This is the place where i had my birthday last year.. The food is great... I personally love the Chips.... They are REAL CHIP Slices from a real potato and thats both healthy and yummy.. No preservatives and I won't become a MUMMY.... The Egyptian Mummy i mean. The Burger is also one to die for... succulent beef.. juicy and yummy and the rest on the menu, i love it all.
But besides the food I have to say the ambience is great.... I personally love the string lights..... So Romantic..... One cannot help but want to run your fingers through the lights like you will do the same to your hair... And when you get a little more tipsy.. You might think you will burn your fingers on them... But before you run your hand and bring it near to your face, take cheesy pictures with the lights near to your face..... STOP AND STARE... While you stare think about how many hundreds of patrons already did that and not forgetting their OILY FACES... FINGERS... and whatever.. Not forgetting the Super Pukers who might have already puked on them a thousand times..... THINK,.......
The service is great.. waitress and waiters run around alot.. Not forgetting the occasional handsome waiters..... They are generally helpful and friendly...... and prompt with your request.... especially when you ask for the bill..
The Live Band is great... previously from China Jump at CHIJMES... BOY I STILL MISS THE DENTIST CHAIR.... ALL CHINA JUMP Fans out there...... Jive Talking is HERE...... and the band had changed some of the players but They are still very much their oldselves..... Love the music they play.... Its somewhere between the old and the new... and they have such great groove.. You can't help but will move to the beat..
The crowd is great too.. You see many yuppies and caucasians as well as local hot babes... A must go... for all you love clubbers....
If you like the cool afresco clubbing you will like peppermint park... Its wierd.. theres not a single peppermint plant there however.. there are many potted plants and baby trees around which is quite serene... The place is great for mini parties or perhaps just to chill out with a friend or two.. Sits are great... stiff sofas and hanging benches for those who love a little more dizziness...
Its even better when you have BUY 1 and GET 2 free Beers.... Come at 6pm and you have 3 hours of drink till you drop happy times. Snack with their great finger food... The chicken wings and fries are great.. The batter they use to fry the chicken with is both savoury and yummy.... One of the best chicky wings i ever had... I love their wedges and nacho basket as well... A good generous serving with cheesy cheese sauce and Cheeky Salsa......
Great place to hang out... Great place to Chilll.... Definitely great place to meet up with your pals...
A must go... for all those Cool Cute guys and gals.. Catch me there.. again n again n again.... * BURB*
I used to work nearby there when i just graduated and I simply love the whole setting. I can still remember my friends illegal parking their cars by the side of the road and having coffee with while scrambling off when MR TP come...
Its a great place to skive at work... Oh no.... I should say hold decent meetings and catch up with your customers.
Coffee is always great and the deco reminds us of the older singapore days... I personally love the thin crispy toast with COLD STORAGE BUTTER.. and the RUNNY Eggs... Runny eggs not runny nose.... To hell with weight watchers...... Its so worth it to splurge all the calories on a nice teabreak like this....
Its just not easy to make such wonderful runny eggs and yummy crispy ear crunching toast... REALLY GREAT HANGOUT..
When Boss Returns to Office you can immediately get back to office and appear like you just came out of the Loo... Beware of the tale - telling bread Crumbs....
Like many other CHOCO FANS OUT THERE.. Me too love Royce Chocolates. WHats with the extra calories... you're gonna get it even if you eat other food.... But eating ROYCE Chocolates is the only reason ITS WORTH GETTING FAT.....
Chocolate so smooth and aromatic... the Japs really know how to make it.......
I personally love the Au Liat... Its with Cherry Liquor and melts in your mouth, slides down your throat and you can feel JOY in your heart...
The Champagn taste great as well.... with the mild champagne titillating every part of your taste buds. Enjoy the pleasure of champagn and naked chocolate... Whats with the strawberry.......
The semi dark chocolate is great as well.. I think its with cognac.... and if you really like it PURE.. you can go for the TRUE DARK Chocolate..
I personally don't enjoy the flavour with coconut as i'm not quite a fan of that NUT.. BUt for NUT LOVERS out there... You can go crazy with the NUTS... I don't care.
The white chocolate taste as great as well.. but... I personally find white chocolate not chocolate rather just MILK... I prefer the REAL THING...
Super Must Try...... Locate it near to GODIVA..... If Godiva is the God of all chocolates.. Then Royce must be CHOCO God's FATHER.....
Don't forget to ask for their excellent wrapping services....
A day, twenty four hours, one thousand & forty minutes,
& eighty six thousand & four hundred seconds.
Breakfast, brunch, lunch, tea, dinner & supper.
That’s how much we eat, and for the last meal of the year,
Something sweet.
A typical New York Cheesecake ($6.80), with a twist at the bottom. Instead of the usual digestive biscuit crumb base, this one had oatmeal mixed with digestive biscuit, resulting in a softer base. While it scored brownie points for creativity, I still preferred the original version. The cheesecake was the very rich and cheesy type, nothing like the light & airy type.
Something not-so-sweet. Strawberry yoghurt mousse ($7). Topped with pretty strawberries. I ain’t a big fan of yoghurt, but this hit the right spot with the perfect balance between the berries and mousse. The best part of a shooter dessert was digging into it. And sharing of course.
Now, my favourite. I left the Hazelnut Praline Royale ($6.80) for the last, since i knew me being me, i’ll definitely not like the other two desserts if I’ve started with this. Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, and i only have you in my eyes. The praline base was definitely one of the thickest I’ve before. The richness of the chocolatey cake did not overwhelm in the first bite, but the cake was surely too much for one to finish alone. In short, think ferrero rocher cake.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
This restaurant has been around for years and used to have very good service and quality food.
I used to frequent this restaurant years back. They used to be long queues during dinnertime, weekdays and weekends. They have very fast and efficient service.
I was really disappointed last evening when we were there for dinner. We got our seats without having to wait and have our orders immediately.
We ordered the omelette with prawns, twin mixed roast meat, vegetables and 2 rice, green tea (refillable)
The vegetables and omelette came within 5mintues. We asked for our rice to be served for 2 times for 5mintues before our rice came to our table.
We almost finished our 2dishes that they realised they have forgotten to key into their system the 3rd dish, twin mixed roast meat (suckling pig and roast chicken).
The cashier came to us, telling us not enough suckling pig, and they will replace other meat. We told them that we should have this dish served much earlier at least 20minutes ago, before the pig runs out. She apologised saying she forgotten. ( She was all the while chatting with the gals).
Finally we had our last dish which was disppointing, the char siew which was the replacement was so fatty and the roast chicken all bones with little meat, neverthless to say, just 3-5 tiny pieces of suckling pig.
Our bill comes to $70 . And our green tea was never once refilled. Do we have to wave for refill, they have eyes to check around then chatting away.
This will be our last visit there, their poor service resulted in the lost of 2customers.
This new japanese coffee house was at the corner which used to be a western restaurant.
The place was nicely decorated and pleasant environment.
I got a seat and ordered a ice yuzi soda.
It wasn't very crowded then, and while I was waiting for my drink, a couple came and seated besides me, they wave for the waitress/waiter but no1 goes to them, shortly they left.
I waited and waited, finally after 10minutes the drink came. I was wondering how difficult is it to make this drink :?
While drinking, another family get so annoyed with the waving for service also left.
This outlet is just outside J.L, v small area and can only pay CASH... :(
They have quite alot of varieties of dim sum, however, it's only average.
The siew mai we had, has a very strong smell of pork. I know alot of pple will say, siew mai make with pork, but the smell makes you dare not put into your mouth.
The rice roll 2pcs for $2.50 was so tiny, as if they actually cut the 1pc into 2 and sell as 2.
The tea which comes in a bowl increased by 50c to $1.50 a bowl and I still wondering what type of tea is it... It was so tasteless.
As i'm preparing and writing this post, i'm struggling deep inside on whether i should post this or not. Reason being, this is one of my absolute favorites of all time and the fact that already too many people know of this gem of a restaurant. I'll make a statement here: "This is the best Japanese food i've had in Singapore thus far." Not that i've tried alot of the higher end restaurants but given the price and the quality, nowhere in Singapore comes close yet. You do have to get over a few things you may find weird though.
I'll start off with some things to note so that you at least know what to expect:
1: Do NOT put your finished plates on the sushi counter
2: If you order the hotpots, do NOT put your hand near the serving plate when he serves.
3: Your experience will depend solely on the food and not on the service and that the only way it can be.
4: Always order in numbers and prepare your order BEFORE coming into the restaurant.
5: A $2 charge is mandatory for each seat and comes with a drink. There's no service charge or gst.
6: There's no pork or lard here.
7: Be prepared to wait 1 hour at least if you miss the first seating. The restaurant seats only 16 people and if you miss it, you'll just have to queue outside till someone finishes their meal.
8: Do NOT offend the chef.
This is it, the place to look for. Wasabi tei is run by only 2 people, the chef and (if i'm not mistaken) his wife or assistant. She's in charge of serving drinks and taking orders while the chef takes care of everything else. Both of them have quite a temper but otherwise, i think their just nice people making a living.
Amuse Boche - Apart from the drink, your $2 per seat also comes with the appetiser. It looks less appealing then it really is. To describe its taste, its sweet, slightly salty and light. In other words, its an excellent appetiser in my opinion. Not sure if thats beancurd or meat but no matter, its still good.
Chawanmushi ($5) - A picture speaks a thousand words and this chawamushi should tell you how it tastes like quite simply. Its nothing short of superb. The generous helpings of enoki mushrooms, prawn, sharks fin and chicken meat is obvious since its filled to the brim with it. Its also made fresh when its ordered which thus give the chawanmushi its excellent melt in your mouth sensation. Unlike other renditions, this is extremely light and smooth. To date, this dish is unmatched anywhere else in Singapore.
Salmon Sashimi ($9) - I hope this picture tells you that the salmon sashimi comes in a huge portion because it definitely did. 6 thick slices of salmon thats easily 2 servings in similar restaurants for a reasonable price of $9. It also helps that the sashimi is wonderfully fresh and sweet with the natural fat of the fish giving it a nice smooth texture as well. At this price, the quality is just unbelievable. Trust me, this is worth more then all the red plates or whatever plates the sashimi comes in elsewhere.
Mixed Sashimi Rice ($20) - Another shockingly huge portion of sliced fish. My gf ordered this because she's a huge fan of sashimi and honestly, i've never felt it worth my money to eat this until now and thats saying a lot. Salmon, toro, kenpachi, tuna and fish roe rounds up the sashimi selection and each comes in thick slices and generously proportioned. Sashimi is the ultimate test of freshness offered by a japanese restaurant and over here, i would say i've found the winner. What else can i say about the freshness and generousity of the portions at the price? Its just really really good.
Cod Fish Hotpot ($15) - I found this on the menu and was geniunely surprised at this being offered at $15. After all, cod is an extremely expensive fish. However, i'm glad to report that this is also worth every cent. The fish is very smooth and tender while the hotpot is filled with assorted vegetables, mushrooms and vermicelli. It also helps that it is served with rice and a nice concoction of home made chili sauce which goes really well with the fish. In fact, i'd say it enhances the fresh taste of the fish and makes it even better. A worthwhile item as well.
On this visit, my total damage amounted to $52 and i have to say, this is more value for money then any japanese restaurant i've ever been to.
The fabled and legendary chawanmushi - On my second, third and forth visit, the chawanmushi is still something we'll order and never get sick off. There's nothing more to say about it, its just that good. If you've only eaten at say...Sakae or Sushi Tei, this version will change your opinion of chawanmushi for good.
Crab Sushi ($6) - One thing to note about the chef is that he seems to do sushi rolls last after preparing everything else. So if you're here and only ordered sushi, you're gonna need to wait for some time. The sushi we ordered had crab meat, avacado, cucumbers and fish roe and like the rest of the offerings, this was good. However, it wasn't great and the waiting time involved makes me feel that the other items are much better investments.
Sashimi Moriwase ($25) - Sashimi addiction? Yeah, i'd say that's pretty much the case here. For $25, you get generous portions and thick slices of sashimi with the same wonderful freshness and sweetness i've mentioned earlier. At this portion size and quality, i'd say this is easily $40 or more in other restaurants but over here, its a luxury i wouldn't miss to order. The added scallop this time around is excellent to say the least. Its sweetness and texture is something you need to try to understand. I ordered this on subsequent visits as well and i have to say, it never disappoints. Have this and thank me later. It also helps that the chef prepares this as one of his first items to serve so you'll get it pretty quickly.
Unagi Rice ($13) - Look at the unagi and believe it. This is only $13 and the portion he is giving is simply huge. For the same price, you'd probably get only one piece elsewhere but over here, 2 huge portions of savoury, made on-the-spot freshly grilled unagi at an unbelievably reasonable price. It helps that the unagi is also of the melt-in-your-mouth texture with an excellent and balanced sauce which is neither too sweet nor too salty. My order was a little charred at some places but even then, i found this very tasty. I'm pretty much sold for this dish and i simply love it much like everything else i've tried here.
Total bill was a little more this time at $58 for 2 but still more value for money then anything else thus far.
Minus the little gripes about the small space and the sometimes black face of the couple. This place is a treasure little found elsewhere in Singapore. The food is nothing short of excellent and the value for money it provides is second to none. Thus far in my food endevours, nothing matches this place for quality and value quite this much. The only places close to it will be Sage for the quality of its fusion food but the cost is definitely much higher. Wasabi tei is a place i would return to again and again and again and to be honest, i did return with my gf at least another 3 times with more still on the cards. Definitely a winner. Do note its not open on Sundays and public holidays though. You'll probably see me there again real soon as well. Cheers and a special Thank You! to the chef and his assistant for bringing such reasonably priced and good japanese food into Singapore.
I was very much enticed by the 50% discount that Bistro Senso was offering on its ala carte menu during the Singapore Flyer downtime so made a purposeful trip down just to give it a shot. It definitely helped that I had a great experience at Senso Ristorante at club street quite a few years back.
The interior is comfortably cafe-ish and decked out in predominantly red and black shades with towering floor to ceilings windows that allow a view of the Marina Barrage, among other things. There is also a al fresco option but being a hot afternoon, the air conditioned indoors definitely seemed a lot more appealing.
Caprese Di Mozzarella Di Bufala - For starters, we had the mozzarella salad, which was decent but nothing to shout about. The cheese was a little too bland but thankfully, still relatively smooth. If it wasn't the salt from the salad which "spiced" things up a little, I honestly don't think we could have finished this dish.
Calamari - The calamari batter was a tad too thick for my liking but the squid had a nice springy texture and didn't come across as overly salty. It didn't seem very oily as well which is a plus point I guess.
Calzone - The calzone aka "folded pizza" surprised me with its humongous serving size. It was easily double the size of any calzone that I've ever tried (not that I've tried a lot though). (Un)fortunately, most of it was just hot air (literally!). When I made a hole in the pizza, the dough sort of deflated and the whole thing was hollow, save for a bed of cheese coupled with a few slices of ham. On the upside, the pastry was nice and chewy, almost like eating roti prata. But the whole pizza could really do with more ingredients.
Lobster and Crab Meat Ravioli - I was rather surprised to see this on the menu as lobster and crab meat are usually quite expensive and this ravioli was only going for $18 (before discount). The ravioli had crab shreds for filling and I couldn't quite make out any lobster at all. However, thrown into the pot were servings of relatively fresh squid, mussel and prawns, all held together by a lightly sourish and tomato base sauce. Not exactly what I was expecting, but for the price, I really can't complain.
Tiramisu - The desserts proved to be anything but good. For an Italian eatery, the tiramisu was sadly pathetic. The sponge was a tad dry even at the base and the mascarpone cheese wasn't dense or moist enough. And where was the alcohol taste?
Creme Brulee - Only for those with a very sweet tooth best describes the creme brulee. It was mind blowingly sweet even for me and definitely not made from vanilla beans. The texture was uncomfortably smooth, soft and almost creamy, very much like paste. The caramel also looked like it hadn't been torched long enough.
A very filling meal for 2 cost us to the tune of $90 ($45 after 50% discount). Though we did manage to get 2 full courses (appetiser, main, dessert) for the price, I doubt I will be back in the absense of the discount simply because the quality of food doesn't quite live up to its pricing. Service was good but how hard is it to serve just 1 table?
1=SGD 0.0587
This is the place where i had my birthday last year.. The food is great... I personally love the Chips.... They are REAL CHIP Slices from a real potato and thats both healthy and yummy.. No preservatives and I won't become a MUMMY.... The Egyptian Mummy i mean. The Burger is also one to die for... succulent beef.. juicy and yummy and the rest on the menu, i love it all.
But besides the food I have to say the ambience is great.... I personally love the string lights..... So Romantic..... One cannot help but want to run your fingers through the lights like you will do the same to your hair... And when you get a little more tipsy.. You might think you will burn your fingers on them... But before you run your hand and bring it near to your face, take cheesy pictures with the lights near to your face..... STOP AND STARE... While you stare think about how many hundreds of patrons already did that and not forgetting their OILY FACES... FINGERS... and whatever.. Not forgetting the Super Pukers who might have already puked on them a thousand times..... THINK,.......
The service is great.. waitress and waiters run around alot.. Not forgetting the occasional handsome waiters..... They are generally helpful and friendly...... and prompt with your request.... especially when you ask for the bill..
The Live Band is great... previously from China Jump at CHIJMES... BOY I STILL MISS THE DENTIST CHAIR.... ALL CHINA JUMP Fans out there...... Jive Talking is HERE...... and the band had changed some of the players but They are still very much their oldselves..... Love the music they play.... Its somewhere between the old and the new... and they have such great groove.. You can't help but will move to the beat..
The crowd is great too.. You see many yuppies and caucasians as well as local hot babes... A must go... for all you love clubbers....
See you there on fridays......
Rating given:
If you like the cool afresco clubbing you will like peppermint park... Its wierd.. theres not a single peppermint plant there however.. there are many potted plants and baby trees around which is quite serene... The place is great for mini parties or perhaps just to chill out with a friend or two.. Sits are great... stiff sofas and hanging benches for those who love a little more dizziness...
Its even better when you have BUY 1 and GET 2 free Beers.... Come at 6pm and you have 3 hours of drink till you drop happy times. Snack with their great finger food... The chicken wings and fries are great.. The batter they use to fry the chicken with is both savoury and yummy.... One of the best chicky wings i ever had... I love their wedges and nacho basket as well... A good generous serving with cheesy cheese sauce and Cheeky Salsa......
Great place to hang out... Great place to Chilll.... Definitely great place to meet up with your pals...
A must go... for all those Cool Cute guys and gals.. Catch me there.. again n again n again.... * BURB*
Rating given:
I've got great memories for this place.....
I used to work nearby there when i just graduated and I simply love the whole setting. I can still remember my friends illegal parking their cars by the side of the road and having coffee with while scrambling off when MR TP come...
Its a great place to skive at work... Oh no.... I should say hold decent meetings and catch up with your customers.
Coffee is always great and the deco reminds us of the older singapore days... I personally love the thin crispy toast with COLD STORAGE BUTTER.. and the RUNNY Eggs... Runny eggs not runny nose.... To hell with weight watchers...... Its so worth it to splurge all the calories on a nice teabreak like this....
Its just not easy to make such wonderful runny eggs and yummy crispy ear crunching toast... REALLY GREAT HANGOUT..
When Boss Returns to Office you can immediately get back to office and appear like you just came out of the Loo... Beware of the tale - telling bread Crumbs....
Rating given:
Like many other CHOCO FANS OUT THERE.. Me too love Royce Chocolates. WHats with the extra calories... you're gonna get it even if you eat other food.... But eating ROYCE Chocolates is the only reason ITS WORTH GETTING FAT.....
Chocolate so smooth and aromatic... the Japs really know how to make it.......
I personally love the Au Liat... Its with Cherry Liquor and melts in your mouth, slides down your throat and you can feel JOY in your heart...
The Champagn taste great as well.... with the mild champagne titillating every part of your taste buds. Enjoy the pleasure of champagn and naked chocolate... Whats with the strawberry.......
The semi dark chocolate is great as well.. I think its with cognac.... and if you really like it PURE.. you can go for the TRUE DARK Chocolate..
I personally don't enjoy the flavour with coconut as i'm not quite a fan of that NUT.. BUt for NUT LOVERS out there... You can go crazy with the NUTS... I don't care.
The white chocolate taste as great as well.. but... I personally find white chocolate not chocolate rather just MILK... I prefer the REAL THING...
Super Must Try...... Locate it near to GODIVA..... If Godiva is the God of all chocolates.. Then Royce must be CHOCO God's FATHER.....
Don't forget to ask for their excellent wrapping services....
I LOVE ROYCE
Rating given:
A year, twelve months, fifty two weeks,
& three hundred and sixty five days.
A day, twenty four hours, one thousand & forty minutes,
& eighty six thousand & four hundred seconds.
Breakfast, brunch, lunch, tea, dinner & supper.
That’s how much we eat, and for the last meal of the year,
Something sweet.
A typical New York Cheesecake ($6.80), with a twist at the bottom. Instead of the usual digestive biscuit crumb base, this one had oatmeal mixed with digestive biscuit, resulting in a softer base. While it scored brownie points for creativity, I still preferred the original version. The cheesecake was the very rich and cheesy type, nothing like the light & airy type.
Something not-so-sweet. Strawberry yoghurt mousse ($7). Topped with pretty strawberries. I ain’t a big fan of yoghurt, but this hit the right spot with the perfect balance between the berries and mousse. The best part of a shooter dessert was digging into it. And sharing of course.
Now, my favourite. I left the Hazelnut Praline Royale ($6.80) for the last, since i knew me being me, i’ll definitely not like the other two desserts if I’ve started with this. Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, and i only have you in my eyes. The praline base was definitely one of the thickest I’ve before. The richness of the chocolatey cake did not overwhelm in the first bite, but the cake was surely too much for one to finish alone. In short, think ferrero rocher cake.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Rating given:
This restaurant has been around for years and used to have very good service and quality food.
I used to frequent this restaurant years back. They used to be long queues during dinnertime, weekdays and weekends. They have very fast and efficient service.
I was really disappointed last evening when we were there for dinner. We got our seats without having to wait and have our orders immediately.
We ordered the omelette with prawns, twin mixed roast meat, vegetables and 2 rice, green tea (refillable)
The vegetables and omelette came within 5mintues. We asked for our rice to be served for 2 times for 5mintues before our rice came to our table.
We almost finished our 2dishes that they realised they have forgotten to key into their system the 3rd dish, twin mixed roast meat (suckling pig and roast chicken).
The cashier came to us, telling us not enough suckling pig, and they will replace other meat. We told them that we should have this dish served much earlier at least 20minutes ago, before the pig runs out. She apologised saying she forgotten. ( She was all the while chatting with the gals).
Finally we had our last dish which was disppointing, the char siew which was the replacement was so fatty and the roast chicken all bones with little meat, neverthless to say, just 3-5 tiny pieces of suckling pig.
Our bill comes to $70 . And our green tea was never once refilled. Do we have to wave for refill, they have eyes to check around then chatting away.
This will be our last visit there, their poor service resulted in the lost of 2customers.
Rating given:
This new japanese coffee house was at the corner which used to be a western restaurant.
The place was nicely decorated and pleasant environment.
I got a seat and ordered a ice yuzi soda.
It wasn't very crowded then, and while I was waiting for my drink, a couple came and seated besides me, they wave for the waitress/waiter but no1 goes to them, shortly they left.
I waited and waited, finally after 10minutes the drink came. I was wondering how difficult is it to make this drink :?
While drinking, another family get so annoyed with the waving for service also left.
No good service after all.
Rating given:
This outlet is just outside J.L, v small area and can only pay CASH... :(
They have quite alot of varieties of dim sum, however, it's only average.
The siew mai we had, has a very strong smell of pork. I know alot of pple will say, siew mai make with pork, but the smell makes you dare not put into your mouth.
The rice roll 2pcs for $2.50 was so tiny, as if they actually cut the 1pc into 2 and sell as 2.
The tea which comes in a bowl increased by 50c to $1.50 a bowl and I still wondering what type of tea is it... It was so tasteless.
Will not go back again.
Rating given:
As i'm preparing and writing this post, i'm struggling deep inside on whether i should post this or not. Reason being, this is one of my absolute favorites of all time and the fact that already too many people know of this gem of a restaurant. I'll make a statement here: "This is the best Japanese food i've had in Singapore thus far." Not that i've tried alot of the higher end restaurants but given the price and the quality, nowhere in Singapore comes close yet. You do have to get over a few things you may find weird though.
I'll start off with some things to note so that you at least know what to expect:
1: Do NOT put your finished plates on the sushi counter
2: If you order the hotpots, do NOT put your hand near the serving plate when he serves.
3: Your experience will depend solely on the food and not on the service and that the only way it can be.
4: Always order in numbers and prepare your order BEFORE coming into the restaurant.
5: A $2 charge is mandatory for each seat and comes with a drink. There's no service charge or gst.
6: There's no pork or lard here.
7: Be prepared to wait 1 hour at least if you miss the first seating. The restaurant seats only 16 people and if you miss it, you'll just have to queue outside till someone finishes their meal.
8: Do NOT offend the chef.
This is it, the place to look for. Wasabi tei is run by only 2 people, the chef and (if i'm not mistaken) his wife or assistant. She's in charge of serving drinks and taking orders while the chef takes care of everything else. Both of them have quite a temper but otherwise, i think their just nice people making a living.
Amuse Boche - Apart from the drink, your $2 per seat also comes with the appetiser. It looks less appealing then it really is. To describe its taste, its sweet, slightly salty and light. In other words, its an excellent appetiser in my opinion. Not sure if thats beancurd or meat but no matter, its still good.
Chawanmushi ($5) - A picture speaks a thousand words and this chawamushi should tell you how it tastes like quite simply. Its nothing short of superb. The generous helpings of enoki mushrooms, prawn, sharks fin and chicken meat is obvious since its filled to the brim with it. Its also made fresh when its ordered which thus give the chawanmushi its excellent melt in your mouth sensation. Unlike other renditions, this is extremely light and smooth. To date, this dish is unmatched anywhere else in Singapore.
Salmon Sashimi ($9) - I hope this picture tells you that the salmon sashimi comes in a huge portion because it definitely did. 6 thick slices of salmon thats easily 2 servings in similar restaurants for a reasonable price of $9. It also helps that the sashimi is wonderfully fresh and sweet with the natural fat of the fish giving it a nice smooth texture as well. At this price, the quality is just unbelievable. Trust me, this is worth more then all the red plates or whatever plates the sashimi comes in elsewhere.
Mixed Sashimi Rice ($20) - Another shockingly huge portion of sliced fish. My gf ordered this because she's a huge fan of sashimi and honestly, i've never felt it worth my money to eat this until now and thats saying a lot. Salmon, toro, kenpachi, tuna and fish roe rounds up the sashimi selection and each comes in thick slices and generously proportioned. Sashimi is the ultimate test of freshness offered by a japanese restaurant and over here, i would say i've found the winner. What else can i say about the freshness and generousity of the portions at the price? Its just really really good.
Cod Fish Hotpot ($15) - I found this on the menu and was geniunely surprised at this being offered at $15. After all, cod is an extremely expensive fish. However, i'm glad to report that this is also worth every cent. The fish is very smooth and tender while the hotpot is filled with assorted vegetables, mushrooms and vermicelli. It also helps that it is served with rice and a nice concoction of home made chili sauce which goes really well with the fish. In fact, i'd say it enhances the fresh taste of the fish and makes it even better. A worthwhile item as well.
On this visit, my total damage amounted to $52 and i have to say, this is more value for money then any japanese restaurant i've ever been to.
The fabled and legendary chawanmushi - On my second, third and forth visit, the chawanmushi is still something we'll order and never get sick off. There's nothing more to say about it, its just that good. If you've only eaten at say...Sakae or Sushi Tei, this version will change your opinion of chawanmushi for good.
Crab Sushi ($6) - One thing to note about the chef is that he seems to do sushi rolls last after preparing everything else. So if you're here and only ordered sushi, you're gonna need to wait for some time. The sushi we ordered had crab meat, avacado, cucumbers and fish roe and like the rest of the offerings, this was good. However, it wasn't great and the waiting time involved makes me feel that the other items are much better investments.
Sashimi Moriwase ($25) - Sashimi addiction? Yeah, i'd say that's pretty much the case here. For $25, you get generous portions and thick slices of sashimi with the same wonderful freshness and sweetness i've mentioned earlier. At this portion size and quality, i'd say this is easily $40 or more in other restaurants but over here, its a luxury i wouldn't miss to order. The added scallop this time around is excellent to say the least. Its sweetness and texture is something you need to try to understand. I ordered this on subsequent visits as well and i have to say, it never disappoints. Have this and thank me later. It also helps that the chef prepares this as one of his first items to serve so you'll get it pretty quickly.
Unagi Rice ($13) - Look at the unagi and believe it. This is only $13 and the portion he is giving is simply huge. For the same price, you'd probably get only one piece elsewhere but over here, 2 huge portions of savoury, made on-the-spot freshly grilled unagi at an unbelievably reasonable price. It helps that the unagi is also of the melt-in-your-mouth texture with an excellent and balanced sauce which is neither too sweet nor too salty. My order was a little charred at some places but even then, i found this very tasty. I'm pretty much sold for this dish and i simply love it much like everything else i've tried here.
Total bill was a little more this time at $58 for 2 but still more value for money then anything else thus far.
Minus the little gripes about the small space and the sometimes black face of the couple. This place is a treasure little found elsewhere in Singapore. The food is nothing short of excellent and the value for money it provides is second to none. Thus far in my food endevours, nothing matches this place for quality and value quite this much. The only places close to it will be Sage for the quality of its fusion food but the cost is definitely much higher. Wasabi tei is a place i would return to again and again and again and to be honest, i did return with my gf at least another 3 times with more still on the cards. Definitely a winner. Do note its not open on Sundays and public holidays though. You'll probably see me there again real soon as well. Cheers and a special Thank You! to the chef and his assistant for bringing such reasonably priced and good japanese food into Singapore.
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I was very much enticed by the 50% discount that Bistro Senso was offering on its ala carte menu during the Singapore Flyer downtime so made a purposeful trip down just to give it a shot. It definitely helped that I had a great experience at Senso Ristorante at club street quite a few years back.
The interior is comfortably cafe-ish and decked out in predominantly red and black shades with towering floor to ceilings windows that allow a view of the Marina Barrage, among other things. There is also a al fresco option but being a hot afternoon, the air conditioned indoors definitely seemed a lot more appealing.
Caprese Di Mozzarella Di Bufala - For starters, we had the mozzarella salad, which was decent but nothing to shout about. The cheese was a little too bland but thankfully, still relatively smooth. If it wasn't the salt from the salad which "spiced" things up a little, I honestly don't think we could have finished this dish.
Calamari - The calamari batter was a tad too thick for my liking but the squid had a nice springy texture and didn't come across as overly salty. It didn't seem very oily as well which is a plus point I guess.
Calzone - The calzone aka "folded pizza" surprised me with its humongous serving size. It was easily double the size of any calzone that I've ever tried (not that I've tried a lot though). (Un)fortunately, most of it was just hot air (literally!). When I made a hole in the pizza, the dough sort of deflated and the whole thing was hollow, save for a bed of cheese coupled with a few slices of ham. On the upside, the pastry was nice and chewy, almost like eating roti prata. But the whole pizza could really do with more ingredients.
Lobster and Crab Meat Ravioli - I was rather surprised to see this on the menu as lobster and crab meat are usually quite expensive and this ravioli was only going for $18 (before discount). The ravioli had crab shreds for filling and I couldn't quite make out any lobster at all. However, thrown into the pot were servings of relatively fresh squid, mussel and prawns, all held together by a lightly sourish and tomato base sauce. Not exactly what I was expecting, but for the price, I really can't complain.
Tiramisu -
The desserts proved to be anything but good. For an Italian eatery, the tiramisu was sadly pathetic. The sponge was a tad dry even at the base and the mascarpone cheese wasn't dense or moist enough. And where was the alcohol taste?
Creme Brulee -
Only for those with a very sweet tooth best describes the creme brulee. It was mind blowingly sweet even for me and definitely not made from vanilla beans. The texture was uncomfortably smooth, soft and almost creamy, very much like paste. The caramel also looked like it hadn't been torched long enough.
A very filling meal for 2 cost us to the tune of $90 ($45 after 50% discount). Though we did manage to get 2 full courses (appetiser, main, dessert) for the price, I doubt I will be back in the absense of the discount simply because the quality of food doesn't quite live up to its pricing. Service was good but how hard is it to serve just 1 table?
See all my pictures here.
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