由〇 博多らー めん

Originated from Hakata, Yoshimaru is under the management of the Jumbo Group (yes, the seafood one). Talking about Hakata, situated in the northwest part of Fukuoka Prefecture, Kyuushuu, it is regarded as birthplace of Tokotsu broth ramen, and many famous ramen chains like Ippudo came from there as well.

Ever since Yoshimaru opened its first local outlet at Big Splash, it had been on my to-go list, but the thought of having to travel all the way to the east somehow killed the appetite. And then, there came its second outlet at Holland Village, which brought cheers (and relief) to noodle fans living in the other half of Singapore.



Their Moridakusan Ramen ($15.00), aka all-in that I had, came with all the toppings you can expect of a bowl of hearty ramen. The toppings were excellent. I'm not sure whether it was because it had been too long since my last bowl of ramen, the tokotsu broth here was outstanding. Smooth, milky, and robust in flavours, I was totally sold. What made it even more delightful was probably a subtle taste from some unknown ingredient which made the soup less heavy.

My companion later told me I had a 'see-star' look while I was having my bowl of ramen.


(Seeing stars, from One Piece)



Not only do they serve ramen dishes, you can try out this burger creations here. With this Mini Burger Combo ($8.80), you get to savour all 3 flavours at a much discounted price. Pictured from the left are Teriyaki Chicken, Mentaiko Mayo Prawn and Spicy Cha Shuu.



My personal favourite was teriyaki chicken not just because of the juicy tender chicken, but the others were simply too spicy for me.



Mini Ramen at $6.80, takes good care of your waistline and wallet.





Citibank cardmembers enjoy 10% discount.

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With this post it rounds up my 2010. I would like to thank everyone for your support and readership. Hope you had a wonderful and fulfilling 2010. May there be many more good eats for you in years to come. Happy 2011!


由〇 博多らー めん
31 Lorong Liput
Holland Village
6463 3132

DB Bistro Moderne @ The Shoppes Marina Bay Sands

2010 will be known as the year where so many top international fine dining restaurants opened their doors in Singapore, thanks to the 2 IRs. And the Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands is proving to be a great F&B destination for food lovers in Singapore with the opening of about 5 new and exclusive restaurants in both Singapore and this part of the world.



Although I have been to MBS for a number of times, this is my first time seeing the waterfall in the centre of The Shoppes MBS. Perhaps due to the heavy thunderstorm rain earlier in the day, shoppers were amazed by this visual feast of water crashing down from the half sphere.



Famous celebrity chef Daniel Boulud was in town during the Christmas week (and also New Year week too), and we just had to pay a visit to his upmarket DB Bistro as we knew that he will be supervising the cooking in the kitchen.



If you wonder why the setting looks a bit like American, yet also looks like a French restaurant, then you are correct. DB Bistro combines the best of French with American style of cooking. You won't find tex-mex food here. But the signatures here are their burgers. Diners can almost peep into the kitchen which is behind this long stretch of glass windows, and you may even spot Daniel Boulud inspecting the food through his black frame spectacles.



Upon ordering our dinner, we were presented with quite a few choice of bread. First are 2 pastry rolls which have lot's of crispy cheese being baked into it. Then we were presented with the usual suspects of breads like baguette and sourdough bread with butter. We didn't see them putting a butter knife on our table though.



Edmeades Zinfandel 2007 (S$145) from the Mendocino County in California, USA.



We had the Petit Plateau (S$60), which is basically a chilled seafood platter made up of what is fresh and available for the day. Highlights fro the platter were the fresh oysters, clams and mussels. I like the chopped salmon with basil mayo too.



There were more dips for the seafood. I like the sweet red wine sauce and also the tangy mayo dips.



A signature here at DB Bistro Moderne, we had the Foie Gras Terrine (S$26) which came with their homemade brioche. The brioche was free flow and the creamy foie gras was not too oily and went extremely well with the crisp brioche. However, read some reviews that their brioche is not as good as those served at the DB Bistro New York City. There is a quince (fruit which is a relative to apples and pears) sauce served at the side which helps to reduce the oiliness of the foie gras. A fun fact to note is that the quince is said to be the "apple" offered by Eve to Adam.



We had this off-the-menu soup - Frogs Legs Soup (S$18). They were very very generous with the frog legs meat. Lots and lots of it. When the staff asked us how was the soup, we commented that it was slightly too salty. Immediately, they insisted that we allow them to take back the soup and they change a brand new bowl of soup for us. Now, that is what we call excellent service. 5 stars for their service!



The Butternut Squash soup (S$13) was equally delicious. It's rich and creamy, and I would advise diners to share their soups with each other.



The Original DB Burger (S$35) is what makes DB Bistro Moderne famous all over the world. 2 warm and soft parmesan bread buns covers the juicy meats. It comes with really crisp and tasty french fries. In fact, the whole restaurant smelled of the wonderful fries, and it is addictive.



From this delicious picture, you can see that in the centre there are braised short ribs and a generous piece of foie gras, all wrapped around a juicy piece of sirloin. So is this really the best burger in Singapore? Well, I think it ranks as one of the best burgers in Singapore. Not really The Best, but definitely in the top 3 position.



The burger comes with 3 dips for the fries - Dijon Mustard, Ketchup and Mayo.



We still have some empty spaces for desserts, so we ordered not one, but 2. First is the Coupe Au Poire, a signature dessert made from poached pear.



It was Christmas time and we had a slice of chocolate log cake on the house. The chocolate was creamy and had a tinge of bitterness, and I can taste good quality chocolates being used here.



But but but, the star of all desserts here, are their freshly made Madeleines (S$8). These little morsels are baked upon order, so what you have is freshly baked Madeleines. It's a little crisp on the outside, and really soft in the inside. These are one of the best Madeleines I have eaten in Singapore. I wonder if we are allowed to order just their wonderful madeleines and a cup of coffee during tea breaks here? A must order.



Both DB Bistro Moderne and Pizzeria Mozza are side by side along the theatre wing of the Marina Bay Sands. And these 2 wonderful restaurants will definitely rake in the crowds if they manage to maintain their standards.



And near to the restaurants, the ice-skating ring has opened too.

We will definitely be back for more of their creations very soon!


DB Bistro Moderne
10 Bayfront Avenue
#B1-48
The Shoppes Marina Bay Sands

Lei Garden Restaurant @ Chijmes

Chinese restaurants nowadays no longer look like Chinese restaurants. Lei Gardens at Chijmes, which threw in S$6 million to renovate its flagship restaurant about 1 year go, looks more like a Victorian era mansion in England rather than a Cantonese restaurant. But this is also what attracts diners to come to one of the top tier Chinese restaurant in Singapore.




The whole Lei Gardens looks very classy, almost like a French restaurant. Some would also say that this looks like something out from Grand Shanghai.




As usual, I have a glass of ice water to start off my dinner.



We listened to the service staff and ordered the Roast Suckling Pig (S$38.00 for 1 serving). It was delicious. At first look, the portion seems small, but for 2 people, it's just right as one tends to get sick of eating the skin after some pieces. The outer skin is crusty and you can hear the crunchy sounds through your ears. There is still some creamy lard fats hanging on the skin, which is really essential to a good roast suckling pig.




This is not a common soup - Double boiled Cordyceps and Duck soup (S$68.00 for a pot). Usually you will only find Dang Gui or other common herbs in a duck soup. But having cordyceps in the soup together with the duck is not common here. The soup is not too herby, and has a clear taste to it. The duck meat is slightly dried out from all the double boiling, but it is still acceptable to our standards.




This was their last serving of Lotus Leaf Rice (S$28.00 for small serving), and we managed to catch it. The rice has already absorbed the delicious black sauce, pork, mushrooms, seafood and the fragrance from the lotus leaves. It was not too oily.



Another view of the restaurants with comfortable plush seats.



Beef lovers should not miss the Pan-Fried Rib Eye Beef (S$32.00). Although the beef is the thin at first look, but each bite packs quite a punch with the yummy juice from the beef meat being released with every bite. This will go well with fragrant plain white rice.



The most expensive dishes for the night would be the Giant "Imperial" Prawns Cooked with 2 Styles (S$96 for 2). The first prawn was deep fried and sprinkled with some crispy garlic, onion and crunchy spring onions.



The second prawn was cooked in a spicy sauce, and it tastes like a fusion of our chilli crab sauce with the lemongrass taste of Tom Yum soup.



The flesh is very fresh and sweet.



Lei Garden is a trust worthy place for good Cantonese food in a Victorian classic setting, and definitely a place to dine in if you want to impress your in-laws or your business partners.


Lei Garden Restaurant
30 Victoria Street
#01-24
Chijmes

The Pancake War: Canelé Pâtisserie Chocolaterie

Canelé Pâtisserie Chocolaterie is better known as a dessert haunt. But, like any other brunch  lover, I was excited to discover out that its Paragon outlet serves breakfast too. There were other tempting options like Eggs Florentine and French Toast, but I expectedly headed straight for the Blueberry Pancakes ($7.50++).

To my dismay, Canelé's pancakes were not of the fluffy American variety I was expecting. While I still like the latter version better, the thin and crêpe-like European-style pancakes served were faultlessly light and soft. Even better when studded with sweet blueberries and accompanied by a sprinkling of powdered sugar, a generous drizzle of maple syrup and clouds of light crème chantilly!

My search for the best (American) hotcakes in Singapore continues, but in the meantime, I'd recommend heading to Food For Thought, Cedele and KFC for your pancake fix!

Canelé Pâtisserie Chocolaterie

#B1-25 Paragon

Breakfast is served from 8.30am-11am daily

Pizzeria Mozza @ The Shoppes Marina Bay Sands

With the opening of the theatre wing of Marina Bay Sands, the second wave of new restaurants to operate here has opened in December 2010.



The famous broadway musical "The Lion King" will permanently be staged here in the theatres at MBS, and expect more crowds at these new restaurants early next year when the musical premieres.



Famous celebrity chef Mario Batali, has opened not one, but two of his signature L.A. Italian restaurants - Pizzeria Mozza and Osteria Mozza restaurants here in Singapore. He also owns the Otto Enoteca Pizzeria in New York too.



The restaurant is divided into 2 parts. To the left of the restaurant's main door is the Osteria segment (to be open in late December) which is more upscale and serves different types of mozzarellas and cheese together with mains like meats and pastas. Tonight, we will instead be having dinner at the more casual Pizzeria Mozza (now open) on the other side, for their famous pizzas. The whole place is decorated with warm woods and the colour of the day is orange.



Mario Batali is known to be a funny and cheeky guy. And it shows from the dining table. All the forks, knives and serviettes are all packed inside this brown envelope, together with a small card which boasts some of the amazing inventions ever created by the Italians. I shall not spoil the fun for you so that you will be surprised by what is included inside.



The showpiece of all good Italian pizza restaurants is their ovens, and here there is not one, but two ovens which uses real wood as fuel. From the picture above, you can see the woods being stored below the oven.



We ordered a bottle of Prosecco (S$75 per bottle), which went very very well with the pizza.



As recommended by the service staff, we had their signature Cauliflower Fritti (S$12), which is basically deep fried cauliflower in a thin batter. I didn't like this because it tasted oil, looks oily and is really oily. Would be better if they are able to absorb more frying oil out from the cauliflower. The accompanying sauce helped to lessen the oiliness though.



We were given Complimentary crispy bread served in a brown paper bag. These bread sticks were baked with some herbs and cheese.



Als had this Bufala mozzarella in olive oil (S$30) and comes with this buttered crunchy bread. I believe this was off the menu, and although the cheese was good, but we prefer the ones at Pietrasanta.



Now, here comes the best part. The pizzas. And true to its name, this place serves some of the finest pizza in Singapore. Take this mushroomy pizzza which had Funghi misti, fontina, taleggio & thyme (S$25). Not only mushroom lovers will be in heaven, but other pizza lovers will love how crunchy and juicy, not to mention creamy this pizza is. Remember how we hate to eat the thick crust of pizzas? I am pleased to report that the crust here, is indeed the best part of their pizza. They do not add anything special to their crust, just freshly baked pizza crust. This is yummy.



Red alert - This pizza with White anchovy, tomato & fresh red chiles (S$22) is HOT! Although they do not use chilli padi, but non spicy diners should take note that this is a spicy pizza. I was quite hesitant when I found out that anchovy was used, but upon my first bite, I was relief as the anchovies were free of any stale taste and fishy smell. The combination of sweet tomatoes, spicy chillis and salty anchovies really is a match made in heaven. Would recommend this to spice lovers.



Lazzaroni Amaro (S$15 per glass) which is a drink made of alcohol (25%), sugar, herbs and natural mineral water from the Alps. We were told this drink aids digestion and increase appetite. I think most Singaporeans will not be used to the taste as it has a strong herb tastes to it. And those who cannot tolerate alcohol well should take note of its high alcoholic level.



No doubt Pizzeria Mozza serves some of the best pizzas in Singapore, and we will be back for more to try out some of his other pizza creations and also to pop by at his more upscale Osteria section the next time we are here.


Pizzeria Mozza
10 Bayfront Ave
#B1-42 to 46
The Shoppes Marina Bay Sands