For those who are celebrating early - Gu Ma Jia is offering 10% discount until 29 January when you dine in at the restaurant.

For those who are still deciding where to have your CNY reunion lunch/dinner on 30 January (Thursday) - Gu Ma Jia has CNY 2014 Set Menu Promotions with four timings to choose from: 12.00 pm – 2.00 pm, 2.15pm – 4.15pm, 6.00 pm – 7.45 pm, and 8.00pm – 9.45 pm.

The restaurant will be closed on 31 January (Friday) and 1 February (Saturday) but operations will resume on 2 February (Sunday) - a great day to makan before starting work on Monday, if you have to work on Monday.

Gu Ma Jia is famously known for its signature dish - Assam Fish Head ($28). Many bloggers have praised the delicacy and even celebrities have visited the restaurant to have a taste of this delicious dish. YES! I bet you can finish two bowls of rice with just the gravy. The gravy wins hands down by having the balance of 4S. It was sweet, spicy, savory and sour.

The sweetness of the gravy was very "fishy"... in a good way! I later found out that the natural sweetness of the gravy came from the fish! The fish was cooked in the gravy to perfection with its meat still moist and tender. (FYI: Many places steam the fish head and then pour the gravy over it.) *Apologies for the absence of photograph.

Some people travel all the way here just for its Assam Fish Head. But Gu Ma Jia offers many other good delicious dishes.

For full review with photos, please visit:
http://myfrozenreminiscence.blogspot.sg/2014/01/gu-ma-jia.html

For full review with photos, please visit:
http://myfrozenreminiscence.blogspot.sg/2014/01/imperial-treasure-super-peking-duck.html

Chinese New Year is around the corner. An occasion for family to get together and feast! Have you decided what to have for reunion dinner? For those who have a budget of more than $80 per pax, you get to enjoy a feast of 山珍海味 at Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck Restaurant (Paragon). View the CNY 2014 menu here!

Alternatively, if you want to keep your budget within the wallet-friendly category, visit the restaurant for its Peking Duck and dim sum on days that do not fall within the CNY dining days.

If you wish to enjoy the renowned Peking Duck that placed Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck Restaurant at 49th in Asia's 50 Best Restaurants in 2013, it is highly recommended to call and reserve a table and the Peking Duck about 3 days in advance.

It's getting harder and harder to find a place that offers Japanese food of fine quality at an affordable price. I was hesitant to share the pocket-friendly lunch menu that Tomi Sushi offers. Because besides the good food, I enjoy the "less rowdy" environment.

Tomi Sushi serves high quality Japanese rice from Niigata and I quote, Niigata is the prefecture "renowned for its tasty premium-grade rice in fields irrigated by the melting snow in spring".

The menu is pretty similar to many Japanese restaurants in Singapore. They have several different menus, such as lunch menu and dinner menu, for different branches. Do check them out before visiting! To view them, please visit Tomi Sushi's website.

The restaurant is rather spacious, which is not a common sight in Japanese restaurants. The service is good! I like that they constantly refill my green tea. That's nice. The most important factor of putting a "good" to a restaurant's service is that - the staff are always around and walking around.

Q: Why I'd recommend such a common Japanese set lunch?!
A: The price and the quality served!!!

1. Yes, you can find similar Japanese lunch sets of this price range... BUT Tomi Sushi wins with its freshness of the sashimi.

2. Yes, you can find sashimi that is as fresh or even fresher... BUT it won't be as affordable as what you can find at Tomi Sushi.

I ordered Nigiri Sakura ($28).. The set was placed neatly on a tray. It comes with an assortment of sushi served on a plank, tori karaage (fried chicken), chawamushi (steamed egg), salad, miso soup and fruits. I practically loved everything that was on that tray! I can use words such as fresh, juicy, crispy, tasty, yummy, and etc.. But the best way to convince you how worthy my $28 was, is to go and try it yourself at Tomi Sushi!!

Koh Grill & Sushi Bar has a very extensive menu. They have sashimi, tempura, sushi, maki, grilled items, fried rice, udon and etc. You'll be spoilt with choices and might not have an idea what to order!

And because you might not know what to order, based on my visit experiences, I shall recommend the following...

Unsweetened Iced Green Tea ($1.50) - With all the strong flavorful food, I prefer something that will cleanse my taste buds.

Salmon Sashimi ($8, 5 slices) - I wouldn't shout a loud "so fresh". But it would not be an exaggeration to say that the sashimi here is fresher than many sushi restaurants.

Shiok Sushi ($6 per piece) - A mouth size sushi with aburi salmon. Basically, a mini version of the shiok maki with a larger slice of salmon wrapped around the sushi.

Shirane Tofu ($8) - Fried tofu with crispy fish skin. The generous amount of sauce did not dampen the crispiness of the tofu and fish skin. The combination was so interesting and by interesting, I meant it in a weird way, but it was surprisingly delicious and refreshing. I like it.

Foie Gras Maki ($28) - Foie gras sushi roll wrapped with aburi swordfish is the BEST maki I had in Koh Grill & Sushi Bar.

Shiok Maki 2nd Generation ($16.80) - Crispy prawn sushi roll wrapped with aburi salmon is better that the original 1st generation, in my opinion. Or maybe because I prefer prawn to eel. Heehee...

Crabby Maki ($18) - Crispy soft-shell crab and seaweed sushi roll wrapped with seared swordfish belly is a must-try if you love soft-shell crab. I like that it is not oily and the crisp remained even after being left on the table while I was busy snapping photos of other dishes.

Tempura Moriawase Special ($15) - Comprises prawns, squid, eggplant, pumpkin, and soft-shell crab tempura. It would be too much and too heavy for one person. The menu also stated that it is ideal for two persons. The batter is light, thus the outer is very crispy. I like the tempura dipping sauce which added flavor to the rather plain tempura.

Grilled Salmon Skin / Shake Kawa ($4) - This is different from the common fried salmon skin. As it is grilled, there's almost no oiliness in the dish. It is lightly salted and I enjoyed it as much as I enjoy potato chips! Maybe they could rename it as Grilled Salmon Chips. Hahahaa..

Asparagus Pork Belly Maki ($3 per stick) - I'm being biased. It's one of my favorite grilled items. Hahahaa...

Beef Fillet ($12) - Comparable to what is served at The Sushi Bar (Far East Plaza) but I'll prefer the beef fillet at Koh Grill & Sushi Bar because of the sauce that comes with it. The sauce is the key that made the beef fillet so delicious. The waitress questioned me in disbelief when I ordered two of this.

For full review with photos, please visit http://myfrozenreminiscence.blogspot.sg/2013/10/koh-grill-sushi-bar.html

The Crispy Chicken was indeed crispy and chunky, but it was quite oily as well. On the other hand, (literally on the other hand) the fish fillet kinda reminds me Big M's fish fillets. It was soft and moist! It could be a healthier choice over the oily fried chicken.

I thought that the taste was rather light overall, but the texture was rather springy and soft. However, the bun absorbed some of the oil from the fried chicken and the overflowing sauce. Somehow, the bun lost its flavor and became a little soggy when I was eating it halfway.

Verdict: Though the buns lack a bit of the yummilicious factor, the appealing appearance of the buns is the selling point! Most of all, the wide variety of buns and sauces allow customers to mix and match, and experiment to come up with a delicious bun! I will be back, for sure.

For full review with photos of food and menu, please visit:
http://myfrozenreminiscence.blogspot.sg/2013/08/bear-bites.html