Jap Curry Meals

Raku Ninja @ Republic Plaza #B1-07

I went to meet a friend at Raffles Place and we ended up at the basement of republic plaza, which had lots of stuff to eat. we initially intended to go for a paper pot, but I was tempted when I saw some other diners eat this...


The curry udon was insipid, with the curry more like a watery gravy instead. The tempura were hard, although not oily.

Verdict: Give it a miss, there are loads of better places around here.


Japan Gourmet Town @ Vivocity #01-157


PL and I came to this place on my first day back at work. This restaurant opened when I was on maternity leave so I hadnt eaten here yet.

When I realised it was part of a chain restaurant, which included the ubiquitous Ajisen ramen, I was rather hesitant because I was never a fan of Ajisen... but since we were already here, we decided to give it a shot.


I ordered their highly recommended moonlight okonomiyaki to share, but I wasnt impressed. The okonomiyaki was hard and tasteless. I wasn't expecting the okonomiyaki that I had in Osaka, but this really missed the mark by miles. I think Nanjya Monjya's version is still the best.


My tempura prawn curry rice was boring. The curry tasted of local curry powder, and was not at all like Japanese curry, which should taste sweet with the generous addition of carrots and onions.

Verdict: not good enough.

Sage @ Mohd Sultan Rd

Of course, I have heard quite a bit about Sage, about chef Jusman So and his restaurant manager wife Kimberly. Most food bloggers know this place, since a bloggers dinner was organised here a few years back when Jusman was just starting the restaurant. Now he has clearly perfected his art, honed his skills, and opened a bigger place to cater to the growing crowds.

Well, I have always liked Husband and Wife restaurant pairings (think Emmanuel and Edina of St Pierre, Julien and Edith of St Julien) so, I decided to give this place a shot for lunch (open only Wed to Fri for lunch, every day for dinner).

There were many choices for their very affordable lunch set (SGD38 for 3 courses, SGD45 for 4 courses), and all looked so yummy that I really had a tough time deciding.


My starter of veal rillette and sauteed onion. It was delicious, and a very ample serving. I loved it. What a good way to start a meal... and it was a precursor to more delicious offerings.


The other starter that tempted me was the crab salad in tomato consomme. SK kindly agreed to order it so that I could sample some of it. Very very delicious. It was a little crunchy, very savoury, yums.


My main of duck confit. It came in a pool of gravy and I didnt know what to think of that, since a good duck confit should have a crispy skin, and a murky pool of soup isnt going to help right? Well, the gravy was a mustard dressing, which was super delicious and goes very very well with the duck. The duck itself was done perfectly, with crispy skin and tender meat. I was waiting to find a piece of dry meat, but it was so perfectly cooked!


My yummy dessert - a cheese platter. Most places would ask for an additional sum for cheese to be served, but over here it was part of the set. I loved everything that was served. My favourite was the 1st and the 2nd. Forgot what they were called. But the last 2 were quite strong though.

I wanna come here again! If only they serve lunch on weekends, then I can bring DH here.

Xmas Party

A few of us girls decided to have a Christmas party for the kids, and well, although there were some moms who had to pull out in the end, we managed to have 4 families get together, and 4 kids to share in this party.


E brought this beautiful gingerbread house which was gorgeous! Tasted delicious too. Delicately spiced with cinnamon and ginger, it was fragrant and chewy.


A wonderful spread of goodies.


My contribution!

Rakuichi @ Dempsey

I brought the kids to the Botanic Gardens for a morning outing... and DH joined us for lunch and we decided to go to Dempsey.

Cutie adjourned to Go-Go Bambini's for playtime, and DH, Sweetie and I went to eat some lunch. We decided to try Rakuichi. It seemed a bit pricey but it was Dempsey after all... everything is a little pricey.

Oh, but the lunch sets were actually quite affordable. I think our sets were about $30 to $40 each.


We started with some skewers: pork belly and beef tongue. Both were so good! The pork belly was savoury, sweet, slightly smokey, very tender (and fatty!). It wasn't cheap but it was so good, I am still salivating at the thought of this one. The beef tongue was sliced thickly, unlike most other places. This was unusual, but still tasted good because it was cooked just right. The texture of the meat was still slightly chewy. I loved these.


DH took the sashimi and sushi set, which he shared with me. All were quite nice, but nothing particularly memorable.


My set was the grilled set - with soft shell crab, unagi and hamachi cheek. All were good and I think my set was nicer than DH's... and cheaper too.

DH liked the hamachi cheek best of everything we tried that day. I liked the pork belly best. Portions were substantial enough to satisfy us both.


We were eached served sesame ice cream as our dessert. It was lovely, one of the nicest I have ever tried. It was delicious, not too sweet, fragrant and nutty.


We brought Sweetie with us to the restaurant. Sweetie didn't eat anything, but she sure brightened up the whole restaurant with her megawatt smile! :)

Happy Birthday Cutie

Cutie turned 3 in November, and we had a vehicle-themed birthday cake for him and his friends.

I think it was a lovely party. And Cutie sure enjoyed it too.