Showing posts with label impress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label impress. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Restaurant Review: Fat Cow

I love steaks. I am always on the look out for a nice slab of marbled meat. So far, Fat Cow's steak is the best I've ever tried. Being a big fan of steaks, I ordered the A5* wagyu steak, seared to medium rare.

*A5 is the highest grade being awarded to wagyu beef. It is determined based on its marbling score, meat colour and brightness, firmness and texture of meat, and color/quality of fats. 

300g A5 Wagyu, medium rare ($298)

The steak was 300g and cost $298++. That comes up to more than $1/g and every mouthful that I took was probably worth $10 but it was so worth it! The divine taste of beef, fats that melted away without giving a greasy feeling, coupled with the grainy yet tender texture of the meat created the perfect steak ever. Every bite that I took, I went straight into heaven, lingered there for awhile, before coming back down for another bite. It was really that good. Of course, this was also the most expensive steak I've ever eaten so I was glad it measured up to expectations. 

The steak was served with a shoyu dip with grated ginger and sesame. Initially, I was skeptical about dipping such a marblellous piece of steak into shoyu but wow, the shoyu brought out the sweetness of the beef!!! We also asked for some freshly grated wasabi to pair with the beef because we liked that combination.

We also ordered a few other dishes to share before the steak arrived. 

Traditional 'onsen-egg' served warm with a hunk of crispy fried beef bone marrow in a citrus dashi

The bone marrow was crispy and light with a tinge of sweetness while the citrus dashi added a refreshing taste. Break apart the yolk and you have a creamy balance of sweet and saltiness. A perfect appetiser!


Snow crab stuffed zucchini blossom tempura


The zucchini stuffed with snow crab was amazing! The tempura was light and crispy yet not oily and there was a large amount of crab meat inside. The crab meat was fresh and sweet. We also had the choice of dipping it into mustard which excited our tastebuds. Overall, this was a unique dish and we loved it.

Barbecued eggplant glazed with honey miso

I am not a fan of eggplants but this was pretty good. After scraping off some of the miso (as it was too salty for my liking), the eggplant was actually palatable! It was so soft it almost melted in the mouth and I loved the slight chargrilled taste. The honey miso made it a really appetising dish indeed.

Grilled gamba carabineros

I was really excited to see gamba carabineros on the menu. Gamba carabineros are a type of Spanish red prawn and ever since I ate them in Barcelona, I could not stop thinking about them. Like the ones I had in Barcelona, these were simply grilled with sea salt. The prawn was sweet and fresh but not as fresh as the ones in Barcelona as the meat was not as firm. Still one of the better prawns in Singapore though! For gamba carabineros, you MUST eat the brain juice! According to the chef in Barcelona, that is the best part of the prawn and the reason why gamba carabineros are so highly prized. Do not worry though, for the juice is really sweet.

Handmade mochi with peanut and green tea powder

The mochi was extremely soft and chewy, sweet but not cloying. I preferred dipping it into the green tea powder for a slight bitterness.

Milk pudding with red beans

This dessert was disappointing. While the pudding was smooth, it lacked taste and the red beans were too dry to help. This left an unpleasant taste and texture in our mouth.

Summary


Cost: ~$580 for 2 people, with 4 alcoholic drinks
Food: Excellent steak! You have to order the A5!!!
Service: Polite but slightly slow
Ambience: Romantic, counter seating recommended
Dress code: Smart casual
Will I recommend it? Definitely!

Fat Cow
Address: 1 Orchard Boulevard
#01-01/02
Camden Medical Centre
Singapore 248649
Contact: +65 6735 0308


Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Restaurant review: Shinji by Kanesaka


Singapore is known to be a food paradise. However, when it comes to fresh sashimi and authentic sushi, it is often hard to measure up to Japan’s standard. Nevertheless, Shinji by Kanesaka was recently ranked No.35 in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, surpassing many top sushi restaurants in Japan and effectively making it the top Japanese restaurant in Singapore. Now, we can have a taste of Japan’s superior quality food without leaving the island.

Shinji serves only sushi sets for lunch and omakase sets for dinner. Omakase, meaning “I’ll leave the choice up to you”, is a menuless dining experience whereby diners will eat whatever the chef prepares for them. Apart from an element of surprise, omakase also ensures that only the freshest ingredients are used for the dishes. Of course, one can specify beforehand what one does not eat and the chef will take care not to include that in the meal.

The omakase menu includes an assortment of dishes, typically including sashimi, nigiri and maki sushi, soup and perhaps some cooked dishes. As promised, all ingredients were of superb quality and were extremely fresh. The chef revealed to us that this was attributed to the fact that the owner, chef Shinji Kanesaka, personally goes down to Tsukiji Market daily to choose the freshest ingredients before having them air flown into Singapore.

While all the dishes were exemplary, a few stood out from the rest.

The sea urchin with squid, topped with freshly grated wasabi (below) was a real treat to the tastebuds. The sea urchin was velvety smooth and luscious while the squid added texture to the dish. Topped with freshly grated wasabi, this dish titillated our tastebuds.

Sea Urchin with Squid, Topped with Freshly Grated Wasabi


Another hot favourite was the raw prawn nigiri (below). The live prawns were brought before us and the chef deftly took care of them with a slight twist of their heads. Indeed, the prawns were so fresh that any fresher, we would have had to eat them alive.  The prawns were then neatly butterflied before making into nigiris. The prawn was sweet and crunchy and the grains of rice were distinct and yet held together. Undoubtedly, Shinji has the best sushi in Singapore.


Raw Prawn Nigiri

Omakase Wa, $300++

 Summary

Cost: $388/person, including 2 beers each
Food: Superb quality, possibly the best sushi in Singapore
Service: Impeccable
Ambience: Traditional sushi bar with mostly counter seating
Dress code: Smart casual
Will I recommend it? Definitely!

Remember to make a reservation as they are always full!


Shinji by Kanesaka
Address: Raffles Hotel
#02-20
1 Beach Road
(via Seah Street lobby)
Singapore 189673

Lunch: 12pm to 3pm
Dinner: 6pm to 10.30pm
Closed on Sundays
Contact: +65 6338 6131