Sunday, July 25, 2010

Another eat-in because of world cup

As the title suggests....
2 things: overdue post plus not so good food.

We ordered Sakae sushi delivery party tray so that we can indulge in Japanese cuisin while watching the exciting match. Turns out, the match was disappointing and the food was doubly disappointing.

For $50 this is what you get.



Everthing was rather squashed when it was delivered, tilt to one side. Plus, delivery was slow. Took at least an hour. I begin to wonder if these were taken from the conveyer belts and packed for us.

Kappa Maki.........................................6pcs
Lobster Salad with Ikura...................1pc
Kani Maki.............................................6pcs
Ebi Sushi.............................................2pcs
Tamago Maki......................................6pcs
Tako Sushi..........................................2pcs
Sun Maki..............................................3pcs
Kanikama Sushi................................3pcs
Golden Maki....................................... 6pcs
Ebiko Gunkan.....................................2pcs
Ebi with Kanifumi Inari......................2pcs
Kani Salad Gunkan...........................2pcs
Lobster Salad with Tobiko...............1pc
Idako Gunkan.....................................2pcs
Mango Mini..........................................4pcs

The few more excuisite sushi were the mango mini but it was rather too soft and mushy. Mango on sushi feels like it was made the day before and left in the open. Overly ripe.


The best in the whole tray was the Idako Gunkun? With loads of ingredients all in 1 sushi. There are even lettuce and cucumber in the sushi for that extra cruch.



This is a rather short review because everything tasted almost the same. Even those that i like such as the seasoned baby octopus, salmon sushi all weren't up to standard. Nothing nice. The price on the website is not inclusive of delivery.

Auntie note: Gave a noticeable amount of wasabi, with wet tissue and chopsticks. :)

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Tonkichi

Towning with the boys to get my bag and also for dinner treat for Mr Koh!
With all the over priced food in town we decided to head to our favourite TONKICHI!
Tonkichi just revamped their menu and now there are more selection of food with more pork added!
Our orders for the night!


We did ask the waitress what's the difference between the two kinds of meat, she mentioned that one is more chewy and the other more tender. Mr koh ordered this and our final verdict- both had similar texture and its hard to make distinction.


Boy had this. he doesn't like the porky smell and is a big big fan of prawns!


I had this. Different from all the rest of them! The set includes : Pork, 2 Prawns, Crab cakes, Oyster. Ordered this because it has everything! plus my sis's bf kept on saying that japanese fried oysters rock!

Boy ordered the chawanmushi. Commented that it was kind of thick, not the runny kind. But loaded with ingredients. BUT! The ones that i cooked tasted better. :)


Before the meal was served, they gave us this. White sesame for you to grind on the spot to be added to your meal. I had similar experience in another restaurant (Naive) and the waitress actually told me its for peace and harmony. Perhaps different people have different interpretations. But during the grinding, the aroma was released and even for an anti-sesame fan, I took an extra sniff and the smell whiffed into my nose and lingered.


Mr Koh's porky set.
The pork was tender and juicy, the batter was fried to the exact goodness and it did not get detached from the meat at all. Unlike some batter with rough texture, cuts your gums and mouth. Tonkichi's batter is good and smooth fragrant but not easily sick of the taste.


Boy's set was great too! Chicken originally has got a softer texture than pork thus it was even more tender and more juicy. The batter come how blends with any kind of meat and even though they used the same batter for all, you won't get sick of the taste! Plus, the original taste of the main ingredient remains very fresh and not oily. Prawns were crispy and definitely the crunchy kind. The super size prawns also made your money worth while.


With any seafood in your dish, you will be given the tartar sauce that is so extra refreshing!
I am not a fan of tartar, not even those from fish and co or macdonald's but tonkichi's is simply the best i've eaten. Not too thick and too sour. The pickles are well minced and mixed into the sauce to create a concoction of sweet and sour taste together with creamy mayo.


All the sets come with miso as well. Don't look down on this miso because unlike those from the famous japanese restuarants their is quality well ahead of others. With japanese seaweeds and some natou.


Finally my set. So much of a variety I'm spoilt for choices.


First up is the special crab cake. The batter was thoroughly coated and was crispy yet well shaped. The centre of the cake is soft and oozing with the creamy crab meat. Even though not much crabby taste is infused it can make do as a good snack comparable to old chang kee.


Fried oyster was something so new to me i had to take a deep breath before biting it. It was pleasant i should say. The aroama of oysters was well protected by the batter and it somehow burst into your mouth once u sink your teeth into this piece of fried shell. It doesn't taste raw (dont match my prior impression).


Pork was well done. Only thing is why is it pink in colour?

Even though the menu may look pricey but the food is value for money. I haven't once walked out of Tonkichi feeling empty, and never once strike it out from my list of "MUST EAT".

Auntie note: Vegetables for salad is free flow. With more fibre added in your meal for free eat to your hearts content! Remember to use their salad dressing by the table. Its yummy delicious! Slightly sour-wets your appetite and sesame oil fragrance for the extra oomph! Try it!

Tonkichi
391 Orchard Road, #04-24 Ngee Ann City -
6735 7522

Saturday, July 17, 2010

The coooking show

Time for some cooking before school starts. This meal isn't the cheap kind and requires some sourcing of ingredients. But fret not because its not too difficult. There will be 2 parts to the cooking procedures as there are 2 dishes.

Cold soba with Japanese vegetables soup
Soba noodles
2 cups Soba concentrated sauce
Soba noodles
Soup
1 Dashi stock in tea bag form
2 packets Mushrooms
5 bowls of water
1 Carrot
1 piece Tofu
1 plain Fish Cake
Japanese Seaweed
4 tablespoon of soya sauce
Chawanmushi
4 Eggs
2 cups of water
Half cup of Dashi stock
50g Chicken cubes
Half teaspoon of salt to taste



Soba noodles
Firstly, Boil a pot of water deep enough for you to cook the soba noodles.

After boiling till soft put it under cold water. After it cools, place it in the fridge covered.



Before serving, use the ratio of 1:7 of soba sauce to water and put them into the fridge.
Soba sauce is quite expensive, 1litre cost 27SGD
Noodles done.



Japanese Soup
While waiting for the water to boil, prepare all the ingredients. Sliced them into any cute shapes you like.


Boil the dashi stock tea bags.

You can find similar brands in Cold storage. They are really good and super seafoody fresh. For mums who don't have enough time to cook just add in a tea bag and let it boil while you bath and it'll be ready real soon.

Take out half a cup of stock for the chawanmushi and the rest works as your soup base. For 5 bowls worth of soup.


This is how my dashi stock lookes like.


I also used organic japanese seaweed for healthier choice. These are dried and will "bloom" once it touches water. This small little pack can cook for an army


Soak all the different mushrooms of your choice to get rid of the dirt.

Add in all the ingredients to the pot and boil. Simmer for 20 minutes to allow the flavours to be sweeter.
Add in 4 table spoons of soya sauce to taste.

Chawanmushi

Crack the eggs and add in 2 cups of water.
Add half a teaspoon of salt to taste


Cut the chicken fillet into cubes, chicken cubes should be small to place into the chawanmushi.

Marinate it with some soya sauce, pepper and corn flour.

Place the ingredients in the bowl.


Distribute the half cup of dashi stock evenly into 5 bowls. Make sure it is not too hot, or else eggs will be cooked once you pour it into the bowl.
Distribute the egg mixture and now it is ready to be steamed.


Steam it under big fire for 5 minutes then simmer for 5 minutes.
Ensure that the time is not exceeded or else your eggs will harden.

Good luck!
Auntie note: you can use ikan bilis stock cubes if you find the dashi stock tea bags too exp. :)

Sakae sushi with boy

Out with boy for some japanese food is love......

Was planning for sushi buffet at Suki sushi hougang mall but.......... woke up too late and sakae was the nearest solution.

Wanted sushi off the conveyor, but the selection was limited and the sushi looked the least appetizing.

We ordered 2 mains, the first is the Chicken Kaminabe Set. It comes along with rice, miso, fruits, chawanmushi, and ageshi tofu.


Ageshi tofu is not like the usual one. The name is also different. The tofu was coated with tiny shrimps and fried till crispy. Topped with the bonito flakes and dashi stock. Nice and innovative. Flavour was distinct. The shrimps gave a better texture but was a bit messy. The bonito flakes was generous.



Rice was springingly good. Topped with all the sesame and seaweed. Good effort!

Soup isn't. It was rather tasteless, the chicken wasn't marinated and it was totally bland. The vegetables werent simmered before they serve it. The inari has mochi filings ( i dont know the exact name) and it is totally yucky. The mochi was not chewy but soft and had inconsistent texture.


Chawanmushi was finished up by Boy, his comments: you can cook better.


Grilled salmon was tender juicy, and blended well with the terriyaki sauce. Brings out the fragrant "salmon fats" taste. For those who don't know, the fats of salmon is good and the more expensive parts of the salmon is the belly where there's the most fats.




But runny yoke tamago was a failure. Totally far from authentic. Not runny. Looks are deceiving. The sauce totally spoilt the taste and the egg was not cooked in shoyu.



2nd main was terriyaki and hotate bento.

Hotate was delicious, with generous amount of fish roe, and cream sauce baked with cheese, it was moist and oozing with much flavour. There was 3 so overall Sakae is still not too stingy.

The best we had for the day was terriyaki chicken. Well marinated with each and every piece tasting a tinge of sweetness. Yet it was tender and chewy with the skin coated with the sauce that makes it extra succulent. Fried with onions, it was fragrant and had an additional unique taste.


We ordered some sides to go along. Plus some sushi.
Jelly fish the all time favourite, was QQ and bouncy well marinated and in the right thickness to sink your teeth into.


Sushi was ok, the green thing on the left is slightly not well flavoured. The jelly fish on the sushi was chopped up making it lose its QQ ness as they are now minced.


Last but not least soft shell crab roll. The soft shell crab was crispy and match well with the cucumber shreds, you can go crunch crunch with it. But one thing not perfect was the size of the crab. Very ultimately small. Its like 1/6 of the length of the role.


Century Square
^ Tampines MRT Station
2 Tampines Central 5
#B1-02 / 03 Singapore 529509
Tel: 6787 3887
Opening Hours:
11:30am - 10:00pm daily

Marche

Was out with the friends at Vivo, so naturally the rosti craving will come floating......

Its like the best thing they have at Marche and its a "MUST ORDER" thing.

A plain rosti is $5.50 but with the sausage it instantly becomes $12.90.

Rosti is well done as usual, not overly burnt. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. The potato was so fragrant after soaking up all the oil. The shreds of potato was well cut and each had evenly been pan seared till it glittered in golden brown.

Sausage was ok, well spiced. Not too rubbery. The meat was tender and juicy. The texture is unlike bratswurt, its all minced like normal hotdog. The charred skin looked delicious but it was ripped off from the sausage itself.

Towards the end you will see the oil that sank onto the plate and begin to feel guilty for ordering it. Your throat gets a bit dry because it is so fried. Shakes your head but the next time you come to Marche you'll order it again.



Marché RestaurantVivoCity1 Harbourfront Walk#03-14 Singapore 098585(65) 6376 8226www.marche-restaurants.com

My second visit to Wasabi san

Was at Wasabi San again because of the hot hot weather. Plus bedok only has a few other air conditioned place excluding fast food. So it became the first on the list. Budget eat too!



Miss Loong had Fried Sakana fish don. The set is only $3.90 before GST. Comes with side veg plus miso soup and fruits!!!!!



Fish was well fried, not too dry and tough yet its batter was fried till super crispy. Although its not the very like and flaky kind its still considered alright....
Comes along with the egg that i thought was kind of overcooked. Normally we have it slightly runny to stir in with the rice so that every grain will be coated with the egg, but for wasabi san i guess they scared bird flu? The don had some sauce for the rice which is covered by the egg. Slighly on the salty side, not very much layering of taste, just tasted a lot like shoyu.



Miss Loong thought the rice will be dry so she added on mayonaise. This small little thing for 50cents was totally not worth it and barely touched at all. Wasted. We had a small debate over the mayo thou; the red coloured stuff is carrot or fish roe?



Miss Chua had udon with chicken! This is slightly more expensive but affordable "still".
Chicken was slightly dry but only on the outer skin layer. Most probably re fried over and over. But the soup managed to soften it a bit. Udon was ok, not too much flour taste. Chewy but can be slighly bouncier. The soup was good, not too oily and was smooth to the throat. The taste reminds me of vegetable soup that my mum makes.




It was still good after all. For the price what else can you ask for?

Crystal Jade with the girls

Dear All,

I haven't been updating the blog because i am busy with work and sourcing for advertising sources for the contest up lately. Anyway, this post is as usual long overdue. The last week of hols that i had was outing with the girls. We went makan and chit chat at bugis Crystal Jade.
My usual order is 酸辣拉面 (hot and sour spicy ramen). The best they had in the entire menu. You will be very puzzled as I didn't have any 小笼包. Its a long story. I actually had food poisoning once after visiting crystal jade steamboat buffet with free flow 小笼包 at holland V. From then on, its striked off from my list of edible foood.
Ramen was served in a rather non appetizing manner, with noodle unmixed with the soup, But they were good to put the corriander and stuff separately.


After mixing it looks much better. The soup was thick and nice. Just the right level sourness and spicyness. (if there's such a word) The noodles managed to soak up the goodness rich soup and was flavoured in a way that it becomes smooth to the throat and manage to slip into my mouth.
The ingredients added had a huge variety as well, there were mushrooms, prawns, black fungus, tofu, shoots, and eggs.


Just a final photo to end the day.




Friday, July 16, 2010

THE 50TH POST IS HERE!!!!!!


The much awaited post is finally here. After much brainstorming of ideas for the ingredient and prizes i shall now post all that is needed.

The ingredient:
Potato

Be in any form cooked in anyway using any part.



The criteria for judging is:
30% creativity
20% pictorial representation
50% steps and description

Basically, you need to have at least 5 pictures of the steps u did to complete the dish.
With instruction list and ingredients used. You can even include a video, your own picture or anything u feel will make your entry look good.

Prizes:
Top prize will receive a hamper with all the "rare" food items (e.g. bought overseas, organic, imported) worth $50
2nd prize: A food directory

The top 5 contestants will get a chance to post on Simplelovesimplefood.
Simply send your entries with your name, contact number and subject heading "SLSF" to hirokoyu21@hotmail.com

The closing date is 17th August 2010.