Hokkaido Sushi Restaurant is not a stranger to many of you. Up at the 9th floor of M Hotel, it had its glory days when the restaurant was voted Best Japanese Restaurant in 2009. In June this year, the restaurant underwent a change in management and since then, there has been many changes to the menu with introduction of many new dishes.We had the pleasure to enjoy the Hokkaido Kaiseki Course ($68) which has appetizers, sashimi, Hokkaido Ginkarei Shioyaki, Char-grill Ohmi, Signature Prawn and Hata Tempura, Bara Chirashi Sushi Bowl and Miso Soup. Our seasonal appetizer includes pumpkin tofu, handmade noodles with foie gras and vegetables with sesame sauce. Its signature prawn and hata tempura uses wild prawns which has a lovely sweetness. The pleasure of tempura lies in its crispy texture and savory nature. The tempura here is airy and light.What we particularly like is the Char-Grill Ohmi – extremely tender and juicy and comes in small cubes. The beef is supple and tender and the cubes of fat have a slight crunch before they melt in the mouth. Don’t be fooled by its size – it may be small, but by the time you finish it, you would have satisfied your beef craving.The highlight of my lunch is non other than Ohmi Wagyu Don. Ohmi beef is one of the three most famous type of Japanese Wagyu (Ohmi, Kobe and Matsuzaka). It contains fine marbling between high quality fat and muscle, making the tenderness of the meat texture. When slightly grilled, the meat melts, giving a rich aroma and sweetness.

The Ohmi Wagyu Don has a perfect blend of ohmi beef on top of sushi rice. At Hokkaido Sushi Restaurant, they uses Hokkaido Rice, which is a better grade rice that is gaining in popularity. The rice is glossy, sticky and sweet, which pairs well with the beef. You can order a Ohmi Wagyu Don Set ($78) which is served with sashimi, ikura chawanmushi, pitan tofu, salad and miso soup.

Will I come back? Yes, definitely! Chef Thomas’s passion is demonstrated when he came to us almost every meal to explain the dishes. You can see how much I love their Ohmi Wagyu Don and the restaurant owners are coming up with more affordable bento sets without compromising on the quality. Their omakase dinner ranges from $68 to $108.

With more cupcake parlours opening up in Singapore, it is obvious that Singaporeans are susceptible to the charms of sexy cupcakes. Just a few months ago, Tiong Bahru welcomes a pretty cupcake parlour – Kisses bakery. Phil, Wendy and Wanting took over a 60-year-old Chinese provision shop called “Hup Seng” when its owner retired. The cupcake parlour is now in soft pink, with a touch of old charm from the former shop’s vintage signage, old school cupboard and folded door.The trio was inspired by the cupcake parlours in Melbourne, so they came up with some swiss flavour combination on top of the usual suspects. These include Rosé caramel which has a vanilla cake base with salted caramel core, rose buttercream and salted caramel buttercream. I love their meltingly smooth and subtly flavoured buttercream, it’s not too heavy for my palette. Rose buttercream is the first cupcake I tried and that is my favourite cupcake. Their cupcake base may not be the lightest but it is good enough for me.Some unique asian flavours include the Kaya cupcake which my Grandpa loves very much. Pandan-infused coconut cake based with a kaya cream cheese frosting and kaya swirl – yummy!

Chocolate lovers can try something more unique – White chocolate raspberry cupcake with vanilla cake studded with white chocolate chip and a fresh raspberry topped with raspberry cream cheese frosting and white chocolate curls. You can expect about 10 flavours from them everyday.If you prefer the classics, of course there is Red velvet Cupcake, Chocolate chocolate Cupcake, Salted caramel Cupcake, Mocha chocolate cupcake etc.

I am happy to know that they are sold out almost everyday, despite being a totally new kid in the neighbourhood. Many office ladies nearby will always go and grab a cupcake or two after their lunch breaks. Hence if you want to have your favourite flavour, be sure to visit them early!

http://www.misstamchiak.com/kisses-bakery/

Located in Tin Tee House, a 111-year-old single-storey shop house in Bukit Timah, Outpost No 903 Gastrobar is sitting at a spot which is familiar to many. This gastrobar is opened by ex host of Channel 8′s Good Morning Singapore Iriana Halim (Lin Youyi) and her husband Alfred. They revamped the entire interior to give it a more raw yet chic design. They specially source furnitures and deco from Vietnam – door handle, construction lights, sconces, wooden table – very cool!

Read more: http://www.misstamchiak.com/outpost-no-903-gastrobar/First snack that appeared on my table already wow-ed me. Long Bean Fries ($8)! I have never eaten long bean fries before and it is definitely a refreshing start. They also serve other fries such as luncheon meat fries, buffalo spiced fries, truffle fries, chilli con came fries and the normal straight cut fries.Outpost offers a good combination of old-fashion American and British bar menu classics with a Peranakan twist in some. Its Herbal Chicken ($18, only available on weekends) bring a western twist to the usual traditional herbal chicken we always have. The juicy tender chicken thigh is marinated in herbs and oven baked, served on top of home-made mash and special herbal sauce.

Its piping hot aromatic herbal steam raised to our noses. It is not too herbal to give you a bitter-tonic fright. The thick herbal sauce is pleasantly sweet. And you may think pairing herbal sauce with mash may taste weird, but no no, we voice their approval with a unanimous “yum” and give a thumbs-up to it.W.T.F ($32, only available on weekends) has crispy whole grouper, meat filleted off and pan seared served two style: chef’s secret sauce vs sherry mushroom toppings. The whole grouper head and bones are deep fried till it is so crispy that you can eat every bone and fin.Irish Beef Stew ($18) is another dish I hate to lose. Especially during cooling weather and I was in the mood for comfort food. A stew would be perfect. There is no need to come up with a creative pot, just something down to earth. The tenderness of the beef chunks come from long simmering with a hint of spices.If there is one dessert that you must try, it is definitely Mango float ($14) which has graham biscuit layered with mango and cream, topped with fresh mango slices. This looks and tastes as if it were incredibly hard work and it gives me inspiration for my next cake!

Drinks wise, Outpost 903 has six beers on tap including three craft brews (from $9/pint), bottled beers (from $6) and cocktails ($10). They also offer Sunday brunch, be sure to check them out!

Opened for 8 months, Kaixo is a Spanish restaurant serving great dishes with Basque concept. Kaixo is pronounced Kai-Sho and it means “Hello” in the Basque language. Chef/Owner Issachar was being trained at Le Cordon Bleu and his professional cooking career at Paris’ Michelin-star Auguste, the three-Michelin star Martin Berasategui in northern Spain and Guy Savoy at Marina Bay Sands.

Read more: http://www.misstamchiak.com/kaixo/

Can’t decide where to start? Take a choice of pintxos ($12 for plate of 3, $20 for plate of 5) from the bar! It is usually served on a piece of sliced bread with various topping held together by a skewer or a food-pick. I specially love the one with egg and roasted Padron peppers, which set off a flavour explosion in our mouths: sweet, sour, salty and spicy all at once.

Sous vide organic eggs in a nest ($14) is one of life’s simplest pleasures. The waiter arrives with a plate of soft poached egg decorated with burdock fries, chives and jamon. He then carefully pours a pot of chicken consumme into the plate, which instantly brings the egg to life!

Iberico pork loin ($24) is another gorgeous affair. The meat is marbled and delicious, the way pork should taste. It paired well with the sweet apple puree and sat deliciously upon the thin layers of alternating bacon and potato.

Black Paella with Seafood ($20/pax, min 2 pax) is also worth trying. It tastes totally different from the other seafood paella, with a flavour dominated by the ink.

For a truly perky drink to counter the tropical heat, try its Sangri (red/white, $11) or Kaixo signature drink ($16).

Fika is a social institution in Sweden; it means having a coffee with one’s colleagues, friends, date, or family. Take a break from work at Fika Swedish Café & Bistro where they serve the best halal meatballs in Singapore! (And they have an option for gluten free pasta too!)

Owner / Graphic artist Tasneem Noor opened a Nordic cafe in 2009 when she was learning to cook Nordic food to feed her homesick husband, who is a Swedish artist. Her food is authentic homemade Swedish and you won’t find fusion here. The juicy meatballs is served with potatoes and lingonberry jam, and gone in a mouthful! It’s a plate of comfort food, simple but the best! They also serve classic Swedish coffee, and Swedish imported sodas.

Read more: http://www.misstamchiak.com/20-halal-cafes-in-singapore/