Original review on http://www.nahmj.com/2016/04/26/ninja-bowl-duxton-road-tanjong-pagar


Ninja Bowl has taken over the defunct Department of Caffiene, DOC. It is literally taking over the entire cafe with minimal changes in the design, the furniture, fixture and so on. Except and of course the signage of the cafe are replaced.For those who have been to Department of Caffeine, DOC previously does not require any description. In case you have yet patronised them and they were closed, basically, very much industrial. Greens and flowers placed strategically to soften the feel.At Ninja Bowl, it has a 2 page menu. A page for food and a page of drink.For coffee, Ninja Bowls uses Smitten Coffee Bean with 50% Brazil Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza Natural and 50% Colombian La Joyerla Washed. I have a 6oz with milk ($4.50). It is a medium to low acidity cuppa with medium to full body and stone fruits and caramel and cocoa notes.For non-coffee drinker, one could turn to the Ginger Lemongrass ($7) light in both the ginger and lemongrass fragrance or Earl Grey ($7), Chamomile Citron ($7) or Citrus Mint ($7) for hot drinks. Cold drink option were cold-pressed fruit juice, iced chocolate and various concoction ranging from $6 to $8.It has the Ninja Bowls as its highlight. Each Ninja Bowl at either $14 or $16 has pre-determined ingredients and diners has 4 base option. Add $3 for Quinoa. Alternatively add $2 for Ninja Rice (mixed of brown and white jasmine rice), Orzo (pasta shaped in the form of rice) or Garden Greens.

I tried the Genki ($16) with Quinoa ($3). In it consists of yaki unagi, onsen egg, pickled beets, beansprouts (seems like with sesame oil), roasted pumpkin. One get multi-flavours in a bowl with sourish, savoury and sweet senses. The beansprouts reminded me of Korean food. It is interesting that it is a blend of Korean and Japanese bowl.On the next section are the Brunch items. At this section, I observed that it uses similar ingredients from the Ninja Bowls for most of its dishes here. For something and something I don't usually order, I went for the Yogurt and Granola ($9). It is a bowl of relatively sweet granola and lots of fruits, mainly watermelon cubes, a few melon pieces, handful of blueberries and a wedge of passionfruit. Honey was added into the yogurt resulting in a even sweeter bowl. Milk was provided by the side.
Ninja Bowl also offers 4 dishes of Bites, 3 Sandwiches option and Daily Cakes and Tarts.I was recommended by a service crew to try the Chocolate Tart. I went with the recommendation since I could decide. It has a nutella cream on a rich chocolate fudge sat on a thin tart base. This is certainly a must try for Chocolate lovers.Food served at Ninja Bowl is comforting and I do enjoyed. It has good variety and it provides free Wifi too. It seems the 2016 trend of cafe food is rice bowl. Though it is healthy and delish but I certainly hope not all new cafe will go into this direction.



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Original Review at http://www.nahmj.com/2016/04/25/south-union-park-kembangan-singapore

South Union Park is nestled among a landed private property estate in the East of Singapore with Kembangan MRT station some distance away. It is walkable distance though many would choice otherwise.As it is surrounded by private residence, the area is tranquil and serene. It makes a great get away from the usual bustling shopping mall or crowded area for a peaceful meal with friends or family.It is easy to spot South Union Park as its name is printed in black and it is against a white facade, a good contrast. Most importantly, it is huge enough to be spotted from a distance.

As we pushed opened the glass door, we were welcomed by a homely feel from the interior design of the cafe. The design seems to resemble Scandinavian theme.South Union Park offered a single paged menu with 1 soup - Chicken Noodle Soup ($8), 1 Snack - Pork Crackling ($5), 5 Starters, 2 Mains, 3 Homemade Pasta and 3 Plated Desserts.

Among the starter choice of Roasted Veg Salad ($10), Butter Lettuce Salad ($8/12), Fried Chicken ($9), Poutine ($12) and Crabcakes ($12), we chose the last item. I didn't imagine the crabcakes to be in a mini balls that is good bite size. It came as a pleasant surprise. The crabcakes has visible crab seen and it has a distinctive herb taste. Depending on whether do you like the herb flavour. We were neutral to this herb taste though. At least, the strong seafood fragrance was absent.3 pasta offered, Short Rib Ragu ($22), Duck Confit Pasta ($19) and Butternut ($17), we chose the 2nd option with no regret. It was amazing. We could savour the duck flavour laced on the surface on the tagliatelle. The hazelnut cream unique and it complemented all the ingredients well. And some sauteed spinach with abundant shredded duck confit were throughout the dish.Among the 2 Mains, Cheeseburger ($22) and Poached Salmon ($20), the former is more intriguing but we chose the latter as one diner doesn't consume beef.
Looking at the pale salmon steak with raisin abundantly in the couscous, I was skeptical about its taste. Since both isn't my preferred ingredient. I have a change of impression after trying it.3 Plated Desserts choices of Brownie ($9), Souffle of the day($13) and Apple Crumble ($10) which was our choice of dessert for the meal. On the plate was an entire baked granny smith, a scoop of vanilla ice cream with butterscotch sauce drizzled sat on butter crumble. Apple remains crunchy. As it has a core in it, making it difficult for consumption. It would be perfect if the core could be removed before baking or serving it.It is interesting that all of us ordered the same drink, the Cappuccino ($4.50). And among the drinks, one of which has a variegated look. It has a distinctive layer of milk, coffee and foam. Not sure what went wrong while brewing the coffee. The cuppa was low body, low acidity with nutty note. We find it decent.I thought well of South Union Park. All the food served were above average at a reasonable pricing. My friends and I enjoyed our meal at South Union Park.

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Original review on http://www.nahmj.com/2016/03/14/tanuki-raw-national-design-centre/

Tanuki Raw has opened an outlet at Kapok, within the ground of National Design Centre. I have heard a lot of good reviews about Tanuki and I thought I should pop over to try out their food. In case, you are wondering what’s the meaning of Tanuki. It is a mythical, mischievous, shape-shifting creature according to the Japanese lore.At Tanuki Raw at Kapok, besides the dinning area, it is surrounded by lots of merchandise. The dinning area is certainly casual. I was at Tanuki Raw at Kapok for lunch only.At lunch, Tanuki Raw At Kapok serves the 7 different Don (Rice Bowl). One could add $2 for the regular lunch set which comes with the miso soup, green salad and a green tea. Alternative, add $5 for the premium set, instead of green tea, it is with coffee.If diners love beef, do not miss out the Truffle Yakiniku Don ($14.80). There is a more luxurious Don, the Foie Gras Truffle Yakiniku Don ($19) which I opted. This Don is so amazing. I never know that Foie Gras could go so well with rice. I don’t usually finish an entire bowl of rice but I did with this Don.Each slice of the beef was tender, flavourful and succulent. The Foie Gras simply melt in the mouth. The best part was the rice was flavoured and with the sauce that dressed the Foie Gras mixed with rice, it brought the Don to the next level of enjoyment. And I couldn’t help but finished the entire rice bowl. This was rare.Black Garlic And Roasted Leek Negitoro Don ($14.80) was the second rice bowl I tried on my second visit. When compared to the former, I felt the Negitoro Don was pale in comparison. Nonetheless, a delish bowl of rice. So if you are planning to try all or a few Don at Tanuki Raw, my suggestion is to leave the Foie Gras Truffle Yakiniku Don to the last to try.The Don are also available during dinner hours but at a different price.The food served at Tanuki Raw At Kapok is too good not to be missed, especially my top favourite Foie Gras Truffle Yakiniku Don. I wouldn’t mind having this for lunch every other day. Lol!

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http://www.nahmj.com/2016/02/22/kanshoku-ramen-bar-orchard-gateway-singapore/

Between dinning and spotting Kanshoku Ramen Bar at Orchard Gateway, it was since some time ago. And I didn’t read any review before having my first bowl of ramen at Kanshoku Ramen Bar.Kanshoku Ramen Bar offers a casual dinning environment. The tables were place rather closely, not a place suitable for gathering but dine and go kind of place.
The service crew gave me a very detailed description of the menu, down to the what I could expect from each dish offered. It was absolutely a delight. This certainly help in deciding what to order.

At Kanshoku, they offered 6 different Ramen (5 soup, 1 dry); Signature Kanshoku Ramen, Black Garlic, Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen, Flaming Hot Tonkotsu Ramen, Shoyu Ramen and Truffle Ramen.The Signature Kanshoku Ramen ($13.90) was highly recommended as such I gave it a try. Broth was flavourful but sweetish.
Kanshoku provides 3 ramen texture to choose from; soft, normal and hard. As noodles were thin, so expect it to be soft even when normal. Go for hard if you prefer al dente like noodles.The Charshu was with the perfect ratio of fats to meat. It was soft and tender; melted in the mouth. Strangely, the Charshu was slightly sweetish which wasn’t my preference.The Ramen does not come with a Ramen Egg ($2). If you like one, you need to add-on. A pity, the quality of the yolk wasn’t consistent. The first time I have the Ramen Egg, the egg yolk was runny! I like it. But on the second occasion, the yolk at the edge was cooked. It was such a shame.

Overall, I didn’t relish the bowl of Signature Kanshoku Ramen. The sweetish bowl of ramen (broth, charshu and egg) didn’t strike a chord with me. I was pretty surprised to read so many positive reviews about how delish the ramen and the broth were . I was surprised that many could except a bowl of sweetish ramen.The Black Garlic Ramen ($14.90) has the Signature Kanshoku broth as base with the black garlic added. Strangely, the black garlic masked the sweetness of the broth successfully. I relish on the Black Garlic Ramen.For those who prefer the salty to sweet, Shoyu Ramen ($13.90) is the option. But personally, I didn't think well of this bowl of briny ramen as the soup wasn't flavourful with meaty aroma.The only dry ramen that is on the menu is the Truffle Ramen ($18.90). When it was served, I could smell the lovely truffle scent but a pity it couldn't be savoured. The ramen was luke warm almost at room temperature. It seems like salt was added to the ramen, as such some part of the ramen was tasteless. I felt that the sweet Charshu that was torched seems to complement the noodle, that was a little consolation.I tried both its Chicken Gyoza and Prawn Gyoza. Personally, I prefer Kanshoku Ramen Bar Chicken Gyoza. It was more flavourful. But there’s room for improvement. The consolation was the gyoza sauce. I have good impression of it. It was the saving grace for the gyoza.Somehow, the soup ramen (except Shoyu) served at Kanshoku Ramen Bar was far too sweet for my liking. The sweetness was in the egg, in the broth and in the Charshu too. I prefer salty ramen to a sweet one I suppose. But at least the Black Garlic Ramen has the sweetness masked. Chicken Gyoza is a pretty good option if side is required.

Burosu Honten Gyoza And Ramen is within the ground of Emporium Shokuhin. As you enter the entrance of the Emporium where the cashiers are located, you could find Burosu Honten on your left.The interior theme seems to be like Zen. It has mainly cubicle seats for four on one side of the wall. And each cubicle has a small "window" for the food to be served through it. Alternatively are the handful of bar tables seats facing the emporium for people watching. It is no doubt a causal dinning restaurant.On each table, there are Sesame seed and chilli flakes and chopsticks and serviettes for diners to help themselves to.As the name Burosu Honten Gyoza And Ramen suggested that it is a restaurant of ramen and Gyoza. The uniqueness of Burosu Hoten is that diners could customize their own ramen. First, decide on the type of ramen. There are 3 categories of ramen to choose from. First under the Ulitmate Ramen, 2 types, Special Ultimate Blend and Chashu Ultimate Blend. Next the Tonkotsu Ramen with Tonkotsu, Tonkotsu Miso and Tonkotsu Black Garlic Ma-yu. Lastly the Seafood Ramen, choice of Prawn Seafood Ramen and Kani (Crab) Seafood Ramen. Now decide the concentration of the soup; normal, light or strong.Once diners has decided the type of ramen, next diners could opt for the firm, normal or soft noodle. Then decide whether to have it with spice or non. There are various spiciness level to choose from. Lastly decide if additional ingredients are required.The first I tried was the Special Ultimate Blend Ramen ($18.80) under the Ultimate Blend. For this bowl of ramen, I opted normal noodle which turned out to be a little too soft, normal concentration and non-spicy soup. In it was mainly seafood. There are 2 relatively large prawns and crab meat. The soup reminded me of the Chinese Prawn noodles but this soup has a thicker consistency. It was filled with prawn sweetness and pork flavours. The normal was just nice for me.For the Tonkutsu Ramen version, I tried 2 out of 3 selections. Tonkotsu Black Garlic Ma-yu ($15.80) was the first of the 2. I always like Tonkotsu soup based for ramen as such I enjoyed it. The black garlic does enhances the soup. This bowl of ramen I ordered it with firm noodle which turned out to be perfect for me and normal soup concentration and I will choose the strong concentration the next round.It was followed by Tonkotsu Miso ($14.80). I contemplated if I should order the strong concentration soup which I kind of regretted that I didn't. As my initial worry was will the miso be too salty if I did. The tonkotsu flavour was light though miso was sufficient. Maybe on my next visit, I should try the strong concentration out. And it seems the noodle used in the Tonkotsu Miso differ from the result. This version is a little chewy. 

Each bowl of the Tonkotsu Ramen version has 2 pieces of Chashu. Personally, I find it too fatty. It doesn't really melt in mouth though it is tender.For diners who like extra ramen toppings, there were 8 types to choose from. First and fore most, my top favourite ramen toppings that I will order whenever I have my ramen fix is the Ajitsuke Tamago ($1.50). Strangely, which I deemed it as pity too, the side of the yolks were always cooked. Others are leek, spring onions, nori (seaweed), corn and raw chopped garlic all at $1. There is also Menma (bamboo shoots) ($1.50) and Chashu - 2 pieces ($3).At Burosu Hoten, 7 appetisers, there were Moyashi, Marinated Beansprouts ($3.80), Buta Kakuni - Braised Pork Belly ($8.80), Kimuchi ($3.80), Tori Kaarage ($6.80), Ebi Fry ($8.80), Goma Salad ($4.80) and Edamame ($2.80).I am sure many adore Gyoza. I am one too. I will forego Ramen for Gyoza if I am only allow to choose one. Lol! 2 types of Gyoza are offered at Burosu Honten Gyoza & Ramen. First is the Sui Gyoza. Three types of filling and all are (lightly) spicy; chicken, pork and seafood. I tried only the Pork Sui Gyoza ($6.80). The 5 gyoza were sat in a bowl of spicy vinegar sauce. It was such an appetising starter which I truly enjoyed. It would be fabulous if the skin could be a little thinner.Next is the Pan-Fried Gyoza, 4 fillings are available; Chicken, Pork ($6.80), Wagyu Beef ($8.80) and Seafood ($7.80). I tried only the Seafood Pan-fried Gyoza. The gyoza were well pan-fried till the skin was crispy with a nice fragrance. The seafood filling were mainly crab meat. And interestingly, by the side were some Sakura Prawn.

I like the concept of customising my bowl of ramen at Burosu Honten Gyoza and Ramen. And I would go for the stronger concentration with firm noodles. As of the gyoza, personal preference is the Sui Gyoza.