Patties and Wiches

Hello (:

We have been visiting my favourite mall quite often lately cos we have been running quite a few errands and it's most convenient to just pop by a place where you know you can get (almost) everything that you need/ want.

Before we started our errands-run the other day, we dropped by Patties and Wiches cos we kept eyeing it while on the escalator to/ from Kino! Turns out that it's a very decent cafe to go for light Japanese-type buns and treats! The melon soda was unique because they actually blended some lemon into the soda water so you can taste the real fruit while you sip your soda. The burger and sandwich were very filling, in fact, they made us so full that we had to give their much-raved about desserts a miss cos we were just so stuffed! Oh welly, another time perhaps!

Can't believe that the hols are flying by -- almost half of it is over! Gonna cherish the remaining days before mayhem begins again! Happy weekend, everyone! (:

Danro Japanese Hotpot by MOF

Hello (:

We had a pretty interesting day yesterday cos we decided to, for the first time in eons, explore the two malls at Bugis (Bugis Junction and Bugis+) and it was a pretty eye-opening experience cos we realised that the layout of the malls is pretty different from the ones that we usually frequent along Orchard Road. The restaurants are also different - they tend to serve fusion food - and there are many fastfood outlets! In general, we felt that these malls were perfect for the younger crowd or for people who enjoy the kind of (mixed) cuisines served there.

We happened to walk past an advertisement that featured 'collagen hotpot' and since both of us have never had it in our lives, we decided to give it a try. The wet weather kind of set the right mood for our feast cos we believe that hotpots are best enjoyed on colder than usual days.  So here's what we got at Danro:

Thankfully we were pretty hungry by the time the food came cos there was so much food! The fish head in the soup is actually huge and meaty so we had a lot of salmon to finish up. The collagen soup tasted milkier and richer than the usual broth that we are used to having for hotpot, and it tasted less foreign than I had thought. Having said that though, I feel that it leaves a strange after taste in that it coats your tongue/ mouth with this layer of, for the lack of a better word, 'slime' but it's nothing as bad as it sounds! Haha Just wash it down with some sprite and you'll be okay! (:

After the meal, we started our walk around the 2 malls cos we were way too full from lunch! And that was how our little exploration went =P

Till the next one!

Have a good Sunday! (:

Fukuichi Japanese Dining

Hello (:

Apologies for being MIA these few weeks because I've been very busy at school! Frankly we can't wait for March hols so that we can all take a breather and catch up on work and rest! (:

In the mean time, we make it a point to roster in time to do things that we enjoy and to get sufficient rest for the week so that we will be able to do the things that we need to do well. Here are some photos of the two set meals that we had at Fukuichi, which is fast becoming one of bubs' favourite Japanese restaurants because of their good quality lunch/dinner sets!

Time to do housework! (: Till next time! (:

Shinjuku

Hello! (:

We've been having quality time and quality meals together to kick start the year and one of the places that we revisited was Shinjuku! This place serves good Japanese food at higher than average prices but it is worth paying more for fresh and well-prepared food! We will definitely be back in future (:

All the best to everyone in all that you choose to do this year! (: I'm sure we'll make 2016 an amazing year! (:

Fukuichi Japanese Dining

Hello (:

Marking season is finally over and we celebrated it by visiting Fukuichi, a Japanese restaurant located at 111 Somerset Road, which serves awesome dinner sets! (:

I didn't manage to take photos of my companions's dinner sets because I didn't want to hold them back from digging in since they had a long day at school too! I guess I'm too used to taking photos of my food before eating hence I managed to get a nice photo of the yummy set that I had! (:

Will definitely be back to try other dishes!

For now, we'll focus on wrapping up loose ends and soldier on with planning for next year! (:

Ryoshi Sushi Ikeikemaru (West Gate branch)

Hello everyone (:

Every Wednesday is a challenge because it's the most packed day of the week! So what do we usually do at the end of Wednesday? Well, treat ourselves to a great meal of course!

We had a late dinner with our friend at Ikeikemaru just now and I'm suitably impressed by the standards of their food and service! (: We will return again in the near future!

Let's press on to the (long) weekend! (:

Miam Miam

Hello! (:

We went to Miam Miam not too long ago to try out their much-raved about desserts and other normal food and we're happy to say that the dishes we ordered lived up to our expectations (: We chose a mix of their "featured dishes" as well as those that tickled our fancy and I think we'll go back again in the near future to try other dishes! Personally, I loved the way they did their french toast and I dare say it's one of the better ones I've had in Sg! (:

It gets pretty crowded during meal times so you might want to go just before the crowd comes or visit at odd times of the day so that you won't have to queue for a long time to get a table! (:

Happy weekend! (:

Ootoya

Hello (:

I must say that the roads seem a lot clearer this CNY and the malls are also surprisingly less crowded! I would have thought that normalcy would have resumed today because it's the weekend before yet another work week but I guess I was wrong. Not only did we manage to dodge the usual queue to the carpark at Clementi Mall, we also got a table at Ootoya relatively quickly and managed to treat ourselves to a sumptuous Japanese meal! (:

We all agreed that the quality of food at Ootoya is above average and we felt full after having one of their sets (which comes with rice, miso soup, a small cup of chawanmushi and some pickles) each. Pictured below are the mains that we had:

Initially, I was a tad worried that the waitress would think that we wanted ala carte dishes because she didn't ask if we wanted to upgrade our dishes to sets but I noticed that most people had sets placed on their tables so I guess having a set meal is the default option and if you don't wish to have a set, then the onus is on you to inform the waitress/ waiter of your preference.

After dinner, we went to NTUC to get groceries for the week ahead and also bought breakfast for tomorrow (: It feels nice being able to do all these together. If all goes well, we might choose to make this a routine in future - we shall see! (:

Alright have a good night's rest! Enjoy Sunday! (:

Mikuni

Hello! (:

Today my best friends and I went to Mikuni for lunch and boy were we in for a HUGE feast. Frankly speaking, I didn't think that their set lunch would be so overwhelming - I was literally bursting at the seams by the end of lunch! I think you should order from Mikuni's set lunch menu only if you are famished or you, like me, might have trouble finishing your food!

Having said that though, the ambience is nice and the food is pretty good so it's worth a visit if you are intending to catch up with your friend(s)!

Here are some photos of my Uminosachi Teppanyaki Set ($70++):

Thanks Jo for the treat!

Alright it's time to get back to work so that I can sleep soon! Have a good week ahead everyone! (: 

Hakata Ippudo

Hello (:

The first week of school is never a walk in the park because things just come flying at you and you have to be at many places and talk to many people in a day! It's as if all activities stopped during the hols only to explode come week 1 =P But all is fine and well and everyone survived week 1!

We went to Hakata Ippudo at Westgate for lunch just now and it was great (: We wanted something simple yet tasty and Ippudo's ramen never disappoints! (: We also tried their tofu salad, which we both enjoyed very much! So here are the few pics taken at lunch for your viewing pleasure:

Shall crash and get some rest now. Have a good weekend! (:

Sun with Moon

Hello!

It's pouring outside at the moment so that gave me the impetus to post some photos of rainy-day comfort food (: Personally, I think warm/ soupy foods are splendid for rainy days and Sun with Moon's set meals are perfect for such days! (:

I am currently going through a yuzu-honey tea ($5.50) phase and whenever I see this beverage on the menu, I'll definitely get it! I think $5.50 for this cup of tea is ridiculously overpriced though =| But it kept me warm and it sustained me while waiting for my food to arrive.

My dining partner decided to have the cold ginger tea ($5.50), which I conveniently forgot to try. I've only ever drunk warm ginger tea so I don't know how the cold version tastes.. but I guess it shouldn't differ too much? Will make it a point to try next time.

If you are a fan of sushi, you can order this Premium Sushi Set ($36.80), which comes with a variety of fresh sushi and a big bowl of soup with salmon! (: It's HUGE and it will definitely fill you up! (:

Not to be beaten by the Premium Sushi Set, my Shokado Set ($36.80) was equally substantial and it was just what I needed that day because I was famished! I liked everything that was served so I think this set is perfect for me. Oh the only let down was the piece of mackerel at the top left hand corner of the tray - it was hardly edible cos it was very hard =| Other than that, it was perfect! (:

My set even came with a scoop of green tea ice cream topped with red bean paste (: Yumyum.

Alright I'll think of where I can possibly go for lunch later and what I should eat! (: But if the weather stays this way, I might just order something in.. we shall see! (:

Have a great weekend! (:

Osaka Food Adventure

Hello! (:

I am back from Osaka and I shall post photos of some of the culinary delights we had (: In general, there is loads to eat and you can find really good food if you do some research and take the effort to get to the places/ areas that sell the type of food that you wish to eat (: I'll be selective and showcase the food/ meals that I found interesting/ memorable (: I won't be elaborating much on each photo but I might give a comment or two on a particular meal/ type of food so that I can add these information to my memory bank (:


Dotonbori - Osaka's famous food street! (: If you love to eat street food, and you have an adventurous spirit, you must visit Dontonbori! (: It's near Namba Station and you can easily find a wide range of Japanese food here! (: This place comes alive at night so you might want to visit it in the evening (:

Eel rice bowl. This might seem pretty nondescript or merely average to you but this meal was memorable because it was our first lunch in Osaka and the eel tasted good! (: It's kinda pricey though but you get good service and well-cooked eel (:

Okonomiyaki is one of the must-try dishes when you visit Osaka because Osaka's (apparently) famous for it! (: We were lucky that Fugetsu (a chain outlet that serves Okonomiyaki) opens till 11pm everyday so we had our first meal after touching down in Osaka at night at Fugetsu! (: We shared an okonomiyaki with noodles the first time so we decided to head back there again a week later to try the one without the noodles (: They are all yummy! (: You can find an outlet at Yodobashi Shopping Mall, which is next to Umeda Station. There are many others around as well so I'm sure you can find one that is convenient for you to get to.

Udon. I find it funny that we tasted great udon at the most unexpected of places - Rinkku Town! We decided to make a day trip to Rinkku Town to see if we can some shopping done at their premium brands outlet mall (which was only average to us because we didn't get to buy clothes that we could wear in Sg since most stalls were selling winter clothes). The set lunch that we had at a randomly picked restaurant was fantastic! (: If you ever are at Rinkku Town, you should head here for some good food at reasonable prices! (:

Soba. We were really lucky to be staying quite near this 1* Michelin soba restaurant called Makino. It's in between JR Fukushima and JR Osaka stations (: You must remember to go at opening time because it is a small 20-seater restaurant that is well-known by the locals and it fills up within 10mins of opening time. Also, the restaurant closes once their soba sells out so it's best to go early to avoid queueing/ disappointment! (: The soba, needless to say, was simple yet wholesome. You really have to try this if you are a soba fan.

Kushikatsu. Our first taste of kushikatsu at Dotonbori left us craving for more so we visited another kushikatsu restaurant at Osaka Station's Isetan Shopping Centre Dining Floor (: It has 5 kinds of sauces/ salt for you to dip the various fried food items into to eat. The interesting thing is that the waiter(ess) will actually take the effort to place the fried item such that the stick points to the sauce/ salt that best complements it (: Cool!

Sukiyaki. This was my first time having Sukiyaki and what an experience it was! (: I thoroughly enjoyed watching the very experienced lady cook our meal for us (: The beef didn't disappoint and my dinner companion was more than pleased with the beef, especially the marbled slices! (: But this particular restaurant is VERY popular so you must make a reservation at least 3days in advance to get a table.

Japanese Fine Dining. We didn't think we would end up having a fine dining meal this trip but Hanano's food looked pretty enticing so we went ahead and make a reservation for two for dinner. Frankly, it was one of the most filling meals I've had in my life and I felt so stuffed after it! =( I don't know how the people sitting at the tables around us can manage to eat way more than us! Erps. The meal is very pricey and the food, though good, lacked the refinement or 'wow' factor that I thought I would taste. Granted I am not a connoisseur of fine dining dishes, nor do I frequent fine dining restaurants a lot, I guess I was hoping to taste that something extra, which was kind of missing (in my opinion) that day. Nevertheless, if you want somewhere with a nice, comfortable, homely ambience, you can go to Hanano.

If you love food and love to eat as much as I do, then Osaka is THE city you must visit if you decide to go to Japan (: "Kuidaore" , which literally means "to eat oneself bankrupt" or "eat until you drop", aptly and adequately describes the food culture which many people and visitors like myself see and experience in Osaka.

Yup that's all for now! Till the next adventure! (: