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2013-12-06
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I just love it when shops selling Japanese snacks start popping up along the Woodlands Xchange strip at Woodlands MRT, especially when one of them is offering one of my favourite snacks, the Taiyaki, a Japanese fish-shaped pancake filled with various fillings on the inside. This is just a small, simple outlet with only three separate tables inside for customers to dine in, although we usually have no trouble finding a seat each time we've been there since most people usually just take away the f
This is just a small, simple outlet with only three separate tables inside for customers to dine in, although we usually have no trouble finding a seat each time we've been there since most people usually just take away the food. Decorated in Singapore's colours of white and red, the outlet not only looked and felt chic but also patriotic. However, I felt that it can be a bit awkward to chit chat in there especially since the small shop size meant that everyone else can hear you! Still, it is a good place to have some quietness and enjoy a nice meal (or snack) in peace!
For such a small outlet, they not only offer Taiyaki but also a small variety of other Japanese food such as the Japanese Curry Rice like Beef Hamburger Curry ($6.50) and Yakisoba like Ebi Fried Yakisoba ($6.50). When we went earlier in November, they were having an promotion for two sets of Chicken Katsu Curry and/or Omelette Yakisoba for only $9.90! This was a steal considering that both dishes alone costs $5.90 each! Even so, we found their prices to be pretty reasonable compared to similar dishes in Japanese restaurants. We ordered both dishes for $9.90 as well as a Taiyaki to go.
Chicken Katsu Curry Rice (U.P. $5.90)I usually don't like curry but somehow I always make an exception for Japanese curry. I love how Japanese curry is slightly sweeter and much milder and less spicy than its Indian counterpart. The stew is also thicker and less oily. The curry at Sinfish had a really nice aroma that whetted our appetite and and the curry was tasty too! There was a decent portion of gravy and ingredients like soft potato chunks in the curry which we liked. This also came with chicken katsu, which was very crispy!
Omelette Yakisoba (U.P. $5.90)This was fried on the spot and you can actually watch the staff through the window if you're bored while waiting! The yakisoba was served on a "hotplate" and came with a generous serving of fried noodles mixed with chicken chunks and beansprouts. It was then covered with an omelette on top and drizzled with sweet sauce and mayonnaise. This was the second time we ordered this yakisoba and we were glad to find it slightly less oily compared to the first time we had it. The noodle was evenly cooked, firm and chewy. It was also flavourful and the sweetness from the yakisoba sauce and mayonnaise helped to balance the saltiness from the noodles. This seemed to be a popular dish as we noticed that all three tables including ours were having the same yakisoba!
Japanese Red Bean Taiyaki ($1.60) No trip to Sinfish is complete without its taiyaki which comes in both sweet and savory flavours ranging from the original Japanese Red Bean ($1.60) to Tuna Mayonnaise ($1.80) to Turkey Ham & Egg ($2.00). They also have new flavours like Pandan Kaya ($1.60) and seasonal flavours like Durian ($2.00) to cater to local taste. We actually got the Turkey Ham and Potato Taiyaki during this visit although we have tried almost all of the other flavours previously. My personal favourites are the Turkey Ham and Potato ($2.00), Japanese Red Bean ($1.60), Chocolate ($1.60), and Custard ($1.60). The pancake skin was thin and crispy and the filling portion given was pretty generous! The Turkey Ham and Potato taiyaki had real slice (not chopped bits) of ham given and I actually saw them cracked a whole egg into the pancake when I ordered the Turkey Ham and Egg taiyaki previously! I'd recommend the Japanese Red Bean for those who prefer their taiyaki sweet or Turkey Ham and Potato if you want something savoury. There was this homely baked taste to their potato filling that I can't find the right words to describe. Try them for yourself!
The friendly and polite staff usually make these pancakes upon ordering so these are best eaten straight off the hot iron when they are still at their crispiest! Be warned that they can be really scalding hot! For the photo above, you can see that the taiyaki has already begun losing a bit of their crispiness around the middle even though it was less than an hour after leaving the outlet. It is thus not recommended to keep them for too long or overnight as they will get soggy and somewhat mushy inside depending on the filling! Pricing was within the reasonable range for the taiyaki although the savoury ones can go up to $2 each. But I find them to be worth every cent. I'd highly recommend a visit to this outlet for the food, especially the Taiyaki, if you are in the area!
The fishies at SinFish you say? Gotta eat 'em all!
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