I was lucky that I managed to get a table without any reservation on a Sunday afternoon. However, I was offered al-fresco seating as the very narrow sushi bar was full. Hence, no photos of the restaurant itself! If you haven’t heard, Tatsuya boasts an excellent reputation in Japanese food. All ingredients are freshly imported from Tsukiji and Fukuoka fish markets. Each month, they come up with new seasonal dishes to make use of the season’s finest ingredients and their value-for-money bento set lunches are served, even on weekends. Ladies Lunch ($26.80) – I’m definitely not joking when I say Tatsuya offers value-for-money bento sets! This set includes a potato sald, cold udon, mixed vegetable tempuras, 4 slices of sushi, 2 california maki pieces and a personalised tamago with the branding of the restaurant! I was impressed with the spread, and more so with the quality and taste. Everything tasted excellent. The sushis were fresh, with an adequate amount of sushi rice under the fish in order for diners to maximize their appreciation of the fish itself. The tempuras were crispy and aromatic too!

For full review and more photos, please visit http://foodiepink.wordpress.com/2013/07/22/tatsuya-japanese-restaurant-goodwood-park-hotel/

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Tangerine is a spa-cafe at ESPA, a building dedicated to luxurious spa treatments which has a spectacular tranquil-leisure environment designed for some serious pampering. It is also a restaurant headed by celebrity chef Sam Leong and wife, Forest Leong.

Tangerine has a rather small and intimate space that boasts ceiling-to-floor glass windows, overlooking a lush foliage. The atmosphere is one that is refined, with a warm crowd of service staff. As a spa-cafe, Tangerine offers contemporary dishes created from carefully curated ingredients to ensure that our bodies are receiving maximum nutrients from the lowest cholesterol and calories possible. Under each dish description, there are comprehensive notes and calorie counts to let you understand the different effects or elements you can benefit from having a dish. For instance, many dishes contained ingredients with high levels of anti-oxidants.Main Course: Chef Forest’s Sous Vide Salmon Fillet w Red Capsicum Puree & Tamarind Sauce - This may possibly be the best salmon dish I’ve had ever. I love salmon sashimi and baked salmon that is not overdone – this dish is a culmination of both. Sous vide is a method of cooking by sealing the ingredient in a plastic air-tight bag and cooking it for very long hours at lower-than-usual temperatures, such as 55 °C to 60 °C. The result is an extraordinarily smooth and silky texture of the fish. The red capsicum coulis is packed with anti-oxidants – a great way of incorporating this ingredient into the dish instead of leaving them in cubes as I don’t take them normally. The tamarind sauce was slightly tart and spicy, yet not overpowering in any way. The fried fish skin was crispy and not greasy at all. A perfect dish which I’ll give full marks to!

For full review and more photos, please visit http://foodiepink.wordpress.com/2013/07/29/tangerine-espa-resorts-world-sentosa/

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Jamie’s Italian has finally landed in Singapore after months of anticipation! After my dining experience at Jamie’s Italian in Oxford, I was more than delighted that his beautiful creations will be available locally. Not wanting to brave the (‘Singaporean’) queue, I called in advance only to find out in dismay that the next available booking was 3 weeks later, in August. Desperate times call for desperate measures – start queuing at 5.30pm and you’ll definitely get a table by dinnertime.Vongole Tagliolini [Steamed Manila clams, garlic, chilli, white wine, parsley, butter & lemon] (Small: $17) – My favourite pasta of all that I’ve tried that night. All pastas come in 2 sizes and my table opted for small throughout so as to taste their variants. If you haven’t known, all pastas at Jamie’s Italian are freshly handmade with love daily. The clams in this dish were huge, fresh and juicy! I especially liked the gravy which was very flavourful and light, full of seafood freshness.Birxham Bay Crab Risotto [Creamy risotto made w incredible acquerello rice topped w lemony crab, samphire & chilli] (Small: $19) – Yet another outstanding risotto! The flavour of the crab was strong. My only qualm would be the addition of the breadcrumbs which I thought was rather redundant. The breadcrumbs kept making me think that I was biting onto crab shells – a psychological thing I know. Creamy Panna Cotta [Lovely wobbly panna cotta served w fruit compote] ($9) – Another hot favourite among diners, recommended by the service staff. Indeed, the panna cotta was very wobbly – a perfect description to it! One of the best panna cottas I’ve tried, the pudding was firm but extremely soft at the same time. The vanilla flavour is strong on its own and the fruit compote added some sourness and sweetness to it. Yumyum!

For full review and more photos, please visit http://foodiepink.wordpress.com/2013/07/26/jamies-italian-singapore-vivocity/

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Maison Ikkoku is a multi-concept store, housed in a 3-storey shophouse within a cultural precinct, Kampong Glam. The first-storey serves as an Indie cafe, while the second is a fashion boutique and the third, a very cool bar with an option of al-fresco seating. I was here for dinner and I couldn’t help but adjourn to the 3rd floor for some post-dinner drinks. At the end of the night, I fell in love with this label/concept/brand. Read on to find out more!Rainbow Cake ($10) – My very first slice of rainbow cake and a good one! This cake made me so happy, it was as though it dropped down from heaven. The layers of vanilla sponge were light and fluffy – aptly accompanied by the cream cheese frosting. I loved how the rainbow dots added crunch and the generous side of chocolate and strawberry sauces brought in different flavours for the cake.This is a picture taken from the counter of Maison Ikkoku bar! Spot all the fresh ingredients and bottles and bottles of spirits! This bar has no menu as all cocktails are customised according to your requests – a really cool “mixology” concept. You just have to inform the bartender on your preferred taste for your cocktail as well as your choice spirit – be it spicy, salty, refreshing, fruity etc., the end product will be one that tickles your tastebuds with pleasure and stretches your imagination while dissecting the layers of taste. A wonderful and clever concept if you ask me!

For full review and more photos, please visit http://foodiepink.wordpress.com/2013/07/19/maison-ikkoku-cafe-bar-kandahar-street/

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I’ve heard so much about Fukuichi – especially the freshness in ingredients used and affordability! In my books, those two elements do not go that well together, if you know what I mean. Fukuichi has their fish and seasonal seafood specially air-flown straight from Shizuoka by their partner in Japan, Fukuichi GyoGyo, which has been engaged in fishing for over three centuries. These fish are then kept in a state-of-art cold storage of -55˚C here. Some very interesting facts here!Bento [Complete meal served in a lacquered meal box] ($40) – This bento set has basically everything – sashimi, sushis, tempura and grilled mentai salmon. Not exactly the cheapest bento in town, I shared this with my friend, along with a noodles dish each to keep the bill low. Every component of this bento was delicious! Sashimi slices were fresh and thick; aburi sushis were just as good too. However, as a result,the California maki paled in comparison. Next, the batter of the tempura was really light and crispy – the better ones around I would say. My favourite of the bento set must be the salmon which was grilled to perfection, with some flavour-packed cod roe mayonnaise sauce accompanying the tender fish meat.

For full review and more photos, please visit http://foodiepink.wordpress.com/2013/08/19/fukuichi-japanese-restaurant-triple-one-somerset/

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