Tokyo's Yakitori Taira Has Opened In Singapore

A new yakitori shop has opened up at Japan Food Town (435 Orchard Road #04-52, 6262-3465). It turns out that I've eaten from them before, or at least, from their sushi shop in Roppongi. They have a yakitori place up there too, and now there is an outlet down here in the corner stall formerly occupied by Dassai and Taki.

Now, I couldn't afford many of the options on the menu here, so I honed in on one of the cheapest things that I could find: this S$20 (US$15) yakitoridon, which at least still got me a taste of the kitchen without killing my budget. And yes, it was of the high quality that I would come to expect of these guys.

Chuan Grill & Noodle Bar at Clarke Quay

A small outdoor chuanr shop has opened at Clarke Quay (3B River Valley Road #02-03), making for a convenient pitstop after some drinks tonight. The quality of the meat was pretty lousy though: tough, lean, and stingy. I didn't like it, even after drowning it in some of the chili powder and oil that they had at each table.

I think I've been spoiled by Alati, which is the exact antithesis of this place with its tender, plump, and tasty morsels. I've been going back there so many times now that I like it even more than BBQ Box. Actually, this location at Clarke Quay would be fantastic for them if they could somehow miraculously take it over.

Tampopo Has Tai Shio Soba Toka From Japan

Tampopo has a big sign out in front of its store about some kind of "Original Tai Fish Ramen from Tokyo" promotion that it ran last month. Well, it turned out that not only was it still available today (one week after it was supposed to conclude), but also it was from a shop called Toka, which has apparently garnered all sorts of awards and long lines back in Japan.

It was a snapper-based broth, but without any pieces of fish. I don't really remember Teppei's version enough to make a comparison, but this one was refreshing, especially when interspersed with an occasional sliver of yuzu. One of my friends in Tokyo mentioned some other snapper-based ramen place that has been all of the rage up there lately BTW. I haven't tried it myself, but apparently they put bacon in the bowl.

Shoyu Ramen from Menya Masamune

I went back to Masamune today for one of their soup-based bowls this time, and it was disappointingly boring. The chashu looked pretty but didn't effuse that wonderful grilled aroma that I remember from the first time. I'm not sure if my expectations have become over-inflated or if the execution at this store is of a lower standard, but there really isn't anything that is going to draw me back here again. Yawn.

Germany's Hans im Glück in Singapore

When this birch-lined burger place from Munich opened in Singapore late last year, I wasn't really interested. Yet somehow over time, I became more curious, perhaps because the prices weren't as high as I thought they would be. They've also since opened a second outlet at Republic Plaza (9 Raffles Place #01-01, 9738-5662), and there are some pretty long lines at lunch time.

I ended up liking it a lot, and not for the reasons I would've thought either. I mean, it wasn't the beef-forward taste that I normally look for in a burger, and they unexpectedly cooked the patty to a nearly well-done state too. But the burger with its soft bun and condiments came together in a well-balanced and delicate manner. It was oddly refreshing to eat, and happily inhaled it in seconds.

It's too bad then that that their thick and barely-fried fries were a total bore, and those sauces that they seemed so proud about were likewise something that I won't bother with again either. But the salads were good, and I was surprised by how much emphasis they put on drinks here too. I've liked it enough that I've been here a few times already.

Epilogue: I realized many weeks later that they use wasabi powder in their sauce. That explain why this "came together" in such a refreshing manner, as it's the same reason why I like roast beef sandwiches with horseradish.

The D24 Durian McFlurry from McDonald's Singapore

Yep, I tried it. I just happened to be near a McDonald's so I went in to see what this thing was all about. And I have to admit that I kinda liked it, in part because of how sweet it was. But also fuels some nasty durian burps afterwards.

Dink Dink Thai Street Cafe at Royal Square Novena

Yes, I'm being greedy tonight, especially since this plate came after not just that gyoza earlier, but also a half dozen chuanr from Alati too. But I still had a little more room in my belly, so I figured that this was my chance to try Baan Ying's cheaper street food stall downstairs (103 Irrawaddy Road #01-08, 9111-7852). I went for the first thing on the menu: this dry tom yum noodle, which tasted like it looked, in a good way. The tea was rather watered down, but I didn't care given how this was much cheaper than Baan Ying upstairs.

Osaka's Chao Chao Gyoza in Singapore

Yep, I've been going to Royal Square Novena quite a bit lately, as there have been a surprising number of places there that I've wanted to eat at. Tonight's selection was Chao Chao Gyoza, a chain from Osaka with a surprisingly long menu of reasonably priced food and drinks (103 Irrawaddy Road #01-05, 6352-0200). I went for this "profitable" S$15 (US$11) set featuring a half order of their namesake gyoza, three additional gyoza of another flavor (it's like a gyoza stadium; I went for yuzu pepper), plus a beer and side of cabbage. The gyoza were small, stuck together, and not that filling, but I had enough fun that I want to come back to try their other flavors.

Hototogisu's Tonkotsu Smoke and Pepper Ramen

Hototogisu finally started doing their smoke and pepper ramen today. And I liked it more than I thought I would. The tonkotsu broth itself didn't excite me, but after swirling it with that wood chip smoked minced meat on top, the smoky aromas all came out (this guy really likes his fragrances, it seems!). Yes, I liked it better than his clam shoyu.

Some Updated Pics From The Blue Ginger in Singapore

Here are some updated photos from The Blue Ginger in Tanjong Pagar, especially since my last post from there was a whopping 13 years ago! It's still in the same place and still just as good, and also still a place that we bring out-of-towners for lunch like we did today.



The beef rendang above was tender and the sambal terong goreng was piping hot and perfectly fried. A new find was some kind of squid in a dark sauce that seemed to be based on buah keluak nut, all without requiring one's fingers to dig it out. The squid was impressively fresh, as was a steamed fish today. I was happy.

Mademoiselle Tang Noodle in Singapore

This place at Royal Square Novena (103 Irrawaddy Road #01-10, 9891-2571) specializes in Yunnan bridge crossing vermicelli. The broth wasn't as good as Honguo (nor the now-defunct Shi Miao Dao), but it still came together with the otherwise fine ingredients, especially when laced with a bit of that nice dry chili flake oil on the side. I didn't finish the broth.

Tsuta Singapore Now Has Tori Paitan

Tsuta started offering a new tori paitan the other day. They gave it the unfortunate name of "teriyaki chicken ramen," and to make it worse, it's a total yawner, as the broth had none of the savoriness nor chicken aroma of say, Kagetsu. The chicken itself was tender, but this bowl is otherwise forgettable, being completely unlike what I would've expected of these guys. I guess it's like Ippudo trying to do a tori paitan too; I should just stick to the broth that they are known for.