Sometimes, I come across something so good, that every bite felt soul shining and that I momentarily lose myself in my food. Lunch at Sumiya Charcoal Grill Izakaya @ Orchard Central is just that and perhaps abit more.
Hidden in a little loft at Orchard Central, this gem of a restaurant is one of Orchard’s best kept secret that I almost didn’t feel like sharing.Sumiya is offering an awesome lunch set deal where you can get a Mix Bara Kaisen Don set for a steal of $18.80 and other equally irresistible options.The delectable set is food-coma inducing, with a generous bowl full of assorted sashimi cubes, avocado and blanketed with toboki and salmon roe. It comes with sesame sauce should you need that additional umami kick but its hardly required here. Completing the set are other side kicks like chawanmushi, an appetizer, miso soup, salad and mochi. This set is a force to be reckoned with.Less belly bursting but still delicious is the Ni Anago Don Set (Simmered Conger Eel) with delicately simmered conger eel. Look Ma! I can’t see my rice!A hearty choice would be the Teriyaki Chicken Don set. Tender morsels of teriyaki chicken makes a satisfying lunch. I’m not sure how long the lunch set promotion would last, but I’m pretty sure I’ll be visiting Sumiya again and again.

The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach and the same goes for The Beast.
The Beast, Southern Kitchen and Bourbon Bar is a dimly lit, 2 storey restaurant located along Jalan Klapa. I got there during opening time on a Saturday but only managed to snag myself bar seats because most of the tables have been reserved. First tell tale sign how popular this place has become.The wide variety of bourbon and whisky is a welcoming sight indeed for the thirsty. I decided on Mama June’s Sweet Tea. I would have expected it to be at least a tad similar to sweet lemon tea but its a rather bland (or diluted) mix of Redemption High Rye Bourbon and House-made Honey Sweet Tea. The beer is good, as expected of draught beer. Crisp and refreshing.Drinks aside, the food was much better. In fact so good it made me forget about ‘em crappy drinks.The pulled pork sliders were the first to arrive at the table and sure as hell didn’t disappoint. The pulled pork was juicy, tender and the crispy, fresh slaw gave the whole thing a welcoming texture. Gone in 60 seconds.Next came the The Jack and the Beast Stalk. Give me these battered, fried green beans over truffle fries any day. I would share my fries any day but I’ll need to think twice about these. Its addictive. The batter is airy and lightly fried and finally coated with their ‘secret seasoning’. I occasionally still crave for these.. thats how good I think it is.The Southern Fried Chicken is good but not memorable though. Exactly what you would expect of fried chicken, very tender and juicy, probably due to its purported 24 hr brine. I also realise they left out our house-made buttermilk biscuits too. =(The Bacon Waffle Sundae for me, is the highlight of the entire meal. You get a choice of ice-cream between Fig & Honey or Vanilla Bean. We picked the Fig & Honey. Crispy, fluffy waffles with candied bacon, pecan brittle and drizzled with butter scotch. Its like a celebration on a plate. I would definitely order this again.
Overall, I had a good meal there. The prices are perhaps on the steep side but as a treat, I’ve already mentally worked out my next trip to The Beast. I’m all game to try their Chicken & Waffles ($20) with bourbon maple butter sauce. Also, I’m going to gather some fellow gluttons and go for their Beast Burger ($125), the mother of all burgers. 

After much convincing, I agreed to give PapaRich @ OneKM a try and lets just put it out there that it would probably be the last time I step into another restaurant by that name.
Sad food makes one sad. The interior of the restaurant is lavish but does nothing to elevate the food.As advertised, The Super Rich Combo includes aromatic nasi rich, served with fried chicken drumstick, aromatic braised beef, sweet & spicy squid, potato, hard boiled egg, lady finger, papadum and sambal. With all the haphazard mishmash of ingredients, the dish just doesn’t add up. The nasi is flat and dry, the braised beef is fibrous and tough, egg (as you can see with the grey ring) is over cooked, sambal is spicy and not aromatic at all… Granted, having tried really good nasi in a foodcourt at half this price didn’t help either. Lets just skip this altogether.On a slightly better note is the Ipoh Kuay Teow Soup with Steamed Chicken. The soup base is average and abit on the sweet side. The first few mouthfuls were enjoyable but it went straight downhill the more you eat. I’m guessing there’s too much msg in it but I could be wrong.The saving grace of the mains we ordered is the Steamed Chicken that is has a silky and tender texture. However, the sauce again is over cloyingly sweet. Its more like a sugar gravy instead of one that includes soy sauce.The chendol is so ordinary, I have problems describing it.

Just when I thought foodcourt fare has reached the point of hopelessness, that it compromises taste for profitability, I came across Red Ring Treasures @ Wisma Atria Food Republic. Its relatively new an outlet, having just opened sometime mid 2014. Prices are very reasonable for a stall situated in the heart of town and the taste… I’m won.The highlight of the meal to me is their Onion Blossom. I ordered it out of curiosity. I seen it at restaurants, pubs but being adverse to onion, it never justified me ordering it. First of all, the onion blossom served resembled a gorgeous golden flower. Fried perfectly, not a single burnt spot. Unlike some under cooked onion rings, these are timed just right such that the onion is sweet yet retaining some crunch.The noodles had a good bite to it. Not too dry or soggy. I like that the pork cutlet doesn’t taste too greasy, or smell like stale oil. On hindsight, I probably should have added some chili to the noodles as the taste, though good, tends to plateau after afew bites.A huge bowlful of soup, the dumplings were well made. Its pillowy and soft to the bite, the thinly skinned dumpling encased a robust core which falls apart when you eat it.
I eat my words. Foodcourts does indeed have restaurant quality food at very reasonable prices. When I come across a gem like this, I feel excited about sharing it.

Since we found out that Mr & Mrs Mohgan’s Super Crispy Prata stall is within comfortable walking distance from our house (read: 10 minutes), our lives changed. Every weekend, I would ask Mr what would he like for breakfast and its always, “Prata!” Even though my usual response would start with some eye rolling, I would oblige. Its so good, it has become our gold standard for roti pratas.
Fair bit of warning though: Be patient as there is bound to be a queue and go early because I heard they usually sell out by noon.The quaint little shop resides in a coffee shop tucked away at the junction of Crane Rd and Onan Rd somewhere along sleepy Joo Chiat. The entire coffeeshop has a rustic feel to it, which adds to the dining atmosphere.Poh Ho Restaurant is also home to very old school style of wanton mee, Hock Thye Noodle House that serves up some really good wanton mee and dumpling soup. There’s also a stall called Boon Lay Power Nasi Lemak but is always closed in the mornings when we visit.

But we digress, let’s go back to our Prata.
Mr & Mrs Mohgan’s Super Crispy Prata Shop is a family run business. Mrs Mohgan expedites and serves, Mr Mohgan and son makes the pratas. The family is soft-spoken and very friendly. Why, Mrs Mohgan happened to walk past our table and noticed our diminishing plate of curry and cheerfully offered to top up,”Do you want more curry?”
There are three different types of curry to choose from: Dhal, Mutton and Fish. I got a low threshold for spice so I didn’t try, but I do observe that there are also some avid fans of their sambal ikan bilis with the frequent top ups and quickly emptied container.There are other variations of Roti Prata, egg, mushroom and cheese but my favourite is still the kosong prata. Everything is made fresh and as the name entails, its super crispy on the outside but soft inside. Such is its appeal, that I was transformed into a glutton and inhaled 3 slices at one sitting.For those who likes mutton curry, do not miss out on Mr & Mrs Mohgan’s version. Its $3 for a generous plate of super tender, flaky mutton pieces swimming in rich, savoury curry.
Whenever people discuss about best Roti Prata places, I always rave about Mr and Mrs Mohgan’s and I believe rightly so. With their commitment to the quality of their food, you’ll bet these artisanal roti pratas will continue to have their cult following.