a good stir, then scoop a bit of the mixture onto a piece of the seaweed, roll it to form a cigar shape of sorts and start munching.
I must say, this was an absolute winner. So fresh and tasty, especially with the pops of flavour and texture from tiny bits of crunchy tempura batter and toasted sesame seeds buried within the mixture.

I'm so glad we made it to @pankosg on their opening night, with less than 5 minutes to spare for their last orders for food (yeah, we were cutting it close!)
We decided to get a modest assortment of their signature kushikatsu (menu prices are based on per skewer and they range between $2 and $8) plus a plate of karaage ($12) as our bellies were still full from a wine-filled dinner earlier.
After munching on the skewers of panko-ed and deepfried prawns, scallops, pork neck, baby corn and ladyfingers, it was unanimously agreed that the battered coating was very well done. Regardless of whatever it covered, the layer of crunchiness was thin, nicely even all over, and remarkably oil-free.
The double-compartment saucers that had arrived once we were seated, held a ponzu dip, a lemon wedge, Japanese salt and a housemade sauce for us to enjoy our kushikatsu with.
We had hot tea with our food on this first visit which was pleasant but I am pretty sure alcohol would prove a more fun pairing.
If you work close to Haji Lane, you might be like to know they offer lunch sets priced between $16 and $20 that include choices beyond deepfried items such as sashimi, chirashi, oyako don and cold soba. There's also an $88 Panko course meal as well.
(All prices above are before tax).