We are here at Misato today, what would be in store for us? Check it out here!Located at the basement of the Cathay building, Misato offers premium and fresh ingredients from Japan. Misato opened early in January this year.

Accessibility:
Approx 3mins walk from Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station

Let’s
Eat!
Lychee Iced Tea and Matcha Ice blended ($3.90 each)Refreshing drinks before we start our meal! Both drinks were not too sweet, which is right down my alley.Cheese Korokke ($4.90)These potato croquettes, which were made with mozzarella cheese, are crispy on the outside, mushy with cheesy goodness on the insides.Anyone calling for a refill like I did?

Handmade Gyoza ($5.50 for 6 pieces, $8.90 for 10 pieces)Its presentation will pleasantly surprise you, and leave your tummy happy with quality tasting gyozas.Although I'm not a very gyoza person, but I have to say that this impressed me as I thought the steamed grilled chicken and vegetable fillings were really tasty.

Tebasaki Chicken Wings ($5.90)You must eat this with squeezed lemon juice. It is slightly salty and spicy, and the added zing from the lemon juice is just the cherry on top.

Misato Oyakodon ($7.90)Is the heart shaped topping signifying the parent-child relationship? Lol.

This oyako-don is so tasty. Basically, Oyako literally means parent-and-child, which refers to the relation of the chicken and egg in the dish. This relationship tastes so delicious! You can also expect a good amount of salmon roe and flying fish roe as toppings, which also comes with a well prepared taste that adds on to the taste of the entire dish.

Zaru Soba ($6.50)Loved the presentation of these cold buckwheat noodles. The dipping sauce is really good and having these with wasabi is seriously shiok.

Misato Ebi Donburi ($9.90)Served with 3 upright breadcrumbed tiger prawns over seasoned broth and rice. The tiger prawns were really fresh and tasty.

Teriyaki Salmon Donburi ($10.90)For those who likes salmon, here's one you might like to consider. Grilled salmon glazed with teriyaki sauce, it tastes really good when you eat it with the yellow pickles.

Chicken Katsu Curry ($7.90)For me, I felt that the curry is slightly salty and I thought it might be better if it were taken down a notch. But I did enjoy the chicken katsu as they are lean and crispy. The chicken was kept warm under the blanket of rice, waiting for you to drizzle the curry on top of it to enjoy.

Misato Paw Anmitsu ($5.90)This is their signature dessert! The matcha ice-cream is mixed with fruit and 2 very prettily decorated mochi 'paws'. The ice-cream boasts a full-bodied matcha flavour and is not overly sweet.

Matcha Zenzai Mochi ($4.90)This dessert is quite special to me, as we find the grilled mochi within the green tea liquid, mixed with azuki bean. Mix well and enjoy.

Sanshoku Warabi Mochi ($5.50)Warabi mochis are not cheap, yet here, they serve up a good quality jelly-type and yet reasonably priced warabi mochi here. It is delicious coated with 3 types of powders: Goma (Sesame), Kinako (Roasted soybean) and Matcha (Green tea). The matcha one is my ultimate favourite, because the green tea powder used was the slightly bitter type, heavily flavoured with the goodness of green tea. I have to say, this is my favourite dessert here.

Low-Down
From this tasting, I can conclude that the people behind Misato do put in alot of effort in presentation and the taste of the food. The Misato folks prepares its food freshly and do not keep leftovers for the day. That's why sometimes, you may find certain foods sold out towards the end of the day.

If you ask me what you definitely cannot skip here, I have to tell you: their desserts. If you know me personally, you will find that I most likely already recommended this place to you.

Overall, their food keeps as closely as possible to the authentic Japanese food as possible, and serves up food which will satisfy you very well.

This is an invited media tasting session.

In Mexican, 'Hombre' is 'man' in Spanish or a slang term meaning 'dude'. 'Cantina' means 'bar'. Well. That's really the concept of Hombre Cantina, a Mexican food joint born in September 2013 along Boat Quay, which serves up some really neat drinks. Here's a bit more about them.

Hombre Cantina is inspired by the Baja peninsula and its long stretches of remote beaches scattered with fishing villages that embrace a slower, simpler way of life and genuine ‘mi casa su casa’ hospitality. Alex developed a love for Baja and its food through multiple trips down the peninsula as a youngster.
First, we were served chips with 3 salsas, with Pineapple Chile (mild spicy), Fire-roasted tomato (medium spicy), Salsa Verde (Hot). To be honest, I don't find either one really that spicy, but I could taste the varying levels of spiciness. If you can't really take that spicy, I suggest you go for the pineapple, as it's definitely a gentler and milder dip. The Pineapple Chile (in yellow) The Fire-Roasted Tomato salsa (in red) and the Salsa Verde (in green)You can also try the chips with these 3 Chilli sauces, it's really good and spicy! From a milder version to a spicier one, they have it all.The flavour of the nachos were pretty creative and addictive because of its toppings, which is quite an interesting mix: Black beans, cheese, pico de gallo, sour cream & fresh cilantro. The chips used were the same chips they served us with the 3 salsas and I did like the chips as they did not turn soft despite our 2 hour dining session. The quesadillas were really good, served in folded tortilla and grilled with hombre's burnt cheese blend, we had one with braised beef brisket filling and the other filling as Roasted Chicken Thigh. It was very well put together and a delight to have, albeit a little oily.Burrito time! This burrito is bound to make you feel full as it is bulky with alot of stuffings in the tortilla. We tried the beef brisket filling and the roasted veggies. My vote goes to the beef brisket filling as I'm more of a meat person, plus I like how the beef brisket filling made it more juicy and satisfying.Burritos are served with Mexican-style rice, black beans, romaine lettuce, pico de gallo and sour cream.The tacos are served with 3 soft corn tortillas wrapped with cabbage & pico de gallo. The food here are quite flexible as you can add on your own fillings and toppings to customise your dish. I liked the Tacos but it was a little messy eating it as the juicy sauce was slapped on top of the taco. But yummy!The Salad Bowl, which contains Romaine lettuce topped with black beans, romaine lettuce, pico de gallo and sour cream. Mexican Grilled Corn served with crema, cheese and Hombre's spice blend is also one of my favourite side dishes!The Chicken Chicharrones (Fried Chicken Skin) is best had with lime and their own spice blend (chilli) because it is slightly on the oilier side, Hence, the lime would really help lighten that.Also, try their Fruta. I had the Passionafruit version and I loved it as they used fresh fruit for this with 50ml of tequila.The beers are light and easy to drink. Just push the lemon for an extra zest.I really love this drink, Tamarindo, as it's made with fresh tamarind and chilli. It was very tasty and I will definitely come back for this! This was a real thirst quencher and was really lovely if drank with salt, which they nicely placed on the rim of the glass.They also serve Sparkle Donkey Tequila (distilled double) here. The alcohol level is 40%, and really really strong! I couldn't take this, only for those who can hold their liquor very well, please.For a great place to have alcohol, check out Hombre Cantina. The drinks are really worth the visit.

Hombre Cantina

Location:53 Boat Quay Singapore 049842 (Boat Quay)

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Finally had a chance to visit the widely mentioned JAAN restaurant, which is located on level 70 of the Swissotel Singapore.

The restaurant is really small, and it looks like they can only hold 40 or maybe slightly more customers. Hence, it is always recommended you make a reservation before your visit.

We ordered the $68 3 course lunch menu, which was specially crafted by JAAN’s Chef de Cuisine Julien Royer, as part of the artisanal menu in year 2015.

First up, little snacks were served.

Wooden blocks held the delicate cereal tuiles, which apparently come from France and are custom made specially for JAAN. I loved its combination with Chef Julien's rendition of Hummus, which proved to be a lovely spread for the thin, crisp wafers. After the little warm-up starter snacks, we were served with the Amuse-bouche. Another lovely platter served on a black rock display plate, as pre-meal little bites to warm up the palate. One of my favourite snacks is Chef Julian's version of our local Kueh Pie Tee, filled with Kurobuta pork remoulade and grain mustard. Gone in a mouthful, but super yummy!We were then made to choose our freshly baked bread, which was nicely served with a little pretty pyramid of hand churned Jean-yves bordier butter and some loose salt on the side.For the appetiser, I had the Marbré of Foie Gras & Bresse Chicken (additional $10). It was also served with a lovely black truffle brioche~ My friend had the beetroot collection - burrata 'artigiana', honeycomb and horseradish. A really lovely combination, you'll find yourself wanting a second helping!For the main course, she had the Confit Rainbow Trout, which looks exactly like Salmon. But the dish was still a smooth eat, no doubt....while I had the Roasted Venison Saddle (additional $15). The meat was tender, with no blood leaking out while I eat. ‘Mulled-wine’ pear, celeriac, sauce ‘poivrade’.Finally, on to desserts!

I had the Chestnut 'Delice', a combination of speculoos (a type of shortbread), eglantine and tahiti vanilla.My friend had the Pear Gourmandise - served with nougatine, shards of gingerbread, tonka bean ice cream and caramel! Cold and delicious.For the petit fours, we wrapped it up with caneles bordelais, coconut marshmellows, mushroom macarons, and toffee & rosemary smoked lollipops! Can I just say that I love the lollipops? It was very very well done. It was my first time eating mushroom macarons (what? mushroom?! Yes, mushroom). It wasn't overbearing and it was a lovely light hint of mushroom peeking out, and the flavours went well.If you need visual feasting for your soul and a lovely experience overall, I recommend you to visit JAAN one day, it's best for special occasions and for days you want to pamper yourself, to eat and to be treated as royalty. There's just so many complex flavours in the set and it is a complete palate pleaser.

Here I am today at Aljunied, to taste Spicy Thai-Thai Cafe's dishes! Located in the neighbourhood, it is easy to spot them from a distance away with their signboard so huge. Some surroundings: Organic Wheatgrass Drink ($3.50)We were first served with the wheatgrass drink, which I totally did not regret having. Some wheatgrass drinks are very heavy in the plant taste, but not this one. It retains a good balance of wheatgrass and is not overwhelming. Lovely!

Dill Pattie (Cha Om) Omelette ($8)Who doesn't love egg? My first Dill pattie omelette, the Dill plant gives the omelette a special flavour that I really enjoyed. It was light, but not overbearing on the senses. The plant, dill, is sometimes used as a herb in Asia. The owner had it imported from Thailand, so this is a must-try!BBQ Pork Neck ($10)Grilled using real charcoal, the flavour of the BBQ pork neck has been further enhanced, making it a joy to chew on.Coupled with thai-styled sauce dip, the marriage emits the flavour of bliss and tenderness of a lovely relationship that will keep you wanting more.

Sleeping Fish Set ($15)Such a cute name for a heavy combination of vegetables and tender, fresh fish. The fish is known as the Pla Tu fish in Thailand, and it's actually a short-bodied mackerel. The fish is fried to perfection, and the fish meat is tender and delectable.The dish is enjoyed here with raw vegetables, just mix all ingredients in the set, wrap it up in a huge cabbage piece and it's ready to be enjoyed!Don't forget the chilli, which enhances the overall flavour of the raw vegetables!

Lala (Clams) Bee Hoon ($18)If I have to use one word to wrap up this dish, I would use the word 'generous'. Indeed, they are very generous with their clams (lala). The clams are all well-cooked, you'd see the shells open nicely and the lightly gravied bee hoon will scream delicious in your mind once tasted. I'm not kidding. This is one of the best Lala bee hoon I've ever eaten as the portion is huge and evenly cooked, it is one true tasty dish you must not leave this restaurant without trying.

Basil Mussels ($15)The mussels are cooked and served in a lovely orange shade with subtle hints of the basil leaf.The light tasting mussels are tender and doesn't have a fishy taste. Instead, you'll taste a lovely side of the ocean in this!

Hommok (Thai Style Otak) ($16)One of my favourite dishes here, the Hommok a.k.a Thai Styled-Otak, will leave you wanting more. I don't know what is it about this restaurant that they are generous with all their servings. But it is good for us consumers. (haha!)This dish looks and tastes so good that I can't help but take more photos of it. Vibrant delicacy! YUMMY! I will definitely come back for this.The mashed otak is mixed in a special way with huge slices of coconut flesh, giving out hints of savoury goodness.

Lemongrass Jelly with Aloe Vera Cubes & Calamansi ($2.50)Refreshing's the word. The fragrant, yet light and sour hints from the lime make it a very nice dessert to have after a heavy meal.

Tapioca in Coconut Milk ($3.50)Served in warm Coconut milk, this lovely, filling dish will keep you wanting more of it though you might be full from the rest of the dishes.The tapioca, as you might already know, is a low calorie but filling starch. Hence, you might wish you order this when you're in a group or just come here and have this at your whim and fancy whenever you have a craving for this dish. Definitely one of my must-try desserts here.

Looking for great Thai food with a twist and reasonable prices? Spicy Thai-Thai cafe should be in that list as it will be worth every dollar.

Spicy Thai-Thai Cafe
Location: Block 115 Aljunied Ave 2 Singapore 380115

Tel: +65 6747 8558

This is an invited media tasting session.

With the opening of the new Eastpoint Mall just besides Simei MRT, I'm glad to see an influx of Korean food shops opening there as well! One of them was NENE Chicken (네네치킨, 싱가폴)! Yes, I'm here at one of Korea's favourite chicken store!

What is NENE Chicken about?

Ne Ne means “yes yes” in Korean, and that seemed to be the perfect name for Hyun’s new venture. Ne Ne also refers to the Asian philosophy of Flow, the principle that presides over consciousness, happiness, enjoyment of life and other positive aspects of being.

Featuring fresh chicken and a happy, positive lifestyle, Ne Ne Chicken instantly became one of the favorite chicken brands in Korea. “All natural ingredients with no artificial flavor, and fresh, wholesome tasting chicken,” that’s what Ne Ne delivers to customers.
The Eastpoint Mall branch didn't hold too many seats, but I was able to find a seat anyways because I went there about tea time

Okay, let's order! Go Go GO!I already had NENE Chicken in Korea, and I felt I had to try it in Singapore too, to be fair. I'm glad I did!We ordered the Crispy Classic ($22.90) to share, there were 3 of us but it was just nice for us! There were about 9 pieces of chicken and the set came with 2 honey mustard sauce, 1 coleslaw, 1 pickled radish.

We ordered 2 large cokes ($3.30 for 1 large coke) to go with the set as well. I like how the packaging also extended to the cokes!I love how plastic handgloves are provided for customers' convenience, so they don't make a mess of themselves eating the chicken. It is a little extravagant to Earth's resources though!

Can I just say that the fried chicken doesn't taste like it was fried from frozen chicken? FRESH! And the marinate was good, so the skin was really tasty. Thing about fried chicken is that, the best part is the chicken skin! So please, poor you if you're removing it. WASTED!

Best thing is that it doesn't have so many fats on it, 90% and above are all succulent chicken meat! Love it.

Please also remember to eat with the mustard sauce dip, it is fantastic!

On top of that, we also ordered the buffalo sticks ($2.90, large). I love the buffalo sticks! They weren't fat like buffaloes lah, but they were stick thin, crispy and really easy to eat! Very addictive, just couldn't stop munching on them.

And you know how just having normal sized fast-food fries can fill you up very very quickly, this one doesn't and still satisfies your fries cravings!By the way, please remember to clear your own trays if you dine in. In Korea, it is a well-known fact to clear your own trays after dining in. Hope more people will adopt this habit!Happy time with Cin from With Kids We Go! Yepp, she does look super happy with her chicken and plastic gloves.

Overall, I loved the meal for being crispy and reminding me of my lovely time in Korea. Best still, fried chicken that doesn't taste super oily and fattening? Count me in please!

Try it for yourself today!