Japanese

I discovered a yummier way to devour these seared beef slices: eat them along with a spoonful of ramen broth! On a side note, I've learnt never to order fries in a Japanese restaurant ever again. It's clearly not their forte!

This was only $4, but the portion was actually bigger than I'd expected. The meat was tender enough but a pity i found them too salty even when eaten along with rice.

The first time I had a taste of ippudo ramen was many years ago at Mandarin Gallery and I remember not being impressed. This time though, I was taken aback by how rich and flavorful the broth was. I usually refrain from slurping up too much soup but this was just too good to resist, I HAD to finish every drop of it. Sorry the picture doesn't quite do justice; I was too hungry to take a proper shot!

I can't believe how a dish as simple as tofu can be so gratifying. These are the silkiest, wobbliest, softest tofu ever, with bits of fragrant mushrooms all over and within. 😍😍😍

Just look at all that glow-y roe calling out to you! But anyway, the star here is really the soft shell crab, which stayed incredibly crispy even towards the end of the meal.

Though it took me some jaw power to chew through them, these beef strips were very juicy and I loved the aroma and flavor from the red miso that laid underneath. They are served medium rare on a huge piece of leaf over a charcoal grill, so you can control how cooked you like them to be.

A one-person serving of this garlic fried rice may be a little bit expensive at $8 (there's no meat or seafood in there), but it has lots of fried garlic bits to add crunch and intense garlic flavors. The miso soup served alongside is also worth a mention. There is an unique flavor to it which I can't put a finger on. I usually leave the miso soup in a set meal quite untouched, but this? I slurped it all up!

For someone who dislikes the taste of alcohol, I was quite in love with this little glass of wobbly, peach-flavored jelly sake drink. Worth a try!

This 4-in-1 platter is a life saver for people like me who can never decide among the various sushi rolls on offer. While the avocado-soft shell crab roll was just mediocre, I liked the unagi roll for its generous portion of eel, and though the cream cheese buried within tasted like an odd match, I suppose it would be an interesting appeal to some. The Chicken Caesar, which has a coating of MSG-tasting seasoning powder, is my least favorite. (Note that the platter originally included a salmon roll too, but I swapped it for the avocado roll as I don't take raw meat)

Ehhh.. Isn't cheek meat supposed to be the best part of any fish? Both the boyfriend and I genuinely mistook it for pork, thanks to it's surprisingly tough and rough texture. 😕

I absolutely adore this dish! It has everything I like: Fat slabs of barbecued unagi, thinly sliced yakiniku beef, dried seaweed, pickled ginger, edamame beans, a runny egg yolk, PLUS mushrooms and chestnuts hidden within. So good!

The portion here may be bigger than that at many other jap restaurants, but I didn't quite like the batter used here, which was thicker and crunchier than usual, especially around the crab legs.