Jones the Grosser, I meant the Grocer

One thing I learnt in life recently is that even though you can teach a cat to walk on 2 legs, it doesn't mean that it's human. Just like a grocery store that happens to sell severely upmarket products like cheese and wine.

One would expect that since its upmarket grocery store ingredients, the food will be great? No. I wouldn't say borderline terrible, but how about very close to terrible?

The other obnoxious thing about stores like Jones the grocer, they like to over charge their customers as well for very high class canteen food.

What isn't terrible and thankfully not pictured by my demon of a phone HTC Touch Pro 2, are the fantastically wonderful breads and muffins and scones. Those, that I have ordered nearly all over a 4 week span have been outstanding.

Bottom line, know what you're paying for and don't eat in a grocery store. Its just rude.

Saboten @ Parco Marina Bay

Bar none, the best service of the 3 restaurants reviewed so far sitting on top of Parco Marina Bay. And might I add that I don't think any of the stores will survive at this location but this 3 restaurants but I digress.

Saboten serves Tonkatsu. That's breaded fried pork goodness.

The lettuce, rice, miso soup and bows are all free flowing. Really. The tonkatsu is breaded juiciness of pork wrapped in love and you have to smother the in house sauce with the crushed (hulk smash!) black and white sesame seeds to taste the extent and wonder of the pork.

Jelly likes this place but I didn't. I can't put a finger on it but for that service, I wouldn't mind going back and I do love my tonkatsu because of my dad.

Keisuke Tokyo @ Parco Marina Bay

Finally, I am at the right restaurant. Jelly and I decided to go there during a weekday as we figured that all the other dummies were like me, thinking the other ramen restaurant was this. A word of advice to all potential restaurant owners or already are owners, location, location, location. The other restaurant has a hot Japanese man. Don't hide your young pseudo Japanese ladies!

True enough, the restaurant wasn't filled when we got there but was brimming on the edge when we left. The service was spectacularly uncomfortable as one can tell that the staff is still very new at this but you know this can change when the staff gets more experienced.

How does Keisuke Tokyo see their own food? "Often selected as No. 1 ramen in the most popular contest lists or selections in Japan, Keisuke has a sterling reputation for its noodles. In the annals of Japanese ramen, their broth is a sensation. Without a pork bone base, the revolutionary and new broth is made with mainly fried shrimp, giving it a very rich flavour. Their choice of soy sauce is also carefully selected; only white soy sauce is used."

What did I think? I'm glad they served coke. I was also very happy that the ramen I tasted was very different from what I have had previously. But was it better? I can't say it is. Not because of what you might think but its comparing pears and bananas. This ramen experience is different. This is prawn consumme. The chef was inspired while working in France and came up with a new idea for ramen. The "char siew," used is chicken, and the dumplings and gyozas are all still prawn based. I really hate to say this but as a local, the closest thing to this ramen is prawn noodles. The base of the local prawn noodle ramen is usually a mixture of pork bones and prawns, but this is pure prawns.

I ordered the super prawn ramen and Jelly ordered the regular one and she didn't like hers because she preferred the Ippudo ramen, but I thought this was good but tasted different, if you can catch my drift. The broth for this ramen is rich and gently forgiving, the pork ramen broth is robust and creamy when done right.

I hope people would come to Keisuke to open their minds to a new kind of ramen and not expect the typical fare.

I shall return, when I am in the mood for it.

Nantsuttei @ Parco Marina Bay

I really wanted to go to Keisuke Tokyo to eat the ramen and me being the idiot that I am, thought this was that restaurant because it was nearest to the escalator and it had a long line. I didn't really figure out that I made the mistake until I saw Man-goh's facebook entry saying " food-critic is an idiot," at least that's what I thought I saw.

Back to the review:

Located on the wonderful 3rd level of the new Parco Marina Bay, Nantsuttei " offers tonkotsu soup (pork-based creamy-typed soup) ramen, which is derived from Kyushu area (west part of Japan). Their special and unique ingredient is “Ma oil”, which is a blend of seven types of deep-fried garlic with sesame oil. The harmony of tonkotsu soup and “Ma oil” is Nantsuttei’s most distinctive feature. Their noodle is mid-size in thickness and springy in texture, well-suited to the mix of tonkotsu soup and “Ma oil”. " (Excerpt taken from their website)

So what did I think about the restaurant? Jelly thinks that the Japanese men there are really good looking and the couple next to us ordered just 1 bowl of noodles to try (how rude!)

The food? I walk into every restaurant wanting to like it, but for some reason, I didn't really think this Ramen was any different from the rest that I have tried. Or what Simon Cowell sometime says to the American Idol contestants, there isn't enough personality to make people want to remember you.

So there, I said it. I said personality. Funny thing is that I actually would go back there and eat the Ramen again.

Trattoria Lafiandara al Museo

We just finished our typical pre weekend activity as Jelly and I just finished watching a movie @ our favorite cinema, The Cathay. I was hungry for Italian and I didn't want to go to Al Forno's.

I then remember that there was a restaurant at the Singapore Art Museum that I have always wanted to try and I knew it served Italian food.

There we entered from a brief 5 minute walk, a dimly lit restaurant with many dating couples seated together, a family of 5 with a super cute 3 year old and what I still think till today was a lady's night out, or maybe they were celebrating a divorce? I don't know. But there it happened.

We anticipated good things. The restaurant had a great aroma, as if kept in a bottle, the wonderful smell of pizza. Someone should make this into a cologne by the way, I would drink it.

The service was alright. Water had to be either bottled or bottled, Jelly asked for tap and we got still bottled water, its like they read our minds. The pasta was AVERAGE and the pizza was AVERAGE. Service was getting better actually as the night got along. That was the weird part.

I don't think I'll go back again. Who goes to the Singapore Art Museum? Really. (Sorry Pamapadam Pam)

Ramen Investigation - Tampopo @ Liang Court

I have been told that the proof is in the pudding during my 7 driving exams that I have experienced and since I am doing a power of deduction kind of a ramen sampling, I had to re-try this classic.

Man-goh and I reached the restaurant around 1130 and it was empty. We ordered their pork ramen and enjoyed their soupy broth and in the end, the conclusion was obvious.

Ordinary.

Next?

Ramen Royal Rumble Pt 2 Pt 2

So we went back to Yoshimaru when we taught we would never do it.

What did I learn?

Terriyaki burger was decent enough but why was is so small?

Garlic noodles were "garlicy," enough.

I didn't know that the menus, when you put them together formed the 10 commandments on the reverse side!

Yakader Muslim Food - Tekka Market

I love Nasi Briyani and since I had a meeting around the area, I had to try to eat at Tekka Market, for the 1st time in my life. Yes, Singaporeans, I have not eaten here before. I was looking around and finally sat in front of the store and ordered the Nasi Briyani.

My army training has taught me how to blend in with the locals and through my avatar, I understood what the people around me were eating and I have to say this, after I saw the police officer order 10 packets of Nasi Briyani from the store. I was certain.

That I ordered from the wrong store. I should have gone 4 stores down to Hannifa instead.

Lesson learnt.

Cacio E Pepe Italian Restaurant

I want to support the local businesses. I now live in an area where there are no good Italian food. What do I do? I go online and do a thorough search and here it is. I present to you Cacio E Pepe Italian Restaurant.

Tucked, or more like, hidden away by the massive road construction around the area, we find the restaurant with relative ease between a small coffee shop and a convenient store in a small stretch of shops, I was surprised.

The first rule of any food business is location. So if the location of the restaurant is relatively difficult to find, the food has to be good. We showed up on a Sunday around 9pm and the restaurant was still full. Impressed, we found a table and I took a peak around the tables to see what they were having.

We ordered the risotto, seafood pasta, and a pizza, and a coke. Bill was $80.

I have no gripes with the price but I do have some gripes.

I don't know if a neighborhood restaurant serving Italian food should be charging that much per plate. I didn't think that the risotto or the seafood pasta was nothing I couldn't make myself, and the pizza was above average. Now, I have been to many Italian restaurants and I have paid more money for a plate of pasta than this but I am questioning the satisfaction and cost quotion here.

I might go back again if I am in the mood, and the lady that served us was extremely polite and nice to us. But I don't know if the food is good enough. Obviously I might be wrong about this restaurant because they obviously had a good crowd and a decent rating for the local site for people who I suspect don't know good food even if it hit them in their face, but I left the restaurant questioning what I just had, which is never a good sign.

I am holding on my judgement for now but I hope I will change my mind.

Sea Hag Patong

I have been to Phuket many times since I was a child and I have always enjoyed the food, the people and the tourists. Going back again recently after a couple of years, it brought back memories of a simpler life.

I did a quick research for food and we headed to the Sea Hag at Patong beach and I have to say I was really surprised by how good the food was. Not that Thai food in Phuket was bad, its just that there is always a tendency when you go to a tourist spot, its less likely to have more authentic local food.

Jelly and I were pleasently surprised by the quality of the food and service. Food took a while and its filled with tourist (which I was initally suspicious as this was the No. 1 rated restaurant on Trip Advisor) but overall, I would recommend the restaurant to any one looking to take the first step towards thai food.

Ramen Royal Battle Part 2 : Yoshimaru @ Holland Village

I was recommended Yoshimaru by a colleague of mine. I shall name him Evil E. He lives around the area and he has suggested to me on various occasions that Yoshimaru was better than Ippudo. Since Anthropology had a closing sale, why not? 2 stones, 1 bird and some ramen?

Disguised in the upmarket locale of Holland Village sits Yoshimaru. Opened by the seafood restaurant conglomerate Jumbo Seafood, I questioned if my Evil E was correct.

It is a small and simple Ramen bar. Wooden like furnishings with white light. You order the ramen, Jelly and I just ordered the traditional Hakata ramen and a DIY Ramen with Char Siew and Egg with sliced radish and the need to pound some sesame seeds to help enhance the taste of the ramen and verdict?

Those eggs were the best eggs I have had yet in a ramen store. Called "soft boiled eggs,' (actually its between a hard boiled egg and a soft boiled egg with a harder exterior compared to a gooey core but I digress). I give the edge to Ippudo for the broth. Service, can't really be compared because Yoshimaru is very much smaller and the noodles were a push for both (a draw).

I can see why some people like this place. And I think if I'm in the area and want to eat Ramen, I would not hesitate to drop by. Sorry Sushi Tei.

Loved: Eggs:
Hated: Pounding the sesame. It was too much fun that it made me hyper ventilate.

Ginza Barin at Ion

Yes, its true. I do hate Ion but I still frequent this particular mall because its there. One cannot avoid it like the pink elephant along Orchard Road. Jelly and I were shopping for things we couldn't afford at Ion and we were hungry. We wondered through the several levels of crowdedness, and mind numbing amount of stores and we stumbled upon Ginza Barin. When I say stumbled, I actually mean the store was near the escalator.

We wanted some meat and rice and Katsu Don obviously satisfies both the criterias. The service was prompt as one has to queue up and order the food outside the restaurant and then take a number and choose a table for the food to be served. I'm not a hybrid kind of guy but I think sometimes business owners have to decide on whether to charge the customers a service charge or not because I don't understand why one would want to make a customer line up outside the store, pay for the service charge and then walk into the seating area and wait for the food to be served.

How was the food? I quite liked it actually. I didn't like the lining up outside.

Man Fu Yuan - Intercontinental Hotel

I was concerned by the lack of customers. It's just before Chinese New Year and a Chinese restaurant is empty! What? We were surrounded by tourists, and some locals. (Isn't that like everywhere in Singapore)

Service was good. Food was good. Jelly and I really digged the soup of the day, the double boiled pork and melon soup. Ha Kaw and Char Siew Bao were fresh. The Siew Mai and Shanghai dumplings were lovely. The only thing that got me was the custard bun which of course my wife Jelly loves and I didn't. The egg tarts were styled in a way that I didn't appreciate but still tasty none the less.

Why I will not come here again: Its quite tough to get to because it is hidden in some obscure corner and the food is good but do I really have to pander to my Chinese roots in Bugis Junction when I know that Arab street, and all that lovely Indian Muslim food is around the corner?

Why I will come here again: We came to Man Fu Yuan because honestly, Hua Ting was fully booked. Sigh. I think this would be a good place to have peaceful, good Tim Sum without the rush and the crowd.

Paulaner Brahaus

Paulaner Brahaus has been around for a long time and since a friend of mine needed to vent outside the office. What better reason to have beer! ( I don't really like drinking beer but occasionally when I have to, I do.)

Lets get some facts straight. I like beer like I like my women, tall, blonde and bubbly, makes you dizzy after after a few pints and you can only have so much of it, that's why I married one. (Wink)

At the same time, I also like my sausages, long, short, spicy, anything buy cheesy sausages. They're gross.

So why am I not German you might think?

I don't know really.

Paulaner - Worth a pint!