With this second round of no dine-in restriction (first being during Circuit Breaker and Phase 1 in 2020), we were getting bored with the same old takeaway offerings from the usual food places. We started to see more elaborated and premium bento offerings available as the restaurants adapt their operations to for survival.
Decided to try out Monzushi Singapore new takeaway menu that started from 16th May 21. Their menu ranged from $28+ to sushi sets at $100+ per pax.
We chose the mid-range item of Tekka Don with Ootoro ($46+). Tekka Don is a type of seafood donburi generally consisting of sumeshi topped with sashimi slices of Akami tuna. But I think this version uses Akami which were marinated in a savory/sweet mixture of sake, soy sauce and mirin. More importantly, they added Ootoro to upgrade the bento.
Look at the exquisite marbling of the pinkish tuna belly!
Also picked up the Bara Chirashi ($38+) which also looked so pretty. Love that they added sakura ebi in this which added a light crispy texture to the dish. There is also a deluxe version priced at $53+ which includes uni and anago.
Champion Bolo Bun made headlines and attracted long queue since their soft launch. Had wanted to try their bolo buns 菠蘿包 but they were either sold out or closed when I passed by. As bolo buns are also commonly sold in Hong Kong styled confectionery/bakeries, I wondered what was the hype about. Banging on the fact that Singapore entered into Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) due to the escalating covid situation where no restaurant dine-in allowed, we dropped by to try our luck hoping that there would not be a long queue for the freshly baked buns.
A typical bolo bun is loaded with fat, sugar and calories so it is already a once-in-a-blue-moon treat for me…but this shop carries a even more sinful version – Classic with Butter which has a slab of cold butter wedged in the warm bun! It is recommended to consume their bakes within 20 minutes from serving.
One bite into the bun presented a myriad of textures: from the sweet crunchy, crumbly crust to the soft, pillowy body and the silky melting butter sandwiched in the middle. It was quite a heavenly combination that is probably piling on the extra calories for, although it meant having to exercise more to burn them off.
For the really health conscious folks, you may be happy to know that the shop serve a 4 Mini Classics so that you can share your fats with others. Personally I find the Mini version to have a slightly different “crust-to-bun” ratio compared to the large Classic Bun.
Last but not least, don’t forget to grab a cup of Milk Tea to pair with the buns and relive the memories of your Hong Kong trips while we were grounded from travelling during the pandemic…
Been wanting to visit the new Kki Sweets since my previous staycation a few weeks ago, since I was staying at the hotel near to the cafe. They now operate on reservation basis and all the slots on the weekend where I was staying over were fully taken by the time I planned my itinerary.
Kki Sweets has an on-and-off operation history from their first store in Ann Siang Hill to SOTA (last visit), before finally re-opening again in Seah Street. Their latest abode carried the same modern interior style as per their past shop spaces, with simplicity and minimalistic design. The latest new idea was the use of a fun colour swatch styled menu with only simple coloured visual lines to represent their dessert creations.
The cozy white based salon has limited seating capacity spread across a long communal table which was further reduced due to safe distancing measures. I counted that there were about 12-14 covers for each 1-hour session. That may explain why when you make your reservation on the website, there is a minimum order of 1 dessert per person. You would be asked to indicate your choice of entremets from the menu listed to allow them to prepare it to be served at the optimal temperature when guests turn up for their appointment.
At the time of my booking, I selected the AntoinetteWhite Chocolate, Mango and J Black Sesame Yuzu Matcha. We paired them with a pot of rooibos tea by Lupicia and a pour-over coffee with beans from Tiong Hoe Specialty Coffee respectively.
While the former teardrop shaped cake was an old signature item, I was intrigued by the concrete looking plant holder dessert made using black sesame mousse. If you slice open the “pot”, the cross-section would reveal that its filled with bright yellow yuzu pudding inside and topped with chocolate soil.
Guests may choose to add on more desserts during dine-in, subject to availability on the day of visit. While I had my eyes set on Mont Blanc as an add-on, unfortunately they do not have any extras available. Imagine my envy when I saw other guests enjoying their pre-booked Mont Blanc dessert…
Nonetheless I ended up with NaoStrawberry Pistachioand KinabaruCoconut Passionfruit Coconut Dacquoise as the top-up pieces. These two are also said to be from the old signatures which fans of Kki Sweets would be familiar with.
Looking forward to trying a few more pieces by them – one of which that caught my attention recently was AmelieMoët & Chandon Rosé Champagne, White Peach. A pretty pink cake adorned with tiny edible flowers.
Time flies when you are on a 2D1N staycation whereby you basically check-in and check-out of the hotel within the span of about 24 hours. Ideally I would choose a 3D2N stay for a more relaxed pace but with this being the 3rd staycation within 1.5 months, we just wanted to use up the SRV while we can.
After utilising the credits for a satisfying dinner the night before, we decided to choose sleep over waking up early for breakfast. By the time we finished packing up, it was time for brunch instead. Decided to head to Commune Cafe in Millenia Walk.
Although it was a weekday, there was not much of a crowd due to the escalating covid situation. In fact just a few hours later, there was a live telecast announcement from the Multi-Ministry Taskforce that we would be entering Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) where there would be further tightening of safe management measures to curb the transmission of COVID-19 within the community wef Sunday, 16 May 2021.
Ordered a cuppa along with an Almond Croissant and the Chocolate Banana Charcoal Waffle with Ice Cream.
The waffle was pretty doughy instead of the crispy and airy type. We were able to finish this since we were on an empty stomach. Guess it would be pretty tough to finish this type of denser dough waffle if you are intending it to be a dessert.
Hai Tien Lo has always been one of my favourite Chinese restaurants and one that I made repeated visits (post). The key reason was because although they are a Cantonese restaurant, many of their dishes comes with a contemporary twist. We started off with the Duo of Crispy PrawnsDeep-fried with Passion Fruit and Honey Sauce, Coated with Wasabi Mayonnaise. While wasabi mayonnaise is quite commonly served in most restaurants, the tangy passion fruit and sweet honey sauce variation was pretty novel to me.
Nourishing soup being one of the indispensable dish for any Cantonese meal, we had high expectations of the Double-boiled Seafood with Bamboo Pith in Fish Bone Broth. It did not disappoint as we slurped up every single drop of the nutritious milky soup filled with ultra fresh ingredients such as prawn, scallop and fish slice.
For the fish dish, instead of serving the typical Cantonese style steam fish, we were presented with Baked Silver Sea Perch Fillet with Kumquat Chilli Sauce. The chilli sauce was actually gochujang (Korean chilli paste). The kumquat/chilli combination was well-balanced to bring out the delicate flavours of the sea perch which was baked to perfection.
Barbecued Meat Trio Combination Platter featured well-executed roast items but a big surprise to me was the juicy tomato that melts-in-your-mouth. I ate that last and it was a great palate cleanser after enjoying the rich meat.
The last main dish was yet another delightful creation – Stewed Japanese Rice Vermicelli with Pan-fried Scallops in Supreme Stock. Silky smooth vermicelli coated in the rich stock was a light and easy to finish dish.
Wrapped up our 5-course meal with Chilled Taiwanese Oolong Tea with Rose Petals. Once the service staff placed it down, I caught a whiff of the floral notes from this elegant jelly dessert.
Needless to say, this restaurant continues to be on my list of favourite Chinese restaurants in Singapore.
Earlier Photos Taken:
Last visited Japan in Feb 2020. This quaint garden and restaurant Keyaki in Pan Pacific hotel has the Japan vibes.
YummyDelight 