Sushi Airways Sushi Bar

I got to know of this Japanese restaurant from a friend's Facebook posting. An online search on this restaurant yielded good reviews on the food, the price (set lunch) as well as it's unique airline theme.

Armed with high expectations, a friend and I arrived at the restaurant punctually at noon - it's opening hour. The restaurant is at the second level of a shophouse along Baghdad Street and we were their first customers of the day.

Besides the flight attendant attire of the only waitress in the restaurant, it was not apparent to me that this is an airline themed restaurant. We were also somewhat disappointed that the lunch set menu is only available during the weekdays.

Nevertheless, with the recommendation from the waitress, we proceeded to order the mango roll, sesame soba, grilled fugu and black pork tonkatsu.

The grilled fugu was the first to be served. In layman's term, it refers to grilled puffer fish. It needs to be prepared in a special way in order to remove the toxins from the fish. So this might explain why we were only served a few strips on a tiny plate. It tastes like freshly barbecued pork or otherwise known locally as bak kwa. Just that it's thicker and stickier to the bite.

Next up was the sesame soba. This is genuinely good! The soba has a springy texture with a tinge of sesame aroma. Two thumbs up!

The black tonkatsu was a little on the tough side and if you are watching that waistline of yours, I would advise you to skip it totally.

Finally, the long awaited mango rolls. The presentation was good but unfortunately, the zucchini slice detaches easily from the sushi when we tried to eat it. As a result, we had to eat the top portion of the sushi (everything else above the zucchini slice) separately from the sushi itself. Would be better if the two stays together.

All in all, the bill came up to a whooping $90+. It is somewhat expensive considering the serving size and location of the restaurant. Nevertheless, I might be back again but probably on a weekday to try the more economically priced lunch set at $15+.

Ramen @ Daikokuya, Rafflescity

I chanced upon this small ramen shop many months back on a Friday night when I was supposed to be at Raffles City for a late dinner gathering. All the other restaurants at basement 1 were still crowded with customers with long queues at some popular outlets like Din Tai Fung. So I was more than glad when I walked past this particular ramen restaurant which had no queue and even plentiful seats available.

Initially, I was doubtful on whether the ‘poor patronage’ was due to exorbitant prices charged or the poor quality of food served. However, the former was quickly shot down when I browsed through the menu. I ordered a big bowl of ramen and after having sinked my teeth on the first chopstick’ful’ of ramen, the latter was immediately shot down too! It was simply yummylicious!

The noodles were cooked to perfection – springy and not overcooked. The broth was excellent, thick but not overly salted.

It is now official that Daikokuya is my favourite restaurant in Raffles City. I would give it 10 thumbs up!

Sushi Tei @ Paragon

I've discovered not too long ago that the Sushi Tei at Paragon has a pretty good view of Orchard Road if I can manage to get a table by the full glass window, so far I've managed to do that twice. The key is to go there before the crowd hits the restaurant before the dinner peak hours, especially since they do not take reservation!
The food at Sushi Tei has always been decently good and I had a visitor once commented that he found the price to be cheap for the quality and selection of dishes there!

Sushi Tei is having a seasonal Sakura menu currently and I found this crab leg hotpot which comes with collagen cubes. I've seen collagen hotpots on TV but never tried it before, so without hesitation, I ordered the Zuwaikani Hotpot which comes with crab legs, scallops, fish, noodles and pumpkins to my delight!

Zuwaikani Hotpot

Assorted Sushi Platter

The other dishes such as the assorted Sushi Platter and marinated jellyfish are from their original menu.

The Spread

One of the item that I always like to indulge in is the grilled squid! You can either order it grilled with Teriyaki sauce or simply with salt, I chose the latter to taste the squid better.

Ika Sugatayaki

For a moderately priced dinner with a view, I would definitely recommend Sushi Tei at Paragon!

Okos @ Botejyu

Okonomiyaki or Okos for short (in this case) is a light Japanese dish consisting of a watery flour batter as the base with toppings or fillings such as finely shredded cabbage, egg, fried noodles and choice of seafood or meat for a more fulfilling meal.

The only eatery that I frequent which sells okos is the takeaway store located at the basement of Takashimaya. The okos sold there does not include any meat or seafood but nevertheless makes for a quick snack in-between shopping.

That said, Botejyu at Liang Court would have to be my proper introduction to this Japanese savoury pancake. The restaurant serves a decent variety of okos and as I was showed to the table, I observed quite a fair bit of customers made up by Japanese families. Thus I couldn't help but secretly congratulated myself for a good choice of restaurant made. :)

I ordered a regular seafood okos which cost $8.80 and was a little disappointed when I realised that I made the wrong order. Everything was good with the shredded cabbage, prawn and scallop fillings and it would have been PERFECT if not for the missing fried noodles! Guess I would have to make a second visit there and make sure I order the right okos the next time.

As I was working at digesting my somewhat satisfying okos with a cup of hot green tea, I noticed a little poster advertising the Ajisen membership card and realized to my shock that this is another restaurant venture by the same corporation (Japan Foods Holding Pte Ltd) which manages Ajisen Ramen! The horror came when I did a Google search and found that the Fruit Tart Shop is another of their food venture! I'll be blogging on my not-so-pleasant experience at the Fruit Tart Shop shortly. Meanwhile, it goes to show that not all business ventures takes off even with the expertise of a giant food corporation but I would have to say that they are already a success with 2 out of 3 making it into my "I-would-patronize-again" restaurant list.

Dorayaki - 铜锣烧

Doraemon (小叮当) fans would be able to easily recognise this stack of Japanese pancakes at first glimpse! For those who still haven't got a clue, it's the favourite teatime snack for Doraemon.

Traditional dorayaki consist of a layer of anko filling (sweet azuki beans - a kind of red bean paste) sandwiched between two light and fluffy pancakes.

In my case, I prefer to simply munch on the plain pancakes. The choice of fillings is pretty much up to the individual's liking! :)

Dorayaki

Ingredients:

3 eggs

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

3 tbs water

1 cup flour - sifted

filling of choice

vegetable oil for frying (optional if using non-stick skillets)

Method:

(1) Put eggs and sugar in a bowl and whisk well

(2) Dissolve baking soda in water

(3) Add water in the egg mixture

(4) Add sifted flour in the egg mixture gradually

(5) Heat skillet and lightly pour oil on it

(6) Pour a scoop of batter into the skillet and make small pancakes (~ 4" in diameter)

(7) Turn over when bubbles appear on the surface

(8) Let the pancakes cool before adding the filling of your choice

Verdict:

(+) A light, butterless pancake that is done in half an hour!

Tamagoyaki

Been in the sushi mode lately and this time round, I decided to try my hands at making a new ingredient to fill the maki - the Japanese sweet omelet also known as Tamagoyaki.

The ingredients for the Tamagoyaki are simple but the cooking process can be quite a challenge. Saw on NHK the other day that a cook assistant spent like a year just making Tamagoyaki for the restaurant before he finally 'graduated' to the sushi counter.

Tamagoyaki

Ingredients:

4 eggs

2 tbs dashi stock (replacement possible with vegetable or chicken stock )

2 tbs mirin sweet cooking sake

1 tbs sugar

salt

Method:

Verdict:

(-) I do not have the squarish cooking pan so I used the usual round pan and naturally, the omelet did not turn out as nice.

(=) Take note not to add too much oil while frying the egg. Hence, try to use a non-stick pan for this purpose.

Maki Sushi

This is my first solo attempt in making sushi after a People's Association sushi class I attended 2 years ago.

The challenge was all about cooking and preparing the sushi rice since there was no raw fish used as the filling ingredient. As such, it was relatively easy to slice the zucchini and gherkins into long strips while the other ingredients were simply made up of pork floss and crabstick salad.

Maki Sushi

Ingredients (sushi rice):

500 ml sushi rice (can make 5 large rolls)

600 ml water (depends pretty much on the type of sushi rice used)

60ml rice vinegar

30ml sugar

5ml salt

Ingredients (filling):

pretty much up to your liking and creation!

Ingredients (assembly):

nori seaweed

bamboo mat

bowl of rice vinegar diluted with water (to wet the hands while handling the sticky rice)

Method:

(1) Wash the rice several times until the water runs fairly clear when draining

(2) Let the rice strain for 30 minutes before transferring to a rice cooker

(3) Prepare the sushi vinegar by mixing the rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small saucepan. Heat the mixture until the sugar dissolves and stir frequently. Remove from the heat and let the sushi vinegar cool to room temperature

(4) Transfer the hot rice into a mixing bowl and use a wooden spatula or spoon to cut and fold the rice. Be gentle not to smash the rice grains. Continue with this cutting and folding action while adding the sushi vinegar.

(5) Fan the rice mixture for ~5/6 minutes to cool the rice before assembly

(6) Prepare the fillings according to your liking and slice the appropriate ingredients into thin long strips

(7) Assemble the maki sushi as shown in the video below:

(8) For a clean cut sushi slice, you may want to wet the knife prior to cutting the sushi roll

Verdict:

(+) Once you master the preparation of the sushi rice, the rest of the steps are simply a breeze

(+) The leftover maki sushi can be kept in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for later consumption

(=) A healthy and satisfying meal! :)

Karaage Chicken

Karaage Chicken

Ingredients:

chicken thighs with skin on - cut into bite sized chunks

80g potato starch

40g plain flour

20g garlic

40g fresh ginger

200ml soy sauce

vegetable oil

Method:

(1) Slice the garlic and ginger thinly. Add them to the soy sauce and let it stand for half a day.

(2) Pour the soy sauce over the chicken

(3) Coat the chicken with a mixture of potato starch and plain flour

(4) Deep fry in hot oil till golden brown

Verdict

(+) The ginger-garlic soy sauce is a simple yet wonderful marinate sauce - Japanese style!

(+) The crust is nowhere near the KFC kind of crunchiness but nevertheless crunchy in a subtle way

(+) The meat is tender and not overly dry after frying

(-) Totally oily and cholesterol loaded

(=) A definite quick and easy party snack!

Ebisboshi @ Iluma

While the world is still recovering from the latest episode of dramatic economic meltdown and I was just away for a mere short period of four months, the tiny island country was blooming and developing like never before!

Yes, I was referring to my homeland - Singapore. Just over a period of four months, there were already three new shopping centres - Ion Orchard, Orchard Central & 313 @ Somerset - added to the shopping scene along Orchard Road. At Little India, there's the much anticipated eco-friendly City Square Mall - a definite first in Singapore. And then there's Iluma at Bugis. And for sure, there'll be more sprouting out like crazy mushrooms in the months to come.

Question: And what do these new shopping malls have in common to the many existing ones?
Answer: The numerous familiar brands of clothings, accessories, restaurants, supermarkets, pharmacies etc. 就如换汤不焕药.

Despite so, I managed to find a few new shops in these new premises:
* Prologue @ Ion Central - it's the upmarket 'relative' of the Popular bookstore family but Kinokuniya definitely has a wider book selection
* Filmgarde @ Ilumna - I hope they do show alternative movies apart from the commercially popular ones
* Ebisboshi @ Ilumna - a Japanese-themed restaurant very much like the Shokudo Japanese Food Bazaar and Marché but at a much smaller scale.

The visit to Ebisboshi was brought about after watching a recommendation of the restaurant by a local food program. I would have to admit that I was a little disappointed upon arriving at the restaurant. It was not as big as what I thought it would be from the television program and it doesn't help that there were only a few customers filling the tables. In any case, we decided to give it a try and were about to order only the finger foods when we were instead presented with a thick menu comprising of all the dishes from the various stores. This is different from Shokudo or Marché which requires the customers to order and collect the food at the respective food stores with all bills charged to a chip card.

And I must say our appetites opened up instantly while we were excitedly flipping through the colourful menu. The selections were so vast that we couldn't decide what to order! And the price was relatively cheaper compared to Shokudo or Marché.

Seafood fried noodles in tomato sauce - extremely appetising(超开胃!) and my friend ended up having to order another plate of sushi!

Similar concept to Don Buri except that the meat with eggs are separated from the rice - suitable for those who likes to keep their rice nice and dry. :)

So for sure, if I'm craving for Japanese food while in Bugis, Ebisboshi would be my top choice! Naturlich! :)

Japanese Style Pumpkin Cake

Japanese Style Pumpkin Cake

Ingredients:

300g pumpkin - peeled, sliced, steamed

150g potatoes - boiled

50g cornflour

80g sugar

1/2 tsp salt

50g margarine

2 egg yolks

2 egg whites

1 cup plain flour

1 cup bread crumbs

oil for frying

Method:

(1) Mash the steamed pumpkin and boiled potatoes till very fine.

(2) Add in cornflour, sugar, salt, margarine and egg yolks. Mix to form a smooth dough.

(3) Take 50g pumpkin mixture and shape into oval cakes. Pass through flour before dipping in the egg whites and lastly, coat it with bread crumbs.

(4) Deep fry in medium hot oil till golden and drain well.

Verdict:

(-) If you follow the recipe strictly, you'll end up with a very wet paste which is nowhere near to a dough. So what I did in the end was to add plenty of flour until the dough is manageable.

(=) The out-of-shape pumpkin cakes were still rather tasty in the end.

Roll Your Own Sushi Hands-On Workshop

I signed up for a 3-hours "Roll Your Own Sushi Hands-on Workshop" from the PA website. This course was organised by the California-Asia Sushi Academy.

In the 3-hours workshop, the instructor taught us the proper procedures of cooking japanese rice, the importance of having and maintaining a sharp knife for cutting the sushi, the basic types of sushi, as well as the basic essentials for making sushi at home.

Everybody were kept busy throughout the entire 3-hours session; either with our hands busy rolling the sushi or our mouth busy tasting our own sushi.

We made a total of 4 sushi types:

(1) Kappa maki (Hosomaki) - which translates to cucumber & sesame thin roll.

(2) California Temaki - also known as the California Hand-Roll which has to be consumed immediately when the seaweed is still crispy.

(3) Ura-Maki - reverse sushi roll

(4) Naka-Maki - also known as the tall roll

kappa maki (foreground), ura-maki, naka-maki (background)

At the end of the workshop, everyone was distributed with a 2kg packet of japanese rice which was on promotion by the Japanese Agriculture (JA) Association.