[Day 5] Tsukiji Sushi Kiyoshi - 築地寿司清本店

[Continue from Tsukiji Fish Market post] After walking around the Tsukiji Fish Market (築地市場), we decided to settle for a sushi brunch and there are quite a number of well-known Sushi restaurants or street stalls selling all kind of assorted sushi, sashimi and etc too. Before my trip to Japan, I have saw some clips and introductions about this famous fish market from a few Japanese sightseeing programmes on television. So when uncles marked down a day to visit Tsukiji fish market we were pretty excited to see their wholesale seafood market as well as a chance to sample their freshly made sushi.

Tampopo @ Liang Court Shopping Mall

About two weeks back, we had dinner over at Tampopo, Liang Court outlet after our Bento Workshop which in-line with their Hina-matsuri Festival. Although Tampopo is well-known for it's Ramen and soup broth but we decided to go for something with more varieties such as their Black Pig (BP) Tonkatsu and my favourite Soba Noodles and Chirashi.

BP Loin Tonkatsu Set @ S$26.80

{MUST TRY} Their Black Pig (BP) Loin is so tender and juicy even after deep-fried where you could just finished the slice within a few chews. Each slice of meat is coated with a layer of crispy Japanese Panko and yet there are not too oily as compared to those I have tried before.

Super Deluxe Box @ S$24.30

Super Deluxe Box definitely worth the price with both noodle (cold soba noodles) and rice (chirashi) plus prawn tempura, chawanmushi, miso soup and fresh cut fruit. Although I am very hungry (had an early lunch that day) after the workshop I still cannot finished the prawn tempura and noodles. All I could get it down were the chawanmushi, chirashi and watermelon. Out of all the items, the mini Chirashi is my favourite.

Mini Chirashi Sushi

Love their mini Chirashizushi (Japanese rice with scattered toppings such as sashimi, tamgo, kani and etc) which comes together with the Super Deluxe Set. Although this small bowl consists slightly more than 2 tablespoons of sushi rice but with it was definitely quite stasifying with those fresh toppings.

Kid's Meal, Katsu Set A @ S$8.80

{MUST TRY} My boy was delighted with his Katsu Set which consists most of his favourite items. This set has quite a  number of items in a plate like Japanese mashed potato salad, fried ebi, tonkatsu, halve hard-boiled egg, 2 rice balls and yogurt drink. On top of the two rice balls, my boy also ordered another bowl of rice to finish up the tonkatsu.

Display of Snowmans at Tampopo Restaurant during the Hokkaido Fair.

In order to celebrate Hokkaido Fair and Hina-matsuri Festival, Tampopo brings in 3 tons of snow from the very grounds of Hokkaido to Singapore which brings joy to shoppers as well as patrons of the restaurant on 23rd - 24th February 2013. Indeed my boy together with the rest of the kids enjoy making their very own snowman during the snow display time too.

Complimentary Snow (air flown from Hokkaido) that we got from Tampopo after the dinner.

Tampopo has 4 different outlets located in Singapore at Tampopo @ Takashimaya, Tampopo @ Liang Court, Tampopo Grand and Dulcet And Studio.

TAMPOPO
177 River Valley Road
#01-23/24
Liang Court Shopping Centre
Telephone: (65) 6338 3186
Website: https://www.facebook.com/TPPSG

Christmas Lunch At Parkroyal Beach Road, Plaza Brasserie

Last week of the year is always full of feasting, gathering and exchanging of gifts due to Christmas and New Year seasons.This year our family Christmas lunch is at Plaza Brasserie which is located at Beach Road near Golden Mile Food Centre and Golden Mile Complex.

We decided to have festive lunch instead of dinner so that we could take the time to enjoy the food and family bonding/chatting plus after which we could still go for last minute Christmas shopping or enjoy the beautiful Christmas lighting.

The Perfect Interfusion At Sushi Tei

From November till 09 January 2013, all the 15 Sushi Tei outlets (here) island-wide will be having a new promotional menu know as "The Perfect Interfusion" which centred around warm and hearty rustic far with a contemporary twist.

Furthermore, all Sashimi fans will be thrilled by their new selection of premium sashimi-based dons at irresistible prices such as the Otoro, Kanpachi, Ika and Salmon Don for S$22.00 each. Below are some of the dishes from we had tried from their The Perfect Interfusion menu.

For appetizer we have Mentai Potato Salad (S$6.80) which is the one of my favourite starter whenever we visit Japanese restaurant. The fluffy mashed potato balls (with lovely bits of carrot and cucumber) is topped with generous portion of cod roe to enhance the flavour when compared to the usual Japanese potato salad.

{Must Try} Spicy Ban Ban Ji Ramen (S$10.00) is a very refreshing cold noodle dishes created by Sushi Tei, 112 Katong which is listed in their top six "Supreme Chef Challenge Creations" in The Perfect Interfusion Menu beside from those cold soba varieties in their usual menu.

The springy ramen taste great with the accompany spicy sesame sauce which gives it a nutty flavour and it pairs well with the crunchy cucumber and tender poached chicken too.

Yakiniku Cheese Roll (S$12.00) is created by Sushi Tei, Holland Village which is a whimsical re-interpretation of the cheeseburger. The sushi roll is wrapped with a layer of beef and cheese together with some sweet sauce which makes it resemble hamburger rice patty.

{Must Try} Instead of Chicken Katsu, we tried the Tori Nanban (S$10.00) that is created by Sushi Tei, 112 Katong. The deep-fried chicken is served together with the homemade Taru Taru sauce which is made of mayonnaise, shallots and parsley. I am sure this pipping hot crispy chicken cutlet will be a great choice in your ordering list.

Mango Avocado Roll (S$12.00) created by Sushi Tei, Thomson Plaza make use of both Mango and Avocado for this dish together with wafu dressing. For me who always love their Dragon Roll and Golden Roll, this new Mango Avocado Roll is sure a good catch to satisfy my fruity sushi craving.

Ikameshi (S$12.00) is a char-grilled squid stuffed with flavoured squid rice. Although it might look like a simple dish but the savory rice add extra touch to Hokkaido squid which brings out it's natural sweetness. Alternatively you could also try their Ika Sugata Shio/Teriyaki (S$9.00) which is grilled squid with salt or teriyaki sauce.

Ikameshi (S$12.00), Grilled squid stuffed with flavoured squid rice

Ikasumi Pasta (S$13.00) is one of the reason for my visit because I was tempted to this dish from one of the photos that I spotted on instagram a few weeks back .

The al dente spaghetti is tossed in a luscious squid ink sauce and topped with tender slices of squid and crispy fried garlic which you must eat together with the spaghetti to bring out it's flavour. But overall only the paste itself  is lightly flavored with the squid ink which makes it a bit plain and flat on the taste.

Matsutake Sukiyaki (Beef - S$26.00; Chicken - S$22.00) featured the seasonal Matsutake pine mushrooms which comes with a choice of either Beef or Chicken. This pot consists of glass noodles, tofu, leeks, carrots and enoki mushrooms in sukiyaki soup which is Refillable.

U.S.D.A Beef Tenderloin for the Matsutake Sukiyaki

After the main dishes, we decided to go for some desserts and since there are four of us in the group we could actually order different varieties to share among ourselves. Above are  Yuzu Sherbet (S$3.40), Nama Chocolate Ice Cream (S$4.80) and Matcha Nama Ice Cream (S$4.80)

Shiratama Azuki with Matcha Ice Cream (S$6.00) served in a pretty clam shell waffle which filled with Glutinous rice dumplings, Azuki beans and Matcha ice cream. Love the combination texture of chewy rice dumplings with crispy waffle shell together with the matcha ice cream.

Out of the four desserts that we had, my most favourite is still the Matcha Nama Ice Cream. I just simply love the intends flavour of the matcha ice cream flooding in my mouth which makes it so irresistible to stop at one. But if you are a chocolate lover, go for the Nama Chocolate Ice Cream instead!

Thanks to Sushi Tei and Veronica from Sixth Sense Communications for the invite tasting.

Sushi Tei @ Ngee Ann City
391 Orchard Road #05-30/31
Podium Block Ngee Ann City
Singapore 238873
Reservation: (65) 6737 8878
Website: http://www.sushitei.com/index.php

Christmas Menu At Kiseki Japanese Buffet Restaurant

Christmas is about 2 weeks from now and if you have not decided on where to go for your Christmas lunch/dinner perhaps you could take a look at this wallet-friendly Christmas menu from Kiseki Japanese Buffet Restaurant.

For this Christmas season, Kiseki present a lovely white Christmas feast(lunch and dinner) starting from 21st - 25th December 2012 where diner could enjoy a hearty spread with less than S$50.00 per person.

During the festive lunch special, on top of the usual Japanese buffet favourite you could also enjoy Roasted Honey Gammon Ham with Yuzu Cranberry Sauce, Miso Glazed Roasted Char Siew as well as Japanese Style Buffalo Wings. I love the Yuzu Cranberry Sauce which is a bit sweet with a hint of refreshing yuzu taste which goes well with the roasted meat.

Example of the Christmas Roast that we have tried.

Whereas for the special White Christmas dinner spread add-ons, it includes the Roasted turkey, Roasted Striploin Beeef, Lamb Leg and Baked Salmon with Sake which I am sure everyone would be overwhelmed by these hearty spread.

For salad they have this Smoked Duck with Orange and Beef Root drizzle with Yuzu Balsamic which gives it a very refreshing citrus taste from the Yuzu. I am sure ladies or salad lover would love this as it really gives you a few bursting flavour in one bite.

This Christmas you could have another new pick for your favourite sushi because it had being transformed into these cute little Temarizushi (sushi ball) wrap. Each rice ball contains different type of filling and it is being wrapped using cute design food wrapper which makes them resemble candy. And I am sure this would be a "hot snatching" items among the kids too.

Other than Temarizushi Wrap, there are also many different assorted festive feel Sushi and Sashimi such as Egg Roll with Turkey Breast / Smoked Duck shown above.

Cucumber Gunkan Maki filled with diced Ham and Tomato

Colourful Chikuwa Maki served with radish and yuzu mixture dipping sauce.

Assorted Seasonal Sashimi Sushi that would whet your appetite as well as sight.

Cucumber Sushi Maki wrapped with poached Chicken Beast.

Japanese Curry Pizza with Seaweed Crust is one of my favourite because it consists 3 of my favourite choice in one dish. It has cheese, Japanese curry and sushi so this 3-in-1 combination dish definitely had caught my attention and to my surprised it does taste great just like their crispy crust pizza at Kiseki.

As you can see from the above photo, they are different layer of texture from seaweed, sushi rice, curry, cheese and etc. Love the combination and I recommend this to be the {must try} while they are out on the buffet line.

If you love skewers of food that are grilled over low charcoal heat, I am sure you won't want to miss any items from the Robatayaki Platter. Just grab a few skewers each and slowly enjoy them with your friends or family over at the dining table while chatting. For me the meat or mushroom skewers are always my favourite choice.

On top of the usual buffet items plus festive add-ons, if you still have room for dessert you could also try out their Christmas Festive Platter which consists some mini cakes like mixed fruit cake, black sesame cake, peach cake, ginger pudding, peanut butter pudding, blueberry mousse and etc.

Assorted Puddings and Mousse. I love their peanut butter pudding (3rd item from the front row)

Assorted cream cake, I prefer the Matcha flavour as compared to the peach and chocolate.

This year other than all hearty spread, Kiseki also geared with new attraction of a Two-Piece Band which will be taking in song dedications and performing carols for diners too. So if you are still looking for Christmas feast this season, do take a look on Kiseki Christmas Menu.


KISEKI JAPANESE BUFFET RESTAURANT
181 Orchard Road
Orchard Central
#08-01/02/03
Reservation: (65) 6736 1216
Website: www.kisekirestaurant.com.sg

Operating Hours And Pricing
21 December 2012
Lunch (11.30am - 3.00pm): Adult S$24.80++; Child S$15.80++
Dinner (6.00pm - 10.30pm): Adult S$39.80++; Child S$21.80++

22 - 25 December 2012 (Sat, Sun, Eve PH and PH)
Lunch (11.30am - 3.00pm): Adult S$32.80++; Child S$20.80++
Dinner (6.00pm - 10.30pm): Adult S$39.80++; Child S$21.80++

IKYU – Japanese Restaurant in Tiong Bahru

A few weeks back I was invited to a media tasting at IKYU (pronounced as E-Q) which mean “Take A Break” in English. This newly setup Japanese restaurant is located at 5, Yong Siak Street that is within short walking distance away from Tiong Bahru MRT station.

IKYU is headed by Executive Chef Takuma Seki who is formerly the chef-de Cuisine of Hide Yamamoto at The Shoppes of Marina Bay Sands. The restaurant is divided into 3 different sitting area such as; sushi bar, dining tables and bar area. Usually the regular patrons would enjoy sitting at the sushi bar counter to engage conversation with chatty Chef Seki and his assistant(s).

For starter we had Grilled Edamame Flavoured With Truffle (S$8.50). This is my first time having grilled Edamame rather than the usual steamed/boiled option which served in most Japanese restaurant. For a non Edamame lover like myself, the twist of the char-grilled aroma plus truffle oil definitely makes a big different to this simple snack. I just couldn't stop eating it after the first pod.

Century Egg Traditional Potato Salad (S$8.50) is one of the dish that interests me because of the added "century eggs" (I am a big fan of century eggs) which I have not seem in any Japanese style potato salad that I had before. 

Apart from the Grilled Edamame their Deep Fried Sakura Baby Prawn (S$8.50) is another great snack which is super crispy and addicting dish to start your meal with.

Kara-age Chicken Izakaya Style (S$8.50) could be considered as a popular snack from the "fried menu" section which was deep-fried to golden brown with crispy outer skin and tender juice meat when bite.  Great choice to go with cool beer or sake.

I have never thought of eating something exotic till I tried this Blow Fish Tatsuta-age with Sansyo (S$16.50). To me blow fish (Fugu) seems to be a dangerous species rather than an edible ingredient. But after trying the above, the fish did taste great with a thin layer of tempura batter which deep-fried to a juicy perfection.

For someone who loves salmon sashimi, Wafu Marinated Salmon Carpaccio (S$16.50) is like a piece of art which is beautiful plated with some edible chrysanthemum and pink coral on it.  Love the wafu dressing which blends well with the dish.

French Foie Gras Flavoured in Miso (S$18.50) is lightly seared in Miso seasoning leaving it a fusion taste which makes you crave for more. If you love Foie Gras, you have to order this and I promise you won't regret it.

This is the tasting portion, not actual serving.

The Taraba King Crab With Soy Butter (S$48.50 for 2 claws) was amazing. The flesh is tender and naturally sweet with the enhanced flavour of butter and a squeeze of lemon juice.

The last items we tried on the "grill menu" is Kagoshima Wagyu Beef Sirloin (120g for S$68.50) which was sliced  and served with a homemade ponzu sauce which consists of yuzu, soy sauce and etc. Each piece of the meat was full of flavour and you could eat it in different way such as dip it with the Ponzu sauce or eat it with fried garlic slices and shredded negi that served on the side.

For your information, the fish from IKYU is flown in 3 times a week (definitely Tuesday and Friday) like most Japanese restaurants in Singapore to make sure that all supplies are fresh and good. Here for the "nigiri menu", we tried the Assorted 5 kinds of Aburi Sushi (S$38.50) which is lightly grilled (topside) and partially raw with drizzle of sweet sauce on it.

As compared to the above, I would preferred this Assorted 5 Kinds of Nigiri Sushi (S$28.50) because you could enjoy the fresh and sweetness of the fish with each bite. And some of it just literally melt in your mouth without much chewing too. 

As for the "roll menu", we tried the Crispy Hot Spicy Salmon Roll (S$8.50) which is something different from the usual sushi roll. Love the crispy outer skin which enhance the flavour of the salmon in it.

Next the Shrimp Tempura California Roll (S$15.50) was great with bursting flavour from the egg roes and accompany sweet sauce. This plate is definitely worth for a grab.

This is the tasting portion, not actual serving.

For dessert we had Shocyu Cheese Cake with Berry (S$8.50). It comes with quiet a strong liquor taste which resemble "rum and raisin" flavour. The cheesecake itself is silky smooth and light which similar to tofu cheesecake whereas the Japanese rock melon at the side was simply awesome with sweet fragrance. 

A bar counter near the back of the dining area where patrons can enjoy beer, sake and etc during Happy Hours or after meal.

Although the price for the "A La Carte Menu" might be slightly pricey but IKYU do offers wallet-friendly set lunch options ranging from S$25.00 to S$35.00. The set lunch consists of:-

~ IKYU NIGIRI Set, Assorted NIGIRI 6 pieces and ROLL
~ IKYU BARA CHIRASHI Set
~ NABEYAKI UDON & ROLL Set

all set serves with Appetizer, Salad, Soup and Dessert which is quiet reasonable.

IKYU
5 Yong Siak Street
Singapore 168643
Reservation: +65 6223 9003
Website: www.ikyu.com.sg/

Opening Hours:
Tuesday – Sunday: 11.30am – 3.00pm, 6.00pm – 10.30pm
Closed on Monday

Lastly I would like to thanks Ann from Word Of Mouth Communications Pte Ltd and IKYU for the invite tasting.