Taste of Singapore : Oishii!
If there is one cuisine that Singaporeans have really embraced into their awesome food culture, it would be Japanese. From kaiten sushi shops to ramen stalls, the range of Japanese food available is just astounding. Of course you say that when one cuisine is represented in another country, it has to be “bastardized” to suit the local taste. It was not the case when I was on the lookout for good Japanese food in Singapore.
Yaki Char Siew (Fried Pork Belly)
The main hubs for good Japanese food are Liang Court and the Central which are along the one of the best hang out places, Clarke Quay. My best friend Miss JL brought to me to this quaint little Japanese ramen place, Marutama Ra-men at the Central for lunch one day. With its melt in your mouth qualities, the Yaki Char Siew was a clear winner. Who can just resist the marbled fat amidst the meat? Drizzle with some lemon juice and I can guarantee any meat loving foodie would be in heaven.
Maratama Ramen
Like any other noodle soup dishes, the secret in getting a heartwarming bowl of ramen lies in the soup. This Maratama Ramen didn’t disappoint in what I was looking for. Its delicate eggy soup went well with the ramen. I feel that the spring onions, slice of pork and noodles were just secondary players to the star feature of the dish – the soup. They were just there to accentuate the pleasure of having this dish.
One new Japanese food concept I have first seen in Singapore is the “DIY” tempura. This tempura bar (Tenya Tempura bar) is found at Raffles City food court. You get to choose a wide selection of seafood and vegetable for tempura deep frying or grilling for the health nuts. Naturally, I gravitated towards the non-crustaecean options, having a few slices of pumpkin, sweet potatoes and unagi. (yes, unagi can be cooked in tempura batter!)
Clockwise from the top (prawn tempura set, my veggie & unagi tempura set and okayodon)
What makes this tempura bar special is that you can order a huge rice bowl filled with tempura crumbs to go along with your tempura set! It’s just a shame that I forgot to take a photo of the tempura crumb rice though. Overall the tempura is just light and crispy, it’s just having an all time Japanese favourite with a refreshing twist.
Matcha warabi mochi Parfait
Japanese desserts are another food trend I noticed in Singapore. One such place offering such saccharine options is Azabu Sabo at the Central along Clarke Quay. Miss JL and I were lured into this place because there was an offer of 2 desserts for the price of 1 during off peak hours. This offer only applied to a limited range of desserts.
The Matcha warabi mochi Parfait was such an eye candy when it was being served to us. It was intensely sweet and after the first few bites, I felt I couldn’t go on further. The only snag about this dessert is that the mochi wasn’t as chewy as I thought it would be.
Matcha Bavarois a la mode
The Matcha Bavarois a la mode had this very intriguing green tea pudding which wasn’t overly sweet, which was a big bonus for me. However, being paired with the same ingredients that could be found in the Match warabi mochi Parfait was a letdown. JL and I certainly didn’t seeing the mochi in both desserts. This dish was also trying to achieve many elements which didn’t come together while I was eating it. For instance, the bittersweet green tea pudding clashed horribly with the mochi.
Ootoya has a cult following back in Japan and it’s not hard to see why. It offers teishoku (rice based) sets which are just so yummy. This place in Orchard Cental along Orchard road doesn’t accept bookings so head down early to get your booking number. I waited for 45 minutes to get a table of 5 for dinner on Saturday for a high school gathering with Miss SG, Miss AL and others, (which goes on to show how popular this place is). The sheer number of Japanese going to this place for a meal goes on to show how good the food is! The green tea served here is to die for! It has a deep roasted flavour which hits your nostrils with such delight.
Mini fried chicken with sweet and sour sauce
Miss SG went for this entree, the mini fried chicken with sweet and sour sauce. We loved the sweet and soup sauce for this entree as it accentuates the wonderful flavour that the mini chicken pieces delivers. The sauce isn’t the standard sauce that used for the sweet and sour meat based dishes. The balance of the two flavours is just right. Another delight was the cruchy lotus root pieces, which provide a crunchy factor for this entree.
Rice with charcoal chicken and egg set
Miss AL and I ordered the rice with charcoal chicken and egg set. This strangely looked like a Oyakodon set when it was presented to me. The chicken proved otherwise. Its smoky bite proved how good charcoal chicken can be. The egg sauce was equally good, complimenting the goodness of the charcoal chicken. I loved how the texture of the semi runny egg sauce just makes the set a lot more enjoyable to eat. Remember to sprinkle the seaweed flakes for added savouryness!
Steamed rice with Mutsu bay scallops and simmered tofu and chicken Torotoro set
Miss SG ordered the steamed rice with Mutsu bay scallops and simmered tofu and chicken Torotoro set (what a mouthful). The slightly thickened chicken soup was really awesome; it had the right amount of ooomph to it. People describe this as unami but I feel it should called as heaven. (haha.) Needless to say, the chicken soup was the first thing to be devoured among the girls at the dinner table. Another star of the set was the Mutsu bay scallops. Risking my guts to eat it, I was rewarded with its rich taste which packed in a punch. It was certainly very fresh and soon I was forgetting my initial trepidation about eating such crustaecean lovlies.
On the visit to Singapore, I have been exposed to new heights of dizzy “unaminess” brought forth from these Japanese places I have visited. From the signature ramen at Marutama Ra-men to the mini deep fried chicken pieces with sweet and sour sauce at Ootoya, I’m left wanting for more when I left for Melbourne. These places are certainly earmarked for another visit!
Marutama Ra-men
The Central #03-90
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
Singapore 059817
+65 6534 8090
Tenya Tempura bar
252 North Bridge Road
The Food Place, Raffles City Shopping Centre
Singapore 179103
Azabu Sabo
The Central #01-56
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
Singapore 059817
+65 6534 7178
Ootoya Japanese Restaurant
#08-12 Orchard Central
181 Orchard Road
+65 6884 8901
Review at Ishiya Stone Grill Restaurant
This place is what I call a place to relax. The soft lighting and the plush furnishings created a screen of serenity away from the busy activities in the city. Miss LW chose this place to celebrate of getting a new job. Why was this place was chosen, You may say. Being a scampi aficionado, Miss LW is always on the hunt of the rare crustacean in Melbourne. So on hearing that there are supplies of her fave sushi at this place, it naturally became the place to celebrate the night away.
Scampi and Hamachi sushi
To start the celebrations, we had our favourite sushi. Miss LW was practically in heaven in scoffing the scampi.
Tempura
The tempura had the usual suspects, naturally we split up into two portions. No prizes on who gets the veggies and the prawns here. I always liked the taste of deep fried sweet potato. Too bad, there was no japanese pumpkin in sight amidst the heap.
Porterhouse Stonegrill Set
Ishiya has an interesting food concept – DIY stone grilled food. Stone grills are heated up to 400 degrees and thus allowing food to be cooked rather quickly. The set is served with a side of salmon sashimi & sushi, as well as five dipping sauces (teriyaki, garlic butter miso , sesame & tofu, wasabi mayonnaise and ponzu). It was rather amusing to see the poor tofu piece making spluttering noises like an old car. Out of all the sauces that went with the set, I loved the ponzu. Its tart citrus taste goes well with my porterhouse beef. The beef was of very good quality – you can simply taste the sheer richness!
Black Sesame Shake & Lychee Sour Mocktails
The mocktails we ordered were Black Sesame Shake (for me) & Lychee Sour (for Miss LW). The black sesame shake had a very creamy nutty flavour which I oh so loved. Apart from being Miss LW’s favourite colour, the lychee sour was very refreshing which was very much in line with the meal we had for the evening.
In short, it is a place where I would love to come again. The ambiance of this place was very calming which was what’s needed for a wonderful celebration with Miss LW. The food and the mocktails were very delightful although for a hefty price tag for a DIY food concept.
Ishiya Stone Grill Restaurant
152 Little Bourke Street
Melbourne
03 9650 9510
Local Singaporean delights, anyone?
Ah Singapore is the land of the ultimate food paradise. With such diverse influences from the major ethic groups in Singapore (Chinese, Malay and Indian), you would be surprised to see how these influence intertwine to create that is uniquely Singaporean. The best way is to troop down to a food court/hawker centre and be adventureous. 
white carrot cake
Being the tourist back in my homeland (this is the sad truth, really), my friend AL and her partner brought me to a hawker centre located at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6. Trying to tolerate the rather high levels of humidity, we tucked into white carrot cake, char kway teow and satay beehoon. The carrot cake has hit the right notes; it was crispy on the outside and had wok hei (a flavour which can be obtained through the cooking of food in a wok at high heat). Doused with the chilli on the side, this was the first craving of Singaporean food that was fully satisfied. The delicate eggy flavour was also an added bonus.
Char Kway Teow (pan fried rice noodles with pork lard, beansprouts and choy sum
The char kway teow also sent me home with lots of satisfaction. The wok hei was very evident with bits of charred pork lard swimming in the rice noodles. The half cooked crunchy beansprouts added another dimension to the overall flavour of the dish.
Satay Beehoon (rice vermicelli with satay sauce)
As for the satay beehoon, this is pretty much the real deal. The fiery nature of the satay gravy had the savoury peanut goodness as well. This dish was just as lip smacking to the very last drop.
Yong Tau Foo
One of my fave Singaporean dishes when I was growing up back in Singapore was Yong Tau Foo. The main characteristic of this dish is the sheer amounts of tofu and fishcake doused in the traditional rich sweet sauce. Hokkien noodles is the standard options for this dish. The best memories of eating this dish was a stall in Aljunied which has unfortunately moved away to another unknown location. So, when i saw this dish in the Food Republic at Suntec City, it became my lunch option that day. However alas, the gravy for this dish was somewhat lacking in flavour. For 7 bucks for this dish, I find it a rip-off. The wide choice of tofu items available at this store made up for the horrible gravy. I should have stuck my guns and go to People’s Park Food Centre in Chinatown to get the read Yong Tau Foo.
Curry Chicken Rice
While looking for my elusive soccer jersey in Queenstown Shopping Centre, I chanced on this stall where there were throngs of schoolkids sitting along the tables and happily slurping up curry soaked rice. The kiasu (competitive) spirit kicked in and I decided to have my lunch here. .This isn’t your typical Indian curry, it’s the Nyonya curry whose fiery nature is what I needed to kickstart the day.Two minutes into the dish, I was too pouring all the curry onto the rice to truly enjoy the meal. The creamy hints in the curry was a surefire hit in my books.
Stay tuned for more Singapore related food endeavours in the upcoming posts!
White Carrot Cake
Lim Hai Sheng Cooked Food
724 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6#01-09
Singapore 560724
Char Kway Teow
Fried Kway Teow
724 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6#01-28
Singapore560724
Satay Beehoon
Centre Satay Beehoon
724 Ang Mo Kio Ave 6
#01-12 Singapore, 560724
Curry Chicken Rice
Queensway Food House
Queensway shopping centre #01-60
1 Queensway
Singapore 149053
A teaser to…
By the time you readers hit this post, I’m well and truly back in Melbourne. From catching up with loved ones to watching “Julie and Julia”, the trip back home was indeed a wonderful time to bond (and to explore new gastronomical boundaries). Keep your eyes peeled for the upcoming posts on Singaporean food culture. Till then, happy eating!
The roving CruxieFaye will interrupt her gastromonical adventures for…
…her trip back home (in Singapore)! So pardon if there are no regular updates over the next two weeks or so as she relaxes with friends and family with never ending rounds of eating and bonding. She promises to let you know of her gastromonical adventures in her homeland when she returns. Till then, eat well and be happy!
