Sandaime Bunji @ Millenia Walk

Have passed by this Japanese restaurant at Millenia Walk quite a few times, but was never tempted to try it. Not until we heard some good reviews about the food here.



The restaurant has a unique shop front, so you can't miss it.


One good indication of whether the food here is authentic or not is checking how many Japanese are eating here. And we are pleased to see that more than half of the customers here are Japanese.



The various sauce displayed on each table. We chose a seat along the big counter.


Ice water is served to all diners.


We ordered 2 sets, so was served 2 servings of refreshing salad and cold tofu.


I like their Odenya's Style Dashimaki Tamago (S$6.90) - Japanese Egg Rolls. Quite a hearty appetizer by itself.



This Tomato Oden (S$15.80), though quite expensive, is unique in a way that the acidic but sweet tomato is baalnced by the creamy cream and cheese on top. Carefully stewed in Oden soup.



To go along our food, we had Shochu with Soda and Calpis (S$9.80) + Super Nikka whisky with soda (S$10).



Sendai Gyutan Steak M size (S$43.70) - Grilled Gyutan (ox tongue), Tofu, Salad, Oxtail Soup, Oden 3 pieces, Tororo, Nanbanmiso, Mugimeshi (Rice cooked with barley), Chawanmushi, Satsumaage (fish cake), Salmon Sashimi and dessert. This place is famous for its grilled ox tongue. Served with barley rice, can be mixed with grated Japanese yam paste.



The Grilled Gyutan was really tender and full of flavour. I know the idea of eating tongue may not be everybody's idea of food, but if you have never try it, please try!


Shiraishi Uh-Men Zaru (S$12) - Cold Shiraishi Noodles



A very unique Ginger Satsuma-Age (S$6.90) - Surimi (Fish paste) and flour is mixed to make Japanese fish cakes. The ginger added some uniqueness to the dish.



A pipping bowl o Oden Teishoku Set (S$15.80) - Oden mixed 7 pieces, Tofu, Salad, Oxtail Soup and Mugimeshi



Ended our feast with a blast. Had the Zunda Mochi (S$6.90). The Mochi was grilled on charcoal fire till crispy on the outside, yet warm and chewy in the inside. Highly recommended.


Sandaime Bunji
9 Raffles Boulevard,
#01-14/15
Millenia Walk

Carpenter & Cook

No one doubts my willingness to travel when it comes to uncovering places off the beaten track, but it didn't take the thrill out of me when a certain café recently landed in my neighbourhood.

I am talking about Carpenter & Cook, this new vintage gem that has me head over heel.



Coffee here is using Liberty Coffee's Speakeasy Blend, out of a classic Elektra Barlume.





The pastries here are real good stuff. My personal favourite goes to the Meringue Passionfruit Tart ($6.2). Not only the curd was a good balance of sweet and sour, the tart shell was firm (almost crispy) and shattered properly.

Chef In Command Shenn Sim also took some time off the kitchen to come over and have a chat.



I suppose no one will wrong me if I say this place is a little museum for balances, clocks and anything vintage, except that most of them are for sale. It also means some snappy good time for vintage fans and shutter bugs alike.























I heard that this phone is actually functional.







Across the room at a cosy corner, the original occupant of the table top was spotted.





We picked up a bag of homemade Passionfruit Marshmallows ($6) before heading home. Definitely will be back for more.


So next time when you have plans for a vintage-themed home, you know exactly just where to go to.


Carpenter & Cook (Facebook)
19 Lorong Kilat, #01-06
Closed on Mondays
6463 3648

Hong Kong: Tim Ho Wan

Many have extolled the dim sum at Tim Ho Wan, the world's cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant. Opened by a former chef at Lung King Heen, you can expect the bill to work out to around just HKD60 a head. No surprise then, that the queues here have been said to snake for hours Being kiasu, I parked myself behind a family of Chinese tourists in front of its Mongkok outlet 45 minutes before it opened its shutters. And I visited Tim Ho Wan on a weekday- I would have woken up even earlier to chope a place in the first seating otherwise.

Once you're (finally!) in the restaurant, do yourself a favor and order multiple servings of the signature baked BBQ pork buns. These two-bite-sized morsels are encrusted with a crunchy, sugary polo bun-like exterior, stuffed with a juicy char siew filling. Three forks up!

A stalwart staple of dim sum restaurants, the har gao served here lives up to expectations with fresh, succulent prawns clad in delicate and impeccably thin and elastic skins.

The steamed rice rolls are also worth a try- thin and slippery smooth with just the right amount of chew. If you're not visiting Hong Kong soon, fret not, you can get equally good ones at Freshly Made Chee Cheong Fun at Old Airport Road Food Centre.

A solid rendition of steamed spare ribs in black bean sauce.

Many places serve turnip cakes that contain more rice flour than lo bak, but this certainly wasn't the case for the meltingly soft and smooth ones dished up here. If only they were more crisp!

I didn't particularly like the steamed dumplings in chiu chow style 潮州蒸粉果, though there was nothing to fault about the the thin, gummy skin and crunchy chestnut and peanut filings.

  Steamed custard pau

  I'm not a big fan of steamed chicken feet or beef balls but they were both remarkably tender, and my mum ordered seconds of the former. I liked how fluffy the custard pau and steamed egg cake were, but the dessert not to miss would be the wolfberry and osmanthus jelly 杞子桂花糕. Listed on the menu as tonic medlar & petal cake, this refreshing floral jelly did a fantastic job of cleansing the palate.

Bookmark Tim Ho Wan down if you're looking for an affordable and reliable dim sum experience, but I'm not sure if it's worth queuing up three hours for. While the food here was well-executed, I can't say that I was blown away by my dining experience.

On a side note, apologies for my embarrassingly long backlog, but I will try to clear my Hong Kong posts to help fellow foodies in their gastronomic expeditions!

Tim Ho Wan
Shop 8, Taui Yuen Mansion Phase 2, 2-20 Kwong Wa Street, Mong Kok
Opening hours: 10am-10pm daily
Tel: +854 2332 2896

Kookaburra

If you enjoy the all-day breakfast at Late Plate but it's the lengthy travelling that bothers you, you will be pleased to learn that its sister restaurant Kookaburra at Albert Court Village Hotel is here to serve not only your regular brekkie menu, but also some mains and desserts, with a nice cocktail bar to go along.



It's good to start with the Tasting Platter ($28) if you are not sure what to have. The sampler consists of prawn cutlets, smoked salmon wraps, BBQ Kangaroo skewers and Scallops Newburgs, all served in pairs, which made just perfect for sharing.



My Kangaroo skewer was quite tender, and the thickcut wedges with skin were nicely done and crispy on the side.



I also liked the smoked salmon wrap stuffed with squid. The wrap skin balanced the heavy taste of salmon very well, and together with the squid resulted in an interesting combination of different textures and flavours.



Kurobuta Rendang ($28)

The braised burobuta pork cheek was very soft, just a little spicy but full of sambal goodness. Too bad the sticky rice was too filling that we struggled to finish up.



Char-grilled Rump Steak ($30)

My supposedly med-rare steak was cooked to medium by the remnant heat, then you roughly know how long I took to feed my camera. Oily bone marrow though not really my thing was an eye-opener for me.



The service here was impressively warm and attentive. Given the cosy ambience and central location, this is one great spot for your after-work chill or brunching on a lazy Sunday.


Kookaburra Restaurant & Gastrobar (Facebook)
#01-09 Albert Court Village Hotel
180 Albert Street
Tue - Fri, 6pm - 11pm
Sat - Sun, 10am - 11pm
Closed on Mondays
8522 2365

Salt Tapas & Bar @ Raffles City Shopping Centre

A few months back, Australian chef Luke Mangan, who had a successful restaurant over at ION Orchard, opened a tapas bar right in Raffles City shopping centre. It occupies where the former Double Bay restaurant was.



The restaurant looks small, but there are actually quite a few seats and tables inside. Although diners have to wait during peak hours.


They have ordinary tables, as well as communal bar counter tables.


Here, iced tap water is served to all diners.


Ordered some tapas to share. First was the Marinated Olives (S$6). They were not too salty, and very juicy.



The Oysters served natural with smoked tomato salsa (S$5 each) were average. Not exactly the freshest, but still is quite acceptable. Drizzle lemon juice and the salsa over the oysters.



Also had the White anchovies (S$8) with garlic toasts. The anchovies here were a bit small.


This Roasted pumpkin with dukkah (S$12), Spanish blue cheese, caramelised pear and walnuts, is quite unique. Really enjoyed the creamy and sweet pumpkin chunks with fresh greens.



Prawn lovers should try this Taco of Tempura Prawns (S$13 for small), pineapple salsa, chipotle aioli. The prawns are fried in a light tempura batter, and the pineapple salsa added some tangy flavours to the taco.



Had the Emilio Lustau East India sherry (S$23 per glass), which was the same one we had at Santi.



Many places have deep fried soft shell crabs, but here they serve a special Crispy soft shell prawns (S$15) with chilli and garlic aioli. You are suppose to eat the shell and everything. But I would recommend go slow on this dish, so that the pricky shells will not prick your tongue.



Also good was the Iberico Pork Loin charcoal grilled (S$27), curried lentil stew, minted yoghurt. The pork was tender and we like the curried lentil stew.



One of our favourite dish here is the BBQ Spiced Beef Tongue (S$14), fried cauliflower, pistachio tabbouleh, harissah yoghurt. We feel this is a must order dish here in Salt Tapas. The tongue did not have any weird taste. Only an intense beefy taste. Good texture.



Ended our dinner with 3 desserts. First was the Roasted figs with candied ginger, baklava and yoghurt sorbet (S$13). Find this quite average, although a few reviews gave this the thumbs up.



Also quite ordinary was this Gooey hot chocolate tart (S$14), caramelised bananas, salted caramel ice-cream. Nothing unique about this.



What I like most was the Churros and chocolate (S$11). The Churros, which taste a bit like our fried dough fritters, was dusted with cinnammon sugar. Dip them in the chocolate sauce and you are in heaven.





Salt Tapas and Bar
252 North Bridge Road,
#01-22A
Raffles City Shopping Centre