Finally back for more!
This time though, the soup was less flavourful as I would have liked, and failed to deliver that strong herbal kick. Still a pretty good bowl of soup noodles, but slightly disappointing after such a great experience the last time.

This was a beautiful starter that really whetted my appetite. The vegetables were crunchy and tossed with a delightful and a refreshing dressing, albeit a little too sweet for me. Topped off with crispy shallots, this is the epitome of a great Asian slaw.
I did wish the portion was bigger though!

This definitely piqued my interest because houjicha was listed as one of the ingredients and the drink was a brainchild of great bartenders Jerrold and Yao Lu.
Intense, complicated flavours going on (it was recommended that we started off with something else first and thankfully we had) and the Guiness reduction was divine. I loved hearing the story of how the drink came about from the man (Jerrold) himself. Great cocktail, with a greater story to boot. Plus, you get to keep the tiny bottle as a souvenir too, with the wood for aging and a very nice design on.

I'm not usually someone who visits the same bar twice, but for the Flagship, I'd gladly make an exception. Unpretentiously good ambience that got better the longer we stayed, and I promise it wasn't (just) cos of the booze. Excellent bartenders (thanks Jerrold and Vic!! You guys were awesome to say the least) who got me even more interested in their world of whiskey which they're very clearly passionate about. It was my first time there, but there were many regulars, and I can see myself being one too. Bar seats (very highly) recommended!

I am embarrassed to admit that this was my first time having this well loved classic; I guess whiskey was never my choice of alcohol until very recently. So I don't exactly know what makes a good one, but I enjoyed the one here! The taste of whiskey was apparent, but not overwhelming.
I mean, if they call themselves the "Home of the Old fashioned", and are by the people behind the likes of Jigger & Pony to substantiate it, I believe I was in good hands.

The number of courses sounded daunting at first, but that was what we got to enjoy the premium cuts and boy, was it a great decision! We were so stuffed, but enjoyed the whole experience very, very much.
Pictured were the five courses I enjoyed the most. Don't get me wrong, I actually enjoyed every one, but those were the most memorable ones for me.
1. Akami (lean tuna): I already expected the chutoro and otoro (the fattier cuts) to be good, but I'm partial towards the akami because it reminded me of my time in Japan. Good food is good its own right, but when it actually brings you back somewhere... now that's really something. The chef also shared that it's not common we get something like that in Singapore (I agreed) because they've marinated it beforehand to get it to taste like that.
2. Madai (Japanese seabream): This was my first time having it and I wonder where it has been all my life. Not as well known as the salmon or tuna, but no less amazing in taste- really light and fresh!
3. Onsen tamago and Ikura (I call it the "Eggs on Egg"): Both ingredients already amazing on its own, but what a flavour explosion when eaten together. The creaminess and slightly saltiness of it all... so satisfying.
4. Ika (squid): None of that rubbery texture here, this had a nice chew and wasn't tough at all.
5. Hotate (Scallop): I think "melt-in-the-mouth" is one pretty overused phrase but this literally did. Wonderful.

What an incredibly exciting culinary journey, especially with the friendly chef. We were lucky to be seated next to a nice couple, who explained that it was their first omakase and apologised for asking "noob questions". I waved that off quickly and as I told her, we were all there to learn and that's part of the fun. Service was efficient (our glasses were never empty and plates promptly cleared), and considerate (our plates were wiped clean in preparation for the next course, ginger promptly refilled). Definitely recommending this place!

Chose vegetarian toppings (each riceroll allows you to choose 5 among a wide variety) of burdock root, wakame seaweed and emperor beans (supplement $0.30) because the meat options didn't really appeal to me.
Despite it being completely meat-free, this deceivingly small rice roll kept me reallyyy full for a long time! I think it must have been the generous amount of purple rice (I suspect the same kind used in pulut hitam because of their similar taste and texture) used to wrap the ingredients.

p.s. look out for their discounts given with some cards!

The recent rainy weather made this hot bowl of noodle soup very appealing amidst the crazy variety of food offered here.
What intrigued me most was the choice of 刀削面（literally translated as Knife-shaved noodles) but those were unfortunately too soft for my liking. You can definitely see it is homemade though, with the uneven sizes and lengths of the noodles, which I found interesting. Soup-wise, it reminded me of a very, very mild version of mala xiang guo, with the appearance of peanuts, pickles and the standard greens of coriander and spring onions. It wasn't spicy at all, and I detected a hint of mutton taste (the stall is famous for their mutton offerings after all). I did enjoy the very tender chunks of beef, as well as the really soft tendon pieces which literally melted in my mouth.
Overall, I say give this bowl of noodles a miss and go for their interesting sides instead. Their tripe, as was very well done- not too chewy and flavourful, as was the pig's ear (good crunch) though their woodear mushrooms weren't quite as nice. If not for my noodles, I would definitely have chosen their mantou or 花卷 steaming in the huge basket at the back for my choice of carbs to pair the sides!

Stall Name: Master Shifu

I was craving for some Japanese skewers over rice, but sadly this bowl failed to satiate it.
There were three types of skewers– tsukune, buta bura and yakitori. All of them were really average tasting, but the tsukune (usually my favourite) was bland. I did appreciate the well-cooked Japanese rice underneath though, which was drizzled with a sweet Teriyaki sauce and the complete-ness of the set, which came with soup, appetiser and fruit.
Service was good, as was the ambience, especially when you're seated near the glass windows capturing the view just before the sun sets. The only let down was very unfortunately the skewers, which had looked and smelled so so promising.

If you're ever curious about how the steamed buns are like in Indonesia, these are it!
Unlike in Singapore, the bread appears to be less white and texture-wise more fluffy. Most versions I've had in Indonesia uses ammonium bi-carbonate which I can't appreciate because it makes the buns smell and taste strongly alkaline, but thankfully this recipe doesn't (or at least I couldn't detect it).
While the charsiew is quite similar, the red bean (also known as tau sar there) is quite different. Its darker in colour, usually grainier in texture, and less sweet because they mix the beans with less oil and sugar. I don't think there's any ready-made packaged red bean paste you can buy off the shelves there, so every bakery has their own rendition of the bean paste. Thankfully, the one here wasn't too sweet and retained its wonderful earthy aroma. 😊

Jl. Dharmahusada Indah Utara I/B 66

Never would have thought this combination on a pizza would have worked but this was outstanding! I loved that they didn't go too crazy with the amount of ingredients and instead focused on the quality instead. The result was a really well balanced pie, despite the richness of the individual ingredients. The homemade sausage, which had a good ratio of fats for the flavour, wasn't greasy and nicely spiced. Pizza dough itself was thin and had a beautifully fluffy and soft crust.

I usually find most celebrity chef restaurants overrated and underwhelming, but this restaurant by Mario Batali was anything but. Food was great, service was wonderful (thanks Mary, you were a delight!) and the whole experience felt incredibly well thought out. The interior though still classy, along with tiny details such as a glossary for diners to explore the Italian menu, made this experience an unpretentiously amazing one. Quite unlike the other Italian restaurants I've been to, but by no means any less wonderful.

I admit I was a little skeptical after listening to its ingredients but I'm really glad I listened to the waiter's recommendation on this one!
The drink wasn't as strong as I would have liked, but the rosemary and dry ginger ale made this cocktail really refreshing and a wonderful pre-dinner drink as we waited excitedly for the food.

This wasn't listed on their regular menu, but be sure to check their black board for their Specials!

So on a rare, cool evening, we capitalised on the opportunity to get some fish steamboat for an early dinner. I loved that there was a wide variety of ingredients– vegetables, seaweed and yam and a generous portion of fish. The latter was really fresh and lent its sweetness to the soup, which was nice and light. You can also choose to have your hotpot without the fish head, which was what we did! We easily finished the soup, but did feel thirsty afterwards (even though we ordered drinks as well).

Be sure to come early because they get packed really fast. Everyone in the party must be present before they'll serve you, which is understandable considering how busy they can get, even on a weekday.