Having previously ate at the Ramen Keisuke Tonkotsu King Four Seasons outlet, I was very confident that I would love Ramen Keisuke Tonkotsu King Matsuri too.

Customers can customize their bowl of ramen, right down to whether you want pork chasyu (though that sounds like a trick question). Similar to the Four Seasons outlet, the much-raved bean sprouts and hard-boiled eggs are free flow appetizers while you wait for your hot ramen to be served.Four special ramens take limelight at Ramen Keisuke Tonkotsu King Matsuri. There is a story behind each ramen - each represents a Matsuri, which means festival in Japanese.

Tonkotsu Ramen NebutaDescribed as mixed pork broth with fried fish stock, it sounded like something I would like as it incorporated seafood flavours. The ramen in short pays tribute to a festival that surrounds a historical battle.
One sip of the broth confirmed this is the work of Keisuke San. The broth was thick with collagen which was due to the pork bones cooked in the soup for a longer time than normal. It is evident from the gelatin texture of the broth - a trademark of Keisuke ramen. While the tonkotsu broth was thick, the taste was not as intense or umami-packed as I expected. The fragrance and sweetness of the seafood stock was subtle and not very distinct. Even after I added the sesame seeds, it was still not as flavorful as I wanted. This would appeal to those who prefer their ramen to have a clean traditional flavour over experimentation.
The chasyu used were the lean portions, which I personally found it tough and not sweet enough. There were very little fatty portions which were lovely, sweet, tasty and melts in the mouth. It would be ideal if the ratio of fat to lean portion is higher.
Nevertheless, I love love love the noodles which were cooked to al dente perfection. It was my ideal width, and bouncy when chewed.
One thing that Keisuke ramen never disappoints me is their soft-boiled eggs. Flavored, runny and sweet, they were soft-boiled to perfection.
Tonkotsu Ramen AwaodoriOn first look, I thought the Awaodori doesn't look impressive with its more-brownish-than-normal broth. It is actually a tonkotsu broth plus sukiyaki broth, topped with a raw egg yolk. But one sip of the broth proved that looks can be deceiving. The 2-in-1 broth was amazing, thick, flavorful, sweet and umami-packed. It was well balanced and it was as if the soup had its own body. Although by 3/4 of the bowl, one might feel overwhelmed by the sweet broth.

Instead of chasyu, pork slices were used for this ramen. They were thinly sliced with a perfect ratio of lean to fat juicy parts which was a burst of sweet and savory in every bite.
My most favourite out of the 4.

Tonkotsu Ramen SanjyaSanjya was created for the spicy lovers as it is made up of black, green and red spices sauces. The three different spices are meant to pay tribute to the three founders of Tokyo's oldest temple.
On first look, our Sanjya looks scary with the huge blot of black pepper, red chilli sauce and green chilli sauce. For wimps that don't dare to disintegrate the black blot of pepper and mix the sauces, don't worry. The bomb is fake one. The soup was ok and not as spicy as I thought. It was more peppery rather than spicy hot and numbing. Maybe it is to suit the Japanese palate? Noted tummy was not on fire after eating Sanjya.

Tonkotsu Ramen YukimatsuriRamen Yukimatsuri is named after an annual festival held during the snowy winter in Sapporo where snow and ice sculptures are constructed along the city streets. Inspired by snow, Ramen Yukimatsuri spots a generous blot of cheese powder on top of a thick miso cum tonkotsu broth. One would catch a whiff of the pungent smell of the powdery cheese and miso when the ramen is served.
Unfortunately, our Yukimatsuri seems to be suffering from an identity crisis. The broth was a confusing mix of heavy salty fermented miso taste, pungent cheese which disintegrated into lumps, chilli flakes which gave the soup a spicy kick, and sweetness from onions. The noodle saved the day.

Ambience
Decor is refreshing, colorful and imaginative - adjectives that are equally apt for the lord of ramen and his inventive ramens.

Service
Staff were full of energy and kept chanting Japanese niceties. Service speed was good and I didn't have to wait long. Beware of long queues during peak hours. You can help yourself to the free cold drink outside the shop while queuing. So thoughtful of them.

Kudos to Keisuke san who is always pushing the boundaries of ramen cooking, and trying to introduce interesting twists to the conventional ramen.

For full review, please visit: http://weekendeatwhatsg.blogspot.sg/2014/08/ramen-keisuke-tonkotsu-king-matsuri.html

For full review, visit http://weekendeatwhatsg.blogspot.sg/2014/07/chong-qing-grilled-fish.html
Chong Qing Grilled Fish is very popular, especially on weekend nights. In fact, there was a queue already waiting at 6.30pm on a Friday. Patronage was a mix of local and PRC. I would recommend you to call and reserve to avoid disappointment.We chose the sea bass in fermented black bean (甘香豆豉) soup, and beancurd skin and enoki mushrooms as our sides. We were so excited when the fish came in a huge saucer with the hot stove beneath! The regular size ($30) was huge and enough for two pax. A thin layer of chilli spice powder was sprinkled on top to give a kick to the fish which was grilled to perfection. The sea bass was very tender, fresh and tasty, evident of the oil, herbs and spices that were used to marinate the fish. We slurped all of the black bean soup which was aromatic, and packed a balanced punch of saltiness, savouriness and sweetness. We were very satisfied with every aspect of the fish and there was really nothing to nitpick.We had the opportunity to try the authentic Chongqing spicy style - Spicy Fragrant 一品香辣(medium spiciness) on another occasion. OMG. I can only say the spicy fragrant soup is not for the faint-hearted. The chilli oil was very hot, spicy and numbing. I am not exaggerating. My fellow diner, who is a major consumer of the chilli industry, also found it too spicy and numbing. By the end of the meal, we felt our tongues did not belong to us. Good idea to bring a frenemy here if you want to do a kamikaze. But this is their signature lah. Chong Qing Ma La mah. Suggest you choose mild spiciness level. Just drink more water which is free. I think I drank more water than the soup. Or have some cooling desserts just opposite Chong Qing Grilled Fish. I highly recommend the durian shaved ice at Desserts First.Indoors are air-conditioned but you are more likely to smell like grilled fish at the end. Outdoors might be too humid on a hot day. If you are lucky like us, you might get a seat that is indoors but close to the main door-less entrance which will grant you the best of both worlds - Cool air-conditioning and good ventilation.

I have to start by disclaiming that this is not a story about authentic Thai food. This is another story of how I found a gem by following the long queue. Ah Loy Thai located at the basement of Tampines Mall always had a queue every time I passed by. Like always. Being the typical Singaporean, I made the assumption that the queue means good food. I am a good follower.

The pineapple fried rice ($7, below) had a wok hei taste, and the pineapples, prawns and raisins were a great infusion to entice the tastebuds. The eggs were to die-for. Although it tasted more like Chinese Zhi Char fried rice, it made me wanted to go Bangkok immediately. The Tom Yam seafood soup ($7.50, below) was really spicy. One sip and it set my tongue and belly to flames even faster than I could say "sa-wa-dee-kha". And I think they must have been best friends with their supplier because there were a lot of fresh ingredients: prawns, mushroom, lemongrass and chock-ful of squids. It was like a bottomless pot of ingredients. The soup brought out the essence of the ingredients and the spiciness was well balanced by the sourness. Loved the Phad Thai ($7, below) which was well done : not too oily and had a wok hei taste to it too. Umani packed thin flat noodles were flavorful and delivered the punch. Again, generous amount of eggs, prawns and beanspouts. This is like my perfect Phad Thai.
And before we thought the meal would not get any better, the butter calamari ($8, below) arrived. Hail the butter calamari! Every bite was a burst of sweet and savory. Although it's sinful, it's addictive and tasty. 5/5
Meat is very important in a meal so we ordered the pandan chicken ($10, below). Hmmm the chicken was a little tough (frozen meat?). Would give this a miss if we had known. Although the food was more like Chinese Zhi Char rather than Thai Thai in my opinion, it's really irresistible and tasty and had us swooning. These were really simple, nothing over the top dishes but that's all it takes to make us contented. And also make us work harder at the gym thereafter. And all these for only $13 per pax which is value for money! There is no service charge or Gst. It would have cost more if we went to other Thai restaurants. There is another outlet at Bugis Shaw towers but I haven't tried it before. Despite the queues during meal times, this is stuff that I would not regret queuing for. Ok I need to wipe off the drool on my keyboard now.

Menu items comprised of breakfast classics ranging from sausages to French toasts. My wallet might have tried to run away when it first saw the prices (breakfast items ranged from $13 to $20). But the good thing was there was no GST or service charge so it seemed the prices have taken that into account.

The latte ($5), which was smooth and the perfect art that decorated it warmed the heart. Although I found it slightly over bitter and sourish, it was acceptable. The cappuccino ($5) was also similar. Based on Department of Caffeine's Facebook, they take sustainably-sourced specialty coffee beans from Five Senses Coffee, Australia, and then apply serious technical know-how to craft caffeinated perfection. Sounds like they are serious about their coffee.The French toast ($16) which was two loaves of brioche stuffed with maple syrup and bananas, soaked in vanilla yoghurt, and sprinkled with almonds and blueberries sent a sugar rush. Not sure if it was because my tummy had not grinded for the last 12 hours, but I felt sweetly blissful when I tucked into the French toast. The only pity was the bananas seemed to be overly soaked with maple syrup, making it soggy.
There was no way for me not to order waffles when I see one on the menu. Especially when it comes with ice-cream and peanut butter ($12.5) - these waffles were crispy on the outside (though not super crispy), fluffy and airy on the inside. The generous peanut butter sauce that drenched the waffles balanced the sweetness of the ice-cream and jam. A little pity that it can be crispier. Overall, certainly one of the better places for a brunch. Food quality - checked. Attentive service - checked. Ambience - checked. Takes reservations - checked.

Tip 1: If you have Pickat app, it's 15% off (excluding drinks) with min spending of $20 till 29 Jan 2014, excluding Wed, weekends and public holidays. Download Pickat for free.

Tip 2: They have taken their reservation system online now. Reserve before you head down. Queuing is a waste of life.

For full review, please visit http://weekendeatwhatsg.blogspot.sg/2014/01/department-of-caffeine.html

Have you ever eaten a bowl of perfect prawn mee? I found the perfect prawn mee at Blanco Court Prawn Mee.

Choose from a hearty bowl of jumbo prawn noodles ($8/$10) which had bigger tiger prawns, or the smaller prawns (with or without ribs) version that cost half the price ($4.50/$5.50). For those who are repulsive towards peeling the prawns with bare hands, Blanco Court is considerate enough to half the prawns so that it is easier to extract that fresh sweet meat from the shell. Without using the hands of course.We could not stop hankering for the broth, the most important component of any prawn soup. The broth packed a robust punch with bursting umami-packed flavors and the briny sweetness of the crustaceans. The fried shallots in the soup were infused to entice the taste buds. The best part? Free refills.

Somehow, it has become a non-obligatory yet mandatory thing to order some Ngoh hiang from the neighboring stall. Can't help it because the deep fried Ngoh Hiang was a savory and addictive appetizer to the prawn mee feast. The prawn crackers and fritters didn't leave much impression though.