My first omakase experience at Nagomi was wonderful -big grin- It’s an intimate restaurant that seats 25, no shoes are allowed (I just chucked my Birkenstock in the rack by the entrance) and there’s no signboard or menu (or price). Diners go by omakase which literally means “entrusting.” It’s scary to trust someone I don’t even know, and the idea of eating whatever he feels like cooking doesn’t quite agree with my fussy-with-food nature. But my healthy sense of adventure craves for the elements of suspense and surprise, so omakase it was!

I can’t remember when’s the last time I rave about a salad. The tofu salad was great, with generous amounts of greens, avocado, tomatoes and crispy fried garlic, and the power sesame dressing made this so delicious that I’d happily eat this everyday!

Nagomi imports its fish from Japan 4 times a week so the sashimi ought to be fresher than fresh. And it was! There’s melt-in-the-mouth uni, fatty otoro (tuna belly, my favourite sashimi currently), yellowtail, silverfish, shimaaji (striped horsemackerel) and a jumbo scallop that’s ultra big and sweet.

Skinny she may be, but I totally enjoyed the kinki fish served with burdocks. Fried then simmered in a sweet soy sauce, the flavour reminded me of dried Chinese bak kwa (cuz of the umami sauce) and the white folds of meat were incredibly soft.

Who needs French fries when there’s sweet potato chips that’s a million times more addictive! Kudos to the chef for such a thin crispy batter that’s practically oil-free.

I reckon “overcooked” is not a word in the chef’s dictionary cuz he sent out another great fish, this time a grilled fleshy kama fish that’s firm yet juicy.

9 courses, 2.5 hours, unlimited happiness. Even though it’s still too early to be sure, Nagomi is a strong contender for the best Japanese meal of 2010!

If interested, you are welcome to drop by www.myfoodsirens.wordpress.com for full reviews/photos =)

Nowadays, tables in restaurants are positioned so closely together that I feel like an eavesdropper most of the time so I really appreciate the generous spacing between tables at Pontini. Plus points for the excellent service too.

Slices of opaquely white scallop carpaccio laid out on the plate, topped with marinated mushrooms and a handful of baby beetroot and watercress in artful disarray. Light and raw!

My favourite dish of the night: spinner crab ravioli with jerusalem artichoke, blue foot mushroom and warm mushroom jelly. Love the contrast between the earthy flavour and the seafoody stuffed pasta.

The cod is originally intended to be wrapped in parma ham but Chef kindly agreed to do a naked version for me =) Served on a bed of kale and caramelised onion, the magic ingredient lies in the ham stock that enhances the delicate flavour of the oily fish.

The signature dessert of every Italian restaurant, Pontini’s tiramisu is lovely. A moist affair of well soaked soft lady fingers and a mild dose of marsala, nicely set off by a coating of bitter cocoa powder and little cubes of coffee jelly.

From what I read on HGW, the standard of Pontini seems to have dropped since the chef left for Otto Ristorante. But from what I had for dinner, the meal was still above average. While it wasn’t “wow! I must come back!”, neither was it awful, not by a long shot.

If interested, you are welcome to drop by www.myfoodsirens.wordpress.com for more reviews/photos =)

Cuppage Plaza is turning into a Mecca for good Japanese eats! First it was Kazu, then Nagomi, now it’s Kaiho Sushi.. I was undecided between omakase or ala carte and went for the latter in the end cuz the omakase menu didn’t really interest yours truly and I was hankering for some familiar favourites from the ala carte menu.

I can’t get over how addictive the fugu mirin boshi ($10++) was! Deadly or not, the grilled puffer fish has an incredible flavour, sweet-salty-smoky all at once. And the chewy texture is also similar to dried jerky (think chinese bak kwa).

I know you will think it’s strange if I say that I crave for natto. But I do! I saw maguro natto ($15++) on the menu and I went “I want!” excitedly. Just love the gooey concoction of red tuna and pungent natto. Note that this is an acquired taste =)

The sashimi mori ($48++) was somewhat a hit and miss affair. Chutoro wasn’t as fresh as I’d like but the ama-ebi scored for its sweetness and creamy texture.

The anago sushi ($9++) is somewhat similar in taste and texture to unagi but less fatty. Milder in flavour too but still absolutely sublime!

You can see how much I love eel cuz I had the unagi kabayaki ($22++) too. It’s definitely richer and there’s something about the charred, unctuous flesh and the sweet glaze that always makes the freshwater eel so delectable!

While the quality is above average, I feel that there’s no “wow” factor, simply basic food done well. Reasonable prices but for the final bill paid, we should have gone back to Nagomi.

If interested, you are welcome to drop by www.myfoodsirens.wordpress.com for more reviews/photos =)

I like Saint Pierre far more than sister French Kitchen. For a fish freak like me, a restaurant sharing the same name as a fish (yup, Saint Pierre is also known as John Dory, a small fact gleaned from Julia Child’s My Life in France which, by the way, is a fabulous read) is one after my own heart ha. Service was flawless, the chef charismatic and most importantly, the flavours of the food were so clean and distinct that my palate was doing the happy dance by the end of the meal.

The 3 course lunch ($48++) turned into so much more cuz Saint Pierre serves, by far, the most pre-meal nibbles I’ve ever seen, and all complementary too. Besides cheese sticks with bacon (which I forgot to snap a shot of) and boring bread rolls, there’s black olive and sundried tomato chips, and an interesting trio of cod in air dried olive crumble, fried sardine sticks and anchovy dip.

The first amuse bouche of the day: salmon mousse with home-smoked salmon crusted with capers and yuzu zest, ginger dust, citrus and saffron gel, and olive oil powder. Sounds very complicated, yet it’s such a nice surprise to find that it tasted anything but. This succeeded in making me look forward to my first course even more!

Admittedly, the olive oil marinated mackerel fell short of expectations. I like its smooth oiliness but not the bouillabaisse jelly base and dots of rouille dressing cuz they were pretty bland.

The chef sent out another complimentary amuse bouche right after the starters, this time a killer langoustine tortellini with lobster cream, crunchy bits of lobster jelly and rich lobster bisque. This was so good that I wish I wish I could have this as my main!

That said, I still adore my main of white miso marinated black cod! Perfectly cooked and incredibly umami. And it’s a good thing I like fennel too, what with the theme of braised fennel, warm fennel and roma tomato salad and fennel emulsion by the side.

Desserts were decent though nowhere as awesome as the savoury. If I have to choose just one word to describe Grandma Stroobant’s flourless Belgian chocolate cake, it’s “decadent”. Layered with dark chocolate mousse and paired with a scoop of absolutely ferrero rocher praline ice cream, this was so rich (in the best way) that it’s a good thing that portion was small enough to be just right.

I was already feeling ultra happy and satisfied with lunch when petit fours arrived. And gosh, lunch really ended with a bang with the small and harmless looking piece of smoked caramel. I put it in my mouth and bam, the smoky flavour was released as it melted! Potent stuff there.

If interested, you are welcome to drop by www.myfoodsirens.wordpress.com for more reviews/photos =)

Nadaman has an established reputation as the premier choice for businessmen and ladies of leisure seeking an extravagant Japanese meal. While I’m far from either, it’s a joy that I could lunch out with my favourite person at one of the top Japanese restaurants in Singapore. Comprising 7 bite sized and beautifully presented courses, the mini kaiseki ($45++) is undoubtedly the top pick food-wise.

Menu for the mini kaiseki changes weekly. I had boiled garland chrysanthemum and a soy bean milk-sesame mousse for appetisers, followed by a clear and light-tasting soup with yomogi fish cake, chef’s selection of fresh tuna and sea bream sashimi and a simmered dish of prawn tempura and eggplant with radish sauce. Everything tasted great, especially the mousse and fish cake cuz I love their texture, the former smooth and the latter soft and chewy. So far so good! My main for the mini kaiseki was a nicely grilled swordfish with teriyaki sauce, meaty and firm.

Desserts were so boring that Aoki’s sweet trio flashed into mind immediately! Custard mousse for mini kaiseki and a scoop of vanilla ice cream (no vanilla bean specks sighted) for the teppanyaki set.

A peek at the dinner ala carte menu is not for the faint hearted. Prices can easily run up to 3 figures! I’ll just stick to lunch happily.

If interested, you are welcome to drop by www.myfoodsirens.wordpress.com for more reviews/photos =)