Food for Thought - Fat Cow A Japanese Inspired Steakhouse

On its website, Fat Cow claims to be a Japanese Inspired Steakhouse and it certainly lives up to that claim.

Located in an inconspicuous corner of Camden Medical Centre, off the tail-end of Orchard Boulevard, Fat Cow serves up some of the best set lunches at affordable prices below S$60.  For dinner, select from their menu of well marbled beef from Australia, USA and of course, Japan.  Although they are big on beef, their very selective menu also has other offerings like tuna, bream and cod.

The decor is simple yet exudes an air of sophistication.  Lighting in the restaurant is dim but this only added to our enjoyment as our senses became heightened.

It was a Saturday afternoon when we visited.  The shabu shabu counter quickly filled up within minutes of our arrival.  It was quite a challenge deciding on our order.  After much consideration, wifey ordered the Fat Cow donburi while I had the Bara chirashi.

The Fat Cow donburi is a simple meal consisting of slices of charcoal grilled wagyu beef and an onsen egg on rice.  The beef was tender and juicy with a slight hint of garlic.  Shiro negi was added, enhancing the dish to new heights of sensation.  We were not expecting the best grade of wagyu for the donburi but were pleasantly surprised that the slivers of beef melted in our mouths effortlessly.  I would have guessed that it was at least of A3 grade.

Fat Cow donburi

My Bara chirashi paled in comparison, however, it still made for a very satisfying meal.  The dish was colourful with cubes of different shades of sashimi atop fragrant sushi rice.

Bara chirashi

The lunch set came complete with miso soup, salad, chawanmushi and dessert - all of which were of amazing quality.

Salad

Chawanmunshi

For sides, we ordered zucchini flower in batter.  It was deep-fried to a light shade of gold and had a very crispy texture on the outside.  Inside, the flower retained its crunchiness and freshness.

Zucchini flower

We walked away feeling completely sated and satisfied.  How would I rate my experience at Fat Cow?  I would say it was not just good; it was memorable!


Fat Cow
1 Orchard Boulevard
#01-01/02 Camden Medical Centre
Singapore

Ambience:  7.5/10
Service:       8/10
Food:           8.5/10
Pricing:       $$$

Food for Thought: Kuru Kuru's Ala Carte Dinner Buffet

Kuru Kuru's "value for money champion" is truly, in every sense of the word, a value-for-money dining experience.  The ala carte dinner buffet, priced at $30++ per adult, offers close to 135 different dishes ranging from the typically Japanese sashimi and sushi to some interesting fusion dishes.

The Chef  has thoughtfully created manageable portions of almost everything on the menu.  This allows diners to nibble and sample as many dishes as possible without feeling the pangs of over-eating.

Variety is the order of the day at Kuru Kuru and guests are spoilt for choices.  Menu items include selections of starters and salads, sashimi, sushi, temaki, tempura, hotpot, grilled items, fried items, soup, noodles among others.  There is even a novel section of Yoshoko (or Western-influenced Japanese dishes).

Sashimi - Chef's selected cuts.

Seafood and vegetable hotpot

Sushi

 Grilled Capelin

 Tempura Prawn

One of my favourite dishes was the grilled mid-joint chicken wing.  It was noticeably a simple dish yet it showcased the freshness of the ingredients picked and used by the Chef.  Although the chicken was well cooked right down to its bones, it was not overdone nor did it taste like 'stale wood pulp'.  In fact, the meat was, surprisingly, tender and moist while the skin was crisp and very lightly charred - just the way I like it.

Grilled mid-joint chicken wing

There are a variety of desserts available but of these, the Maacha (Green Tea) Ice Cream with red bean and the Cherry dumplings deserve special mention.

Green Tea ice cream with red beans

Cherry Dumplings

Kuru Kuru provides the perfect setting for friends to gather and chat over a meal.  You and your friends can be certain that the waiting staff will not hurry you through your meal.  And for sure, you won't get that horrible feeling of being chased away. 

Kuru Kuru Japanese Restaurant

491 River Valley Road

#01-07 Valley Point Office Tower

Singapore 248371
http://www.streetdirectory.com/kurukuru/

Ambiance:  6

Food: 7

Service: 7.5

Pricing: $$ (Value-for-money)

Food for Thought: Chef Hide Yamamoto

Last year, we celebrated darling wife's birthday at renowned Chef Hide Yamamoto's newest restaurant at Marina Bay Sands.  The restaurant is one of the 2010 Global Chef Award Recipients.

Darling wife posing with the waiting team

Born in Japan, Chef Yamamoto was trained mainly in Italy and France.  He has graced kitchens such as the legendary Roger Verge in Provence, Chez Nouz Hama in San Franciso and The Jockey Club at Washington DC's Ritz-Carlton Hotel.  He holds the esteemed distinction of serving three generations of Presidents - Reagan, Bush and Clinton.

In 2005, Chef Yamamoto became the first Executive Chef of the Mandarin Oriental in Washington DC and later returned to Japan to be appointed as Chief Executive Chef for Mandarin Oriental Tokyo.

The MBS branch is Chef Yamamoto's fifth to date, but his first and only in Singapore.  The MBS outlet is a multi-concept 128-seat restaurant. It is divided into four main sections offering different menus and experiences - sushi, robata, ramen and teppanyaki. The restaurant also boasts a very well-stocked saki bar.

Since it was a special occasion, we settled for Chef Yamamoto's S$350++ per head Teppanyaki Dinner Course consisting of 8 dishes including Grilled Lobster, Grilled Whole Abalone in the Shell, and Grilled Wagyu Beef.  For this course which is the most expensive on the Teppanyaki menu, Chef Koji Nagashima was assigned to attend to us.  We had our own teppanyaki counter, our own Japanese chef and three service staff to pamper us throughout the meal.

Suffice for me to say that every dish was excellent.

Seafood Platter

The platter of seafood, our first dish, comprising wild salmon, octopus and sweet shrimp was not only a delight for the eyes but a feast to our palate too.  I must say that the cut of octopus was the most tender and juiciest I have ever had in Singapore. 

Sashimi - Threadfin and Fatty Salmon

What followed was a small serving of the highest grade sashimi - two thick slices of fatty salmon and 2 slices of Threadfin.  They were so fresh that they simply  melt in your mouth.

Live lobster

The dishes just got better and better.  The live lobster (which was on display before our eyes while we were relishing the freshness of the sashimi) was grilled to just the right degree.  While the meat was firm it did not have that dry chewy texture as a result of over-cooking.

Abalone in shell

After the lobster, we were served each a whole abalone in its shell.  I would have preferred it to be a little undercooked but our attending waiter advised that the Japanese like it chewy.  Nevertheless, we enjoyed the freshness of the shellfish. As in the lobster dish, Chef Koji has very ingeniously used the natural fluids from the shellfish for marinade, thereby enhancing the full oceanic flavour.

Wagyu beef

Selection of grilled vegetables

After the abalone came the wagyu beef which was the highlight of the entire meal.  It was served on hotstone and had on its side a selection of grilled vegetables.  Both darling wife and I exceedingly enjoyed the beef which was cooked expertly to perfection.  Chef Koji has chosen the best cut which had been hung for several weeks.  We have eaten wagyu beef at different restaurants in Singapore but this is by far, the best.

Handmade ramen with seasonal vegetables

To complete the meal, we had the special handmade ramen in concentrated miso soup served with seasonal vegetables.  To be honest, we were both quite satiated by this time to really be able to enjoy the ramen, which I am sure would have, otherwise, been much better appreciated.

Red bean with glutinous rice ball

No meal is complete without a good dessert.  Chef Yamamoto's red bean with glutinous rice ball was typically Japanese but with a French twist.  Two precious pieces of French marron made all that difference to an otherwise common dessert.

Vanilla parfait for the birthday girl

At the end of our meal just before I asked to settle the bill, our dedicated service team presented wifey with a vanilla parfait topped with a candle and a 'happy birthday' choclate wedge.  Everything was done very tastefully low key without too much fanfare.  We really liked that. 

Hide Yamamoto

Marina Bay Sands

8 Bayfront Avenue #02-05

Ambiance:  8.5

Service:  9.5

Food: 9.5

Pricing:  $$$$$

Recommended dish: any of the Teppanyaki dinner course; Wagyu beef

Food for Thought: Japanese Dining Sun @ CHIJMES

December is a hectic month for many but more so, for us.  Preparation for Christmas and shopping for gifts are interspersed with lunches and dinners with our dearest friends.  You see, both darling wife and I celebrate our birthdays in December.  We have had umpteen meals but I guess the one I should write first about, is my dinner for Lyn at Japanese Dining Sun, CHIJMES.

This restaurant gets a listing in practically every food blog that I know of.  Most are rave reviews.  Personally, I don't understand what all the hype is about, although I must agree that it does deserve mention for 2 things - its minimalist decor and food presentation.  Quality of food, however, does not measure up to the reviews I have read.

Since we were celebrating darling wife's birthday, I was so looking forward to enjoying a kaiseki meal but this was, sadly, not offered.  However, they did have a Hokkaido promotion which promised the freshest ingredients air-flown from Japan.

We ordered several dishes for sharing - tuna sashimi, a beef uramaki (or western sushi), Zensai Mori, and a mixed grill platter.  Darling wife ordered the Ishikari Nabe from the Hokkaido promotion menu.  For dessert, we had 2 servings of Milk Shu Cream with azuki bean paste on the side.

The sashimi maguro was fresh, leaning towards a 'melt-in-the-mouth' texture. This could be because we were eating tuna in winter (in the northern hemisphere) which is the best time for harvesting the fish when its body has a natural built-up of fats.  Though Sun's sashimi was not the best we have eaten in Singapore, it was definitely better than what an average Japanese restaurant has to offer.

Sashimi Maguro

Served together with the sashimi was the beef uramaki.  We liked its presentation especially the minimalist-design crockery.  Regrettably, it did not stand out beyond its presentation.   It wasn't all that bad but it just didn't excite my palate as much as it was visually attractive.  I wish they didn't add so much mayonnaise on top!!!

Beef uramaki

The one dish that was truly a feast for the eye was the Zensai Mori or selection of appetizers.  Had it not been for the fact that the cheek of pork was over-done, I would have given this dish full marks.  Still, the saving grace was that the pork was well marinated and therefore, very tasty.  The other items were very good with varying degrees of complexity in preparation.  The edamame beans, though plain and straightforward in its preparation, provided relief from the robust onslaught of different flavours from the fried crispy shrimp, sauteed Bunashimeji mushroom, black-peppered cheek of pork, and sesame-mayonnaise fried chicken.  The Zensai Mori was our favourite dish.

Zensai Mori

Cheek of pork

Fried crispy prawns

The mixed grill platter was a let-down.  The only item on the platter that we enjoyed was the grilled kurobuta pork in thick caramelised sauce. Everything else was overcooked!

Grilled kurobuta pork in thick caramelised sauce

Mixed grill platter

Birthday gal enjoyed her Ishikari Nabe (salmon soup with fresh picked seasonal vegetables) prepared using the freshest ingredients airflown from Hokkaido.  The salmon was fresh and cooked just right.  The soup was tasty.

Ishikari Nabe

The highlight of the meal has to be the dessert - Milk Shu Cream (fresh cream in puff) served with traditional azuki bean paste on the side.  We ordered 1 to share but ended up ordering a second serving because it was really that good.

Milk Shu Cream

It was very thoughtful of the management to present darling wife a tofu cheese cake with a candle on top.  We appreciated the gesture and it made for a very pleasant end to the meal.

Japanese Dining Sun was crowded even on a Monday evening.  But I gather that it has become so popular mainly because of its affordability.  Our tab for two persons was, surprisingly, under $120.

Japanese Dining Sun

#02-01 CHIJMES

30 Victoria Street

Ambiance:  7.5

Service:  7

Food: 6.5

Pricing: $$$

Recommended dishes: Zensai Mori, Ishikari Nabe, Milk Shu Cream, Sashimi maguro

Food for Thought: Kyomomoyama @ The Central

Kyomomoyama opened its first outlet in the Mitsukoshi Shopping Mall in Taipei in 2004 and it became an instant hit with the public leading to the establishment of 2 more outlets in Taiwan within a fairly short period. Its overwhelming success prompted its management to expand its operations beyond Taiwan's shores.  Singapore was chosen.

The branch at The Central, headed by Chef Nakada Makoto, is by far the largest of its outlets with a seating capacity of about 100 diners.We arrived early, slightly before 7.00pm. It was already dinner time yet only a handful of tables were occupied. Hence we were able to secure a window seat with a stunning view of Clarke Quay and the Singapore River. It was good to see that when we left the restaurant at about 9.30pm, it was almost fully occupied.

Darling wife ordered a dinner set comprising tempura prawns and vegetables, salmon sashimi, grilled unagi, chawan munshi and a salad. The set had its usual accompaniments - miso soup, pickles, fruits and ice cream.

The full dinner set

The portion of the grilled unagi was generous for a dinner set. Although the skin was pretty well-charred, the eel remained moist and soft on the inside which was a definite plus point. The Chef did well to use the kabayaki marinade very sparingly, thus playing down the sweetness of the sauce which in turn heightens the natural sweetness of the eel. Overall, the unagi was very well executed and in our opinion, met the mark.

Grilled unagi done to perfection

The Chef was equally generous with the tempura which came with 2 pieces of fried prawn fritters and vegetables. Unlike my grilled prawn, darling wife's tempura version was tender and tasty.

Tempura Moriawase

Another dish from darling wife's dinner set that deserves mention is the sashimi. Three slabs of salmon sat in a tiny porcelain bowl, visually enhanced by a lone chrysanthemum. While the texture and freshness of the sashimi are nothing out of the ordinary, its dainty presentation stole our hearts.

Sashimi salmon

My choices from the a la carte menu were Spider Roll and Kushiyaki Moriwase or mixed grill on skewers.

The Spider Roll sushi was filled with crispy soft shell crab, avocado, cucumber, sweet fish floss, crab roe and black sesame. At $8.50 for a serving of 4 delectable pieces, one couldn't possibly complain, although my only complaint was not having enough of it.

Spider Roll

Spider Roll

The Kushiyaki Moriwase was a steal.  The dish came complete with 6 skewers of grilled items including lady's fingers, shiitake mushrooms, salmon, prawn and scallops. The grilled vegetables were excellent as were the scallops and salmon which were both slightly under-charred. The prawn, regrettably, was over cooked rendering the meat dry and almost tasteless.

Grilled salmon

Grilled vegetables - lady's fingers and shitake mushroom

Grilled seafood - scallops and prawn

Kyomomoyama's dessert menu has offerings of 6 different kinds of traditional Kyoto sweets, including ice cream and home-made almond tofu. However, it is the home-made plum wine jelly which we highly recommend.

Plum wine jelly

This is the type of eating place I would suggest for friends looking for a decent Japanese restaurant that offers value for money. Its moderate pricing (in the range of $30-$60 per person) promises not to burn a hole in your pocket even if you should choose to indulge in the most expensive items on the menu. I was not unhappy with the quality for the price I paid.

Kyomomoyama @ The Central
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#03-87 The Central @ Clarke Quay

Ambiance: 6

Service: 6

Food: 6.5
Pricing: $$

Recommended Dishes: Plum Wine Jelly; Kushiyaki Moriwase; Spider Roll; Dinner Set with Grilled Unagi.

Food for Thought: Wahiro

We were planning to have dinner at Nara but decided to explore the area to see what other options were available. We came across a new establishment at Goldhill Plaza called Wahiro. They were promoting their haute cuisine Shiwasu Wahiro 8-course kaiseki dinner at a promotion price of S$68++ per person (normally $100++ pp).  Darling wife and I could never resist haute cuisine especially at such affordable prices.

The 8 small dishes created from seasonal ingredients imported from Japan were delightful. We were first served the Tai Fish and Mitsuba. The Tai Fish (snapper) was cut into bite-size cubes and generously dusted in grounded mullet roe. Very little seasoning was used in the dish thereby, allowing us to enjoy the natural sweetness of the snapper.

Tai fish with Mitsuba

Next up was Otsukuri, the Chef's selection of the freshest sashimi. It consisted of tuna, prawn and 2 different kinds of white fish. The key to good sashimi lies in the freshness of the ingredients. Although we weren't tremendously thrilled by the Wahiro sashimi selection, we didn't totally dislike it.

The prawn head was grilled to a light char and served separately with a slice of lemon.

Otsukuri - finest sashimi

The third dish was fatty swordfish and Japanese leek in clear broth. Though the presentation of the dish was deceptively plain, the swordfish was perfectly cooked to bring out its full flavour. Most swordfish recipes call for grilling since its natural fats are perfect for open fire cooking. This was my first time eating swordfish cooked in a broth. I was pleasantly surprised by the complexity of taste that this dish offered. While the swordfish really tasted more like meat than fish, the broth was sweet and the Japanese leek added a dash of sharpness to the dish.

Swordfish and Japanese leek in clear broth

After the soup, we were served a deep-fried concoction of sea eel and slices of burdock in tempura batter. While I enjoyed the crispiness and tastiness of the dish, I was a little disappointed that the eel seem somewhat lost in the surfeit of burdock slices. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable dish.

Sea eel and burdock tempura

The next dish was one of my favourites - Shimesaba Aburisushi or mackerel sushi toasted with transparent konbu. The slightly fragrant rice was topped by a large piece of salted mackerel dressed in a thin slice of transparent konbu. The waitress took the extra effort to inform us that the fish was already salted and reminded us not to use any sauce with the sushi. Although the mackerel was grilled to well done, it still managed to remain tender. The chewiness of the konbu made the texture of the sushi more interesting.

Shimesaba Aburisushi

The one dish I would award top marks would have to be the Buta Yuba or slow cooked pork belly with shrimp filled soymilk roll which was supremely prepared by the Chef. The pork belly was braised to a streaky tenderness until it has absorbed all of the sweetness of the seasoning in the broth. The soymilk roll was soft and creamy in texture. It would have been good with or without its shrimp filling.

Buta Yuba

After this dish, we took a break to savour our side order of Wagyu beef. The course then resumed with Nyumen or fine noodle in hot dashi soup topped with a fried mixed kakiage. Although both the soup and the noodle were of very high quality, we were sadly unable to finish it as we were already sated by the tail-end of the 8-course Wahiro set meal.

Nyumen

The meal ended on a sweet note with a choice of either black sesame ice cream, green tea ice cream or tangerine sherbet.

Tangerine sherbet

Black sesame ice cream

Like Nara, Wahiro is small and can accommodate probably about 50 guests in one seating. One third of the dining room is partitioned off for private parties leaving another third for table dining. The remaining space consisted of the sushi bar where diners sit on high chairs watching the chefs at work.

As far as decor goes, its owners have taken a minimalist approach, moving away from the typical pinewood and tatami with colorful wall adornments, instead using a mainly black and white scheme. It is one place you can go to for haute cuisine but without having to dress up or burn a hole in your pocket.


Wahiro Boutique Japanese Restaurant
#01-19/21 Goldhill Plaza
Tel: 62531692
 

Ambiance: 5/10
Service: 7/10
Food: 6.75/10
Pricing: $$$-$$$$

Recommended Dishes: Shiwasu Wahiro kaiseki menu