Tenza Izakaya @ Upp Bukit Timah

I am always a Jap food lover, for those of you who are also interested do join me on this journey...

From word of mouth, I came to learn about this Jap restarutant in Bukit Timah, Jalan Kechil.

Their shopfront gives a very atas look with its main color of Black and finishing up its furniture with the modern theme.

They are specialized in their Tenza, 'Black Pork'. Many of you know that black pork is sweet and tender as compared to normal Australian (the milky smell/taste) or Indonesia pork. (Taste is always very subjective)

Now to their menu... for Lunch they have the ala carte set from S $9.90 onwards. Where can you find such great delights...

It consists of Charashi: A rice bowl topped with generous diced salmons, tuna, tomago, finishing with its final touch of strips seaweed which it's so appetizing. Accompanied with a bowl of miso soup and deep fried shrimp as sides.

Another Lunch set would be (black pork) Cha Soba, looking simple but yet appetizing for a lighter meal. Give it a try, the pork is tender and soft to chew to consume.

Grilled Black Pork accompanied with deep fried shishamo and miso soup made out another set of lunch.... the batter fried in was not too oily but just right.

Beef steak accompanied with miso soup and sashimi made up the wonderful lunch where the sauce was of a mixture.

Additionally,  their miso soups are definitely prepared in a very different way as compared to the other Japanese eateries in Singapore. The soup contains of fish maw and a little more veges & seaweed.

Rueben, is very friendly and socialable which makes me believe even more the saying, 'the effort you put into smiling will definitely make one's day!'

Good service: Their service crews are attentive and able to get the orders quickly.
















Tenza Izakaya @ Upp Bukit Timah
16 Chun Tin Rd
Singapore

Tel: 6314 5688

Opening Hours: (Tuesday - Sunday)
11:30am - 2:30pm, 
5:30pm - 10:00pm

Silk Road @ Amara

 

Having a Chinese restaurant that could cater up to 16 pax on a round table for a meal is quite rare. 

Brightly lighted Silk Road @ Amara, could offer and even allowing us to have the private room. 

It was a fusion mixed setup, as decorations are in Chinese styles and the furniture are majority modernize. It gave me a different feel from the other Chinese restaurant I have frequent.

Chinese Chrysanthemum Tea

Mandarin Birthday dinner will definitely begin with 'Sou Tao'

(It is a special request)

Double Boiled Ginseng Chicken Soup

The richness of the soup from the method of cooking made it so flavorful, and one bowl is definitely not enough.  

Award Winning Pan-fried Cod with Spicy Sichuan Sauce

Their award winning dish, is a must-try, when you take a mouthful it will slowly melts in your mouth unlike some places that serve tough fish. ('Tough Fish' is when you take a bite and the fish meat have lost majority of its moisture.) Additionally, with the Sze Chuan Sauce it just spice up the fish and makes you feel appetizing, ensuring you to take more bites. With the presentation of the color of the dish makes it very inviting.

Peking Roasted Duck (half duck for 4-6 pax; whole duck for 8-10 pax)

The peking duck served are tasty and not too oily, just right for anyone.

However, the wrapping skin was a little too dry, maybe due to not enough thawing.

Sauteed Scallop and Asparagus with XO Sauce

For a seafood lover like myself, I would like my scallop to be fresh (even though it may be from the freezer) however if there is a fishy smell in the seafood, please throw it away.

Fortunately, the scallop served was big, and with the XO sauce it just made the whole dish mouth-watering and worth eating.

Award Winning Handmade Noodle with Chili, Garlic and Fragrant Oil

With their fusion mix of atmosphere, they have also apply it when serving their another award winning dish. It gives a refreshing taste and spices its 'spring-like' noodle. 

On the other hand, if you are not a fan of garlic, I would advise you to notify the waitress/waiter before you are served.

Yam Paste with Gingko Nut

To end of the 8-course meal dinner, we reached our traditional Chinese dessert.

The texture of the dessert is smooth, when you consume it, it does not contains a lot of oil.

To me it is just right!

All in all, it was an enjoyable and tummy-overfilled evening. Their service crews are all very polite, resourceful and alert. As I have gotten the Groupon 'Amara Singapore: $99 for 2 Pax 8-Course Chinese Cuisine Set in Silk Road Restaurant (Worth $256).'  which makes the pricing more worth it.

SILK ROAD RESTAURANT

Amara Singapore, Level 2, 

165 Tanjong Pagar Road 

Singapore 088539 

Tel: 6227 3848

Antoinette @ Penhas Road

Along the shop-houses of Penhas Road, carrying an elegant fresh look situated Antoinette.

With the posh design of the shop, it just makes you feel like a princess / prince entering the cafe...

They cater to the wide range of desserts starting from cakes, self-made mashmallows, biscuits, macrons and more. These were some of the things that have greeted me on their shelves.

The cafe was lit up with just enough lighting, giving a very welcoming warm yet classy setup. Their seats are heavy but yet comfortable.

You can smell the sweetness tinkling in the air, with their patronizers seated around happily chatting away.

Their fresh desserts were displayed on their counter top where we can access the whole selection with a glance...

Upon my visit, I came upon this cake named Cosmo, (A red celestial sphere surrounded by constellations with a sprinkling of gold cosmic dust.) it was really interesting and I did some research on it:

(if you like to know more here it goes...)

Taken from https://www.facebook.com/Antoinette.sg

Inspired by the renowned Cosmopolitan cocktail, Cosmo features a tart lime parfait studded with crunchy chocolate pearls, cranberry and morello cherry jelly, walnut blondies and light finger sponge drizzled with Grand Marnier.

Additionally, Antoinette does not only serve desserts, they do serve mains too.

And you may want to visit them at their following outlets here in Singapore:

390 Orchard Rd, Palais Renaissance, #B1-08/09/10C

30 Penhas Road (Off Lavendar Street)

333A Orchard Rd, Mandarin Gallery, #02-33/34

Their service crews play a big part in making me feel home when I am in the cafe, with their smiles they make my trip an enjoyable one. All of them are well dressed and tidy!

Averagely the price is about S$26.

Antoinette 

30 Penhas Road

Tel: 62933121 

Rakuichi @ Dempsey Hill

Rakuichi situated in Dempsey Hill @ Block 10, which is at an obscure corner, quiet and relaxing.

A very good place to chill the afternoon away.

Salmon Sashimi Platter

~ The thickness is just right, and the tenderness of the fish just melts in your mouth.

It is refreshing and sweet at the same time. ~

Appetizer which comes as the sides for the set

~ With the flavorsome sides, it just wakes your tummy for the Mains ~

Grilled Skewers of the day

~ The Pork were cooked just right, it is not tough and yet juicy. Each mouthwatering bite you take, you will just want more. The middle piece is the mid-joint of a chicken wing, and a piece of salmon with the red and green capsicums ~

Assorted Semi Grilled Sushi Platter

~ Making a fusion where the raw fish i.e. Salmon, Tuna and etc are grilled, and with the right sauce used, it makes the dish whole. And you will never get sick of it. 

You may want to consider this main, if you not a big fan of rice bowls. ~

Black Sesame Ice Cream 

~ A meal is not complete without dessert. 

When the ice cream is served, the aroma of the black sesame fills the air. 

The ice cream is smooth and concentrated ~

I would recommend the place for lunch, especially with the lunch sets it is worth trying.

Their Sashimi platters are fresh and the presentation makes it alluring.

With the ambiance, turning up with your friends and family is definitely a must!

Price: It ranges from S$40 - S$50 per pax for lunch, 

that's about the pricing for sets you can do ala carte too.

They have more than one outlet, but I still prefer the outlet @ Dempsey Hill.

Rakuichi Japanese Restaurant

Dempsey Hill

10 Dempsey Road #01-22

Singapore 247700

Tel: +65 6474 2143

Fax: +65 6474 2368

Shinkei @ Toa Payoh

I was walking along Toa Payoh's library I can't help but stopped and notice that the building next to shop & save had changed, on top of that a huge banner highlighting a Jap buffet @ 'Shinkei' was hung at the front of the building.  

After recommendation from friends, I decided to give it a try and boy am I lucky enough to purchase the deals before satisfying my Jap's craving.

We were welcomed with a brightly lighted signboard. The interior, it had just enough light to allow you to see what you are eating, accompanied with the background Japanese music which built up the just right atmosphere.

The waitress welcomed us with a big smile, which made that evening better! She brought us to our table, and patiently went through the method of ordering, as it is our first time there.... (she is really helpful)

We started ordering a stick of gizzard, a piece of shishamo and two portion of mixed sashimi and etc.... (the portioning was purposely made small just enough for us to try.)

when we gotten our order for the salmon sashimi, it was rather disappointing as the slice of salmon was a little petite and thin compared to those sashimi at other Jap restaurant.... 

To me sashimi of a bite size, with a little of width is considered to be the minimum of a good sashimi platter. And of cause, the choice of the various parts of the salmon also played a big part.

The gizzard and the shisamo were sadly under my expectations,  the gizzard wasn't properly treated before cooking, there's a smell when you are eating it. Which is not appetizing. For the shisamo it was way overcooked. (It supposed to be pregnant fish, but I think I ate just a flat and skinny fish) =((

Nonetheless we finished the plate of the sashimi... and we decided to give it a second chance and placed another order of the salmon sashimi. When the second serving of the salmon sashimi was dished out, I know we did the right thing to give it a second chance. The sashimi is served much better, which turns the table around, Sedapp....

The terriyaki beef were a little over cooked, as each bite I took  the beef just get chewier and tougher :((.

The tempura will just right, the batter was light and tasty...

With the well mannered service crews, this venue is suited for families and large group of friends to enjoy nights out together... I will recommend if you guys want to try it, purchase the deal from groupon.sg or deal.sg; it is more worth it!

SHINKEI Japanese Restaurant
600 Lorong 4 Toa Payoh
#01-06/07/10
Singapore 319515

Opening Hours
Monday - Sunday
Lunch: 11am - 2.30pm
Dinner: 6pm - 10.30pm


Buffet Pricing: 
Lunch: ADULTS - $ 32++
Dinner:ADULTS - $ 35++ (Sun to Thur), ADULTS - $ 38++ (Fri, Sat , Eve of PH)

Laurent Bernard Chocolatier @ Robertson Quay

It's a Friday's evening and the whole place was filled with music from different restaurant and chattering voices from the diners...making the pier so lively. To satisfy the never-ending crave of my sweet-tooth, I came upon Laurent Bernard @ Robertson Quay. 

It's a small cafe with 2 parts to the shop, where one side you can just sit and enjoy the French patisserie with your companion... and the other part is where all the chocolates are displayed, for you to make your choice .... mmhmmm!!! With the choice of color of the store and furniture, it made that evening so soothing and stress free.

Pleasure Individual

Combination of chocolate sheets, whipped chocolate cream, ganache, hazelnut dacquoise and praline. 

If you like hazelnut, this is a must try!

Lava Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream 

Chocolate souffle ~ signature dessert

- Crispy on the outside and soft in the inside, the chocolates are not milky sweet - the sweetness is just nice (If you are a dark chocolate lover, like me). With the pairing of the raspberry sherbet, it will just keep you refreshed and will make you indulge furthermore.

Consuming each mouthwatering desserts, I feel so blessed to be eating it!

Eventually, the plan for losing weight will have to wait. ;)

This place is suited for partners, small gatherings... 

If heat is not a problem (really depends on which month you visit), the outside seating would be great for the evening. The interior brings out the coziness of the small yet exclusive chocolate boutique.

The owner of the shop is very hospitable. Making my visit that evening a memorable evening!

I will come by again!

Laurent Bernard Chocolatier 

The Pier at Robertson Quay 80

Mohammad Sultan Road #01-11

Singapore 239013

Tel: +65 6235 9007

Operating Hours :Monday 6pm-11pm

Tuesday to Thursday 1pm-12 midnight

Friday to Saturday 1pm-1am, Sunday 1pm-11pm

Crossings Cafe @ Waterloo Street

Crossings Cafe, did they come out with the name because we have to cross a road before reaching the cafe?  ... haha...

Cold joke aside, from the newspaper article,  the reason of the unique cafe name is because "...this cafe is a cross between a business and the social organization..." sounds cool to me...

Crossings Cafe is situated along waterloo street just a short walk from bras bersah stations. Its next to Sts. Peter & Paul Church.

The color of the exterior of the cafe makes it look atas and with just a signboard with an article saying what is this cafe all about. Like what people usually says, 'simplicity is a virtue'. 

when I entered into the cafe, it just brightens up giving it a lively tone with the contrast of colors and the texture of the walls bringing up the spaciousness of the cafe...As a great deal of white colored was used, it brightens up the place contrasting it with the black board at the counter, the cream-colored tables and golden yellow paper mat laid on the their tables. All in all, it gave it the modern touch.. 

The tables were setup like those 'fine dining' western cafes...

We started off with drinks and Sides & Bites... 

Iced Cafe Latte

Sweet Potato Fries

The sweetness of the potato fries makes it savory...
it is not that crunchy as compared to the truffle fries... but it is still pretty good.

Truffle Fries

- The thickness of the fries is good, it was served piping hot and the crunchiness wouldn't let you stop, it is so addictive... 

however the down side is the fries do not have enough truffle oil coated :( -
If too much truffle oil smell is not your typed, you should order this fries to have something different from the norm.

Baked Black Pepper Chicken Rice 
Buttered pilaf rice with sweet capsicum, zucchini, onions and mushrooms alternate with layers of ricotta, Mozzarella, Cheddar and Parmesan between lasagna sheets.

When the baked rice was served the aroma of the dish just filled the air, makes my tummy rumbles... having the first spoonful in my mouth, the spiciness kicks in with the cheesiness makes it so smooth and it just goes so well with each other... the blending taste of the black pepper with the soft bites of rice and the lasagna... makes it a pleasure to eat it.

I do not really like overdoes of cheese on my dish, especially on baked rice.
Usually the bake rice are covered with a whole chunk of melted mozzarella cheese with cheddar cheese, which makes you feel sick of it... 

You should give this a try!

Just to share: Some of you may ask what is Rice pilaf.
It actually refers to rice that is cooked by the "pilaf method," in which the uncooked rice is first sautéed in butter, after which hot liquid or stock is added, and then the pot is covered and cooked in the oven until all the liquid is absorbed.

Honey Mustard Ribs 
A set of pork loin ribs roasted with honey mustard sauce, served with sweet potato fries and a salad to makes a full set for one. 

- This dish is not my cup of tea, because the pork have this milky pork smell, I preferred those without the smell. So if you are like me, you may wanna give this a miss. -

Chicken & Aubergine Parmigiana 
Baked layers of breaded boneless chicken breast, topped with grilled aubergine (egg plant), tomato concasse and mozzarella cheese. Served with normal fries and salad.

This dish was done with a classic northern Italian recipe to serve aubergine.
If you are a person that doesn't really like egg plants, do give this a try, as it is just two slices of the egg plants layered with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese and its baked with the breaded boneless chicken...

Am glad that I gave it a try, not regretting what went into my tummy =)) 

Profiterole
Cream puffs drizzled with chocolate sauce and roasted almond flakes. Served with vanilla ice cream.

An enticing dessert - it serves 3 in a single order ;)

Iced Mango Souffle
A frozen treat of eggs, cream and pureed mango. Served with wild berries, mango and strawberry sauces.

The soft and smooth texture of the souffle just slip through my throat, with the coldness it just melts the hot weather away. I like it without the sauce, as I find the sauces are too sweet.

Panna Cotta of the Day 

An Italian dessert that made by simmering together cream, milk, and sugar, mixing this with gelatin, and letting it cool until set. - For this it is made with coconut milk and topped with chocolate sauce and chips.

Their service crews, are alert, steady, always calm and pleasant to their customers, they helped us with our orders, explaining some terms of the terms to us, like ... "Aubergine".

Thanks guys! 

I would like to help them do a shout-out here:

Crossings Cafe is not just any western cafe, their profit actually goes to the charity organizations and their main focus are to help those youth at risk and disadvantaged. 
So if you dine in their cafe you are directly contributing to the community!

So for such a great deal, come and dine in and taste their much fusion-Italian cuisine as a whole.

I would recommend this place for a good chilling venue, to catch up with your old friends.
- The lazy Sunday feel just kicks in, when you are there, it's so relaxing -

-Price Range: it is about S$20 to S$30-

Crossings Cafe

55 Waterloo Street, Singapore 187954

Opens daily, from 10am to 10pm.
Tel: (65) 6338 2669