STEAK GATZ at Orchard Plaza, Singapore

No, I'm not intentionally chasing cheap steak on hot plates this week. This is actually a Japanese steak place that popped up on the former grounds of Ao Ringo (150 Orchard Plaza #01-44). Yes, it's a bit like Yappari or even Sudaku with hot plates and an array of sauces, but in a more upscale counter setting. If my information is correct, this is from the Kakiin and Soshiji folks.

But the price was reasonable, with that serving of their signature hirami skirt steak above going for just S$21.80 US$16.80) with free refills of decent quality rice, soup, and tsukemono. Now, one isn't getting the nicest cut of meat at that price. In fact, they give you kitchen scissors and little tweezers to cut that unwieldy slab yourself. I still ate it all, but next time I'll upgrade to the wagyu.

The Tsukemen from Torasho Ramen at Takashimaya

I finally got around to trying the tsukemen from Torasho's newly reset Ngee Ann City stand. To my surprise, there didn't seem to be that much adjustment compared to the normal bowl, as it still featured normal-sized noodles and a thin broth. From what I could tell, it was the same broth that is used in the normal bowls.

To be sure, I absolutely love that super deep broth. But its thin consistency not only meant difficulty clinging to the noodles, but also the broth just isn't as good when its temperature has been lowered by cold noodles. His suggestion to add vinegar didn't do it for me either.

It's too bad, since his new broth is really underappreciated. There were barely any customers here on a bustling Friday night, which is sad. I worry that he's going to have to change his broth again; in the meantime, I'm going back for his normal bowls as much as I can, as I'm going to miss this broth when it's gone.

YenneY at Marina One Residences in Singapore

This shop (7 Straits View #B2-50) billed this off-menu special as "French Vietnamese steak," but I think it was bít tết, or Vietnamese steak on a hot plate doused in a mildly sweet and savory Maggi-like sauce. I haven't eaten it enough to establish a proper baseline comparison, but I kinda liked it given the wonderfully light and airy bread that came with it. Apparently this is supposed to come with pâté as well.

Artichoke New School Pizza Parlour in Singapore

Artichoke was a Middle Eastern place that I was rather fond of. They have since moved to New Bahru and made a rather big pivot to a pizza shop (46 Kim Yam Road #01-02). I never tried the pizza omakase course that he previously incubated at his Smalls counter, but it has graduated to the main stage.

Yep, the pizza is all done in his own way, with those "UnderCrust" slabs above being a bit like Detroit-style pizza in that there is cheese baked into the crust. But the cheese is on the bottom rather than the sides, and the dough is lighter and poofier. They were dressed with things like halloumi, pistachio, fennel, kumquat, and hazelnut, which I liked for not just its ambition but also proper quality ingredients (mmm...nice tomatoes!).

Some of the Middle Eastern items are apparently back on the menu by the way, including hummus and baked cauliflower. Either way, I like the fun attitude and service of this place. Next time we should try their stone baked "rounds" pizza featuring deep-fried dough.

Yet To Name Ramen at Orchard Plaza, Singapore

At first I thought that the awkward name for this place was because they were going for the same vibes as No Signboard Seafood. But then I realized that it's because it's only a three-month pop-up to see if local palates would appreciate fish-based ramen (150 Orchard Road #01-36).

To be sure, this fish-based ramen was not one of those tai-based chintans. Instead, it was a flounder-based paitan. As much as I appreciated how they were able to make it thick and creamy, the kinda-raw slices of fish were not particularly pleasant (could they have grilled it?), and I didn't like their skinny noodles either. Worse, there wasn't enough salt. Presumably they were careful not to deviate too far from local fish soup, but I wanted it saltier because this was ramen instead.

Well, it was kinda cool in that it took over one of those upscale counters next to Kakiin. There's no menu, and no ordering either. Just sit down at the counter, and a bowl appears in front of you in a few minutes. I'd only go back if they change the recipe, preferably for a chintan and with some salt available on the counter.

Osaka's Tonkatsu Daiki in Singapore

This Michelin-listed tonkatsu place from Osaka opened its first overseas outlet at Ngee Ann City a while back, and it's been difficult to get seated without a long wait (391 Orchard Road #05-33). Fortunately, it wasn't too bad this morning, so I got in and grabbed this small hire set. The quality was good, with the meat being particularly moist and delicate, yet coated in a flaky and crispy breading. But the rice was water-heavy, and the tsukemono were yawners. I won't wait in line for that as a result; Tonshou is the better option if one has to wait (hey, these guys used a medallion cut too!).

Old Tiong Bahru Bak Kut Teh in Singapore

Apparently this shop used to be across the street from Tiong Bahru Market, but now it's oddly co-located with an outlet of Youjian Chufang (20 Sixth Avenue), seemingly like an afterthought...at least, in the evening. I didn't like the food at all, as the broth lacked pepper, and the meat was tough and dry. Granted, the latter might have been our fault for getting the cheaper bowl, but if I'm up here again then I'm sticking to the Youjian Chufang side of the kitchen.

Lavi Taco in Singapore

I tried Lavi Taco from one of their food trucks once, and I recall it being half-decent. So I stopped by their outlet at Kada near Maxwell Food Centre on my way home tonight (5 Kadayanallur Street #01-09). That flight of tacos above certainly looked pretty, but it didn't taste as good as it looked (too much protein, not enough tortilla). It wasn't cheap either. I don't think I'll go back, especially since the salsas were more fruity than they were spicy.

Did Hachicken Transpose the Chintan and Paitan?

This is wild. I went back to Hachicken today because I kept thinking about the tender chicken in the chashudon, and in the process I decided to try the paitan to see how the broth would be. To my surprise, it was a clear broth. What was going on here?

This was supposed to be an opaque white paitan broth, but instead I got a clear chintan. It was backwards last time too, when I ordered the chintan and instead got something that resembled a paitan. This couldn't be just a one-time operational mixup in the kitchen, could it? Or was I just misunderstanding something?

What's weird is that their printed menus have pictures, and the broths are not reversed there. Well, the clear broth was fine, but it still had a mildly sweet aftertaste rather than the savory notes that I was hoping for. Too bad their noodles aren't more thick and chewy. At least the chicken itself is tender.

Spring Roll Station in Singapore's Chinatown

The food at this stall was good enough to be memorable on its own, but the thing that made it more memorable was how it was smack in the middle of that rowdy kopitiam where tons of elderly gentlemen sit along the street with buckets of beer bottles while blaring loud music from Bluetooth speakers (34 Upper Cross Street #01-170).

And yes, the food was good with those tightly wrapped gỏi cuốn, while the broth in that phở bò was surprisingly savory and full of body. The beef quality wasn't great, but they were generous with the spring onions, so I was quite happy with it. Next time I'll get the chicken bowl; not only was it at the top of the phở section of the menu, but I saw a gentleman next to me with it, and it looked pretty good.

Hachicken's Tsukemen and Chashudon

The first time I went to Hachicken, I didn't really care very much for it, mainly because of the glue-like consistency of the broth. On this visit, however, I was much happier with my food, in part because I noticed a tsukemen option on the menu, thus making the thick broth a bit more suitable. But that slimy collagen still wasn't my favorite, especially since the noodles weren't particularly thick nor chewy either.

The better thing was that chashudon in the foreground, which interestingly came with a kettle and garnish to make ochazuke from afterwards. What made it better was that it brought the tender sweetness of the chicken to the foreground without any ramen broth getting in the way. I liked this more and will prioritize on this dish next time I'm here. They really like their onions here BTW.

Breakfast Grill in Tanjong Pagar, Singapore

From the outside, this looks like a minimalist coffee place. But it's actually a sandwich shop that has a couple of local neighborhood locations and has now a spot at Guoco Tower (7 Wallich Street #01-06).

I was happy with my fish sandwich above. It looked messy and oversauced, but fortunately the sauce wasn't overpowering, and instead was done like an upscale Filet-O-Fish. The bread was a light and buttery loaf, which was a nice touch. And to my surprise, the food came out surprisingly fast despite how busy it was during the middle of the crowded lunch hour.

Sure, I'll get it again, especially since the name suggests that they are open for breakfast. But I won't bother with the extra S$1.50 (US$1.20) for the hot sauce, since that turned out to just be a sour Louisiana style one.