Men-Tai Ramen

Men-Tai Ramen is always packed during lunch at Shenton Way. They started an evening session from 6-9pm now so I had the chance to visit them recently for dinner.

Other than their signature ramen, we also ordered their Gyoza as side dish.

As for ramen, they have Tonkotsu Ramen, Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen, Miso Ramen, Spicy Miso Ramen, Shio Ramen and Shoyu Ramen.

We tried the Tonkotsu Ramen and the Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen. The thick, milky soup base doesn’t taste salty (unlike some of the other ramen outlets style) and the ramen comes with bamboo shoots, grilled char-shu and half a tamago (egg), a slice of fish cake, topped with lotsa scallion. The noodles used are the thick curly yellow ramen (versus some other rament outlets that uses Hakata noodles).

I liked the crunchiness of the bamboo shoots and the tender char-shu. But am not that impressed with the tamago perhaps cos I prefer flavoured eggs. The tamago served here does not seem to be flavoured thou its cooked to typical japanese style of having a soft-yolk.

The Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen was not that spicy afterall. So for chilli-eaters, can probably order the extra spicy tonkotsu ramen.

I understand that the shop has a long queue during lunch hours, personally I find that due to its location, its difficult to attract customers to travel from other places just to visit them in the evening. Their evening session is perhaps to cater to office workers nearby. But I think they are still worth a visit if one happen to be passing by Shenton Way area in the evening.

More related posts:

• Tonkotsu King Ramen Keisuke
• Ramen Craze

Uncle Leong Seafood (Toa Payoh)

Having tried another famous crab bee hoon in Toa Payoh, we recently get to know of Uncle Leong Seafood (Toa Payoh).  According to some reports, Uncle Leong Seafood is run by the elder brother of the owner of Mellben Seafood (read my review of Mellben below). Therefore both restaurants featured same signature dish of Claypot Crab Bee Hoon and Shimmering Sand Crab. They also serve other varieties of crab dishes.

Having recently tried Mellben (2 wks ago), its easy to compare the 2. The soup of the Claypot Bee Hoon was not as thick and salty. They were also more generous in the serving for Bee Hoon. Similarly you’ll need to pay extra for top up of bee hoon and soup.

The Shimmering Sand Crab was more watery which allowed the gravy to infiltrate the crab meat and more gravy to go with the fried man tous.

There seemed to be less crowd here with more tables available so the pros would be you can enjoy your meal at a leisurely pace and not feel pressured to quickly vacate the table.

More related posts:

• Mellben Seafood
• Don’s Pie and Claypot Crab Bee Hoon
• Tung Lok Seafood
• Jumbo Seafood Restaurant

Meii Sushi – [Relocated]

Have been passing by this small eatery nestled at the void deck of Blk 7 of Tanjong Pagar Plaza on several occassions. Its mysterious exterior that is cladded with almost opaque glass panels and a dark sliding door made this place seems kinda daunting to visit. Almost as if they “DO NOT WELCOME” visitors….My initial guess was this would be an exclusive place catering to a niche group of Japanese who would appreciate authentic Japanese cuisine.

Decided to visit this place – Meii Sushi, after a colleague of mine tried their set lunch and confirmed that this place is open for normal guests…haha…joking. Went to try this place near my hse since I got craving for sake. Surprisingly the place was empty that night! =)

We ordered a Sashimi Set ($30) and a Sushi Set ($30).

The set comes with Asari Miso Soup and an appetiser of Lobster Salad which were both very nice. Liked them! The sashimi were fresh and of the right thickness.

There isn’t much of atmosphere to comment about the place. It just a small cozy eatery with simple Japanese styled decor. I took a quick snap of the bar counter after finishing my dinner and was paying for my bill at the cashier counter. But after snapping I saw the chef had tried to stop me from taking photo of the decor – later I read elsewhere that he is camara shy…hence I mosiac-ed him in the photo..

[Old Address] Blk 7 Tanjong Pagar #01-108
11am-2.30pm/ 5pm-10.30pm. Closed on Sundays

[Updates in Jun 2012]

Heard they had shifted to International Plaza at 10 Anson Road. But I haven’t been there to verify yet.

[Updates in Apr 2013]

Managed to visit IP and confirmed they have relocated there on Level 2, #02-54.

X’mas Cake 2011, Patisserie Glace

This year we deciding between Flor or Glace for our yearly X’mas Cake =) Chose a log cake from Glace. Ordered online and collect at their store without much problem =)

The sponge cake with fresh cream tasted sweet and soft. On the website, it states this cake  can serve 8-9, which is about right.

[Updates: 22nd June 2013]

Sliced cakes from Glace. The strawberry souffle seems to to have “up-sized” compared to their normal sliced cakes. Fully topped with sliced strawberries. Cream used had strong creamy taste.

The one on the right is Banana Chocolate. Its similar to the Meringue Roulades by The Patisserie. Tried the ones by The Patisserie before as well, but didn’t had the chance to blog about it…can’t find the photos now.

More related posts:

• Bonheur Patisserie
• Flor Patisserie
• Glace Patisserie

Nespresso Limited Edition Variations Capsules~ 2011

My limited edition capsules order are here~

Got all 3 flavours – Cherry, Dark Chocolate & Vanilla Blossom

Haven’t got a chance to try them yet. Will update after tasting.

[Updates on 13th Dec 11]

Tried the capsules. I liked the Cherry flavour the best. Has a nice fragrance and sweet taste. The Dark Chocolate has an  aftertaste with a slight tinge of bitterness. The Vanilla Blossom tasted stronger than 2010’s edition.

More related posts:

• Nespresso Limited Edition Capsule – Dhjana
• Nespresso Limited Edition Capsules~ 2010

Bonheur Patisserie [Relocated]

Xmas is near and its evident from the display of christmas cakes in bakery stores!

Went to Bonheur Patisserie hoping to get some cakes for breakfast. End up buying their Christmas Series Cakes.

Clockwise from top:

• White Christmas* – Walnut Dacquoise, Vanilla Sponge, Light “Vanilla Tea” Which Choc Mousse and Pear Mousse with Pear Bits. Coated in White Choc spray.
• Reindeer Chocolate Hazelnut Tart – An innovative design which was their Valrhona Chocolate Tart in disguise~
• Buche Noel* – Chocolate Roulade, Dark Choc Whipped Ganache, Raspberry Jam, Raspberry Jelly and Dark Choc Almond Streusel. Coated with Light Choc Buttercream. My fav among the 4, liked the raspberry fruit bits inside which was very nice!
• Starry Night – Caramel Mousse, 2 layers of Cinnamon Sponge, Aple Mousse with Apple Bits and Sable base. Coated in caramel dark choc glaze.

*White Christmas & Buche Noel are available as full log cake.

Relocated to: 200 Turf Club Road #02-06/02-K63

More related posts:

• Flor Patisserie
• Glace Patisserie

Yonehachi

Was recommended by a friend to try Yonehachi located at Basement 2 of Takashimaya Shopping Centre. After my shopping trip, I went to queue at the Yonehachi stall for my dinner.

I first tasted Okowa rice during my visit to Arima Grand Hotel (in 2009 below). They served the “celebration rice” known as “Sekihan (red rice)” to us – bottom right hand box. It is a special dish which served to cerebrate festivals, weddings, birthday, longevity, passing of exam., new construction, graduation, entry of school, etc. I really liked it, it was sweet and rice texture was memorable!

Glad I can try good Okowa rice again at Yonehachi. There was a pretty long queue but it moved quite fast thou there’s limited seats. We ordered a Chicken Teriyaki Set w Salmon Okowa and a Fried Oyster Set w Christmas Okowa. The Christmas Okowa is a seasonal item for Xmas till 26th Dec.

Personally, I enjoyed the Salmon Okowa more than the Christmas one, cos the Salmon Okowa was less moist and more savoury. For those who like sweet flavored rice might prefer the original Red Bean one.

The Fried Oysters were better than the Chicken Teriyaki as the crumbs coating the oyster was well-fried and crispy. The light yellow coloured stuff next to it was something like Egg Mayonaise sauce.

Thou the Shokado set comes with Miso Soup, pickles, simmered vegetables; frankly, next time I would just purchase the Okowa take-away without the need to order set cos the rice alone was tasty enough on their own!