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Dinner @ RŌNIN (Hong Kong)

June 30, 2018 in European, Japanese

In all my past trips to Hong Kong, I didn’t manage to check out RŌNIN simply because I reckoned it would be too difficult to secure a reservation. But for my May 2018 trip, I decided to give it a shot. Must be the confidence boast from dining successfully at RAW. Haha.

Thanks to my colleague’s reminder 2 weeks prior to our Hong Kong trip that I need to settle my accommodation (I am quite a procrastinator, sometimes), I remembered I was just in time to make reservation for RŌNIN; RŌNIN only accepts reservation 2 weeks in advanced. And I managed to get us a slot for Saturday evening. And between the 2 seatings (6.30pm and 8.45pm), we went with 6.30pm.

Currently ranked 41 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2018 by S. Pellegrino, my colleague and I arrived at the street (where RŌNIN is located) at 6.30pm sharp. However, we couldn’t locate the entrance because there was no shopfront signage. It was only when a group arrived a few minutes after us and entered a blue door against a blue wall that we figured out that had to be RŌNIN.

Seats were allocated based on first come first serve basis. And from the menu, we ordered:-

1) Pre-appetiser, Complimentary (above)

2) Kurosoi black rockfish sashimi, HKD70 (above) – With daikon, ponzu, yuzu kosho.

3) Bonito tuna sashimi, HKD180 (above) – With daikoku, ice lettuce, yuzu kosho.

4) KFC sawagani crab, HKD130 (above) – With yuzu, sesame.


5) Flower crab, uni, HKD490 (above) – With mitsuba, sudachi.

6) Grilled kanpachi, HKD160 (above) – With kama, sake, ginger, sudachi.


7) Quail, HKD270 (above) – With orange, sansho.

8) Unagi chirashi, HKD270 (above) – With Kinome, pickled cucumber, sesame.

Will I recommend RŌNIN? Well… Izakaya is not a new concept in Singapore. RŌNIN somewhat reminded me of IZY in terms of ambience vibe and food (both served Japanese-influenced dishes). Food were generally good but one must order the correct dishes. My colleague and I were lucky that most of our orders were hits. Keke.

Seats were allocated on first-come-first-serve basis. Don’t be late because RŌNIN gives up one’s reservation after 15 minutes, and people do walk in and try their luck in taking over seats from latecomers. Gasp. My colleague and I were apparently the last group to reach. Thus, we were allocated seats that’s just right at the entrance. Noting there’s limited counter seats at the bar, I recommend one to reach earlier if one doesn’t want to sit facing the wall. Yeah, most of the seats are facing the wall.

RŌNIN
8 On Wo Lane, G/F, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
+852 2547 5263, Website, Facebook
Overall: 7
Opening hours:-
Food/Beverage: 7
Mon – Sat : 18:00 – 00:00
Ambience: 7
Value: 7
Service: 7
* Closed on Sun

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Dinner @ Keria Japanese Restaurant

July 27, 2017 in Japanese

Despite having gone to Cuppage Plaza at least 10 times, I have not finished checking out all the Japanese eateries in Cuppage Plaza. There are just so many! Some of which have very little social presence; One would only know about them if one walked past these shops.


In the case for Keria, I got to know about them through instagram. However, information about them on the net was also very limited. Curious to check out this fairly old izakaya, I got my friend to go with me. Not just once. But twice. Keke. Reservation is a must too!

And from the menu (pages 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12), we ordered:-

  

1) Otoshi, $3.80 (above) – This would be like a compulsory pre-appetiser that’s chargeable at $3.80.

2) Tai shirako with shuto, $15 (above)

3) Natto tempura, $7.90 (above)

4) Porku kushi yaki, $12 (above)

5) Tonkatsu, $15 (above)

6) Tai arani, $18 (above) – This was seriously very good! My friend and I enjoyed the braised fish head very much.

7) Napolitan spaghetti, $12.50 (above) – We ordered this on our second trip after seeing a group of Japanese businessman ordered it during our first visit. It smelled really good, but it’s ultimately a dish with tomato sauce and sausages.

8) Nabeyaki udon, $14.50 (above)


9) Omu rice set, $25 (above) – A case of reality not matching our expectations. Having seen Keria’s video of their omurice, I was expecting a ball of omelette to be placed on top of my rice where I get to slit the omelette open for it to fall nicely and wrap around the rice. Unfortunately, this came simply as omelette wrapped rice. Sob. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the dish where the rice was coated with tomato sauce.

Would I recommend Keria? I would. It’s a cosy izakaya with a wide range of affordably priced food. And for seating arrangement, one could state one’s preference for table, counter or tatami seats.

KERIA JAPANESE RESTAURANT
5 Koek Road, Cuppage Plaza, #B1-28, Singapore
6733 0654, Facebook
Overall: 6.5
Opening hours:-
Food/Beverage: 7
Mon – Sat : 18:00 – 01:00
Ambience: 6
Value: 7
Service: 6
* Closed on Sun

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Dinner @ Mikoto Singapore

April 27, 2017 in Japanese

It has been a while since I last met up with my buddy. Also known as my yakitori-buddy on my food blog. Keke. And this time round, we were off to explore a new izakaya instead of yakitori joint.

And from the menu (pages 1, 2, 3), we ordered:-

1) Otoshi, $5 (above) – It’s mentioned on the menu that otoshi (appetiser) was charged to every head. So it’s like a compulsory appetiser. And for this, we were served celery with tuna.


2) Cod roe & cheese, $14 (above) – When this was served, we didn’t have much expectation. But don’t be fooled by its simple presentation. This was absolutely delightful. It’s crazy how the 3 salty ingredients (cod roe, brie cheese and cracker) complemented one another without being too salty. And the cracker, which I suspected is Ritz, was warmed too. Talk about details! A must try.

3) Assorted appetizer (6 kinds), $15 (above)

4) Assorted sashimi (6 kinds), $20 (above) – I was impressed by the quality of the sashimi with the exception of tuna. Its quality was pretty good for an izakaya.

5) Buta tama, $10 (above) – Stir-fried pork and egg omelette on a bed of shredded cabbage, drizzled with lots of too much mayonnaise.

6) Chicken nannban, $6 (above) – Fried chicken with tartar sauce. We were shocked at its visual. Pink tartar sauce? What. We figured the colour was from the pickled pink radish used in the tartar sauce. And I didn’t like the batter. The colour was non-appetising. I was expecting it to be fried to a shade of golden brown. But beneath the thick batter was tender and juicy meat. I enjoyed the fried chicken better without the batter.


  

7) Champon, $18 (above) – Nagasaki ramen. We agreed it wasn’t the typical ramen because of the noodle. And my yakitori-buddy said this was the perfect dish for hangover. Ha. Now, that wouldn’t be surprising since we were dining at an izakaya after all.

8) Suntory premium molt’s, $32 (jug) (above) – We decided to get a jug instead of going by the glass because it was more economical that way. I texted my yakitori-buddy before dinner that I needed a drink cause of work stress, and he took my words very literally. Ha.

If one asks me for recommendation, Mikoto is not an eatery that’s on the top of my list since I know of other restaurants in Robertson Quay where I had more memorable dining experiences. But I won’t discourage one to dine at Mikoto since my yakitori-buddy and I enjoyed ourselves nonetheless.

In fact, for diners who want to drink more than eat, Mikoto has a pretty good deal. On the menu, 2-hours and 3-hours free flow drink are offered. Price for 2 hours ranging from $55 to $58 and 3 hours’ ranging from $65 to $68. And for both packages, diners would also be served 6 dishes to go with the drinks.

MIKOTO SINGAPORE
60 Robertson Quay, The Quayside, #01-12, Singapore
6235 5277, Website, Facebook
Overall: 6.5
Opening hours:-
Food/Beverage: 6
Mon – Thu : 17:30 – 23:00
Ambience: 6
Fri – Sun : 17:00 – 04:00
Value: 7
Service: 7

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