The Aglio Olio from CiBO Italiano

I haven't been to CiBO in ages, and I kinda forgot that they do a decent job of keeping their pasta cooked nice and firm. We were happy with our lunch today; and fortunately, they don't make their pasta sweet like La Mensa does.

The Funghi from La Mensa in Tanjong Pagar

I finally tried the funghi from La Mensa today. They were surprisingly generous with the mushrooms, and it was creamy with pleasantly firm pasta. But like their aglio olio, it was sweet. Sigh. I guess I'll just stick to their carbonara then.

My Sad-Looking No-Bun-Bowl from Five Guys

I finally got around to trying Five Guys' no-bun-bowl option instead of their lettuce wrap. To my surprise, this was what came out. Granted, it's my mistake for going the minimalist route like I do with my burgers (at least the patty was nice and beefy!). Had I known it would be like this, I would've gone balls-out on the toppings, including not just the grilled onions, mushrooms, and green peppers. Also, to my surprise, their jalapeño peppers are fresh; I had incorrectly assumed that they were the pickled variety all this while. Crap, I've been missing out.

"The Ultimate TKG" from Tamago-EN

I've never really been drawn to places like En Sakaba and Aburi-EN given how commercialized they looked. But they also run a small chain featuring Okinawan eggs in a variety of forms, like omurice and oyakodon. I was curious about that tamago kake gohan (or "TKG" as they called it) above. The egg white was whipped up into that fluffy texture on top, while the yolk was certainly a nice orange hue. But this was more about appearances than taste; the latter was otherwise not that memorable. The dashimaki tamagoyaki was on the sweet side too, which means that I'm in no rush to return. If I do, then I'd be interested in the hashimaki as well as their uni ikura pasta special if it's still available.

Trying Out Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang in Singapore

This small chain around the island sounded interesting enough, especially when their namesake plate featured a sambal from Lombok based on an "ancient recipe." Yes, it was potently spicy, but it was also rather sweet. I finished most of it, although I really wish that they had held back on the sugar, especially since it covered up the aroma from that grilled-to-order chicken. They had an even spicier option available that I was interested in, but they said that it was also sweet.

SHAO Seafood Restaurant in Singapore

I heard about these guys during my hunt for cold Teochew crab over the past few months (117 Frankel Avenue, 6610-9233). But what caught my eye even more here was not their cold crab, but their signature crab featuring "pepper, salt, and unagi sauce in Japanese style." I wasn't quite sure what the last part meant, but I was curious.

To my surprise, the crab arrived hot. And the unagi sauce was not the thick sweet stuff that one usually associates with unagi (or if it was, they barely applied any). That's a really good thing, since the crab itself was awesome with its generous abundance of rich and creamy yellow roe; the last thing I'd want is for some sweet sauce to cover it up. The savory taste of the crab meat and tomalley were very pronounced, to my delight.

I was happy with their other items too, particularly a sliced grouper pao fan, which was garnished with not just crispy rice but also dried fish, in addition to firm cuts of fresh grouper. Now, admittedly I'd rather just go to Chao Ting, but the broth sang more brightly here, and I'd order it again. I'd really like to try their marinated crab too, if only I can plan far enough ahead to order it in advance.

The Oyster Paitan Ramen from Konjiki Hototogisu

Here's the paitan version of Hototogisu's oyster ramen at Great World (yes, I'm still doing post-circuitbreaker ramen). I've had this several times before, and in fact seem to keep forgetting that I liked the shio version better. I cleared this bowl quickly, but next time, I'll get the shio.

The Original Shoyu Tuna Bowl From Poke Theory

We ordered from Poke Theory for lunch today, so I went for this pre-configured shoyu tuna bowl. Those two dark things on top were kale chips; they provided a small portion on the side, and those crunchy savory things were more exciting to me than the rest of the bowl. There was no limu nor tsunami action here, but it was healthy and fresh.

The Soy Sauce Chicken from Mademoiselle Tang Noodle

To be clear, this is not the soy sauce chicken that one usually finds around here. This one from Mademoiselle Tang Noodle was a plate of white chicken with scalding hot oil and soy sauce poured over it instead. And that's what made it surprisingly good. Indeed, the chicken itself was a bit dry (and the bone fragments didn't make it easy to eat). But I couldn't stop myself from taking a scoop of that delicious oil and soy sauce mixture and pouring it over some steamed white rice. The occasional hit of dried chili pepper and huajiao provided just the right boost when needed too.

The Sapporo Miso Tsukemen From Nishiyama Ramen

Time for more post-circuitbreaker ramen. This time, it was from Nishiyama, and fortunately, my experience this time was much better, with a much shorter wait time. The gyoza stall next door was finally making to order too. Hooray!

Hong Ji Claypot Herbal Bak Kut Teh in Singapore

There is a Malaysian-style bak kut teh shop out in Ang Mo Kio (107 Ang Mo Kio Ave 4 Street 11 #01-138), and I liked it. The Chinese herbs were aromatic but light, and to my surprise, they even offered a meatball option. Best of all, the stank in those meatballs kept them exciting. I wouldn't mind eating here again.

Porcini Cappuccino Ramen from Hototogisu Waterway Point

Ramen is something that probably wouldn't have held up very well under delivery. So when dining rooms opened up this weekend, my first thought was to get some ramen. In this case, it was from Hototogisu's outlet at Waterway Point (83 Punggol Central #01-65, 6385-8795), where their special bowls are done "cappuccino" style, or topped with a frothy sauce. My porcini version above arrived in a bit of a sloppy state, but was still the salty, punchy thing that I was looking for, especially with their skinny soba-like noodles.

Haichijia's Jintang Baofeng Golden Soup

Haichijia has another version of its spicy noodles on store shelves now. This one features a velvety "golden soup" that has been smoothened out with peanut and sesame sauce. It was still spicy and sour too, but is just silkier and with more body. Yes, I liked this one the best.

SCALED by Ah Hua Kelong in Singapore

I haven't eaten at Ah Hua Kelong in a while; they have since shut down their spot at the Grandstand but have opened up other places, like SCALED, a hip-looking spot that seemed rather promising (8 Hamilton Road, 9830-0117). They're still doing delivery, so I grabbed a few things today, like those roasted prawns above (topped with braised konbu, in case you were wondering what those dark slivers were).

Naturally, they sourced locally. They laced many of the dishes with a bit of Asian flair (like a dollop of scorched ssamjang on their clams), all while also letting the taste of the seafood itself come through. This was particularly evident in their sambal lala, which I was worried would be done in a heavy kam heong style. Instead, it was in a light yet savory - and pleasantly spicy - broth. I'd be happy to eat here again.

Takeaway from Tsukune Ichigo in Singapore

It's been a long time since I've been to Ichigo. So I ordered food to go tonight, including a set of their tsukune, which turned out to be individually wrapped in foil, presumably to keep it together with the various toppings that they used. It worked, as did their torikawa Caesar salad, which as the name suggests, was topped with a bunch of lightly fried cuts of tasty chicken skin. Yum. Too bad that one doesn't get their chicken soup as a closer when you're taking it home to eat though.

Trying Out More Items From Seng Kee Black Chicken Herbal Soup

After finding out that Seng Kee delivers, we ordered our usual Johor bee hoon and soup, as well some of the other items on their list of Top 20 dishes. At the top of the list was that steamed rice on the left, featuring pork belly, dried shrimp, mushroom, long bean, and cabbage. It was like noumifan but with a pronounced aroma of dried shrimp. Presumably this is ranked highly because it's generously portioned, affordable, and travels well.

I was more interested in trying the #20 item on the list: the chives with bean sprouts on the right. To my surprise, it was bit sweet, which if you know me, is not a good thing. No, I won't order that again, but at least their chili sauce was delightful with its punchy belachan. Plus, they provided a wonderfully light pandan coconut agar agar for dessert.

The Chili Oil Tofu Skin from 6ix 6ix

Another Saturday, another round of (online) cocktails. And that means more post-drinking salt and fat from 6ix 6ix afterwards. This time, I went for their shredded tofu skin. It was pretty spicy, but they oddly put raw onions and chili padi in there. The yangrou chuanr were more tough and dry than I remember them from last week too. Nonetheless, it's still amazing that one can have this delivered to one's doorstep so easily at such a late hour.

Brooklyn's Lucali Has Opened in Singapore (sorta)

Lucali is a renowned pizza place from New York City, and they've opened up a spot in Singapore (66 Kampong Bugis Level M, 8284-1325). Well, sort of. Obviously the restaurant itself is not open yet, so they are only doing delivery. And the delivery menu does not feature the pizza and calzone that they are famous for, but instead a variety of salads, pasta, and dessert that they don't serve in their original Brooklyn outlet. See, this is technically "Lucali BYGB" instead, with the trailing acronym representing the local partners. They didn't want to serve their pizza via takeaway/delivery (understandable considering my unrelated experience yesterday), but they are doing other items. Keep in mind that their local partners were involved with Mozza, Momofuku, and Adrift, and they know what they are doing.

The food survived the transit well, and I was happy with it all. Most notably, they are not shy about salt and pepper here, making for very punchy food, including not just that lasagna and Caesar salad above, but also their meatloaf. Interestingly, my favorite thing tonight was the quality of the salad croutons. That might sound weird, but those big torn-off chunks of bread were not just delightfully salty, but more importantly, you could taste the sourdough coming through. Also of note: see that tea light in the photo? Not only did they include that in the delivery, but also a card with a Spotify code so that you can listen to their playlist while at home. I'm very excited to head to the dining room to try the pizza one day; apparently having booked delivery this time will help us with reservations when that finally happens.

The Grilled Seabass with Lemongrass from Yunhaiyao (Yun Nans)

I was delighted to find that Yun Nans delivers right now, as I finally had my chance to try that awesome-looking seabass that I missed last time. It's too bad then then it was neither as spicy nor as tasty as I had hoped. I'm sure that it would've been much better had it been piping hot off the grill in the restaurant itself, but by the time it reached us, it was cold and uninspiring. The other items sadly didn't travel well either, like the wild porcini mushroom dish that I love so much from them. Plus, this stuff wasn't cheap. I'd be willing to eat at the restaurant though when it's finally permitted.

Epilogue: the fish was much better after I reheated it in the oven. Presumably the other items would've fared similarly if I had any left over.

8picure at Loft@Nathan in Singapore

This guy used to run his own private kitchen, but has since expanded to a small restaurant (428 River Valley Road #01-04, 6677-1075). Clearly the dining room is on pause for now, but he's still doing takeaway, and I was very happy with our food. That wagyu ragu pappardella above was probably my favorite thanks to its well-rounded richness as well as just the right pasta texture. The capellini with poulet was also cooked and seasoned just right, even if the meat could've been just a tad more moist. I'm happy to go back and try other things on the menu either way. Thumbs up.

Fukuda Yakitori Dining at Orchard Plaza, Singapore

Fukuda is a small six-seater yakitori place that I wanted to go to before the circuit breaker period kicked in (150 Orchard Road #01-39, 9119-3760). He does it omakase style, and it even applied to the takeaway options that are being offered now, like the big 20-piece set that we got tonight. It was filled with a variety of items like the usual negima, tsukune, and sasami, but also hatsu, reba, and uzura tamago.

The best ones were the cuts bearing skin and fat: the bonjiri above as well as the tebasaki wings. Of course it wasn't as good after spending time in transit home, but it was affordable, and he was really friendly. I'm hoping that he'll be able to seat diners in his shop soon. In the meantime, I need to remember to keep some beer, cabbage, miso, lemon, salt, and shichimi togarashi standing by to go with it all.

The A5 Wagyu Tendon Porridge from EVERY Havelock

Back at EVERY at Havelock Road again. This time, I grabbed this 10-servings-per-day special featuring A5 wagyu tendon. To be sure, that's tendon rather than tendon (basically, see here), although admittedly I found more cuts of meat in there than tendon itself. Either way, it was light, tender, savory, and rich, and the sliced ginger on top kept it refreshing too.

Muraoka Mayo Yakisoba from EVERY on Havelock Road

EVERY on Havelock Road is running a couple of specials from Kanagawa this month, including this version of yakisoba from the city of Fujisawa. Unlike your typical yakisoba, this one isn't dominated by the taste of the usual Worcestershire-like chuuno sosu. Instead, this was lightly done with oyster sauce and garnished with chili oil, or in this case, spicy garlic chips. No, it was hardly spicy, but it was fun to eat.

Malaysian Tempeh from Chiam Joo Seng Towgay Growers

I haven't had much experience with tempeh. It's usually just something that happens to come along with a plate of ayam penyet, and I recall it oftentimes being rather cold and lifeless at that. Now I'm wishing that I had paid more attention to it. These blocks were awesome when pan fried with some olive oil. It wasn't just the salt and grease either; the rich taste of the beans was pleasantly comforting, even without any sambal to go with it. I must get more of this.

6ix 6ix at Cuppage Terrace in Singapore

After a number of cocktails tonight (yep, we connected online), I had my usual cravings for salt and grease. What better than to finally try 6ix 6ix, a chuanr shop at Cuppage Terraace that was still delivering into the wee hours of the night via GrabFood (23 Cuppage Road, 8878-8866). To my surprise, the lamb skewers were pretty darned good: just the right balance of meat, fat, and spices. I gobbled those things down in the blink of an eye, even if the long chives were much harder to chew. I need to remember to pass on the mala noodle soup though, as it's a bit sweet, and the noodles were mushy by the time it arrived. The instant stuff is better in that sense.

Jinbo Selection "Mr Hot" Jam's Noodles from Taiwan

Time for more spicy instant noodles, this time from Taiwan. These noodles were thick and chewy, and they came with some flat pickled veggies that made it rather unique. Yes, I liked it.

La Mensa in Tanjong Pagar, Singapore

Here's another restaurant whose opening fell into the circuit breaker period. Next to The Daily Cut at Guoco Tower (7 Wallich Street #B2-15), they serve affordable bowls of pasta. My first few bites didn't start out well though: the calamari batter was rather dense, the aglio e olio was sweet, and the ragù alla bolognese oddly reminded me of American barbecue sauce. I know that sounds rather harsh, but I did like the rich carbonara with its smoky bits of guanciale at least. Most importantly, the pasta wasn't overcooked. I'd be interested in trying the funghi next time, if we don't order from LINO, that is.

Kotuwa by Cloudstreet in Singapore

So the guy behind Cheek Bistro was getting ready to open up a Sri Lankan place called Kotuwa earlier this year. But under the circuit breaker period, he ended up using the kitchen of his fine dining restaurant Cloudstreet (84 Amoy Street, 6513-7868) to do delivery.

I ordered a variety of things today, all of which were very unique, including not just the jackfruit-based polos curry at the top, but also some savory yet delicately done crab cutlets to the left of it. My favorite of all of these was the dhal on the right, which was so comfortingly balanced and rich that I kept going back for more. Nice.

An Assortment of Packaged Goods Like Haichijia Noodles

For some reason, this Haichijia brand of spicy instant noodles fron China has been all the rage lately, particularly for their suan la fen. Sure, it was very peppery, but not anything to go nuts over. There was another one that featured meatballs, as well as a milder huajia jianghu one featuring seafood. But I liked the one on the bottom right the best, as it had a more unique noodle quality plus a beefy broth that didn't overdo the spices.



We've also been able to secure other competing brands of instant noodles, although admittedly I haven't had the chance to try all of them yet. Some of them were quite spicy though, and it was just interesting to see how elaborate some of these could get, featuring literally like seven different plastic packages inside to unwrap and assemble. That's quite a bit of work for instant noodles!



Finally, here were some pickled mangoes from Thailand. These mildly sweet and spicy things were surprisingly firm and unripe. I wasn't expecting it to be crunchy, although I guess it does make sense for a pickle.

G7 Liang Kee Teochew Restaurant in Singapore

One thing that I was eager to obtain during the circuit breaker period was Teochew cold crab, particularly since it travels well via takeaway. But it was always out of stock at places that I tried, perhaps due to supply chain hiccups. I was passing by this place today when I figured that I'd try my luck (737 Havelock Road, 6278-7026), and fortunately, they had 'em! Yay, I grabbed a small one for S$36 (US$26). Naturally, there wasn't much meat, but under that carapace was a sizable amount of rich and savory tomalley. I was happy; next time I should try some of the other food on the menu too.

The Burger From The Feather Blade in Singapore

The last time I went to The Feature Blade, they were sold out of their burgers. Fortunately, they are available on their takeaway menu, so I snagged one today. And I'm glad that I did, as it was delicious. They mince their steak and deep fry it, topping the patty with nothing more than Béarnaise sauce and some chopped shallots on a brioche. And it was really the simplicity of the Béarnaise and (largely raw) shallots that made this thing so tasty. The patty was a bit overdone and there wasn't much of a beefy taste, but the scorched crust was kinda fun at least. Strangely, there was no option for fries though.

Shejianjian Has Handmade Shrimp Dumplings Now

I'm not sure how long the item on the left has been on their menu (obviously we haven't been to the physical store in months), but I noticed on GrabFood tonight that Shejianjian is now offering shrimp dumplings. And they were good! Not only did they feature a skin that was chewy like their noodles, but also they featured small intact tails (i.e., not a minced paste like I thought it would be) with an extra salty kick to boot. It all went down well with their chili oil, leeks, coriander, and some black vinegar. I only wish that I had ordered the ten piece serving instead.