Full review on http://www.nahmj.com/2016/02/24/founder-bak-kut-teh/

Founder Bak Kut Teh 发起人肉骨茶餐馆 at Hotel Boss isn’t new to many. It started out in 1978 at Balestier by Mr Chua who was formerly a pig farmer, whipping quality and fresh bak kut teh to patrons daily. Many Singaporeans are fan of their Bak Kut Teh and even the overseas famous artiste.With such a success, little wonder why Founder Bak Kut Teh doesn’t expand as it should.I like the concise one page menu whereby I could glance all its offering at once, without flipping through pages. On close examination, the dishes its offer are pretty similar to those other Bak Kut Teh store. And one striking item on the menu was the Abalone.At Founder Bak Kut Teh, 4 types of pork ribs were offered. Premium Ribs 排骨 ($11.80) was what we have. We tried the Premium Short Ribs 小排骨 ($10.80) too. While we missed out on the remaining 2; Founder Bak Kut Teh 发起人肉骨 ($9.90) and Popularity (Ninki) Bak Kut Teh 人气肉骨 ($7.80).For diners who find eating the pork ribs cumbersome could select the tender Sliced Lean Meat Soup 瘦肉汤 ($7.80). Personally, I would chose this over the pork ribs when I am laze to dirty my hands.There are also various pig’s organ soup with selection of Pig’s Liver 猪肝汤 ($7.80), my all time fave. And it my opinion, it was cook at perfect timing since the pig’s liver remained tender. We didn’t try the rest Pig’s Stomach 猪肚, Kidney 猪腰 and Intestine 猪肠 Soup. All priced at $7.80 per bowl. If one would like to have the best of all world, Founder Bak Kut Teh provide an excellent option of Mixed Organ Soup 猪什汤 ($8.80)3 vegetable with oyster sauce selection. First being the recommended which we didn’t order is the Lettuce with oyster sauce ($5.80/$7.80). The remaining 2 were on the table, Bean Sprouts with Oyster Sauce 蚝油豆芽 ($5.80/$7.80) and Choy Sim with Oyster Sauce 蚝油菜心 ($5.80/$7.80). The vegetables were fresh and crisp but I find the sauce a little too salty. The rest have no issue with it though.At all Bak Kut Teh, how can we not have the Bean Curd Skin, Tau Kee ($3.80/$5.80). This is also available on the menu.If diners prefer vegetable soup, there are 5 options; Mushroom, Tang O, Lettuce, Choy Sim and Seaweed Soup. All priced at $5.80.Braised items are generally found at Bak Kut Teh store too. Two key dishes, Braised Pig’s Intestine 卤粉肠 ($8.80/$11.80) which is also my fave when having Bak Kut Teh. A pity some were a little over cooked. And Pig’t Trotter ($9.80/$12.80) is also the signature dish at Founder Bak Kut Teh.Other side dishes include the Dried Bean Curd/Tau Pok 豆腐干 ($2/2pcs), Braised Egg 卤蛋 ($1.50), Salted Vegetables ($3.80/$5.80) and Peanut 花生 ($3.80/$5.80). Though most might find the braised pretty good but as I am a Teochew, I have high standard for the Teochew style Braised. Personally, I felt there are still room for improvement for the braised stock.After all the above, how could the You Tiao, Dough Fritters 油条 ($2.50) be missing from the table when eating Bak Kut Teh. This is the must have on the table. Most would usually dip it in the Bak Kut Teh Soup while I like to dip it with the dark soy sauce. The You Tiao at Founder Bak Kut Teh is freshly prepared and fried each day at its kitchen ensuring freshness and crispness. Indeed, they were.If diners need some carbo to complete the meal, one could choose Vermicelli Noodle Soup 面线汤 ($2) or Rice ($1). I chose none.Various drinks are also available such as the Water Chestnut, Barley, Soft Drinks and Coconut. How could we missed out the Gong Fu Tea at Bak Kut Teh outlet? Of course, it is available at the Founder Bak Kut Teh too. And end the meal with the Ice Jelly with Honey Lime ($3.50)

Food though may not be as high a standard compared to the Balestier outlet for now but nonetheless delish. I am sure it will get there soon. What I truly like is their location. Centrally located with an MRT station at walking distance

Original post is on http://www.nahmj.com/2016/02/26/kokomama-marketplace-new-pizza-croissant-menu-sota-singapore/

Kokomama Marketplace has taken over Three Petite Croissant at the School of The Arts (SOTA). The design of the cafe hasn’t changed much but the menu is much more than bakes alone. I have been wanting to visit Kokomama to try out some of their Mains but keep couldn’t find time for it. Finally, thanks to the invite.

At a glance of Kokomama menu, I wasn’t quite sure of what the focus might be. As the name of the cafe suggested, “Marketplace” and indeed it was. As you find French, Korean and Japanese dishes whipped by Kokomama kitchen. I like varieties. And with the salted egg craze happening in Singapore, Kokomama has also jumped in to introduce this trend food together with other flavours and 3 new pizza.Beside the Kokolava Salted Egg Croissant ($6.50), Kokokmama has also introduced 2 other flavours; Kokolava Peanut Croissant ($6.50) and Kokolava Custard Croissant ($6.50).Custard being the lightest was the first to be consumed. The custard was lightly sweet and flowed like lava, true to its name Kokolava Custard Croissant ($6.50). But personally, I prefer the custard to be stronger in flavour and thicker in consistency.Next on the list was the Kokolava Peanut Croissant ($6.50). It uses Kokomama secret peanut butter recipe. A pity, it didn’t flow like the Custard one. It has the typical peanut butter aroma. This is a hit among peanut butter fan.Lastly the Kokolava Salted Egg Croissant ($6.50). I tried the Salted Egg Croissant about 2 weeks ago and was disappointed. But the improved recipe version, I was impressed. It could easily be on par with the current best. The salted egg cream flows, was creamy and smooth and we could savour the salted egg fragrance. The cream has a slight sweet tint which I suspect some may not favour over it. But I do. In fact, I thought the sweet tint was the key to make the totality taste better. Anyway, that’s my personal preference, I suppose.Over to the pizza, 3 new flavours; Chilli Crab Pizza, Salted Egg Seafood Pizza and Smoked Duck Pizza. We enjoyed the Smoked Duck Pizza most. The pizza offered at Kokokmama does not consist of the usual tomato sauce and it is topped with the various ingredients on a freshly baked baguette. As such, the pizza flavour is light.The Salted Egg Prawn Pasta ($14.90) has prawns, a small cup of mushroom soup and a garlic bread. I thought this was value for money. We enjoyed the pairing but personally, I would prefer a more al dente pasta.

The popular Korean dessert, Bingsu was also offered. The Matcha Craze ($12.90) is the top seller at Kokomama. Shaved Ice quality was fine and lightly milky and sweet. In it was Yuzu mochi, green tea powder dusting, with a ring of red bean around the scoop of green tea ice cream.Mango Madness is the other hot favourite; available in either Baby ($8.90) or Giant ($12.90). We were mesmerized by this bowl of bingsu. All 6 at the table voted this to be their fave, including myself. The mango ice cream was strong in Mango flavour, topped with fresh mango, it was simply heavenly.Lastly the Yogurt Fruity Flair ($14.90). This is also a lightly flavoured, refreshing and certainly fruity as it is topped with many different fruits.Kokomama Marketplace whipped an array of food and freshly baked bread and pastries in-house each day. I felt the menu was designed with the students in the area in mind and at a wallet friendly prices for the students to enjoy.

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Within a stone throw from the serene lushy Bedok Reservoir is home to a modest cafe, the Burp Kitchen And Bar. It isn't close to any MRT station (as in within walking distance) though several bus routes serve the area. Fortunately, the area is surrounded with residential in Bedok and the close by Tampines. And perhaps after an evening walk around the reservoir, one could pop by to chillout at Burp Kitchen And Bar.The cafe is basically dressed in brown shade and warm lighting with a L-shaped area housing the dining area and bar. Both bar tables and normal dinning tables are available for diners to choose from. Nothing fanciful in the cafe with minimalist.At Burp Kitchen And Bar since alcohol is served, Bar Grub is certainly essential. To complement the Bar Grub selection, burgers and Tacos were added to the menu. As all cafe, Brunch selection is not be to missing from the menu too. As such, it is offered. The food served are mainly Mexican with some touch of American and Filipino.

Bar Grub
First, we started with 4 Bar Grubs. There are 6 other Bar Grub as selection. We kick-off the dinner with Salted Egg Tofu Fries ($8). Generous amount of salted egg sauce was layered over the made in-house Tofu Fries. Personally, I didn't enjoy the dish as I didn't find Tofu and salted egg complemented well. In addition, it is quite salty. And moreover, Tofu isn't quite my kind of food.As an alternative, diner could opt for Wasabi sauce instead. This is one of the 3 vegetarian Bar Grub. The other 2 being Flavoured Popcorn ($6) and Tortilla Corn Chips ($7).One of the common Bar Grub, is the chicken Wings. At Burp Kitchen And Bar, 3 options were provided; Burp Kitchen Wings ($10), Salted Egg Wings ($14) and Spicy Buffalo Wings ($14). We tried 2 out of the 3. Good good news to less once guilt while indulging; the Chicken Wings are Air Fry.Burp Chicken Wings ($10) uses the special Philippines Adobo sauce giving it a tangy and sweet flavour. It is certainly great to wash it down with some beer. A pity the flavouring did not get beyond the skin, hence the chicken flesh was rather bland.With the salted egg craze hitting our shore, salted egg sauce on wings are also available at Burp Kitchen And Bar. Using the same salted egg sauces that was used for the Tofu Fries, the Salted Egg Wings ($14) was born.The last Bar Grub of the night was the Chicken Quesadilla ($9). A tortilla warp filled with Mozzarella and Cheddar cheese and slowed cooked shredded chicken making it a rich cheesy dish. It will be a hit among cheese lovers. Most of felt savoured mainly the cheese and didn't even realise the chicken was in it.
Other selections of Bar Grub include the Nachos ($11) in either BBQ Pulled Pork or Beef Chilli and Sasage Fest ($14).

Burgers
Burgers easily find favour with most. I am one who likes my burgers. 6 creations of burgers are offered at Burp Kitchen And Bar. We tried 2 out of 6.First and foremost, the Burp's Beef Burger ($16). When the burger was served to the table, immediately, I could smell the dou miao (a vegetable that I like a lot). I thought this was a creative great idea. The beef patty was well marinated and fresh. Brioche bun was as fluffy as it should be. I enjoyed the totality of the taste profile. But I suspect some may not quite enjoy it with the pea sprout as it gives off a raw green taste, though, this is what I enjoy. Acquired taste, I suppose.The Crabby Patty Burger ($18) was with an entire fried soft shell crab. You could figure it out from the obvious shape. It is sandwiched with again the salted egg, lettuce in between a squid ink bun which I mistaken it as a charcoal bun. I was glad the bun didn't result in any strong seafood flavour and it is fluffy.
Burp is also very considerate towards vegetarian, you will find The Vegetarian Burger ($10) on its menu too. The remaining 3 non-vegetarian options are Chicken Rendang Burger ($12), Curried Pork Burger ($14) and Ultimate Burp Burger ($20).

Tacos
Finally, the last (but not least) dish of the night, presenting the Tacos. 6 dishes to choose from, namely, Citrus & Miso Tofu ($10) a vegetarian dish, Baja Fish, All Taco dishes come in 2 servings of 6" tacos and corn chips.Baja Fish Tacos ($12) has battered fish, coleslaw, salsa fresca with spicy mayo on the 6" wrap. Most of us like the fish as it was lightly battered and not overly flavoured.Pork Carnitas Tacos ($12) is with the slow cooked BBQ pulled pork. The rest of the ingredients are the same as the Baja Fish Tacos. The distinct taste of this dish is sweet. The flavour reminded me of the narcissus brand canned food, Spiced Pork Cubes.
At this tasting, we tried none of the 11 dishes under the Brunch selection.
Generally, the food served at Burp Kitchen are all right but it is certainly too salty. What I truly appreciate about Burp Kitchen And Bar is the thoughtfulness by providing Vegetarian options at all categories of their menu.
 

More review on http://www.nahmj.com/

Boruto means vault in Japanese since the unit was formerly occupied by a bank. You could still sight traces of bank such as the safe boxes at the second floor. Boruto is suitated along South Bridge Road; offering both Japanese Tapas and Sake to diners. It is opened by Chef Patrick Tan who owns another restaurant, Tamashii Robataya, around the same place. Boruto is currently helmed by Chef Angus Chow who has worked for various big names including FOC.
Occupying 2 level, with entrance at the ground floor is the Tapas Bar while on the second level is the Sake Bar both section offers diners casual dinning environment. The entire design is mainly chic industrial.Sake Bar
At the Sake Bar, located at level 2, is where Boruto offers a private room with cushy leather sofa for diners to sit back and chill out with their favourite drink. This private room is made available for reservation with a minimum charges.

One might very quickly notice the Sake vault with the safe boxes as backdrops.Besides the sake and bespoke cocktails, the Japanese Plum Wine is also offered. Customers could purchase a bottle and store it with Boruto and pop over to enjoy whenever they feel like it.

Tapas Bar
The Tapas Bar features a bar counter facing the open kitchen. Diners could enjoy the food while watching the chefs in action. Boruto offers mainly bar table seatings with a few normal dinning tables as an alternative option.Currently, Boruto offers 5 Salads, 10 Small Bites, 6 Cold Tapas, 14 Hot Tapas, 6 Carbs and 5 Sweets.

Small Bites
We didn’t try any of the 5 salads. Instead we jumped straight into the Small Bites priced from $6.80 to $15.80. Among the 10, we tried only the Crispy Rice Cracker Tacos ($12.80). It is one of the 2 recommended dish for Small Bites. Pulled pork is sat on crispy rice crackers, topped with guacomole & chilli salsa. A flavourful dish with creamy smooth guacomole enhancing the dish and chilli salsa to spice it up. This is one of my top favourite dish at Boruto.In case, you are wondering what’s the second recommendation, it is the Teba Gyoza ($15.80).

Cold Tapas
Coming to the Cold Tapas, we tried 2 out of 6 dishes. Saga Gyu Tataki ($28.80) is one of the very well received dish among the group of taster of the night. Including myself, I thought well of it too. The perfectly seared Japanese Beef with some seaweed and saffron was served with some lovely edible flowers laced on the edge of the plate. Not only it is appealling in sight but certainly flavoursome to the tastebud.Ahi Tataki ($12.80) is the second cold tapas of the night. The Yellowfin Tuna block is slightly pan-fried on the outer before slicing it and served on the plate with chopped black olives, Japanese leek, chilli and wasabi yuzu dressing to whet the appetite.Both the cold tapas we tried were the recommended dishes at Boruto.

Hot Tapas
Tori-Take Roll ($15.80) is a North-eastern Chinese (Dongbei) inspired dish. Crispy chicken roulade with stuffed shitake jam drizzled with Chinese sauce concoction. My other personal favourite. Personally, I like the combination of the shitake jam with chicken.Personally, I thought it was a tough fight with the Saga Gyu Tataki.
Among the 14 Hot Tapas, beside the Tori-take Roll, there are 4 others recommended tapas namely Hotate to Cauliflower no Grill ($15.80), Beef short rib 58°C ($18.80), Kurobuta “Sio Bak” ($20.80) and Zuwai Gani Sausage ($30.80).

Carbs
Knowing that some diners might need carbs to complete the meeal, Boruto introduces 6 dishes to the menu with 3 recommended dish. We tried one of them, the Uni Pasta v1.1 ($35.80). It is known as version 1.1 as it is an improved dish from the original recipe which was with a Aglio Olio based pasta.The version 1.1 has its pasta cooked in seafood broth topped with fresh sea urchin roe and Hokkaido white wasabi. So expect an extremely strong seafood flavour from the dish. You either love it or hate it. I belong to the latter. Personally, I find the flavour too pungent.

Sweets
Desserts are always welcomed even after tons of food. My stomach could always make space for them. Starting from the lightest in taste is the Warabi Mochi ($8.80). A sweet soft to the chew and lightly sweeten, is made from bracken starch and coated with kinako. Most of us find that it lack of the chewiness which is present in mochi.At Boruto, they served the classic Creme Brulee with truffle infused, the Truffle Creme Brulee ($8.80). Though the texture is a little to liquefied but was flavourful, filled with nice vanilla flavour and truffle augmented the dish. But certainly this may not appeal to everyone. As there are some factor of acquired taste I suppose.Finally, the strong in taste is the Chocolate Surprise ($12.80). Half cake, half souffle with molten chocolate in the centre and served with 2 scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream and lastly topped with some crushed peanut.Chocolate fan, you are in it for a treat. Rich and strong chocolate aroma filled this dish. It is tough for me to reject this dish as one of my fave sweet at Boruto.

Final thought ... At Boruto, there are some outstanding dishes while a few pale to comparison. In short, there are hits and misses. 

Full reviews on http://www.nahmj.com/2016/01/14/churro-101-singapore-%EC%B8%84%EB%9F%AC%EC%8A%A4-bugis/
Churro 101 doesn’t operate out of a kiosk, instead it provided limited seats. The decoration was with a little European touch. It felt very much like a living room cum dinning room kind of setting.Getting a seats at the dining area wasn’t easy. It seems like some customers were in the wait to find a seat for quite some time. It is better off for takeaway which I did.
At Churro 101, there were so called 3 types of Churros. The so called Real Spanish Churros with either Plan, Sugar or Cinnamon. The second type is the Filled Churros with Chocolate, Milk Custard or Cream Cheese as fillings in the churros. And lastly the Dark Chocolate Coated Churros.I ordered a Cream Cheese Filled Churro and a Dark Chocolate Almond Churro. I forego the Real Spanish Churros since the churros are the same.The churro texture was rather soft and a little more than moist which I will describe it as wet batter. It wasn’t to the extend soggy though. It lacks of the chewy texture. And overall, I find it a little too sweet for the Cream Cheese filler. I like the dark chocolate coated since it was chocolaty.

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