I’ve always enjoyed eating at Soup Spoon as their soup is really tasty and delicious! One of my favourites is the Tokyo Chicken Stew. The hearty portion, consisting of chicken chunks and mixed vegetables, is a healthy lunch option to keep me satiated throughout the day. The soup is flavourful and the best part is it doesn’t taste MSG loaded.

For those who are looking for a complete meal, you may top up to a set which includes a drink and a
salad/sandwich/wrap. I chose the Chilled Soba with Teriyaki Chicken salad to match with my Japanese inspired soup. The salad was very refreshing and topped with generous servings of tender Teriyaki Chicken slices. The soba was quite chewy as well.

Overall, it was a satisfying meal that never fails to put a smile on my face, great job!

Nestled along the food haven of Tanjong Pagar Road, this authentic Japanese Restaurant serves up some really mouthwatering dishes such as their Pork Loin Teriyaki and Seafood Hot Pot. However, we were rather disappointed with their quality of sashimi as well as grilled saba. Somehow, their fish supply was not fresh and undermined the overall dining experience.

Salt Grilled Saba ($12+)
Quite fishy and not much meat - not recommended. Pork Loin Teriyaki ($15+)
The pork was soft and succulent. Topped with their special BBQ sauce, this is one tasty treat guaranteed to tantalise your tastebuds! Highly recommended! Seafood Hot Pot ($16+)
This little pot is stuffed with an overflowing portion of cabbage, golden mushroom, slice fish, sotong, prawns and tofu. The soup base is quite rich and thankfully, did not have a fishy taste. A healthy addition for a hearty lunch! Tuna Maki ($6+)
Standard tuna maki that can't really go wrong. However, the tuna, was not exactly very fresh but still passable for sushi standard. Salmon Avocado Roll ($11+)
They were quite generous with their salmon and avocado fillings which was a big plus point. Recommended for the portion in relation to the price tag Sashimi Mori (5 kinds) ($20+)
Unfortunately, their sashimi was a letdown as it was not fresh. This was actually a chef's selection of the day and we highly suspect that they were trying to clear stock, At $20+ this was considered a steal and probably also explained the lack luster quality. Alas... Overall, it was still a pretty decent dining experience with some good finds! Recommended especially for office workers around the vicinity looking for a quiet Japanese restaurant to celebrate special occasions (e.g. colleagues' birthday, farewell etc). Just a note to skip their chef's sashimi selection of the day.

We finally had a chance to try out Gurney Drive since its opening at JEM (we had a 1-for-1 voucher for this). Sadly, the experience fell short of our expectation – overpriced Penang fare that's only worth during promotion...

Penang Laksa ($6.95+)
Although they were quite generous with their ingredients (especially the mackerel), the soup tasted rather blend and lacked the fragrance and punch we were yearning for. Thankfully the noodles were not too bad and quite springy. Penang Prawn Noodles ($7.95+)
The soup base was not too bad though it could have been richer and stronger in flavour. The ingredients were fresh; but again, the natural sweetness and essence of these ingredients somehow did not seep into the soup base. It felt rather distinct (soup base vs other ingredients) and lacked harmony in texture and taste. Not a place we would likely patronise again when we could get something much better just across the causeway and at less than a fraction of what we were paying (unless of course there's another not-to-be-missed promotion ;)).

We've always enjoyed the food at Yayoiken, both for the quality as well as pocket friendly prices!

Buta Yakiniku Set ($9.90++)
For those who are looking for something light and healthy, this is definitely the set for you! The grilled pork was really tender and juicy and paired very well with the complementary salted vegetables served. Coupled with the grilled vegetables, potatoes, and side salad, this is one complete and wholesome meal that will leave you as happy as a lark!

Highly recommended casual dining outlet to satisfy your Jap food craving, anytime

After a disappointing visit a couple of months back at their Jcube outlet (which we had feedback through their survey portal), we were pleasantly surprised that their marketing team actually took our comments seriously and even offered some vouchers as a token of appreciation.

We decided to try out their other outlet at The Central this time round. Although the overall experience was way better than our previous visit, we concluded that Chili's is not the place for good steak anymore. We order the identical item for a apple-to-apple comparison. The beef was definitely fresher and more tender. However, we realised that their steak was no longer flame grilled but rather pan-seared instead. This probably explained the lack of the smoky fragrant and bittersweet aftertaste that used to captivate us.

We'll probably give their Fajitas a try the next time we visit again (to utilise the balance voucher).