Otoko

I have been going to Hougang Midtown more frequently ever since I discovered AM Bakery. Before getting my bread fix, we dropped by Otoko as we heard about their curry rice. 

The lower floor is where they have the cashier and the kitchen. The upper floor is where they have the seating space. Seating space is quite limited- basically, what you see in the picture. You can choose whether to customise your meal or to go for Otoko's Donburi. I chose to build my own curry.

The first step is to choose whether you want curry rice or udon and the second is where you choose from a variety of sides. The lady at the counter told us that it is usual for people to choose around 3 sides. There is a range of mostly deep fried sides, such as pork cutlet, chicken cutlet, salmon fillet, bacon tomato, onion rings etc. 

I first got a Curry Rice ($2.80), added on a Chicken Cutlet ($2.80), a Shitake Mushroom ($1.80) and a Bacon Tomato ($1.80). That worked out to be a dish slightly under $10. If you were to compare to it to Udon Goen, I think Udon Goen is more value for money as you get a huge slab of cutlet for around $10 - $11. That said, the food here is more than decent- they were generous with the curry sauce which was spicier than normal Japanese curry, the deep fried items did not taste oily, and there were interesting items such as the Bacon Tomato which was both salty and sour at the same time (in a good way) and gave a fresh take on the usual deep fried items. Although each portion can be quite small, these can be quite substantial when added together- 3 servings should therefore be just nice or slightly more than enough.

Otoko
The Midtown
1187 Upper Serangoon Road
#01-20
Tel No: 9274 6542 

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Sushiro

We read reviews about how Sushiro had snaking queues (partly due to its popularity and partly due to its small size) and were pleasantly surprised when we went and immediately were shown to our seat- I guess it helped to have a late lunch. 

Although they are known for their chirashi don, we were a little wary of raw food ever since there was a bacteria outbreak. I still miss sashimi and will eat small quantities of it when the craving strikes. 

I ordered the Salmon Mentaiyaki Don ($13). Needless to say, I wiped off every bit of the generous mentaiyaki. I know I said earlier that I have cut down on raw food but I was hoping for a tinge of rawness in the salmon- the sublime state between raw and fully cooked. Nonetheless, the pairing of the fully cooked slab of slightly charred salmon with the mentaiyaki still made a pleasant meal.

Extremely friendly service- the waitress knew the menu inside out, was enthusiastic to make recommendations and her energy was infectious- give her an employee's award!

Sushiro 
Thomson Plaza
301 Upper Thomson Road
#01-113 F
Tel No: 9450 1020 

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Tempura Kohaku

I seldom spend more than 15 minutes queueing for food because there are so many food places to go, why waste your time queuing? 

I have been waiting for the queues at Tendon Ginza Itsuki to die down. But nope, it never did. No matter what time of the day it was, there would always be a queue stretching down the little alley.

If I am going to wait, I might as well wait in an air-conditioned place. So, one Sunday night, we decided to go to Tempura Kohaku. 

Despite my husband's plea at the 10-minute mark, "How about if we still don't get in within 15 minutes, we go somewhere else?" "No."

After half an hour or so, we were finally in.

You could choose between the Tendon or the Set Tendon. The Set Tendon is basically Tendon, udon and Tsukemono. The types of Tendon include Kohaku Tendon (vegetables, chicken, prawn and other seafood), Vegetables Tendon, Kohaku Tendon Spicy Flavour and Vegetables Tendon Spicy Flavour.

I got the Kohaku Tendon Spicy Flavour ($15). When we saw the amount of ingredients heaped on the bowl, we knew that this meal was definitely value for money. The rice is imported from Hokkaido- every grain so plump and delicious.

The batter was not oily and coated with a spicy sweet sauce. It got a bit numbing by the end of the meal, such that all I tasted was the spice. The ingredients included prawns, chicken breast, crabstick, calamari, mushroom, french bean, maize and pumpkin. Each item was fresh although I found the chicken breast a tad try.

Although the food is value for money and is pretty good, this meal was definitely artery clogging. I think coming here once is enough (bearing in mind the queue as well).

Tempura Kohaku
Suntec City Mall Tower 1
Eat At Seven
3 Temasek Boulevard
#03-310/311
Tel: 6333 4386 

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Mikuni

Few hours after leaving Mikuni, I was still mumbling to myself, "What a good meal... what a good meal..." With the blessings of an Amex card, we enjoyed 50% off the total bill. 

It was fully packed on a Friday evening and if you booked early, you could decide whether to sit at the counters or at the "proper" sitting areas. Their ventilation is pretty powerful, I didn't smell like smoke after the meal even though I sat at the teppanyaki counter for the entire meal.

First, we had some complimentary thinly-sliced crackers with sprinkles of seaweed. It had gone a little soft though.

What is a Japanese meal without some Salmon ($20)? These thick slabs of salmon were fresh and creamy.

I was having an internal debate whether to order the Hokkaido Sweet Corn ($15). It is a little insane to pay so much for corn but I decided I had to get it since it says "Hokkaido". Hokkaido has fantastic fresh produce and I simply couldn't resist being the fool who pays $15 for corn. I haven't reached the stage of fishing out $100 for a Hokkaido musk melon though. The sweet, buttered corns were huge and lightly buttered, making each bite a delight. There was also some salt at the side- I didn't know that corn went well with salt!

We ordered some Hokkaido Scallops ($32). Chunks of plump scallops were swimming in butter sauce.

We also had the Kurobuta Pork Rib ($40). The portions were far too much for 2 to share. I don't often describe pork as tender because it often isn't. But here, the pork was tender, and had a thin layer of fat which didn't feel all that sinful at all. Simple flavours but delicious all the same.

The lobster ($48) covered in lots of roe and melted cheese was juicy and sweet. I would have preferred it with less cheese though because the cheese became a little gelat after a while.

We ordered the King Crab Fried Rice ($18). Aside from the fact that the rice was on the salty side, this fried rice was definitely worth ordering. There was so much crab meat in this that you would get some crab meat with every mouth of rice. The rice grains were also distinct without being too dry.

To round off the meal, we got the Ice Mochi Assortment ($28). The mochi flavours were vanilla, green tea and an unidentified flavour. There was nothing special about the dessert and this was the only dish I wished I hadn't ordered.

Overall, a memorable meal.

Mikuni
Level 3
Fairmont Singapore
80 Bras Basah Road
Tel No: 6431 6156

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Monster Curry (Parkway Parade)

Previously housing Mad Jack, this unit has been taken over by Monster Curry. 

As gimmicky as this bright orange dinosaur may be, it solved our dilemma as to where to eat. We are the kind of consumers that advertisers like to target- ignorant and easily attracted by bright, weird looking things. We saw this dinosaur and decided to try Monster Curry. I like their website- very to the point and transparent- although they need to update it because prices have been revised very slightly.

We ordered the exotic sounding Green Apple Italian Juice ($3.50) which was essentially a small bottle of apple juice.

I have never seen such a big plate in my life- just look at how it compares to the utensils. Yet another gimmick but the food was pretty decent and extremely filling.

We ordered the Combo Curry ($25) which consisted of pork katsu, fried fish, pork shabu shabu, shrimp tempura and cheese, You could choose from 5 levels of spiciness- we chose level 2 flame which was "extra hot". It was spicy but I wouldn't call it extra hot.

I like curry, whether it is Japanese curry or Indian curry. Monster Curry's sauce contains up to 14 difference spices and vegetables and requires two days to cook. It was thick and a perfect accompaniment to the rice although it started getting gelat after a while, especially when it started turning cold.

This Combo Curry is enough for 2 big eaters / 3-4 females. Eat it fast because it is best eaten warm. The tempura consisted of a lot of flour probably just to make it look like super sized prawns. The fish was pretty much like the fish in fish and chips. I would have liked more shredded lettuce to balance this otherwise very deep fried meal. The katsu was deep fried to perfection, crispy with a layer of melted cheese over it. The shabu shabu felt a little out of place in this dish.

For hungry people, this is a decent meal which is value for money.

Monster Curry 
Parkway Parade
80 Marine Parade Road
#01-11
Tel No: 6348 6171 

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Saboten (313 Somerset)

It has been nearly 3 years since I last went to Saboten. Due to the recent reports about bacterial outbreak from eating raw fish, we decided to skip the raw fish and went for some cooked Japanese food instead. 

The interesting thing about this place is that the booths are rather high which gives you more privacy than other restaurants. This reminded me of a television program I watched recently where in Japan, there are these restaurants with individual booths and everybody would just eat their ramen without having to see the person in the next cubicle- see an article here. 

I ordered a Salmon Seafood Gozen ($24) which came with Half Salmon Katsu, Fried Shrimp and Crab Cream Croquette. The set also came with Japanese rice, miso soup, chawanmushi, cabbage and dessert.

I can never have enough of those thinly shredded fresh cabbage drizzled with sesame sauce which is a good accompaniment to the deep fried food. The deep fried items were not greasy and despite the seemingly small portion, made a rather a substantial dinner. Saboten has obviously mastered the art of deep frying.

Eating Crab Cream Croquettes  reminded me of the Crab Rangoons that they serve in Chinese restaurants in America. It was a strangely familiar yet unfamiliar taste- the sense of deja vu which hits once in a while.

The dessert to round off the meal was mango ice cream. I was hoping for some yuzu ice cream or black sesame ice cream. Rather ordinary, the otherwise good dinner failed to end with a bang.

Service was pleasant and the waiters came by to refill our green tea often. Come early to avoid the crowd.

Saboten 
313 Somerset
313 Orchard Road
#B2-02/03
Tel No: 6333 3432 

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Rakuichi Japanese Restaurant (Oasia Hotel)

I was searching for a Japanese restaurant that was good enough for a treat yet not too expensive. I walked into Rakuichi with high expectations and was glad that their food met expectations. 

At lunchtime on a Saturday, the place was rather empty except for three tables. The lady next to me was having a leisurely lunch while reading a book. Strangely enough, they were playing what sounded like old cantopop songs.

I got myself a Set C ($38).

I was bowled over by the thick slabs of sashimi. Fresh and a light bounce to every bite.

I know this may seem like a portion for 2 to share, but I tend to have a good appetite so this was good!

I started off with the exceptional Aburi Sushi. Each piece of fish melted effortlessly in my mouth and the light smoky taste together with the different sauces made this a winner. The tempura was lightly deep fried and was not greasy.

To balance the otherwise heavy (but very delicious) meal, there were some edamame, corn, mini fish and prawns (anyone know what these are called?). This is the first time I am trying the deep fried prawns and fish and they were pretty addictive! Compared to the other dishes, the skewers were less impressive and pretty ordinary.

We ended the meal off with a scoop of sesame ice cream. I am not usually fascinated with sesame ice cream but this was light, not too sweet, and had a strong sesame flavour. 

Considering the amount and quality of food here, I definitely recommend this place if you are looking for value-for-money Japanese food for less than $50. 

Rakuichi Japanese Restaurant
Oasia Hotel
8 Sinaran Drive
#01-05
Tel No: 6 659 6683 

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Ramen Keisuke Tonkotsu King Four Seasons

Of all the Ramen Keisuke stalls, I like this the best. 

The decor in the eatery highlighted what else, but the four seasons.

The usual accompaniment- the beansprouts I can never get enough of.

I ordered Autumn ($12.90) because I simply can't resist mushrooms. Look at the bowl with autumn leaves! The little minced mushrooms were a delight to savour- the mushroom goodness that bursts with every bite. Needless to say, the eggs were done perfectly- slightly runny and flavourful. If not for concerns about salt intake, I would have slurped this bowl of robustly flavoured soup down!

Friendly service, food was served quickly. The queues can be pretty long though- be prepared to wait!

Ramen Keisuke Tonkotsu King Four Seasons 
Bugis Village
158 Rochor Road
Tel No: 6 333 5740

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The Sushi Bar

With the blogosphere raving about the famed salmon aburi, the queue simply didn't deter us from visiting The Sushi Bar. We shared a long table with another four other people and we heard their conversations throughout the entire meal and vice versa. Which isn't a bad thing actually, you get to listen to the stories of other people's lives without actually having to know them- similar to the art of people watching. 

We waited for half an hour on a Friday night which was actually pretty quick considering that the queue was long when we went. 

We had the Chawanmushi ($2.80) which was pretty average- smooth with one piece of mushroom and crabstick.

I had mixed thoughts about the Wafu Spaghetti ($10.90). I found it pretty addictive but I think half the portion was enough before it starts to turn a little gelat.

The Scallop Mentaiyaki ($13.90) was so delicately sliced- each thin piece of scallop is an envelop of freshness and subtle sweetness.

The Ebi Fry Salmon Aburi Roll ($16.90) was what we came here for and I was glad it didn't disappoint. The salmon pieces were torched and had a melt-in-the-mouth consistency. Coupled with the crispy prawn fritter in the sushi, this is something that you have to order.

The food here is definitely value-for-money. They don't have enough servers and the wait for your food can be quite long.

The Sushi Bar
Far East Plaza
14 Scotts Road
#03-89 

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Tamoya (Liang Court)

There are plenty of ramen specialty shops in Singapore but udon? Here you have Tamoya, established in Kagawa in 1996. Udon noodles are typically served chilled in the summer and hot in the winter. In a fast-food chain setup, you first decide on the kind of udon you want. Then, choose the additional toppings you want. Lastly, pay! 

I got a Kake Udon ($4.80 for regular sized). This is the most basic type of udon which is in a light dashi stock. It may look like a small portion, but after all that extra ingredients that you are going to add, it will not be as small as it looks! The udon is made from 3 different types of flour and is very chewy.

Like excited school children seeing plates of golden deep fried goodness, we loaded these deep fried food on our plates to share. Deep fried mushrooms, deep fried eggplants, deep fried everything. There was a slight problem here though- some of the food has been left in the open for too long and had therefore turned cold and lost its crisp. 

The tempura prawn ($2.50) is addictive. Larger than usual prawn tempuras, this is something you can't miss.

After sharing all the deep fried items, it came up to about $8 per person. How's that for a good and cheap Japanese meal?

Tamoya (Liang Court)
Liang Court Shopping Centre
177 River Valley Road
#01-00
Tel No: 6 377 0301 

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Hakata Ikkousha (Tanjong Pagar Plaza)

Having secured the title of Ultimate Ramen Champion for 2 years, Hakata Ikkousha now has a shop at Tanjong Pagar Plaza. While the shop space might be relatively small, we didn't wait for long on a Friday night to enter the shop. Check out this video which explains their mission and how every detail in the ramen is taken care of.  

I decided to get the safe choice of Tonkotsu Ramen ($12). The noodles are thinner than the usual ramen noodles but unsurprisingly, are springy. You get to choose the amount of oil and the amount of saltiness- one thing I've learnt is that I should go for either the normal version or the most unhealthy version. Some of the flavour of the broth had been lost presumably through my opting of a healthier version. The char siew was also leaner than the usual char siew in ramen. 

I attribute the lack of kick of eating the ramen to my choice of making a healthier option- so they can't be faulted. Despite that, the ramen was of course still decent (the runny Flavoured Boiled Eggs ($2) added much needed flavour). Service was friendly. 

Hakata Ikkousha

Tanjong Pagar Plaza
#01-104B
Tel No: 6 538 1880 

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Ichiban Boshi (VivoCity)

We stood at the directory with all the food listings before a consensus was finally made to go to Ichiban Boshi. It was full packed at dinner time so we waited for more than 40 minutes to get in. 

I have to say I'm impressed at how affordable their meals are!

I ordered a Business Wazen Set ($16.90). The chanwamushi had a nice stock and was so smooth and slurp-worthy! Something that happened to me in 2013 was a trip to Japan- and that changed my entire perspective on raw food. The salmon was chewy and fresh. Not a fan of the taste of the mackerel though. Tempura- impossible to go wrong with that.

A really good option for Japanese food without breaking the bank. Service was average.

Ichiban Boshi
VivoCity
1 Harbourfront Walk
#B2-07/09
Tel No. 6376 8318 

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Chikusen Japanese Restaurant

At Tanjong Katong, some shops are perpetually crowded like the established Eng's Noodle House. Pity that Big Bad Wolf which served pretty decent fare closed down. Competition's tough along this road. Seeing that Chikusen was a new contender along this street, we decided to give it a try. 

Beautiful entrance, with a simple and clean design within the restaurant.

We ordered a lunch set which is available on weekends as well. I got a Tempura Set ($14). The appetiser was very savoury and the shredded cabbage was fresh. I know it's just lettuce, but I get irritated every time I see browned sides or if the cabbage is soggy.

The Chawan Mushi had a lot of ingredients in it including juicy mushrooms.

The tempura was lightly battered and not oily at all. The prawns were a little small though. The meal rounded off with a mango pudding which was a little too sweet for my liking.

This place is apparently better known for its higher-end food. But their lunch sets are affordable and definitely value for money. Service was very good as well. I dropped a utensil and one of the waitresses immediately replaced it without me having to ask for a replacement- that's initiative, good observation skills and service deserving of mention!

Chikusen Japanese Restaurant
309/311 Tanjong Katong Road
Tel No.: 6348 1966 

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