Light chiffon cakes from Patisserie La Famille Atelier Fraicheur (Hong Kong)

I haven't been to Hong Kong in years so it was a nice thing to be back for a short work trip and extended vacation after that. Although most people would be loading up on the usual dim sum, roast meats, cha chan teng fare or Cantonese dishes while in Hong Kong, I made a conscious effort to try different types of cuisines since the city has a lot to offer in terms of variety. To the extent that I was asked - how can you say that you were in HK when you ate so little of the dim sum / roast meat / cha chan teng food? ^__^

One interesting thing I noticed is that, there are lots of nice bakeries and cafes with very Instagrammable desserts which taste good too. I certainly don't enjoy eating food which look nice but don't taste as delicious. And that's good news for someone like me who started to acquire a sweet tooth only when I became a adult. Perhaps it was the stress of working life which made desserts an appealing option for unwinding.

This bakery with a French name may give you the impression that it's some fanciful European brand but it actually hails from Tai Hang, a neighbourhood near to Causeway Bay and is relatively young i.e. founded in 2014. Goes to show that there are also hidden gems even among the local and homegrown brands. There are currently 5 branches at Causeway Bay, ifc Mall on the Hong Kong Island side and Harbour City, Langham Place and Wonderful Worlds of Whampoa on the Kowloon side.

I happened to walk past the ifc Mall branch and was tempted by the visually-appealing cakes in the display. You may be slightly intimidated by the fact that they sell only whole cakes but the smallest size light chiffon cakes here are small enough to be finished by one person (maybe need to split over two days for small eaters). As I was there when they were about to close, there weren't that many options left which probably suggests that their business must be pretty good. Note though that there are different sizes on offer so the bigger ones are definitely more suited for sharing. Depending on the flavours, prices would differ accordingly.

After deliberating for a while, I chose the matcha flavour as shown in this photo which had the right amount of moisture and still maintained its lightness. The chocolate pieces on top went well with the matcha flavour as well. This is probably one of the "lighter" flavours because from their website, there are much "richer" options with lots of cream and fruits on top so you can choose whatever suits your tastes. It's just too bad that this is something which I couldn't bring home so I guess I can only try the other flavours when I visit Hong Kong again. Note that there aren't any dine-in spaces so the only way is to bring this home or to your hotel room to indulge your tastebuds without feeling overloaded at the end.

Inspirations from TVN variety show "Korean Hostel in Spain / 스페인 하숙"

It's been a long time since I last posted.  Somehow, this has become a standard starting phrase over the years whenever I "restart" my blog. Sometimes, I find myself in a slump where I just can't continue with something.

Long story short, I had many things I wanted to write about but somehow, I never finished them. I don't know whether it was just plain laziness, fatigue, writer's block or whatever it may be but I just couldn't finish what I started. And there you have it, a "dormant" personal blog which should have been far easier to maintain than my other "main blog" that is way more time-consuming to update.

What made me decide to pen something again was this Korean variety show from tvN called "Korean Hostel in Spain / 스페인 하숙". I have been a faithful follower of Na Young-seok PD's shows since "2 days 1 night" which unfortunately has gone through lots of ups and downs and is currently in limbo. Ever since Na PD crossed over to tvN, he and his team have churned out many entertaining shows, some seemingly really mundane (Three Meals A Day) or silly (like New Journey to the West) but turns out to be really interesting for some unfathomable reason. I have to admit, he and his team have that Midas touch to attract viewers although there was only one show which I couldn't finish i.e. "Little Cabin in the Woods" (too slow for me) and I haven't had the chance to watch "Trivia".

The premise of this show is very simple - the original cast members from Three Meals A Day: Fishing Village i.e. Cha Seung-won and Yoo Hae-jin head to Villafranca del Bierzo in Spain where they operate a Korean hostel for the pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago. Joining them is Bae Jung-nam, a model-actor, who is tasked to help Cha-jumma to cook for the pilgrims by doing chores, marketing and dishwashing. If you've seen Three Meals a Day featuring Cha-jumma before, you know that you will get hungry seeing all the delicious food he dishes out to the pilgrims. I was always craving for Korean food after each episode.

On the other hand, Yoo is in charge of facilities, maintenance and handling registration, check-ins and outs for the pilgrims. Along the way, he opens a "business" called Ikeyo (a pun on Ikea) which comes up with 14 different items under various product ranges such as Ikeyo Security, Ikeyo Life and Ikeyo Electric. This man can create virtually anything with just plywood, a hammer, saw, drill and nails! Along the way, he even gets one of the staff members to become his sole employee (Section Chief Park) and another to be his intern.

Come to think of it, every episode is quite similar in the sense that it always starts with the trio waiting for the pilgrims to come calling on their doorstep (because reservations at hostels are not allowed), they then cook dinner and breakfast the following day for the pilgrims, go about their chores after sending their guests off and repeat the same thing all over again. There was a day when they had as many as 11 guests but the last day saw no one showing up. However, what makes this show interesting is more than just the humour, the interactions between the trio, the mouthwatering Korean food and the ingenious creations of Ikeyo.

The show never projects itself as some kind of "sentimental chicken soup for the soul" or hardsells the notion that you have to go on some pilgrimage route like the Camino de Santiago in order to improve your life or solve the problems you are facing or do some soul-searching. What struck me most was how everyone had different reasons for going on the pilgrimage and often, the most difficult thing is getting started. It takes a lot of courage to take that first step on this 800km journey alone. Even if people do start off in groups or make friends along the way, there are bound to be sections on the route when you are on your own. People walk at different paces and sometimes can walk more on one day and maybe lesser on another depending on your condition. As such, it is probably difficult to expect someone to be by your side all the time on this journey. Isn't this reflective of how the journey of life is? The people in your lives come and go and ultimately, you have to be able to live with yourself and spend time listening to that voice within you. However, we are all so busy with our lives that we hardly have time to sit down, think and reflect on what we really want.

Many people go on this journey as a form of soul-searching and to spend time with themselves as they try to seek answers to the questions in their lives. Many of them are young people but you also have people in their 50s, 60s or even 70s doing this route even more than once. There was this lady from Korea who is in her 50s or 60s (can't remember the actual age), suffered an injury and could no longer play the piano which was her livelihood. As she reflected on her life story, the others felt sad for her but she chose to take it positively as a chance to take time off her work and do something she wanted to do. It's hard to be so positive and try something seemingly so daunting at that age. Although it is not a given that you may find a solution to the problems you have even after reaching Santiago but to many, this experience of going on this pilgrimage has probably helped them to come to terms with things and find a way out of the situations they are in.

This resonated with me quite a lot as I watched this show. My fears and worries seem to have increased as I get older. If it was the younger me, I would have dared to do a lot more without actually worrying about the outcome. Looking back now, the old me was rash but courageous but I liked who I was. It was also really satisfying to be able to achieve things which seemed impossible in the beginning.

As I grow older though, the maturity and experience gained along the way do impede my willingness to step out of my comfort zone and do the things I want to do. There is a lot more to lose. There are more consequences to bear. And there are some conditions which have changed now e.g. health condition which make it not suitable for me to do certain things. I suppose this is probably the price of growing up. You gain some, you lose some.

Of course, it doesn't mean that just by watching this show, I will be aiming to embark on this Camino de Santiago anytime soon. I don't think I can handle 800km for a start and even if I can, I might need to take a long time to finish this route. However, a shorter route on a less challenging course somewhere else might be workable. I think I have to start doing some research before actually taking that first step but I like the idea of spending some time walking to a destination and thinking about what really matters to me.

That aside, I think what the show reminded me of was how I used to be more courageous to attempt the unknown. I probably lost my guts along the way as I became more and more jaded and discouraged by many things which happened after I left school. Seeing how all these people with their own stories, achievements and setbacks embark on their solo journeys, it has given a gentle push on my back to start doing something I want before I keep regretting the things I should have done but did not do.

And who knew that you could be inspired in this way by a variety show like this? I guess it's a worthwhile investment with a decent return from spending 11 weeks on this show. ^__^

Sometimes, things deserve a second chance - Marutama Ramen (Liang Court)

I have to admit, I am someone who has no patience when it comes to queuing for food. Especially when I am hungry.

This was probably why I swore off Marutama Ramen when I first tried it years ago. Back then, it saw very long queues at its The Central outlet and I was invited to go along and check it out. I think the long queuing time affected me to a certain extent so my expectations were heightened at the same time as I expected something good enough to justify the time investment. Unfortunately, what I tasted then was really not to my satisfaction. It could also be partly due to the fact that during that era, most of the pioneer entrants in the ramen market here were featuring tonkotsu-based soups which was comparatively richer than the chicken-based soup from Marutama so I wasn't used to the difference in taste. Since then, I didn't go back to Marutama anymore.

What made me decide to give it a second chance this time was yet again hunger. This time, I wanted something filling and yet not as rich as the usual tonkotsu-based ramen. I deliberated for a while and was about to give up when I saw the less-than-flattering pictures of the food outside the restaurant. Surely, something can be done to make the pictures a bit more appetising, clearer and brighter to entice the customers? Then again, I was too tired and hungry to search further and decided to give it a try, the first time after so many years.

To my surprise, the standard Marutama Ramen was satisfying in many regards. The soup was rich and flavourful but not overwhelming. There was also a lot of spring onions which I liked and the seaweed soaked up the flavours of the broth which I attribute to the fact that it was already shredded into pieces compared to many other versions where the seaweed came in its original form of sheets. Not a bad idea after all. The noodles were springy and went well with the broth but the chashu was oilier than I liked. For a price of $13, I thought that the portion and quality was well worth every dollar.

Gyoza is usually a standard accompaniment to my ramen so it was natural for me to do the same this time. Unfortunately, the pan-fried gyoza was not so satisfying because the skin should be crispier. The filling also needs to be more flavourful. Next time, I'll have to try the water boiled version and see if it will be any better.

Besides the food, there is something about this branch of Marutama which had helped to make the dining experience more pleasant. The nice BGM blend of Japanese enka and old Japanese songs gives a nostalgic feel amidst the wooden-based decor. It was a surprise to hear Takeuchi Mariya's "Camouflage" for the first time in years. Honestly, there are times when I dine at Japanese restaurants but the BGM can be quite jarring on the ears e.g. they play song covers not by the original singers or the music is so noisy that it makes it difficult to hold decent conversations. A small thing like BGM may seem insignificant but it is actually important in enhancing the dining atmosphere.

Frankly speaking, there are very few instances when I actually give something a second chance like this. Maybe it's because people tend to be unwilling to change their views of things once they have developed a negative first impression. Other than having a largely satisfying meal, I guess this episode has reminded me that there are times when I need to give things another try. It may jolly well turn out to be better than expected and open up new options which I had previously ruled out.

New tendon specialty restaurant in town - Shitamachi Tendon Akimitsu (Plaza Singapura)

I'm usually not the type to head to the newest places even if I do know about them mainly because I simply hate to queue for a long time no matter how appealing something may be to me. In other words, I have no patience and interest in wasting time in queues. As such, I tend to wait till the hype dies down before checking out new places such as restaurants or food shops e.g. Bake Cheese Tart.

Coming across Shitamachi Tendon Akimitsu (下町天丼秋光) was a coincidence. I happened to be at Plaza Singapura to do something and was walking around when I saw this new shop on the 4th floor of the previous Atrium@Orchard wing. Apparently, this is a tendon specialty restaurant which has been around since 1889 and is located at Asakusa in Tokyo. For those who are interested in checking this out when travelling in Tokyo, here are the address and contact details on their official website. Akimitsu has been expanding overseas since 2016 and they can be found in Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Philippines, Australia (Melbourne) and Canada (Toronto) which is opening in October. Apparently, the Singapore branch is less than a month old since it only opened in mid July.

Although I do like to eat tendon, I don't eat it often mainly because of the composition of the tempura items provided. For example, Tendon Itsuki has one thing which I really dislike i.e. chicken breast meat which tends to be dry and rough to eat. And it doesn't help that the bar counter seating there is really uncomfortable and I always get a not-so-nice smell on my clothes after I leave the place. That's why it's always a struggle for me whenever my friends want to go there. At some other places where I've been to, vegetables such as eggplant or eggs are added so whenever I see things in the menu which I don't like or eat, I tend to avoid ordering the tendon. I don't really What attracted me to try Akimitsu was the fact that they had an all-prawn tendon with none of the things I dislike and I was keen to find out if they are really as good as reputed. It also helped that the layout of the shop would probably not result in the customers smelling bad after eating there (the kitchen is sealed off with glass panels, there was a fair bit of ventilation and the shop space was wide enough without making me feel uncomfortable about sitting too close to the table next to me.

On the tables, you can see the two pickles containers which contains beansprouts and cabbages. Personally, I prefer the beansprouts version which tasted more seasoned to me while the other version seemed a little bland. Perhaps it needed more time for the flavours to seep into the vegetables. For those who need more of the tendon sauce, you can have your fill as there is a bottle of it on every table.

In the menu, there are four choices of tendon i.e. signature tendon which contains prawns, white fish, egg, seaweed and assorted vegetables, ebi tendon which is the prawns-only version, vegetable tendon which contains assorted vegetables and the kakiage tendon. All these sets come with miso soup and chawanmushi. Alternatively, you may vote for the teishoku versions of mixed tempura, ebi or vegetable where the rice and sauce is served separately. Those who like chasuke should be happy with the kakiage tencha version (tendon chasuke) where you pour the dashi over the kakiage don.

I ordered the ebi tendon set which slightly surprised me because I wasn't expecting to see as many as 6 prawns in the bowl. The price of the tendon was the most expensive among the four types of tendon while the bowl's size was a bit smaller than I thought so in that sense, it was pricier compared to similar versions from other places. The good thing was, the aroma of the tendon was very inviting when the dish was served. I also liked the fact that the batter covering the prawns was on the thin side because some tempura batter versions I tried before tend to be too dense or overpower the taste and affect the texture of the ingredients within. The downside to having the batter so thin is that you probably can't take your own sweet time to take photos of this beautiful dish as the tempura will cool down pretty quickly and you may find the batter flaking off as you pick up the tempura with your chopsticks. The prawns were rather large and tasted really juicy and fresh. When eaten with the rice and tendon sauce, the combined taste was heavenly. If there was only one thing which I may complain about, that would be wanting more rice to go with the tempura. Nonetheless, I guess this portion size is just nice for most people so for bigger eaters like me, you may find yourself running out of rice when you still have quite a few pieces of the tempura left. You may wish to order other items like edamame, cold tofu or baby octopus or opt for a dessert to round up your meal to make it more satisfying.


Currently, there is a promotion going on where you can get a free matcha ice-cream puff as per the photo on the right or a bottle of Ito-en green tea if you "like" Akimitsu's Facebook page. The catch is that you have to dine in between 2pm and 5pm on weekdays.

On the whole, I was happy with my unexpected discovery but can't help but worry if the shop's location may not be in its favour since it's on a higher floor and not as visible than those on the lower floors due to the foot traffic. Nonetheless, if you do a quick search on the Internet, it seems like the more prominent food bloggers have already been there and written some good stuff about this place so it will probably help to boost the shop's popularity. Moreover, I haven't seen how the shop's crowds are like during weekends so it may be that you have to queue for a while during those days. Last but not least, if the food is good and prices are reasonable, I'm sure that there will be many repeat customers which will surely bode well for this restaurant. I for one would like to go back and try the ebi tendon again and this time, with the spicier version of the tendon sauce since I had the original version this time.

A refined German taste from Japan - Juchheim's matcha baumkuchen (Takashimaya)

Although I have passed by Juchheim many times to date, I have never had the urge to buy their baumkuchen for some reason. Perhaps it was that I always had the impression that baumkuchens are expensive due to the effort and skill needed to produce them or that Japanese brands tend to have this pricey image. However, when I saw the limited edition matcha version publicised on Juchheim's Facebook page, that was the best excuse to try their baumkuchen.

Baumkuchen which means tree cake in German (Der Konig der Kuchen), is regarded as the King of German cakes and also the symbol of the German Confectionery Association. In Germany, confectioners can only earn the title of Meister after mastering how to make this cake. Karl Juchheim, the founder of Juccheim, was the first to bake the baumkuchen in Japan back in 1919.

Much as I am very into anything matcha, I still felt apprehensive about buying a whole baumkuchen on my first attempt especially since it does not have any preservatives and can only last for three days. Coupled with the fact that there were no samples for this flavour, I pondered over this a lot at the counter which I suppose must have made the staff there wonder if I had no intention of buying anything. To make things even more complicated, seeing another limited edition version i.e. dark chocolate swayed my will as I deliberated between matcha and this flavour. In the end, I finally bit the bullet and went ahead with my initial choice. Luckily, the baumkuchen turned out to be better than I expected.

I was expecting a somewhat drier texture and sweeter taste from the matcha flavour based on the impression I got from the lemon version's sample. However, the matcha flavour turned out to have the right amount of moisture and the texture was smooth enough to eat it on its own. If paired with tea, I think it will be a great teatime snack or after-meal dessert. Although the staff did mention that the outermost layer may be a bit sweet, I thought that it was still acceptable for me. Price-wise, the matcha flavour is slightly more expensive than the original flavour but for this quality and size, it's a worthwhile deal after all.

Now that the matcha baumkuchen has won my heart, I guess it's time to get the dark chocolate version soon before it gets taken off the shelf.

Marriage of cheese and matcha from Otaru - LeTAO's double fromage matcha cheesecake

To be honest, it is tough to be a fan of anything Japanese. You have to pay a premium for anything imported from there to here unless you head to the country itself and bring back the things yourself. Much as you understand the quality and effort put into their products and the costs involved in bringing these items from Japan to Singapore thus justifying the higher price tag, it can sometimes be deterring to shell out so much money to get the real deal. This is why it took me so long to get LeTAO's double fromage cheesecake even though it has already entered Singapore some time ago. For those who are not familiar with LeTAO, this company from Otaru, Hokkaido, is famous for their cheesecakes which have been in production since 1998. They currently have a counter at Orchard Ion's Level B1.

Honestly speaking, the size in relation to the price was the biggest reason why I held back. I have no doubts that the quality of the cheesecake will be quite good especially after hearing rave reviews about it everywhere. However, the common grouse was also that the cheesecake was not available in single slices and that the whole cake was small at just 12cm wide and weighing 330 grams but cost SGD 28. Of course, I've come across more costly cakes than this but the size was still an issue for me. And since there was no option of buying single slices to test the flavour, it was even riskier to buy the entire cake while not knowing if I would like how it tastes.

What got me to "take the plunge" literally into unknown territory was the magical word - matcha. I am a big lover of anything matcha and the sight of this matcha version which is only available for a limited period only and has only 30 pieces per day was really tempting. Still, it took a fair bit of deliberation even up to the last minute when I was right in front of their counter before I finally decided to get the cake.

First of all, the taste is really as good as the reviews say. I don't really like cheesecakes with a very dense texture but this version which is made from Hokkaido cream cheese and Italian mascarpone cheese was so light on the palate. The green tea layer made from matcha from Kyoto was already so aromatic before eating and upon tasting, it did not taste as heavy as I imagined it to be from the matcha scent. As such, don't be surprised to find that you are able to eat more than what you usually can because the light sensation will have you craving for more. The sole disappointment was the appearance of the cheesecake though because the matcha powder on top was sort of "flaking" and you could see patches of white here and there which wasn't how it was featured in the promotional materials. I didn't take a long time to get home after buying this nor applied a lot of movement to the package which could possibly "shake off" the powder. As such, my hunch for this happening could be that I bought the chilled version which is most likely defrosted from the frozen version thus the matcha powder did not stay onto the top surface as it should have been. Alternatively, it could be that this issue doesn't arise for the original cheesecake and chocolate flavours because their topping is not in powdery form like matcha powder? Perhaps I need to buy the regular cheesecake or chocolate frozen versions next time to test my hypothesis?

Note though that the matcha version is pricier ($35) than the regular versions selling at $28 but since it's a limited edition item and daily quantities are limited, I guess that explains the price discrepancy. Another thing to be aware is that these cakes should be consumed within two days after you open the packaging. On a related note, I noticed that there is a slight difference in the taste when you eat it on the day of purchase compared to the following day which I attribute to the cool air from the fridge being in contact with the cake.

Much as I didn't regret my purchase this time, I still have this lingering thought that the deal would have been sweeter for me if the price was lesser. Guess there is no such thing called perfection after all.

Chocolates with a "wa" twist - Salon de Royal Kyoto's pop-up store @ Japan Food Town

At the mention of chocolate, most people would probably associate it with countries such as Switzerland and Belgium which are well-known for their quality chocolate. This is intriguing in the sense that cocoa beans, the source ingredient for chocolate, are largely grown in Africa and South America and these countries famous for chocolate don't actually grow their own cacao plants. In the same sense, you might not associate Japan with this sweet treat, especially not when it comes to Kyoto, the old capital which embodies everything Japanese even in this modern era of speed and technology. Interestingly, there is a chocolatier from Kyoto which has been around since 1935 and is well-known for its amazing range of chocolates and by-products. This spring, if you are in Singapore, you should visit their pop-up store located at the event square of Japan Food Town (Level 4 of Wisma Atria) to find out what makes them so good.

I attended the opening day event on 18 April, thanks to the invitation of J Passport after I signed up for it on their website. Today's event was restricted to the media and invited guests (about 50 as per the website) but due to the size of the venue, it was a bit difficult to move around without running into another human wall. Coupled with the spot lights dotting the perimeter of the event square, I got rather hot and bothered especially after I had rushed to make it in time for the event. In addition, despite the fact that I had provided my blog URL in the application, I was classified as a guest rather than media which I can understand to a certain extent since I don't belong to a formal media outlet. The main differences between being a guest and media representative were that the latter got a detailed write-up about the company and the pop-up store and a bigger goodie bag.

Salon de Royal was founded in Kyoto on 1 April 1935 and combines the best of East and West influences in its products. As mentioned above, chocolate is usually seen as a Western product but it goes through an amazing transformation here which is quite unlike the chocolates you find in Europe. As explained by the company's representative during the event, it produces three main categories of chocolate i.e. chocolate bonbons, Hannari (Rinpa) chocolate and pecan nut chocolates. Not only does the company incorporate ingredients with a strong "wa" (Japanese) feel into its products such as matcha and arare (rice crackers), its packaging also embodies the deep Japanese influence due to its roots in Kyoto. For example, urushi boxes i.e. lacquer coating and Japanese tea bowls (chawan) are used as packaging for the chocolate bonbons. For its Hannari and pecan nut chocolates, the outer packaging is influenced by Rinpa-style paintings which is one of the major historical schools of Japanese painting.

The highlight of the event would have to be the live demonstration by Chef Emori Hiroyuki who is Salon de Royal Kyoto's official adviser and the 2015 champion of the World Trophy of Pastry Ice Cream Chocolate. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a good look at his demonstration because there were too many people crowding around the table. I couldn't help but think that it would be nice if there was a video camera hanging above to capture the process and project it on a TV screen just like what we see in a lot of those cooking demonstration videos online. This would ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to observe the demonstration. Otherwise, it might be better to reduce the number of people attending each demonstration because the venue is simply too small. If you are attending the event for the public held on 19 April, you might want to get near to the demonstration table before it starts so as to secure a good spot.

As it was too hot and uncomfortable for me to squeeze in, I ended up catching glimpses at parts of the demonstration through the mobile phone screens of those who took videos of it. This photo I have here was taken after the matcha ice cream cake was completed. Apologies for this unflattering picture which does not show the true beauty of this cake because I was standing too far back.

After the photo session, the participants were treated to samples of the matcha ice cream cake. In terms of taste, I think that it was pretty good especially the matcha layer which was flavourful and aromatic. However, it doesn't seem that the pop-up store will offer this item though so you might want to attend the public event to sample this.

In the goodie bag given to the guests, there were a pack of candy-coated pecan nuts and a piece of chocolate bonbon. I don't eat bonbons that often because they are usually quite pricey so I can't say that I know a lot about this type of chocolates. Nonetheless, the bonbon given to me was very smooth and the aroma of the chocolate lingered on my palate for a while. Impressive taste but I think I would need more convincing to actually shell out money for it. As for the pecan nuts, the package contains two small packs each with 3 pieces. Considering that you need to pay $7.50 for each package, that works out to about $1.25 per piece. The refined taste and texture you get definitely justifies this price tag but to be perfectly honest, this is probably something you would want to buy to indulge yourself once in a while or as gifts to people who matter most to you. While looking at the displays, I saw a few more flavours which interest me so I should be going back to the pop-up store to buy them.

For those who are interested in attending the demonstrations open to the public on 19th April, the two timings are 12.30pm and 6.30pm and you would need to register through J Passport's website. Even if you can't make it in time for these, there will be five demonstrations daily by different patissiers and the pop-up store will still be around till 31 May.

Other than showcasing the company's products, there are also a series of events lined up during this period to introduce Kyoto's culture to Singapore. Do check these out if they interest you:
- Shakuhachi flute: 30 April
- Noh drama maskmaking: 6 May
- Calligraphy: 7 May
- Nishijin Ori Textiles: date to be announced

If you happen to be going to Japan, you can visit their main shop cum cafe which is located beside the Kamo River where you can sit outdoors during the warmer months from May to September. The shop offers a wide selection of the company's chocolate products along with desserts and beverages like coffee, tea and wine. Alternatively, if you are in Osaka, you can go to their shop at the B2 level of Hankyuu Sanbangai Departmental Store to buy their products.

Thai goodness amidst fresh greenery - Basil Thai Kitchen @ Paragon

Whenever I go to Orchard Road, I sometimes find it difficult to find a nice place to eat at without burning a huge hole in my pocket or having to queue for ages just to get into the restaurant or put up with the buzz in a packed place. Coming across Basil Thai Kitchen was a coincidence as I needed to eat dinner on a weekday night near 9pm but some places were about to close then. As the food photos looked rather decent and the prices seemed reasonable, it was then decided that we would eat here.

Before I entered the restaurant, I wasn't aware that it was a different dining concept under Thai Express. As compared to the signature orange-themed Thai Express, Basil Thai had a lot of greenery in the form of flowers and green plants placed on the tables which gave it a fresh feel in line with the basil element in its name. Upon closer scrutiny of the menu, you would then notice some similar dishes between the two restaurants although servings and how they are plated do differ to a certain extent.

The first dish was tom yum soup which I thought was pretty good and whetted my appetite. To be honest, I usually do not like tom yum soup because some versions can be too sour while some are too spicy to my liking. However, this had the right balance and the amount of ingredients was more than I expected for a price of $8.90. I don't know if there are any differences in how they make this tom yam soup as compared to Thai Express because I usually found the latter to be too sour for me.

Next up was another Thai cuisine signature dish - pineapple fried rice ($11.90). The portion did seem a bit small as compared to the price but the saving grace was its taste and generous portions of seafood hidden within that bowl of rice. There was a nice aroma when this was served and the rice grains were fluffier than what I tasted before at Thai Express. The freshness of the seafood embedded within the rice also made a good impression on me. However, it might be good to alter the size of the plate as the extra space as seen in the photo reinforces the impression that the serving is small. Personally, for a big eater like me, this portion size is hardly satisfying but for small eaters, they might be content with this amount.

The Massamam chicken curry served with rice ($13.90) was definitely my favourite because the chicken's texture was so tender and the curry went very well with the plain white rice. The amount of chicken was also quite substantial for a big eater like me. Some curries tend to be quite heavy on the palate and leave a very strong aftertaste but this version was actually lighter and not that spicy as it looked even though I was slightly worried when I ordered this. Actually, the default option was to eat the curry with the crispy roti but I was too famished that night and wanted to have rice instead. Thankfully, the staff members were very accommodating and accepted my request for an alternative for this dish. Perhaps I will go back to try the roti version and see which pairing is better.

On a separate occasion, this time on a Saturday evening, I went back and ordered their green curry chicken with rice ($10.90). Visually, it was rather disappointing to see such a big plate with so much empty space. The lone piece of lettuce didn't do much in enhancing the visual appeal of this dish and the rice wasn't even in a complete circle shape. As for the curry which I always order when I eat at Thai Express, the portion seemed somewhat smaller because I didn't get that many pieces of the chicken and the curry was on the bland side but somehow looked oilier. Considering the price, I might have been better off getting the pineapple fried rice which would at least satisfy my taste buds even though the portion sizes still left much to be desired.

Last but not least, here's the Virgin Basil Mojito ($3.90) which I considered to be a steal because you hardly get drinks below $5 in most restaurants these days. This is the perfect antidote for the sunny and hot weather here with its refreshing sensation and taste being a match for the spicy Thai cuisine. In terms of the portion size, there is also nothing to complain about.

Considering that there are still many dishes which I have yet to try here, I should be coming back for more visits especially if I need to get a decent meal at relatively affordable prices. Especially considering that the restaurant is located in the middle of Orchard Road and in a shopping mall known for its high-end branded offerings, this will be a good place to keep in mind during your Orchard Road visits. However, even though it is another dining concept under the same company, there needs to be a bit more done to differentiate the offerings from both brands. In terms of decor, there is nothing that links both brands together because the main theme colours are different but some of the dishes are replicated across both menus so there may be a need to adjust accordingly to the positioning of the brands. And one last thing, the portions either need to be adjusted to make them more filling or the plates need to be shrunk or else that feeling of dissatisfaction will probably mar the dining experience to a certain extent.

Lunchtime goodness at Shin-Do (Century Square)

Shin-Do is strictly speaking not a new restaurant. It occupies the same shop space in Century Square's B1 and used to be known as Shin-Sapporo Ramen. However, the change is not merely in its name but also its entire concept because the former was more ramen-centric while the new version includes more options in terms of teishoku, sushi and appetisers.

To be honest, I wasn't too impressed with Shin-Sapporo Ramen in the past so I stopped going there since a long time ago. Apparently, under the new concept, ramen is still an integral part of the menu with the biggest attraction being the fire ramen but there are options for people who might not want to eat ramen that day. In a way, that helps in attracting a wider pool of customers other than the usual ramen lovers.

On a weekday afternoon while on the search for a late lunch venue, I walked past Shin-Do and saw its promotional panels. There they were, wholesome lunchtime-only teishoku sets which were going for as low as $8.90 ($10.90 for the more expensive items) nett with a free cup of hot or cold green tea thrown in. If you would like to have other drinks, you need to pay a small amount to top up. The food displays outside the restaurant looked rather appealing and I was keen to try a good deal if I spotted it so I decided to revisit or should I say, give Shin-Do a chance.

The set I ordered was the teriyaki chicken set which came with pickles (takuan) and a healthy dose of shredded cabbage with a small tomato. First of all, I've not been seeing takuan that often in the Japanese teishoku sets these days so it was a pleasant surprise to see it in my bento box. I really liked it for being of the right taste and the texture was crunchy enough despite it being sliced so thinly. I would have preferred this to be slightly thicker or to have more slices in the set. As for the cabbage salad, I thought that the portion size could be a tad too much for those who don't like their greens but I personally felt that it was a welcome addition to give the meal a slightly different texture. With regard to the rice, I thought that it was a bit too soft and overcooked but the grilled and shredded seaweed lent a nice aroma to the rice which was drenched in a sauce that tasted similar to the teriyaki sauce. Just one note of caution then, the chef might have to go easier on the amount of sauce for the rice since there was too much and made the rice saltier than I would have liked. Last but not least, the teriyaki chicken was tender and flavourful and there was more pieces than I assumed the set would contain. Anything that exceeds the customer's expectation is always welcome.

On another day, I came back for the tori karaage set which gave me a slightly different experience. The time of my second visit was during lunch hour so the wait for the food to be served was much faster than during the first visit. Not that I really minded the wait since I liked the taste of what I ate during that visit but it sure wouldn't hurt to have the food served quickly when I am hungry. In terms of portion size, I thought that the amount of the cabbage salad seemed to be slightly lesser and there was one less slice of the takuan. As for the rice, there was lesser sauce poured onto it and the flavour of the seaweed was even more noticeably this time which I attributed to it being grilled for a longer time before being shredded. The rice texture was also more to my liking this time. With regard to the tori karaage, it was slightly different from what I usually get which tends to be round-shaped. The version at Shin-Do had the chicken in long strips which I don't really mind unless they use breast meat which I dislike for its dry and tough texture if overcooked. Luckily, the fried chicken here was tender and juicy enough but there should have been more mayonnaise provided to eat the chicken with.

Both sets I had were in the $8.90 group and I must say, I was quite satisfied with their quality and portion size despite the low price. I'm glad that I found another nice place to eat at and will probably go back soon to try the other lunch sets or the items in the ala carte menu.

First impressions of d'Good Cafe (Ngee Ann City)

I heard of this cafe fairly recently, thanks to the promotional efforts by some local celebrities who had been to here. Apparently, this cafe is co-owned by a local veteran actor Chew Chor Meng thus his colleagues were invited here before the official opening. Upon entering the cafe, you will a shelf beside the counter and cake shelf with two layers of cups containing coffee beans and signed Polaroid shots of these celebrities so you might want to do some "star-gazing" here to see if your favourites might be among them.

My visit was on a Saturday afternoon so naturally, it was packed with people. There are two dining areas i.e. the "outdoor" section which looks like a dainty English garden while the interior has a somewhat British feel with its London underground signs bearing the names of Holland Village and Orchard which is where its outlets are located at. The utensils and tea pots used also have a similar style. If possible, I think it's better to sit at the outdoor section which is visibly brighter and feels more spacious. I thought that the interior section was kinda cramped and tables were placed too close to one another. However, given that the shop itself does not occupy a lot of space in the first place, it is probably difficult to free up more space during peak periods. It might feel a lot better if the cafe wasn't that crowded.

At the entrance, there is a red telephone booth which again has a British feel but it's probably more for decoration purpose. It naturally attracts customers to want to take a selfie with it as seen from the number of people I saw crowding around this during my visit. As for the post box location just beside the telephone booth, it is there for a purpose. It seems that the management of this cafe are Christians and are offering to pray for customers who need it. As such, you can fill in the card placed at the post box where you provide your details and which area(s) you need prayers for whereby the cafe's team will do the necessary. I thought it was a rather kind gesture on their part regardless of your religion but it can do with a bit of promotion. Unless you walk to the post box and pick up the prayer request card, you probably have no idea what this is for and that you can request for prayers to be made on your behalf. As such, it is easy to miss this and dismiss the post box as a mere ornament even though it has a purpose to fulfill. I will post the contents of the prayer request card below so please take a look if you are interested.

Besides this prayer request service, the shelf beside the cake counter also has a level dedicated to featuring art works from TOUCH Special Crafts where the artistic talents of people with mild intellectual disabilities are discovered and nurtured. I thought that it was good that some of these art works are displayed for all to see and purchase. A lot of these charity initiatives may not be publicised widely so even if you are keen to buy their products to show support, you might not know where to turn to. Sometimes, all it takes is for someone to spread the word and more people can be aware and do something. In this sense, the cafe deserves credit for giving a space to such charity initiatives despite their space constraint.

Despite the fact that this cafe emphasizes coffee as its biggest selling point, being a non-coffee drinker, I have no idea if it's really as good as it is said so you'll have to find out the answer yourself. As it was a rather sweltering day when I visited, I chose a mojito mocktail instead of hot tea even though I was quite tempted to order one just to see the pretty pots which were served with the tea. In the end, the desire for gratification from a cold drink took over so I skipped the hot teas.

Frankly speaking, I thought that the mocktail was pretty much of a disappointment. In a mojito, the mint is one of the key ingredients but I didn't detect any taste of it nor see the crushed mint leaves. In that sense, this drink already didn't qualify as a mojito to me. The lime flavour was slightly overpowering to the point of being sour while the soda added a tingly and rather gassy feel on the palate which I didn't like. Supposedly, there should be tea in this drink as well but I didn't seem to pick that flavour up. Maybe I'm just being too demanding since the cafe's specialty is coffee and tea so I can't expect too much from a non-signature drink. Then again, you probably need to make your alternatives decent enough to attract people who aren't into coffee and tea. Although I wouldn't recommend this drink to people who want something which resembles the mojito but minus the alcohol, you may actually like it more than I do since it's a case of personal preference. It's just that his drink needs a fair bit of adjustment and improvement in order to truly fit the bill as a mojito look-alike and taste-alike.

Since I was just feeling peckish and didn't want to eat too much before dinner, I ordered the warm chocolate lava cake as a teatime snack. Appearance-wise, it's rather no-frills as seen from the photo so it might be good to doll this up a bit to make it more "Instagram-able". I don't have much to complain about the taste which has that chocolate taste without being too rich on the palate but the cake was rather cold when it was served. It certainly took a while before this was served which I was quite surprised since it shouldn't take that long usually. I am not sure if it cooled down too much in the kitchen before it was served or that it wasn't even heated up properly. Although the chocolate lava did flow out as expected, the lack of warmth in this dessert somehow made it feel like an ordinary chocolate cake rather than a chocolate lava cake. If this can be served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream, I think it would be the icing on the cake since the hot and cold texture may accentuate the taste of the lava cake even more.

Since the cafe has been open for just a few weeks, there may be time needed to tweak the daily operations. The servers seemed a bit overwhelmed due to the crowds. I probably would go back to try the mains and the famed cheesecake but as for now, I think the cafe needs to distinguish itself a bit more in terms of its F & B offerings due to the tough competition in the Orchard shopping belt.

Here are some of the other photos I took while at the cafe:

The London underground-style signs on the wall

The cake counter at the entrance...looks tempting

The prayer request card

The art works from TOUCH Special Crafts

The coffee cups containing the celebrities' photos

Another set of coffee cups with the celebrities' photos

The dainty English-style teapots

Review of Rakuzen (Millenia Walk)

I'm not a frequent visitor to Millenia Walk primarily because most of its retail options are rather out of my budget and there's this "atas" image that the mall has. However, in terms of dining options, there are a few places there which I like so you can say that I'm there for the food most, if not all the time. Rakuzen is one of my favourites after a friend brought me there once.

My recent visit was rather ad-hoc since I was looking for a dinner place but didn't want the meal to be too overwhelming in terms of volume nor too rich for the palate. Although it was a weekday night, some of the places there were quite full due to the evening crowd from offices nearby. I have a personal preference of avoiding crowded places for meals if I can help it so those were naturally out of my consideration. While walking past the line of restaurants located outside the Millenia Walk building, I came across this signboard from Rakuzen offering a customised sushi set as part of their 10th anniversary celebration. Most of the time, such sushi sets tend to have the options fixed by the chefs so I do not like to order them because there is always bound to be at least one or two items which I don't like in the set. Rakuzen's promotion was good in the sense that I could choose whatever I wanted from the list of 21 options and I could choose multiples of the same item. The only condition was that if you want the more pricey ootoro and ikura sushi, you'll have to order the 12-piece set and each of these two items can only be ordered once. This didn't bother me since I wasn't going to order them anyway but if you happen to like them, you might want to keep this condition in mind.

I ordered the 8-piece set which consisted of nama hotate, ebi, ika, tako as well as 2-pieces of nii-hotate and zuwagani each. Besides the sushi, the set also included a miso soup, chawanmushi, pickles (radish slices) and dessert (jelly with watermelon cubes). I felt that this was a pretty good deal for the price of 16 dollars since each piece of the sushi was about 2 to 4 dollars if you order them ala-carte. Just the sushi alone would have cost me at least 24 bucks on the assumption of an average price of 3 dollars per piece. Coupled with all the side dishes, I have to say that this is a steal. Other than the fact that the sushi here is a bit slimmer than other places I've been to, I'm actually very satisfied with this set. It was also just nice that I wasn't feeling very hungry that night so the size issue wasn't much of a problem.

The miso soup here was comforting i.e. warm and flavourful without being overly salty. The pickles were crunchy and refreshing on the palate. I don't take chawanmushi so I can't comment on its taste. As for the dessert, the watermelon provided great comfort from the sweltering weather but the jelly was too soft and sweet for my liking. Perhaps they had used gelatin or agar agar for that but I prefer the kanten's texture which is firmer.

Although my main aim was to have the sushi set only, I got tempted by the delicious-looking karaage from a nearby table and couldn't resist ordering this. The portion is good enough for sharing among a few people and I must say that for this quantity and quality, 8 dollars is a great deal. The chicken's batter was not overly thick and I liked that it was not overcooked like what some places offer where the exterior looks dark brown. The chicken meat within retained its juices thus even without an accompanying sauce, I thought this was good enough to eat on its own with the salad. If the chicken had been dry, it would have been difficult to stomach this without a sauce.

It's not stated on the signboard how long the sushi set promotion will last but it looks like it's not restricted to lunch or dinner hours only. Be sure to check with the staff if this is what you would like to go for just to ensure that you'll get what you want since items are subjected to availability too. There are other good items on their menu which I tried before on previous visits and liked such as the kyuri asazuke (cucumber pickles), buta shabu (pork shabu shabu with sesame sauce) and surumeika sugatayaki (grilled squid). Other than this branch, there's another branch at Telok Ayer so you may wish to visit their website to find the details.

A respite from the busy city life - Tadd's @ Montigo Resorts Nongsa (Batam)

During the recent Lunar New Year holiday, I went on a short trip to Montigo Resorts Nongsa in Batam. The area is rather undeveloped or should I say, in the process of being developed so there are only a few resorts in this part of Batam. This is good in the sense that the environment is left as natural as it is but I guess in a few years' time, the landscape and view here could change drastically as more resorts open here and the area gets developed.

Due to the fact that the Montigo Resort is quite far from the city area, it became a natural choice to have our meals here during our stay. Tadd's is one of the two restaurants here so I will be reviewing this first.

As the colour theme of the resort is blue and white which brings to mind Santorini in Greece, the restaurant is also dressed in similar colours with its wooden furniture, blue chairs and white walls. With the huge fans on the ceiling and the sea breeze, the whole place gives off a relaxed vibe. In line with the Lunar New Year holiday then, there were dashes of red everywhere with decorations on the tables and ceilings in the form of red packets and lanterns etc.

Here were the dishes and drinks we had during lunch on the two days during our stay:

The white drink on the right was a mojito mocktail while the other was a lychee-based soda. The mocktail tasted relatively close to the real mojito without the distinct taste of alcohol that some people may find overwhelming and the good thing was that it wasn't overly sweet which provided some much-needed relief when the weather was a bit hot and stuffy after a short drizzle. The mint leaves were fresh and added a welcome refreshing taste to the drink. Perhaps it might have been better to go easy on the amount of ice because the amount of ice diluted the drink a bit too much towards the end. As for the soda, I felt that it was too sweet especially when the ice had yet to melt but it got more palatable towards the bottom of the glass.

Next up was was the sate campur i.e. assorted satay (9 sticks) with rice cakes, peanut sauce and crackers. The satay options here are beef, chicken and prawn but if there's anything which you don't eat, you can always ask the staff to change the combination. In our case, we asked for prawn and chicken only since we do not eat beef. Frankly speaking, I don't really like having chicken satay for the fact that it gets dry too easily due to the grilling unless the portion used contains a bit more fat or moisture like thigh meat. As such, I tend to prefer pork satay which is more "resistant" to the grilling process and doesn't lose its tenderness nor taste. However, being in Indonesia, the meat options would not have included pork but it wasn't that much of an issue after all since there was still chicken to choose. Thankfully, the chicken satay was not too dry and was marinated well. As for the prawn, it was of a decent size and was pretty fresh. What I liked more were the crackers and rice cakes while the peanut sauce could do with a boost in the fragrance department.

The nonga nasi goreng contained a grilled prawn, a fried chicken wing, two sticks of chicken satay (supposed to be beef but we asked for a change), a fried egg, vegetables, fried rice and a cracker. It was a decent portion good enough for two people to share especially if you aren't too hungry or have a small appetite. As per the same with the satay set, you can ask for some customisation to the preset items if need be so please check with the staff on the available portions. At the price of IDR 125,000 (about SGD 13), the amount of items and the quality of food are quite worth the deal. Perhaps the only drawback was that the amount of vegetables seemed a bit too little when compared to the other items in this set.

The montigo ayam panggang berempah contains half of an oven-roasted spring chicken, sautéed
long beans, prawn crackers, steamed
jasmine rice and sambal. The rice was lacking in fragrance and was a bit too soft to my liking. As for the chicken, I liked the flavour but the texture was a bit dry. Somehow, I find that spring chicken tends to be dry like breast meat regardless of the cooking method, be it deep fried or grilled so I suppose that it's very difficult to retain the moisture and texture. The sambal went well with the rice and chicken. One thing worth noting was the prawn crackers used in each of the dishes were really good and I really enjoyed seeing them in almost every dish I had during my stay at the resort.

The dessert tray comprised of green tea tiramisu, triple chocolate truffle,blueberry cheese cake, ginger crème brulée, strawberry pannacotta and chocolate crémeux. Frankly speaking, we ordered this because we were not sure what we wanted to order as there were multiple items which we were interested in. Presentation-wise, this looked pretty good with its variety of colours. Overall, I felt that the quality of the items in this set were a bit lacking despite the price being even higher than a main dish. Nonetheless, the cheese cake, chocolate truffle and crème brulée were the better ones in this selection while the others were rather weak in the taste department. Quantity-wise, this is more of a tasting menu so the size of the items tend to be small. Even so, it may be a bit too much for one person if you are a small eater so it's good for sharing within a group especially if you want to try various items at one go.

Here was the young coconut juice which surprised us due to its sheer size. Coincidentally, soon after we ordered one of this, the other tables also started ordering the same thing. Seems like it's the herd syndrome at play here because if we find something that appears appealing from the other tables, chances are we will be tempted to order the same thing. The challenge in ordering something like this is how to scrape the coconut flesh from the inside of the fruit without making a mess. I must say, it was rather tough to do so because the flesh was quite thin and firmly attached to the interior wall of the fruit but if you finish drinking the juice before you start scraping the coconut flesh, it will be easier without the juice splashing all around. I learnt this the hard way when I almost spilled a good amount of the juice. As this was a young coconut, the taste of the coconut juice was not that sweet and had a tinge of sourness. I thought it went well with the strong-flavoured food and took away a bit of the greasy aftertaste.

The duck ragout fettucine is actually listed in the dinner menu but was available for ordering during lunchtime which I suppose should be due to the festive season. I tend to prefer pasta which are on the thin side such as linguine and capellini or macaroni or penne so fettucine usually gives me the impression of being rather thick and difficult to eat. In addition, due to the large surface area of the pasta, it tends to get soggy too quickly as it absorbs the pasta sauce very readily. Luckily, this version did not have a lot of sauce thus there was no problem of the fettucine being too soggy towards the end of the meal as the sauce was pretty concentrated. When eaten together with the smoked duck slices, shredded duck meat and garlic bread, the tastes of these items complement one another pretty well. Due to the substantial portion size, the after-meal feeling might be a bit heavy so this might be good for sharing within a group.

After the lacklustre experience with the dessert tray on the first day, we decided to order the desserts we were originally interested in. First up was the sago malacca which consisted of the palm sugar, crème anglaise and vanilla ice cream. The red sago layer when eaten with the cold ice cream and accompanying sauce brought about an interesting combination of tastes and textures. Visually, I thought it might be better to have more colours in this dish to accentuate the aesthetic factor although I thought that the bright red sago layer was nice to look at. However, the portion was a bit small despite the big serving dish so it should be fine for one person to finish this alone. After having this, I suddenly have this urge to try making something similar with modifications to the components.

Last but not least, here's the warm apple tart which was made from granny smith apples, rum raisin ice cream, vanilla sauce, cinnamon. I was actually a bit disappointed with the portion size of this dessert and that the apple tart here is the "deconstructed" type, Personally, I felt that the tart crust was a bit thick and tough so it might be good to improve on this area in order to make this dessert better.

On the whole, the food at Tadd's was pretty decent and had healthy portion sizes. The variety on the menu was also quite extensive so even if you stay at the resort for a few days, there should still be room for you to choose a different dish each time. However, in the dessert department, there were some flaws here and there and the portion size was a tad small when the prices were taken into consideration. Hopefully, there will be more improvements made to the menu's offerings by the time I revisit this resort.

Savour Niigata ramen from Sanpoutei @ Shaw House

Ramen lovers like me are in for a treat with more and more ramen brands coming to Singapore, each offering their unique concoctions. One biggest grouse I have though is that the ramen places that I like don't have a branch in my neighbourhood so I always have to travel to town just to get my ramen fix. Of course, there are some ramen brands which have made inroads into the housing estates but most tend to limit their expansions to various spots within the city area.

Sanpoutei Ramen has been around since 1967 and comes from Niigata, Japan which is usually more well-known for its Koshihikari rice and sake. As such, I was curious how the ramen from Niigata would taste like and decided to give this a try.

Upon entering the restaurant, there are two types of seats i.e. the table seats and those at a long rectangular table at the centre of the restaurant. In the middle lies a charcoal fireplace which is of course meant for ornamental purposes and a wooden screen which has a warm feel (perhaps because Niigata is well-known for it being a region with heavy snowfall) and offers some privacy from fellow customers which are seated across you at the same table. For people who dine alone, you don't have to feel self-conscious compared to when you occupy a table seat. Besides, it is easy to observe from these seats how the staff prepare the ramen since you can see the noodles preparation room and kitchen clearly which offers some "entertainment" while you wait for the ramen to be served.

There are four main types of ramen offered here i.e. the Niigata shoyu ramen (soy sauce base), rich tori x miso ramen, rich tori x spicy-miso ramen and W soup tonkotsu ramen (pork bone base). W soup actually means double soup and refers to the fact that there are two types of soup being blended together to form the broth in this ramen. As the name suggests, there is tonkotsu soup made from simmering tonkotsu for 12 hours plus rich tori soup (made from chicken) to form the thick broth as seen from the photo. Honestly speaking, I was a bit taken aback when I saw the soup and wondered if it was going to be too thick and salty for me.

I ordered the W soup tonkotsu ramen with extra aburi chashu (5 pieces) which comes with everything as per the full set except for the egg. As I mentioned above, I had misgivings about the soup initially but to my surprise, it was not as salty as I thought and the rich-bodied soup was so flavourful and had a nice aroma. Considering that both the tonkotsu and the rich tori soup should be quite concentrated, I was amazed by how light it was on my palate. However, for people who prefer lighter soups such as shoyu, you might not be used to seeing your soup being this thick and slightly gooey as you get to the bottom of the bowl.

As for the noodles, the type used at Sanpoutei is a bit different from the usual thin vs. thick noodles or round vs. flat noodles. It's actually flat noodles being slightly thicker than mee pok but not as broad in terms of width. I tend to prefer the thick curly noodles used in Hokkaido-style ramen rather than the thin straight noodles in Kyushu-style ramen but there are times where I would wish for the best of both worlds i.e. curly noodles which can absorb the soup well but not too thick. Surprisingly, Sanpoutei has a nice hybrid which I like where the noodles absorbs the thick broth well and yet is not too lumpy. It's great to finally find something which suits my preferences.

As for the aburi chashu, I was a bit concerned that it might be a bit too dry due to the grilling. However, the chashu had a fine balance of meat and fat which probably helped in it retaining a certain degree of moisture thus preventing the chashu from being too tough. I also liked the fact that the chashu was tender enough to be easily split into smaller pieces with just the chopsticks and seasoned in such a way that it went well with the soup.

It's a bit of a disappointment that there was no gyoza to order here but there are various small bites like mini-don, salad, rice rolls and fried chicken offered. I chose the Sanpoutei deep fried spring chicken with oroshi yuzu ponzu sauce. With regard to the karaage, I thought it was a bit tough because breast meat seemed to be used in this dish which doesn't turn out very well when deep fried since there isn't a lot of fat in this part of the chicken. The thigh portion turns out better when used in a dish like this but unfortunately, not every place uses this. Luckily, the oroshi with yuzu ponzu sauce and the vegetables helped in accentuating the taste of the fried chicken and made it a bit more moist and savoury than if it was just plain karaage being served.

On the whole, I like the ramen served here at Sanpoutei although I felt that the small bites selection is not as appealing to me. I think I'll be back for another visit pretty soon to try out the other types of soup bases.