Waraku at Starhub Center

Waraku Japanese Restaurant
51 Cuppage Road
#01-12 StarHub Center
S(229469)
Telephone: +65 67211123
Fax: +65 67211124


It's been a busy June. Reservist, work and more work. For GF, she has cleared her final year papers. It's been a while since we last indulged in something we love. Food.... Honestly, Japanese food isn't really my cup of tea. While i do love watching Japan Hour and Channel 57 for the wonderful Japanese cooking shows but when it comes to raw meat, it's a big no no for me. I prefer the fried stuffs. GF on the other side, loves her sashimi.


Have been working odd hours these days and more often than not, it drags til into the early morning. Have been neglecting GF more often after i was tasked with the recent assignment. And i went for my in-camp in these period. Anyway we promised to spend some quality time together after my in-camp and that was what we did.


GF suggested Japanese food and after some reading here and there we decided to try Ohsumi at Cuppage Plaza. Actually we are more interested in trying out their shabu-shabu. However we can't seems to locate Ohsumi in Cuppage Plaza. Anyone knows where they are located? In the end we settled for the next best alternative which is Waraku.

Business is good ( Sat night ) and we had to wait for around 20 minutes for a table. Not connoisseurs ourselves,but we both enjoy good food. The exterior of Waraku was excellently designed. Very japanese decor inside and outside. But one have to bear with the noise level inside.


Having a serious craving for shabu-shabu, i ordered the next best alternative the Pork Nabe. There's lots of vegetables, japanese tofu skins, shitake mushroom, needle mushrooms, meat balls and thinly sliced pork. This was a healthly meal in itself! Wow. I was definately blown away by this dish. The sliced pork was very fresh and the meat balls are definately the best i ever had. I'm definately going back for this Nabe.


GF made Tuna Sashima her first order. Seeing her putting piece after piece of fresh tuna sashimi into her mouth, without uttering a single word, it must be that good. We also had Shishamo. This is disappointing. The shishamos were a little overdone and charred. The flesh were very dry. Not good.


Waraku did a good tori karaage. Extra crsipy on the outside, soft trender and juicy on the inside. And the serving is pretty huge. We also made it a point to try the ebi tempura at each places and all i can say about Waraku's is HUGE. 5 pieces of huge ebi tempura, fried to a light golden brown, and still juicy and tender on the inside. This is reason enought for us to go back Waraku again.


Still hungry, we each order a handroll. I had the tried and tested Californian Handroll while GF had her favourite Tuna mayonaise Handroll. Nothing to shout about but the seaweed was kind of soft. It reminds me of the japanese restaurant ( think it was Maro Sushi or something ) at the previous Marina Square near the Arcade at level 2 where the Japanese chef toast the seaweed only after an order was place so the handroll arrives at your table crispy.


We round of the meal with an order of grilled saba. This is a must have for me. They do it perfect here, crispy skin ( lightly salted ), oily flesh. Wow This is very good! Would have down another serving of rice if GF had not stopped me. Bill came up to around $80 plus but it was worth every bit! Try it and let me know how you like it.

Ang Mo Kio Claypot Rice

Okie, i have to admit, i really cannot remember the exact address for the coffeshop which houses the stall that sells the claypot rice. Located in Ang Mo Kio Central, within walking distance to the Courts.

The stall that sells the claypot rice is actually a "Zi Cha" stall. After ABC-Market ( in Alexandra/Redhill area ) shuts down for a major revamp, both GF and myself have suffering from a major claypot-rice withdrawal symptom.

By chance GF read about this interesting claypot rice stall online and suggested we checked it out. She's a even more hardcore foodie than the blog-whorring me. She's always the one checking out online where to eat what new things to try. I just simply tag along so at least there's someone footing the bill...

Anyway according to the lady who took our order, there are 2 kinds of chicken available ( only on weekends ) - the usual "Pasar" chicken ( SGD$12 ) and the Kampung chicken (SGD$14 ). Since it was recommended, we opt for the kampung chicken version.

Waiting time was quite brief. Served in a claypot, the top was filled with chunks and chunks of bite size chicken. The claypot rice was delicious but both GF and myself know something was missing. Something so essential to claypot rice.

The thing is "lup chiong", and not just the usual 'red' ones but more importantly the darker "lup chiong" made of pork liver. Back at ABC Market, the claypot rice was cooked with loads of "lup chiong" of both types and they added that extra fragrance to the claypot rice.

This was missing here. Dun get me wrong, the claypot rice here in AMK is delicious but given a choice, i'll prefer ABC's.

We also ordered a serving of "Sweet and Sour Ribs" and a bowl of Pig's organ soup. Dinner was good and the company was fantasic. Anyone know where else to get good Claypot Rice? :P

Kok Sen Coffee Shop

Add : 30 Keong Saik Road
Opening Hours : 1130 to 1430 and 1800 to 2230
Note : Closed on Mondays

Dinner one weekend was at this Zhi-Cha place in Tanjong Pagar area. GD's mum have heard rave reviews about the food, especially their Claypot Niang Tofu ( Stuffed Tofu ). This is an old-shop establishment where food served is

Unfortunately the Claypot Niang Tofu was sold out just before we made our order. We were offered another tofu dish which turns out to be very good! A huge chuck of silken tofu deep fried till brown and crispy. Topped off with a minced meant gravy. Goes pretty darn well with rice.

There was also a Stired Fried vegetable with century egg and salted duck eggs. Pretty amazing, the broth turns out pretty sweet from the natural sweetness of the vegetable.

GF's favourite dish - Mai Pian Xia. Pretty decent. Stirred fried beef in blackpepper sauce - didn't try ( ami tuo fou ), i'm not a beef eater. Sweet and sour spare ribs - very good actually. It's becoming almost a must-do these days to serve up to standard sweet and sour spare ribs. It is, IMHO, a good gauge of the standard of food served at that establishment and in Kok Sen, we were not disappointed.

Ting Yuan Fish Head Hotpot

Ting Yuan Fish Head Hotpot - Non-Halal
Add : 22 Liang Seah Street
Tel : 6338-4755
Opening hours : 11.30am to 3pm and 5.30 to 10.30pm daily

For the past few weeks we have been patroning this steamboat place for a couple of times a week . Walking along Liang Seah Street, it's hardly possible to miss the steamboat places there. Ranging from the normal Yuan-Yang Steamboat to the more unique Porridge Steamboat.

This ain't some classy posh establishment so dun really hope for high quality. You pay for what you get. If the highest quality is what you're looking for, you'll be looking at the wrong place. For an average of say SGD$16.50, u can't really be expecting fresh Sri Lankan Mud Crab, Kobe Beef, free range chicken, organic vegeatables nor sashimi-grade fish here.

Both of us tried Ting Yuan ( TY ) and the other one ( can hardly recall the name, apparently from Parklane or something ) and we both agreed Ting Yuan's the better of the both. We prefer outside sitting, less stuffy than sitting inside where the so-call air-conditioned areas are. My Chinese teacher in my secondary school days once said eating steamboat in a air-conditioned area is like taking your pants off to fart.

The other ( TO ) steamboat place offers a slightly different variety but at a much smaller serving. An order of sliced pork yearns exactly 3 slices. Yes, exactly 3 slices, nothing more, nothing less. They also have the usual stuffs like meatballs, dumplings, meats, vegetables etc. Plus their service can be damn slow. Not a good thing if you're going there to wack.

At TY, we usually order "Suan Chai Tang" - preserved vegetable broth, and the Chicken soup for the Yuan Yang Pot. What i love about TY is their Song fish head. It is enough reason to come back to TY for. Bursting with fresh fish wholesome goodness and natural sweetness! I usually go for the fish head and slice meat while GF paid extreme attention to her slice pork.

Another point worth mentioning is the sesame sauce they serve here. I'm not sure how authentic they are but it taste pretty good. On a good day, she we can easily wack 6 to 8 plates of upsized sliced pork and equally thinly sliced pork belly between us.



I will recommend their "Suan Chai Tang"-Preserved Vegetable broth for the steamboat base. Slightly sourish, this soup will surely wet your appetite. Check out the shrimps cocktails in the above picture. They are all nicely peeled and waiting for GF to finish them off.

For around SGD$48.00 ( including drinks for 2), this place sure beats having steamboat at Marina South.

Sudden craving

Feeling really ill and totally drained, i had an unusual craving for a bowl of prawn noodle. Not just any prawn noodle but the one that i used to had back in my secondary school days. Located by Queensway in Queenstown is a school that i love.

I remember fondly this stall at Canteen B which sold prawn noodle at SGD$1.00, $1.50. The thing about their prawn noodle was that, there isn't any prawns in them! For a $1.00 you'll get a bowl of noodle, topped with a slice of luncheon meat, slices of fish cake and a tablespoon of oyster sauce. I used to have 2 1 bowls of their prawn noodle.

Nothing fantastic, every bit MSG, but this was the food that remind me of my childhood days. Where i spent the most wonderful 4 years of my life at. Those fried spring rolls at Canteen A, the after school soccer sessions, the saturdays spending my time on footdrills. Those were the days.

If anyone happens to know where the stall have moved, drop me a comment yeah ;) thanks.

huh?

Usually when i'm online, i'll check the blog counter of eatfatfat. Tonight, i was in for a shock.

Someone actually searched for "why is damien fat"

huh?

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=why%20is%20damien%20fat

Late night supper at Boon Tong Kee

Supper for the day ( night ) was at Boon Tong Kee River Valley. Many a times we have been at River Valley stretch of restuarants for supper. In fact, it is our usual makan place for late night suppers. GF particularly love the pratas there.

However that night we both didn't have dinner and we were feeling super hungry. We weren't craving for pratas but something more filling. Anyone who's been to River Valley for a meal will be spoilt for choices. From pratas to chicken rice, to the usual fish soup. Staying close to such places dun make dieting any easier.

After exploring our options, we decide to have our late dinner at Boon Tong Kee. Started by Mr Thian Boon Hua in 1979, Boon Tong Kee have now expanded to a 6-outlet setup in Singapore and thay have also stepped out of Singapore and make their foray into the Malaysian and Taiwanese scene. From the usual "Bai Zhan ji" - Boiled Chicken aka Hainanese Chicken to "Shao Ji" - Roasted Chicken, they also offer dishes commonly found in "Zi Char" store.

Dinner for that night includes one half of their Roasted Chicken, a plate of "You Chai"-Baby kailan with oyster sauce and a serving of Crispy Fried Tofu. It's been while since i last had Boon Tong Kee but they never fail to leave me with a lasting impression of the quality of food they serve here. The skin of the Roasted chicken is so crispy that it cracks upon biting into it. However the meat, thou soft and tender, lacks any "chicken taste". However i dun mind having Boon Tong Kee's Roast Chicken for dinner any day.


Chicken Rice came in cute shapes of pyramid. Presentation is a plus in itself but the real jewel is the rice itself. The rice is very fragrant and soft, but it's the key part of a good Chicken Rice and it's no wonder Boon Tong Kee makes excellent Chicken Rice.

The "You Chai" is really simple and delicious but not something to rave about. However the Fried Tofu is very good. The outer layer's fried to a golden brown and crisp, the inside soft and full of tofu wholesome goodness. It's really a simple dish but yet done in such fantasic fashion. Simply dip the fried tofu in mayo and send them straight into the mouth.


Dinner for 2 with 2 drinks came to about SGD$40 with some loose change. Not the cheapest but definately one of the better ones. Considering we had half of a Roast Chicken, SGD$40 seem a little more bearable.