Tokyo Soba

Trying out something new during lunch with friends from the office! This little joint is literally a hole-in-the-wall soba place with a few small tables inside and one 4-seater table outside. When we arrived during lunchtime, all the tables inside were occupied. Thankfully, just as we were milling around outside trying to figure out what to do, the group seated outside got up and left so we have a table!

The menu was extensive and there was a wide variety of hot soba, cold soba and soba in dipping sauce. I went for the Mixed Vegetables Tempura Soba (Hot). Oh my it was really good! The soba was done just right, not soggy at all and not too chewy. The soup base was light and clear, and the mixed vegetables tempura was crispy and not too oily. The tempura was served separately so that it would not sit in the broth and turn soggy.

Really enjoy the soba here and will be back!

Tokyo Soba

12 Gopeng St #01-16 Icon Village

Singapore 078877

Saturday night

So I spent my Saturday night in the best way possible. Made myself a cup of hot turmeric tea, flopped onto my giant bean bag, switched on Netflix and... picked a romcom.

Tadah! My choice of posion was To All the Boys I Loved Before. I used to be such a big romcom fan. Name any romcom and I've probably watched it before. Or maybe even twice. But in recent years, I dropped that hobby because there hasn't been any good romcom in a long while and I was not going to spend $13 to go to the cinema to watch some half assed crap. Even with Netflix, I would much prefer spending my time watching some sci-fi thing or war movie than some young punks being dizzy in love.

Now I wonder why did I make that choice? After soaking up a night of good old American romcom, I conclude that nothing makes me happier than watching young punks being dizzy in love. Especially with a good soundtrack. Gosh what have I been missing out all these years! Adulting made me forget that a part of me is a hopelessly idealistic romantic. 

Now I'm eyeing To All the Boys I Loved Before 2 which will be released on 12 Feb 2020 and I already know that I will be spending Valentine's Day night watching that show with another cup of hot tea in my hands. Actually, come to think of it, I might even go and catch Last Christmas that is screening in the cinemas now. How tempting. 

Aburi-En

My first time trying Aburi-En was at the Vivocity branch which had a snaking long queue. We waited a long while, watching the cook grill loads of beef and pork, and wondering when it would be our turn to be seated. Food was not bad although I don't remember thinking that it was worth the long queue.

My second time at Aburi-En was at the Suntec City branch. We wanted to go for the Salted Plum but it was crazy crowded so we decided to head to Aburi-En instead.

I always go for the Aburi Salmon Don ($13) since I don't take beef and I have reduced the amount of pork I eat these days too. It was nicely done, with just the right amount of torching. Not too burnt, still a little pink inside and shiny with abundant amount of fish oil released during the torching process.

I chose to add a salad with my Aburi Don which was an additional $1.50. ZG had the popular Buta Bara Don ($15) which was grilled pork belly and he said it was not bad. In addition to a salad, ZG also had an onsen egg which was another $1.50.

My views about Aburi-En remained the same after trying two branches. The food is decent, service is attentive but I will not wait in line for this. This is probably the sort of place you would drop by to have a quick meal in a shopping centre as opposed to a restaurant you would make a special trip to eat their food.

Vivocity #01-159

Suntec City #B1-121 (West Wing)

Opening hours 11 am to 10 pm daily

Uya Japanese Unagi Restaurant

Met Stef for lunch on a lazy Sunday in town for unagi! I've just tried Man Man Unagi at their new branch at Clarke Quay central and was rather excited to try Uya since both shops specialise in unagi!

Stef made a reservation and we were ushered to our table swiftly. They were open earlier than their usual opening hours and there were already folks sitting inside the restaurant. Wow such early birds.

After settling down we both ordered the Hitsumabushi. It took a while for our food to be served and I assume it's because the chefs are hard at work grilling our eels in the kitchen. I was constantly distracted by the chefs at work in the kitchen behind the glass windows.   

When our food arrived I was very pleased with the generous portions of eel sitting on a mound of fragrant rice! The Hitsumabushi came with a flask of dashi stock, nori and wasabi.

There were instructions as to how to eat the Hitsumabushi but after a while I simply alternated between eating the unagi with rice or scooping it into a separate bowl and poured dashi stock into the bowl. The dashi stock was refillable.

I lost the pic of the food alone so here's us with our Hitsumabushi! The eel was delicious. I figured that Uya was different from Man Man unagi in that their eel was super crispy. It was like eating eel crackers. So if you like your eel grilled to a crisp then Uya is for you.

Ended our lunch with some drinks at Starbucks and a good catch up. Thanks Stef for the birthday treat!

501 Orchard Road

#02-15/16 Wheelock Place

Singapore 238880

67321096

Monday to Sunday 12 to 230 pm, 6 pm to 930 pm (till 10 pm on Friday and Saturday)

Pho Vn

I am always on a look out for good Vietnamese pho because nothing makes me happier than a bowl of good pho ga (chicken pho). Whether I am happy or sad, a hot bowl of chicken pho makes my belly warm and my heart warmer.

I stumbled upon Pho Vn after yoga one day at Yoga Movement Circular Road. It was late, around 8 pm, and the shop was empty. I debated whether to enter (was it empty because it served lousy pho?) but I decided to go in anyway because I was really craving for some pho that night.

White florescent lighting, simple decoration and a smiling lady at the till. That was what greeted me when I entered. I didn't really look at the menu because I always go for chicken pho whenever I have pho so that was what I ordered. 

I sat down and my bowl was served within minutes and oh my, it was so good. The broth was full of flavour and I love the thin slices of chicken in the pho. Some places serve their chicken pho with chunks of fatty chicken but Pho Vn's chicken was lean and yummy.

Some 90s pop songs were playing in the background and there was nobody but me in the shop and I love that feeling. There is nothing I enjoy better than slurping down my hot food, listening to songs from an era that I love, and just not thinking. 

So I came back one night after yoga and had their Dry Noodles with Grilled Chicken. Wow it was so good too. Noodles were just right, and I love the fragrant juicy grilled chicken! Portions were generous too and I am especially glad for the large amount of greens.

Will be back the next time I have yoga at night! So glad to discover this spot near my yoga studio. Have a feeling I'm going to be a regular ;)

20 Lor Telok #01-01 Singapore 049032

65350065

Monday to Saturday 1030 am to 9 pm

The Flying Squirrel

Located in a narrow alley off Amoy Street, the Flying Squirrel might not be the easiest to locate if you stroll down the bustling street. In fact, my friend walked right past the alley and reached Amoy Food Centre before realising that she was lost and had to turn back. With all the other restaurants and cafes jostling for attention along the main Amoy Street, you might think that the Flying Squirrel would be a dead town inside. But you would be wrong.

The Flying Squirrel was packed when I entered on a Friday night. It's a small place and there were people seated all around. Dimly lit and with a distinctive bar vibe, the Flying Squirrel is popular for their makis and sashimi.

I intended to order their Salmon Ikura Don but alas, it was sold out. At 730 pm. On a Friday night. Shows you how good business gets at this little joint. So I went for their Unagi Don ($29).

Very generous portions. Just look at that thick slab of nicely grilled unagi sitting on a small mound of rice. While it may not be as yummy as the unagi at Man Man or Uya, this was definitely still good. 

Ambience at the Flying Squirrel was nice and cozy. Feels like eating in a bar. As it is a small place, good idea to make a reservation if you are intending to have dinner here!

92 Amoy St #01-02 Singapore 069911

Monday to Thursday 1130 am to 230 pm, 6 to 1030 pm

Friday 1130 am to midnight

Saturday 6 to 10 pm

62262203

Skai, Swissotel

Celebrated our one year anniversary at Skai! We wanted a place with great views and a nice quiet ambience so we narrowed our search to a few places in the Marina Bay area and CBD. Eventually decided on Skai because he hasn't been back since Equinox was no longer around and I have never been to Equinox. So it felt like a good time to explore a new place together!

Oysters topped with caviar and dashi foam. To be honest, I can't really appreciate that dashi foam, just tastes like... foam. But I love how fresh the oysters were when I bit into them.

I had the uni saffron risotto. Love the uni, and the saffron risotto was less heavy than I expected it to be. He ordered some steak but I forgot to take a picture and forgot the type of steak he ordered oops.

Tuna Tartare and chips! Mostly because I was still feeling peckish and really wanted to have more stuff.



Night view.

When I made my reservation, I left a note that it was our anniversary so they gave us this really cute chocolate. What a nice touch.

The view at Skai was perfect. I've been running around the bay for years so I am very familiar with how it looked from the ground but woah, it was so different to see it from above. Watching the buildings light up as night fell was also really magical. Am truly glad to be able to spend that night with Zg. 

Would I be back? Nah I think once is good enough. The meal was more expensive than I would like it to be and I would only come here if I intended to splurge on a good meal. But I was very happy to be able to have our paper anniversary celebration with Zg here!

Level 70 Swissotel Stamford Road

68373322

Monday to Sunday 12 to 230 pm, 6 to 10 pm