Maison Ikkoku

Manga fans of my age should be familiar with this name. This romance hit in the 80s by Takahashi Rumiko was so popular that it was re-made into anime, TV drama series and eventually went up to the silver screen.


(Internet image)

In case you are wondering, no, this post is not about manga appreciation, not just yet. Today instead, I want to share with you this new cool coffee place in the Arab Street neighbourhood. To name their joint after this manga hit, the folks behind it must be really in love with their manga. Curiosity led me to Kandahar Street this week to find out more.



Housed in a three-storeyed shophouse, the place consists a café, a boutique for men's wear on the second floor, and a third-floor bar which is set to be opened in November.



Your coffee here is prepared by baristas trained by Tokyo’s Streamer Coffee, with your choice of brewing method. (My lesson at The Steeping Room came up handy.) The café menu also offers light bites like sandwiches and cakes to complete your experience. There is also a brunch menu for your weekend coffee sips.





Wasabi Egg Sandwich ($10.9)

The amount of wasabi in it was strong enough to give the kick, but not too much that would otherwise make you start crying.



Beef Striploin & Horseradish ($13.9)

Loved the appetizing horseradish dressing for my greens.

Literally translated to 'House of Moments', this concept café seeks to provide patrons a sense of 'freeze in time'. Vintage wardrobes and the use of recycled doors as your coffee tables added an extra touch.





I was told you would see the upper halves of these wardrobes when visiting their fashion boutique.



We spotted a keyhole on our table.

It was a much enjoyed evening and nice meeting with the friendly chaps who run this place. I will be back for brunch soon, definitely.


Maison Ikkoku (Facebook)
20 Kandahar Street
Mon – Thu, 9am – 7pm
Fri – Sat, 9am – 10pm
Sun, 9am – 6pm
6294 0078

Stacked Dim Sum Bar @ Robertson Quay

When I saw the words "Dim Sum Bar", I wonder what is that? A bar selling dim sum? Does dim sum goes well with beer? Eating dim sum while watching live sports on TV?



We are here to find out tonight. Located next to Red House Seafood along Robertson Quay at The Quayside, Stacked is opened by the daughter of Red House's owner.



Stacked sells not only ordinary beer, but also unique Asian beer such as this North Taiwan Honeydew Beer (S$9.00) and North Taiwan Lychee Beer (S$9.00). It's nothing new to merge fruits and beer together, but the sweet and fruity Taiwan beer was one of the best fruit beers we had in years. We especially like the Lychee version which matches perfectly with the crisp light beer.



This is not your ordinary Dim Sum restaurant, but more of a bar. So it's more suitable for friends and colleagues rather than families and children.



Our first round of Dim Sum consisted of several classics and new items. Clockwise from top: Steamed Haw Kau (S$6.90), Steam Creamy Custard Pau (S$5.90), Steam Chilli Pau (S$8.90), Steamed Siew Mai (S$6.90), Peking Duck Dumplings (S$8.90). The Dim Sum are pretty decent, but I would say a bit pricey as compared to other places.



To be on the safe side, our advise is to order those which consists of seafood. Such as this Chilli Crab Pau. We had the steam version and the pau skin was light. Initially, I thought there was too little chilli crab inside, but after eating it, I think the proportion was just right. And the filling is real 100% authentic chilli crab sauce + real crab meat, and not fake crab sticks.



Free flow of condiments at each table, such as the classic dim sum chilli sauce, vinegar, soya sauce etc.



We had the XO Carrot Cake (S$8.50). Although good, I thought that it could have been better. Nevertheless, it was a good carbo filler.



If you are still wondering why this place is called Stacked, it's because of these unique square shaped dim sum containers. Many diners had fun stacking them up.



The Mango Sago Pomelo (S$7.90), which was suppose to be our dessert, came quickly.



Another of their specialty is the Black Sauce Pork Belly Buns (S$9.50). The meat is 30% fats and 70% tender pork. Diners can sandwich these braised pork within the steamed lotus buns which come together with the pork. Very flavourful and tasty.



As mentioned, Stacked does very good seafood dishes, as they are all prepared from the same kitchen in Red House. The Mildly Spicy Salted Egg Squid (S$12) was crispy and addictive.



A dish which uses "Ang Mor" ingredients in an Asian way is the English Cumberland Sausage Dumplings (S$8.90). These pork sausages are mashed and stuffed inside wanton skins before deep fried.



I didn't really like the Szechuan Fish Dumpling (S$8.50), which was too oily for me.



Stacked is one of the most innovative bar and the dim sum here is actually quite good and on par with some of the Cantonese restaurants in Singapore. As portions are small, the bill also adds up quickly.


Stacked Dim Sum Bar
60 Robertson Quay,
#01-13
The Quayside

Shabu Shabu Gen @ Shaw Centre

Since 2009, Les Amis has bought almost all the available shop space at Scotts Road behind Shaw Centre and International Building. Here, we have fine dining, bistro, and also an authentic shabu shabu Japanese restaurant.



The restaurant had a unique entrance. Shabu Shabu Gen serves only A4 and A5 quality Japanese marbled beef, and even its copper soup pots are imported from Japan.



Hence, you know that every Shabu Shabu meal here is the real deal. But we have also heard good comments about their pork shabu shabu, hence today we are here to try their pork version of the shabu shabu.



We started off our meal with a series of appetizer (S$3 each), where the first was this fresh salad.



It was followed by this tender and fatty Buta Kakuni which translates to braised fatty pork.



Shabu Shabu also serves a wonderful Foie Gras. It was a delight to see how this French ingredient is presented in a Japanese way.



On first look, this looks like sharks' fins. But it's actually Mozuku Su (S$12) - This is a very appetizing Mozuku seaweed with a vinegar dressing. The seaweed is crunchy and has a tangy taste to it.



We also ordered another dish called Beef Sashimi (S$38), where the top grade raw beef is dipped in the egg and spring onion before eaten.



And here comes the Pork Loin Shabu Shabu (S$85 for 2) along with this authentic real copper pot for cooking the pork. We saw UOB's Wee Ee Chong there as well, and you can see him in the photograph above.



The pork shabu shabu came with different toppings to go along, such as freshly chopped spring onions.



There was also a variety of dipping sauce to dip the wonderful pork which includes the Goma (sesame sauce, Yuzu (citrus) sauce and ponzu (Vinegar soya) sauce.



Although the quantity was little, however the quality of the pork made up for it. This is Black pork which came from Kagoshima, Japan. The pork was very tender and almost melt in your mouth, yet you can still taste the pork.



After finishing the pork, the service staff added a pot full of fresh vegetables.



Noodles were also added to make this shabu shabu meal a complete meal. You can just imagine how sweet the soup was after cooking both the pork and vegetables inside.



We were given complimentary Japanese Desserts after our pork shabu shabu meal.



And separately, we ordered the Kuzukiri (S$7 each) too to end our meal on a sweet note.



We had an enjoyable Shabu Shabu here and would definitely return again.


Shabu Shabu Gen
1 Scotts Road,
#02-13
Shaw Centre

Ootoya @ Clementi Mall

It used to be difficult to eat at Ootoya because there is only 1 outlet in Singapore, and the queue is never ending. Then, they opened another outlet at Suntec. Within a few months, the 3rd branch at Clementi Mall started operation.



Ootoya serves pretty good quality Japanese food, and you can get a meal within S$20. Service varies branch to branch, and also depending on the crowd size. I was at their Clementi Mall outlet on a weekday afternoon, and their customers here are mostly families and Japanese housewives who have just finished their shopping at Holland Village.



Ootoya serves free iced water. In fact, I notice that most Japanese restaurants here will offer free tap water when diners are seated without even asking.



Had the Oyakojyu Set (S$15.50) - Grilled chicken with egg on rice. The set came with appetizer (a chicken + vegetable stew), salad, miso soup and roasted seaweed.



Portion was big and the chicken had this aromatic BBQ taste to it. Would recommend this dish if this is your first time here, and you want to avoid fried food (which Ootoya is also famous for).


Ootoya
3155 Commonwealth Ave West,
#03-53
The Clementi Mall

The Tastings Room

While I was at a loss trying to find a venue for a gathering last month, helpful Sherie of maameemoomoo came to my rescue with her timely post on this exciting new bistro at Marina Square. Reservation was made right away. Thanks Sheire!



Upon arrival, I was surprised to learn that this place was nothing like the kinda classy places often associated with wine. Nonetheless, its minimalist décor provides an effortless atmosphere for one to experience food and wine. To add to the merits, the service staff were very knowledgable of the menu and down to earth friendly, leaving us pretty impressed with the service standard.



Our Smoked Salmon & Tomato Pizza ($13.9) was served with a crispy thin base which allowed us to fully enjoy the generous ingredients. The only misstep was probably the rocket leaves which tasted too peppery for some of us.



Pan-fried Chicken Roulade ($17.9)
Chicken thigh stuffed with sautéed mushrooms, chicken chipolata and garlic potato mash finished with thyme-infused chicken jus.

Not my main, but I liked the idea of stuffing mushrooms into chicken, reminded me of a home dish that I grew up eating and am still loving it.



I adored my Sun-kissed Tomato Crayfish Pasta ($13.90). The drizzle of spring onion nicely masked the tanginess of the tomato while still keeping the linguine appetising and tender. How I wished there were more chunky bites to the crayfish.


Be sure to save some room for their 5-starred dessert menu.



New Zealand Kapiti ice cream is available at $3.50 per scoop. Out of the four flavours we tried, the refreshing Lemongrass & Ginger was agreeably the most popular, so much so that we had two more servings shortly after.

When we found some ice crystals halfway into one of the scoops and feedback to the friendly manager. Acknowledging the faux pas readily, he changed a new scoop for us. Thumbs up for the service!



The Warm Banana Cake ($8.5) was served spongy and warm, with an soothing banana fragrance. If the cake doesn't satisfy your banana craving, the caramelized banana that comes along will.



Our last dessert Chocolate D24 Durian Cake ($8.9) left the die-hard durian fan at our table screaming for more. The layer cake was soft while the purée smooth and delectable, with rich durian flavours. If only the serving was bigger...

Our total bill for the night came up to be just below $100 for five, after the 30% voucher one of us brought along. With such affordable yet outstanding fare, I just wish I could learn to appreciate wine more. With The Tastings Room, I know I will.

Do check out their website for the monthly specials and any other promotions.


The Tastings Room
6 Raffles Boulevard
Marina Square, #01-08
Sun – Thu, 10am – 10pm
Fri – Sat, 10am – 12am
6338 1829