Food for thought

This post is at least 3 months post dated. :) But fret not because pictures shall do the talking.
Was out with the girls for a small short gathering. Chose this place because some filming took place here and i super like the show.

Food for thought. Located right opposite the new dblo. Who would have known its also a hidden gem?

Menu was slighly skimpy though.

Fast Food Style? So that dont have to clean the tables?


Tables look simple but good enough. A pity cos no back rest. The whole colour theme of the restaurant was well integrated and matching.

The pasta section was ok ok.... I ordered Garlic Prawns with Corriander Linguine.

Min ordered the Prawn and Calamari Risotto

Ok, this is jus about the girls

SOrry hui, this is not edited.

Ok, this will agar tell you how long ago this gathering was.

But the main focus is the menu k....

Had English Breakfast.

Here comes my pasta.

The pasta was al dente, topped with corriander rather than cooked with it. Hardly tasted any corriander. Garlic strong was well balanced with the olive oil fragrance.

Prawns were big and crunchy.

This is hui's half breakfast. Eggs were runny and slightly on the buttery side. Bacon was crispy and had all the oil off from it. I like it but its not her type of bacon.

Mel had this wonderful thing. Pancake with gula melaka, topped with chocolate chips and whipped cream. The gula melaka melted and soaked the pancakes sweet while the choco chips provided the aromatic cocoa fragrance and the cream adding another layer of texture. Yummy.

Min's Risotto. Was ok, not too thick nor runny. Ingredients were generous.

Potato gratin for hui was yummy, serving was a bit too big for her to finish. topped with cheese that filled to the brim and the creamy potato. A recommendation to share if not it'll be slightly too thick to finish.

The only concern i had was the amount of oil left over from my pasta. Towards the last few mouths oil starting coating my mouth. Didnt like the feeling.

Auntie note: Tea can be refilled with hot water over and over again. Good choice if you are not after their fatty milk shakes.

8 Queen Street

T: +65 6338 9887

F: +65 6338 1080

E: (reservations and enquiries)

E: (programmes and events)
Opening Hours: Mon - Sat 9am - 10pm(Last orders from kitchen 8.50pm)Sun 9am - 9pm(Last orders from kitchen 7.30pm)

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

Tonkichi

Chicken Karage....
this looks like any other fried chicken yet its the legendary tonkichi.
i believe every restaurant big and small will have its own signature dish, then i question, is it then fair to review on everything? or should we jus focus on the chef's rec or should we also try to include the rest? what makes a good judgement then?
given the senario:
restaurant A:
5* chef's specials
3* side dishes
1* appetizer

restaurant B:
4* chef's special
4* side dishes
5* appetizer

which one will you place your bets on?

but anyway chicken karage was normal. slightly dry and nth impressive
tonkichi now offers sets that comes w ramen as well. good for those who dislike eating rice or maybe craves for hot soup on raining days. i chose cha shu ramen. at first sight, chashu looked appetizing with even amount of fats and meat. slightly brown means it has been well simmered. tenderly soft and thinly sliced. first thing to do with ramen is to taste the thick broth. thats wad everyone does right? well tat was a mistake for me. the broth tasted horrible. too much of a pork taste. it was like slightly pungent. jus like eating pork tat was cooked without defrosting. ppl who cook will understand this. it makes a lot whole of a difference. plus. i doubt the chef made an effort to clear the pork off the blood and impurities by running it with boiling water. i continued eating abt half a bowl of it and couldn't stand it. boy simply took a few mouths and declared full surrender.

a summary for all the fried fried stuff is definitely EXCELLENT!!!!! bread crumbs were crispy, juice flowing out of the meat once u bite on it. wad was good is that the temperature of the food was still hot. (becos i totally despice restaurants serving fried food that was pre fried). and look at the thickness of the pork that was served. even though it was thick there wasn't any problems chewing it at all. not tough and not dry.

notice the salad veg that is beside the meat? normally ppl leave it untouched right? let me warn you not to forget the salad as it is amazing!!!!! why???? if not for boy i wouldn't know that its actually refillable and you are suppose to eat it with the salad dressing placed on every table. i don have a picture of the dressing thou. but it was refreshing. the dressing i presume contains vinegar, sesame oil and perhaps mirin. it was so good i guess i refilled it 3 times? the veg also made sure that u wont get sick of all the fried stuff. plus, well balanced meals are impt right.....

this was boy's set, it was very feng fu and had boy's fav prawns. loving it. his came w rice. so nice hor.....

this was my set. overall it was still value for money. this set cost less than $25 if i am not wrong.

auntie note: free veg, better eat a lot a lot..... hehehe. value for money as serving size is super the huge.

Tonkichi

i visited the one at TAKA.

new branch located at tamp mall. for the east siders.

to get ur stomach full you will need: $25 per person