Mimigar @ Gallery Hotel

Since "Mimigar" means "pig's ears" in Okinawan dialect, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that Mimigar serves Okinawan food, and one of its specialty is pig's ears.



The restaurant is located outside of Gallery Hotel, and the whole restaurant resembles that of a crescent moon.



Patrons can choose to sit around the bar counter or table seats. A wide variety of ready cooked Japanese bar food is on display around the bar counter. Some of the bar food includes Seasoned Iwashi fish, Stew pork intestines (miso based) and others.



I like the hanging candles from the ceiling, adds some atmosphere to the restaurant. Okinawa wine are also prominantly displayed around the bar counter.



So here we have a bottle of Ryuukyuu Bijin (S$85), a brand of Awarnori. It's supposedly easy to drink and suitable for beginners or ladies. Awarnori is an alcoholic beverage unique to Okinawa. It is made of rice but is not brewed (like sake) but is of distillation (like shochu).

We had the Awarnori like how the Japanese does - Half Awarnori and half lemonade. It becomes a refreshing and sweet beverage for dinner.



First to arrive is the stewed pork belly (S$16). The meat and flesh is so tender that they virtually melts in your mouth. The sauce goes really well with plain white rice.



Next up is Taco rice. As Okinawa has been a US military base for years, some American tastes were added to Okinawan food. Thus, you have unique food like a mixture of Japanese rice with American taco ingredients. I find the Taco rice delicious after having mixed everything together.



Dried seasoned stingray fins (S$12) - The fins are grilled to chewey and hints of crispiness, and it very tasty when dipped in the mayo sauce with fish roe and little hints of wasabi.



Homemade peanut tofu with sweet sauce (S$8) is a unique and surprise hit. The tofu has strong peanut flavours yet is as soft and creamy like tofu. And to set the record, it doesn't taste like peanut butter at all.



Crunchy curry flavour pig's ear springroll (S$13) is a great beer food. The crispiness of the spring roll and intense Japanese curry flavours match perfectly.



Tuna, cream cheese and leek dressed with special chilli oil from Ishigaki Island (S$15.80) - This is a very intensely flavoured dish. It is both salty, spicy, creamy and sweet. Another surprise hit.



Pig's ear with citrus-based sauce (S$10) - A mixture of chewy pig's ear slices with crunchy beansprouts in a tangy sauce based. By now, you would have noticed that most of the food served here are good to go with alcoholic drinks.



Fried chicken cartilage (S$12) - A bit too salty for our taste, but the soft bones are crunchy yet chewy to the mouth.



Finally our dessert of brown sugar flavour rolls (S$8). Although the rolls taste a bit like our "Huat Kuay", but the use of the unique brown sugar and whipped cream made this dessert an enjoyable one which is only unique to Mimigar.

A unique Japanese restaurant serving authentic Okinawan food which even frequent visitors to Japan may not have tried before.


Mimigar
1 Nanson Road
#01-08 Gallery Hotel
(S) 238909
Tel: 6235-1511

The Pancake War: Weekend Breakfast at Swensen's

Being a fan of breakfast foods, I jump at opportunities to have a sumptuous morning meal during free weekends. I've been lovin' Swensen's Blueberry Pancakes Set ever since they started serving breakfast. (Lol sorry to the Golden Arches for stealing your slogan...).

Actually, it's the only thing I ever order.

Country Style Pancakes Set

The Country Style pancakes set comes with two pancakes, scrambled eggs, half a grilled tomato, a hash brown, two decent small cheese sausages and creamy mushrooms, as well as a choice of hot coffee from Gloria Jean's or tea and a cup of orange or apple juice. All for $7.95++. Isn't it value for money?

It comes with a choice of 5 pancake fillings- buttermilk, bananas, blueberry, cheese or ham.

The size and quality of the pancakes seems to have dipped a little when compared to my previous visits. One of the pancakes was a little overcooked so I faced problems cutting it up. However, being a pancake AND blueberry jam lover, I naturally still enjoyed this. (Fresh blueberries might have made a better filling, but blueberry jam is good enough for me.)
Oh boy, I can never resist fluffy and soft pancakes!

The portion of scrambled eggs seems to have shrunk too. On the contrary, it was creamier than before. No comments about the hash browns as I don't eat them.

As usual, special commendation goes to the superb creamy mushrooms! Tiny slices of portobello enveloped in a luscious creamy sauce...you've got to try this!

I was too bloated to finish the apple juice upon drinking up my cup of Lipton tea. Still, it was nice to have two drink options with my breakfast. Perhaps Swensen's could consider serving fresh juices? Hmm...

My dad ordered a Buttermilk Pancakes Set, which came with the same sides as my Blueberry Pancakes set, so I didn't take a photograph of it before he tucked in. Don't try Swensen's Cheese Pancakes though- each pancake is simply

Our pancakes came with a jug of maple syrup and butter pats. It's fun to pour syrup all over your pancakes from a jug! But my pancakes were sweet enough from the blueberry filling, so I didn't need it.

Dad remarked that he preferred his usual order of banana pancakes. Don't bananas make a great match with pancakes? Still, blueberry pancakes are a firm favorite of mine.

Hearty American Breakfast Set

This picture shows y brother tucking into his Hearty American Breakfast set. It came with two slices of crispy Traditional French Toast, scrambled eggs, a rather long herb sausage, ham, hash brown, creamy mushrooms and grilled tomato.

The herb sausage packed a sodium punch. I like my molten cheese filled sausages much more!

Traditional French Toast

This is my mom's Traditional French Toast set. Two thick slices of French Toast, an overcooked sunny-side up (I like mine runny!), accompanied by two small cheese sausages, creamy mushrooms and grilled tomato.

The French Toast was done HK-cafe-style. Mom liked it, but I prefer the 'normal' type of French toast.

Though I have to admit that the overall quality of the food isn't particularly outstanding, Swensen's breakfast is a great way to start the day!


Swensen's
Compass Point
B1-28/29
Weekend breakfast is served from 8.30am to 11am at this outlet

Blueberry Cheesecake from Bakerzin

I decided to get a slice of Bakerzin's cheesecake as since it was going for half-price this month.

For $3.25 (U.P. $6.50), I got a slim slice of light, smooth cheese on a thin crust in a pretty pink box. Pretty unenvironmentally friendly though haha.

Bakerzin's got their jam to cheese to biscuit ratio right. However, this cake is more suited for those that prefer lighter cheesecakes- my preferences lean towards richer, creamier versions. Something that differentiates this cake from other cheesecakes is that its crust isn't a crumbly tart base but is composed of small crisp biscuit bits.


Overall, this cheesecake was not bad but I probably won't pay $6.50 for such a small slice.

Bistro Du Vin @ Shaw Centre

Had lunch with danieru弁～～V(^o^)V at Bistro Du Vin on a weekday.



Bistro Du Vin was serving a special set lunch set at S$30++ on weekdays, and it consisted of an appetizer, main course and dessert. The bistro was not fully packed, unlike dinner time when it was difficult to find a set after 8pm.



Other than what they had on the menu, they also serve daily specials, which was written on the blackboard.



I had the Pumpkin Soup with New Zealand clams. Soup was not very rich, unlike normal pumpkin soups. The clams were sweet and I enjoyed the tiny bits of crunchy vegetables in my soup.



Pan roasted seabream with red wine sauce. After watching Julia & Julie, I was quite tempted to try pan fried fish done ala French style. Although Bistro Du Vin didn't had the butter pan fried fish, but the red wine sauce version is good too. Seabream is moist and fresh. But I didn't like the beans as I though it had a strange "raw" taste to it. Potatoes were good though.



Battered banana with homemade vanilla ice-cream. It's essentially goreng pisang. The batter taste exactly like a good goreng pisang should be. Not too impressed with the dessert, and I wonder if the French really ate goreng pisang back in Paris. Homemade ice-cream was good.



Meanwhile, danieru弁～～V(^o^)V ordered dishes from the ala-carte menu. He started off with the French onion soup, which is a specialty in the restaurant. Do take note that the salt content is higher than your usual soup, but this is to bring out the sweetness of the onions. The cheese on top was quite sinful though.



Duck confit, another specialty of the restaurant. Those on diet should totally avoid this dish, as the duck leg is poached in its own fat till soft before being pan fried again to make the skin crispy. It's ultra sinful, but also ultra delicious. However, my all time favourite duck confit is still from Le Fig at Camden Medical Centre.



Profiteroles - Light choux buns with vanilla ice cream and warm chocolate sauce. Another ultra sinful dessert. But to me, it is absolutely worth the calories and fats!



Bistro Du Vin
1 Scotts Road,
Shaw Centre
Tel: 6733 7763

Keyaki

I took part in an online contest and received a voucher that entitled us to complementary sake and tuna, salmon and hotate sashimi at Keyaki! Heheh. So my mom and I headed to the Pan Pacific Hotel for our first-ever meal at a fancy Japanese restaurant!

I love the Pan Pacific's glass lift. Don't you find taking rides in them thrilling? Especially when you're going down!

Go past the glass door and you'll find yourself stepping into a charming Japanese garden, complete with a pond filled with koi. You can choose to dine inside the classy, air-conditioned restaurant, or enjoy your meal outside with the great cityscape view.

Keyaki is divided into two sections- one for diners seeking a teppanyaki fix, and the other for those planning to order other dishes. So if you're planning to order mainly grilled dishes, do request for a seat in front of the iron griddle and enjoy the novelty of watching the teppanyaki chef fry up your food.

Here's the exquisitely-presented sashimi, adorned with daikon slivers that served as a palate-cleanser. I particularly enjoyed the sweet and succulent hotate sashimi!

We ordered a set lunch to share ($58++), comprising of salad, seafood tempura, seafood teppanyaki, rice, miso soup and fruits.

The tempura course featured a humongous prawn, one shitake mushroom, eggplant, julienned carrot and a piece of fish. Encased in feather-light and flaky batter, they were fried to a crisp, golden perfection. (On a side note, don't you find the substandard, oil-logged tempura sold in many food courts disgusting?) The star here was the Ebi tempura which had a lot of bite!

In addition to salmon and bean sprouts, the teppanyaki course also included two pieces of prawns and scallops that were simply divine. The very thought of their flavorful juices perpetually resurfaced in my mind for the rest of the day, and even haunts me as I compose this way overdue review...

What's Japanese food with sushi? My dining partner and I sought recommendations from the chef and subsequently ordered Hamachi and Kanpachi sushi ($6 and $7 respectively) as the two types of fish were freshly flown in that day. Hamachi (young yellowtail tuna, or amberjack) has a milkier taste than kanpachi (greater amberjack- a different fish!), which is sweeter.

The freshness of the hamachi was very commendable, and the moist, fluffy rice grains blew me away! The top-quality short-grain rice, flavored with a balanced vinegar to sugar ratio, were definitely the most memorable part of the meal.

Boy I'm really glad that I chose to have a bowl of rice instead of udon or soba... Keyaki's rice is superbly delish! But the best way to enjoy it here would be to have it moulded into an elegantly-shaped sharidama, with the rice grains packed to the perfect firmness, and topped with a thick slice of fresh sashimi.

We ended off the meal with sweet, juicy slices of melon and watermelon.

The service was brisk and very good. The kimono-clad waitresses were attentive but unobstrusive, polite and helpful. A walk around the garden made a great ending to the pleasurable lunch outing.


Keyaki
Pan Pacific Singapore, Level 4
7 Raffles Boulevard
Marina Square
Singapore 039595

Weekday lunch: 12pm - 2.30pm
Weekday dinner: 6.30pm - 10pm
Weekend Buffet Lunch: 12pm - 2.30pm

Menya Shinchan (CLOSED)

Away from the hustle and bustle of downtown, is this little shop opened by a ramen master from Japan. Hidden it may be, it never fails to draw so many Japanese expartraits who come here to have a taste of home. And true enough, my first impression of this restaurant was a typical one that can easily be seen in a Japanese drama.



I was with a friend who was also a ramen fan after his first visit to Marutama. Having read so many reviews about it, this was my first time here. In fact, we chanced upon Menya Shinchan after we found Sapporo Ramen Miharu was closed.



Both of us ordered this Soy Sauce Pork Bone Ramen ($13.00). The noodles were springy, and the serving generous. I preferred my broth to have a stronger taste however.


メンマ - $5.00

I always love bamboo shoots! Glad that they have this dish here as it's not common among ramenyas.


チャシュ - $5.00

Though the portion was pretty small for the price we were paying for, the chashu was fantastic and ready to melt in month.



In Menya where Ramen is considered an 'art form', one can be assured of their constant commitment to quality and innovation. If you are looking for just a simple yet authentic place where you can tuck into a wide variety of ramen, Menya might just be the place for you. I will definitely be back again for their famed Madame Shinjiro and pancake-like fried gyozas.


麵屋しんちゃん
30 Robertson Quay
#01-05 Riverside View
Business Hours: Daily, 11:30am - 3pm, 6:30pm - 10pm
Tel: 6732 0114

Ma Maison

In order to make it my first food-related post, it has to be a place that I really love, and no doubt Ma Maison tops my list.

This is not the first time I have returned to this lovely yet well-hidden place in a corner of Central. In fact it is already my fifth time, if memory serves me right. What I like most is the ambience - a rustic setting with just the right amount of light. But of course, the crux of evaluating an eatery should always be the food. The unique fusion of Japanese-French cuisine has won the obvious loyalty of hordes of regular patrons.


Beef Stroganov Butter Rice (オムライス ビーフストロガノフ,$14.80)
One of the signature dishes at Ma Maison is the Omu-Rice (Japanese sushi rice wrapped in egg omelette). It came with tender juicy beef in homemade brown sauce.


DOTENI hamburger (元祖どて煮ハンバーグ,$19.80)
Hamburger steak is another popular dish here. This time we ordered the signature Doteni hamburger dish. The hamburger steak was made of minced beef and pork (which reminded me of the famous meatballs from Ikea), topped with soft fried egg which was probably 3/4 done. My fork and knife were making their move before I even realised it.


Halloween Special - Pumpkin Pudding Crêpe (かぼちゃプリンのクレープ,$7.80).
With Halloween just round the corner, Ma Maison created this cute dessert for the occasion. Golden pumpkin paste wrapped in crispy crêpe skin, served with generous sprinklings of icing sugar. Moderate on taste, but high on presentation.



At the moment, there is a 10% discount on ala carte items for the recently launched CIMB credit cards, as well as the UOB JCB card.

If you are looking to a ladies' night out or romantic first date, Ma Maison promises no disappointment. As the restaurant has limited capacity and is well patronised, reservation (at least one week in advance) is highly recommended.


Ma Maison
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#03-96 The Central @ Clarke Quay
Business Hours: Daily, 11.30am - 3pm, 6pm - 11pm
Tel: 6327 8122

POST ZERO

Dear Friends,

It all started when I couldn't resist taking photos of food every time I dined out. One day a close friend casually suggested that I start my own food blog. At first, I dismissed the idea, knowing the level of commitment that might be involved, but after reading a couple of reputable food blogs, I was so inspired that I got myself a new camera before even penning down my first post.

So here I bring to you Amasou Umasou.

As I am a novice in this blog business, your support and feedback will definitely go a long way to improve this humble space of mine.

May your appetite be with you, always.


Bon Appetit
Gavin

Watami @ ION Orchard

Once again, went to Watami to eat the Cold Seafood Ramen. Had it a few weeks ago, and still cannot forget the crunchy and fresh texture of the noodles and all the vegetables and ingredients added together with their special sesame sauce!



The prawns are very fresh. But what is good is the springy noodles with the special cold sesame sauce. It is both very appetizing especially in a tropical country like Singapore.



Also tried the Brownie with Vanilla Ice-Cream and fudge sauce. The fudge is of good quality chocolate, and the brownie is not too sweet. Would recommend this dessert to 1st time diners of Watami.


Watami
2 Orchard Turn
#B3-23 ION Orchard
http://www.watami.com.sg/

Morinaga Pancakes

Yum. Japanese snack food companies rarely disappoint, and Morinaga's hotcake mix beats its American counterparts anytime. Free of a strange smell that those prepared from Aunt Jemina's mix reek of, these fluffy and fragrant pancakes make for a yummy breakfast. Top with authentic maple syrup for a satisfying breakfast- although hotcake or maple-flavored syrups are much cheaper millilitre for millilitre, they generally lack its delightful saccharine aroma.


Morinaga Pancakes
Serves 2 (makes 4 pancakes)

Ingredients:
150gm Morinaga hotcake mix
1 egg
150ml milk
1 large ripe banana, sliced or blueberries (optional)
Butter
Maple syrup

Directions:
1. Beat the egg with the milk in a big bowl.
2. Gradually mix in the hotcake mix. Most hotcake recipes advise you not overmix the batter to produce fluffier pancakes. However, I find that mixing the batter till it is quite uniform oddly produces better results.
3. Over low heat, melt a small knob of butter in a saucepan. Pour in about 1/4 of the batter and top with sliced bananas or blueberries if desired. Cover the saucepan.
4. Cook until you spot many bubbles disappearing from the top side of the pancake. Flip the pancake, cover the saucepan and cook on the other side.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to whip up the remaining pancakes.
5. Serve immediately with butter and maple syrup. Eat immediately.

Peony Jade Flaky Teochew Oror Nee Mooncake

I love Teochew Oor Nee mooncakes, and Peony Jade's rendition is undoubtedly the best in Singapore.

The light and delicate flaky pastry of these fair beauties has nary any trace of grease, and the yam filling contained inside is smooth and light. The orh nee filling is not too sweet as well. I can't decide which version I like better- the version with a single yolk or the version with a centre of sweet pumpkin pulp! Do note that these mooncakes are best eaten on the day they're made, and should not be kept for more than a day for optimal freshness.

Oriole Cafe & Bar @ Somerset Road

I visited Oriole Cafe a few months ago, and am now back at this cute little cafe and bar in the heart of Orchard Road.



The place is quite dark at night, and it is difficult to access the cafe through Orchard Road. The best way is access through Pan Pacific Serviced Suites along Somerset Road. But once 313@Somerset opens in December this year, it can be easily accessed through the new shopping mall from Orchard Road.



Beetroot Salad - The beetroot slices are slightly warmed, therefore making it softer and sweeter. I like the bits of nuts and goat cheese with the salad.



My all time favourite Philly cheese and steak sandwich. The beef is wonderfully tender, and I like the shreds of panfried bell peppers. But the grilled onions is too sweet for my linking. Kuods to Oriole for adding chips and salad to the sandwich. Definitely one of the best steak sandwich in Singapore.



Risotto with Salmon. I am not a big fan of risotto, so I can't really comment on whether this dish taste good or not. But my fellow diner who had it enjoyed this dish.



Bread and butter pudding - The pudding was a bit too thick for my liking, but I like the slightly less creamy sauce. Overall, it was a good attempt by Oriole.


Oriole Cafe & Bar
96 Somerset Road
#01-01
Pan Pacific Serviced Suites