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Dinner @ Bistro Du Le Pin

September 6, 2016 in Japanese

My girlfriend (whom I shall address more affectionately as IGGF in my future entries. IGGF being InstaGram GirlFriend cause that’s how I got to know her!) texted me one night to ask if I heard about Bistro Du Le Pin and if I wanted to check it out with her. To which I replied saying “Let’s do it!”

I have actually learnt about Bistro Du Le Pin from instagram a month back. But it got pushed down on my list of resturants-to-try as I got to learn of more eateries. o_O Ha. So I was glad when my IGGF texted and reminded me about it.

And my IGGF assisted to make reservation for 9pm. We decided on 9pm prior to making the call because we thought they were only open at 9pm. However, we were informed that they open at 6pm. We decided to stick to 9pm cause I wanted to go for my 6.30pm crossfit class. Haha. =p So yeah to eateries which operate till late! And yeah to my IGGF for accommodating my request to eat late. Keke.

Locating the eatery wasn’t too difficult. It’s a 5 to 8 minutes walk from Somerset MRT station. And one should take a left turn after taking the escalator (within Orchard Plaza) to level 2.

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

1) Omakase, $60 comprised of:-

(A) Dish #1 (above) – Potato salad.

(B) Dish #2 (above) – Burrata cheese.

(C) Dish #3 (above) – Grilled salmon steak served with asparagus, salmon roe, truffle and miso-butter sauce.


(D) Dish #4 (above) – Crab cake with mentaiko sauce. And this was really good. It was made with chunks of crab meat.


(E) Dish #5 (above) – Tuna tartare. Chopped tuna was mixed with spicy mayonnaise, flying fish roe and topped with spring onion and fried garlic. I liked the addition of fried garlic. It added a nice crunch to the overall texture.


(F) Dish #6 (above) – Miso black cod served with spinach-shiso-miso sauce.

(G) Dish #7 (above) – Sauteed scallop with sea urchin sauce. It was unfortunate that ours came without the tongue of sea urchin which we saw many had from their shared instagram pictures. I guess we came on the wrong day. Sob!

(H) Dish #8 with options of:

i) Miyazaki beef (above) – Our pace was the same as another group of customers who had also opted for omakase. However, from our third dish, we noticed when we were given fish dishes, they were served beef dishes. But that’s really because at the start of our dinner, we told the staff that my IGGF don’t take pork while I don’t take beef. So every time we saw the group having meat dishes, we couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. So imagine our delight when we were given meat! And my friend said this was good!


ii) Iberico pork steak Japanese style (above) – And of course, while my friend was given beef, my non-beef dish was pork! So nice!

(I) Dish #9 (above) – Our request for an additional dish. We were prepared to pay for our a-la carte order, but were surprised when we called for the bill and saw that this was not charged. And this was ordered because I really wanted to try his pasta. So while trying to decide which pasta to go with, chef recommended his sea urchin pasta. However, what was served looked (and tasted) more like aglio olio. There’s wasn’t any sea urchin. However, this was a simple yet wonderful dish. We meant to take a few mouthfuls since we were pretty full, but ended up finishing the entire bowl.

(J) Dish #10 (above) – Ice cream. With options of yuzu and strawberry, my girlfriend and I decided to get a flavour each so that we could share and try the different flavours.

My girlfriend and I really liked the place. With just a chef at the kitchen and 2 helpers, it felt as though we were dining at his house with the intimate setting of the eatery. So it comes as no surprise when different groups of customers ended up talking to one another. We witnessed one group asking another after they overheard their conversation of “where to get good deals of Rolex.” o_O Ha.

And of course, as we were eating our big bowl of spaghetti, the pair who were also eating the spaghetti initiated a conversation by asking if it was our first time at Bistro Du Le Pin. They asked because they wanted to know if we were too struggling to finish the gigantic portion of pasta. Haha. But I did feel bad towards them. They came in much later than us; They were at dish #3 when we were having our dish #8. So when we requested for our additional pasta, chef cooked a bigger portion and gave it to them as dish #4. I would rather have my pasta last cause I would want to save my stomach for my proteins first.

Will I recommend Bistro Du Le Pin? Certainly! But one must make reservation to avoid disappointment. They were packed at peak hours (6pm to 9pm) since it’s a small unit with only 7 counter seats and 2 high tables which could accommodate no more than 3 people each. And chef do close earlier than 3am if there’s no customers.

BISTRO DU LE PIN
150 Orchard Road, Orchard Plaza, #02-25, Singapore
6734 5530, Facebook
Overall: 7
Opening hours:-
Food/Beverage: 7
Mon – Fri : 18:00 – 03:00
Ambience: 6
Sat : 18:00 – 00:00
Value: 8
Service: 7
* Closed on Sun

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Dinner @ Himonoya Singapore ひもの屋

April 28, 2016 in Japanese

And if one remembers, I earlier wrote of how my friend and I were stuck at Robertson Quay cause we chose to meet for an impromptu dinner (of all days) on a Friday. o_O Ha. And while trying to find a place to eat at, we chanced upon a signboard of Himonoya which directed us to level 2 of Robertson Walk.

My friend and I didn’t get to dine there that Friday evening cause Himonoya was running at full house. But what I did next was to make reservation for 5. Yes, I brought my family on the following weekend. Talk about efficiency, eh? =p

And so, my family and I came on a Sunday evening. One would think the restaurant would be quiet since Himonoya is located at Robertson Quay. You know… Robertson Quay being a ‘drinking’ area, and most wouldn’t drink on Sundays. But no, they were pretty busy! Big groups of Japanese were dining there after their golf games on the night we went.

We drove and parked at Robertson Walk’s basement car park. Upon entering the restaurant, we waited a while before being attended to as the staff were busy on the floor. And I liked their ingenious idea of setting up wooden frames around the tables which allowed them to install cloth partition across the horizontal frame. Cause when the neighbouring table is occupied, the cloth partition would come down and separate the tables. So one could come in a big group and take 4 tables, yet be able to experience dining in a enclosed open space after the staff let down the correct cloth partition. Smart! But of course, there’s proper private rooms and cubicle rooms too.

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

1) Monkfish liver with ponzu, $13.80 (above)

2) Grilled golden mushroom with butter, $7.80 (above) – I would suggest giving this a miss. Definitely not worth its price.

3) Grilled eggplant, $7.80 (above)

4) Seared stingray fin, $5.80 (half) (above)

  

5) Grilled sausage, $13.80 (above)

  

6) Boneless fried chicken, $7.80 (above) – This was good. Meat within was moist and juicy. I couldn’t help but reach out for a second piece. Keke.

7) Yakitori chicken leg, $5.80 per stick (above)

8) Daikon salad, $9.90 (above) – Radish salad with shredded chicken (sesame dressing). Honestly, I wouldn’t have ordered this if I was to take full control of the order taking. And thankfully I wasn’t, cause this was refreshing and good. It was served as the first dish and helped whet our appetite of what’s to come. And the serving for this was huge! This one plate was sufficient to go round for the 5 adults.

9) California roll, $10.90 (above) – Topped with fish roe. Wrapped with avocado, egg, cucumber crabstick.


  

10) Himono hokke, $22.80 (half) (above) – This was put on the menu as their signature. And taken from their menu, himono is dried fish that can be found drying in the sun in fishing villages across Japan. Drying preserves fish for a longer shelf life. It also makes the fish salty and chewy for a taste that’s much loved. And this was really good! We ordered the half portion. And when this was served, I noticed the kitchen had prepared the fish in such a way that we could just remove the bone (like removing the lid to a pot) which allowed us to tuck away at the succulent (white) meat that’s beneath immediately. Impressive! My siblings and I couldn’t stop raving about how fresh and juicy the meat was. A must try!

  

11) Whole squid BBQ, $12.80 (above) – The staff came up to us with the still-intact squid, before proceeding to cut it up. After which, the cut pieces were mixed with a sauce that’s cooked with the squid’s innards. Super yummy. A must try!

12) Assorted sashimi, $41.80 (9 types) (+ $20.90, additional portion for 1) (above) – As the base serving portion was for 2, we topped up $20.90 for a 3-people portion. And it’s impressive to have premium tuna belly (ootoro) included in the variety of raw fishes.


13) Horse mackerel BBQ set, $19.90 (above)

14) Green tea ice cream with sweet red beans with mochi, $9.80 (above) – I was itchy for dessert even though we were all full from the savoury dishes. And from the few options (which is few but of different types. I nearly wanted to order 3), I decided to go with this. And this was really good. Green tea and red bean always go well together. Throw in some chewy mochi (Japanese rice cake)? Perfect!

Will I recommend Himonoya? Definitely! Food was good and affordable. And that’s very important when I bring my family out cause I would want to treat them to delicious food without needing them to stay back to wash dishes. o_O Hahaha. Okie, was trying to be funny but I sounded lame instead. =p But honestly, affordability is key if one intends to treat a big group.

And the ambience at Himonoya was nice and relaxed. My brother concurs cause he had since gone back thrice within a month. =)

HIMONOYA SINGAPORE ひもの屋
11 Unity Street, Robertson Walk, #02-14, Singapore
6235 9110, Website
Overall: 7.5
Opening hours:-
Food/Beverage: 8
Mon – Sun : 18:00 – 00:00
Ambience: 7
Value: 8
Service: 7

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Dinner @ Tamaya Dining

March 23, 2016 in Japanese

And it’s time for my long overdue Japanese omakase meal! =) And this round, my friend and I decided to check out Tamaya Dining. We liked that they open till really late. Allows me to go for my (crossfit) class prior to dinner for a guiltless meal. Keke.

Reservation was made for 2 people on a weekday evening. And over the phone, the lady asked if we wanted the alfresco seat, dining table (at level 2) or counter seats. Needless to say, I went with counter seats. Ha.

Upon arrival, the staff checked our reservation before leading us to the sushi counter. Clever usage of wooden poles shed us from what happened outside. And the menu for counter seat is only omakase. For kitchen dishes, one would need to request for the menu that’s for diners sitting at alfresco area.

And from the menu (pages 1, 2), I decided to go for the $200 omakase course while my friend went for the $170’s. And while having our order taken, we highlighted to executive chef Koike Koji that I take no beef and oyster, but love my sea urchin. My friend also mentioned he take no beef. And with that, we started our dinner with:-

1) Omakase course, $200 comprised of:-

(A) Appetizer (above) – We were served wild vegetables, smoked duck and (thick) burdock soup. Chef Koji overheard our conversation (where we were trying to figure out what we were drinking) and tried to tell us “burdock”. I caught it, but not my friend. To which chef Koji went into his kitchen and took out a burdock for us to see. Nice.



(B) Sashimi (above) – And I was given an assortment of hairy crab, spanish mackerel where I could dip 1 slice in soya sauce and 1 slice with sea salt, and fatty tuna (otoro) (raw and seared).

(C) Grilled dish (above) – Black throat sea perch. We were told the salt at the side was for the broad bean.

(D) Deep-fried dish (above) – Puffer fish with ponzu sauce and ice fish.

  
  
  
  

(E) Sushi (above) – Assortment of big-eye snapper (kinmedai), squid with yuzu, premium fatty tuna (otoro), ark shell clam (akagai), eel, sea urchin, egg omelette (tamagoyaki), pickled radish (not pictured) and burdock. Unfortunately, the rice wasn’t sufficiently vinegared. It felt like I was eating normal white (jasmine) rice. But thankfully, the pot of sushi rice was changed halfway through our sushi course. So from our fourth piece onwards, the sushi got better. And although I expressed my love for sea urchin right from the start of our dinner, I was a little disappointed when chef Koji did not include any sea urchin sushi. For my $200 course, I was given only 4 pieces. So when we were told our next course was dessert, I decided to order 2 more; Sea urchin sushi and egg omelette (non-sushi). Saw pictures of their sea urchin sushi on instagram and was really interested in having it. =p And it was a nice surprise to see we were not charged for the extra 2 sushi when we were given the bill.

(F) Rice bowl (above) – Of white shrimp, sea urchin, salmon roe and gold flakes. Yum, yum!

(G) Soup (above) – Clam soup. We were also given pepper and chilli powder where we could add into our soup if we wanted to. I didn’t. And it was a nice surprise to find fish maw at the bottom of the bowl too. Yum!

(H) Dessert (above) – Melon, strawberry and apple.

2) Omakase course, $170 comprised of:-

(A) Appetizer – Similar to mine; Wild vegetables, smoked duck and (thick) burdock soup.



(B) Sashimi (above) – Oyster, striped jack (shima-aji), marinated tuna (akami) and premium fatty tuna (otoro). My friend shared a slice of his marinated tuna with me, and it was so good; Intense flavour and smooth. Even chef Koji admitted the marinated tuna was better than the seared fatty tuna which I was having for my sashimi. Chef Koji said the secret lies in the marinate! Hmm… And for 1 of the dishes, the slices of raw fish were placed on radish slices. When my friend asked if the radish could be eaten, chef Koji animatedly went “Wait, wait” before coming out with 2 dipping sauces (plum sauce and miso) for my friend to have it with the radish. Interesting.

(C) Grilled dish (above)

(D) Deep-fried dish (above) – Bell fish (Don’t think I heard this correctly. Probably belt fish) and ice fish.

  
  
  
  

(E) Sushi (above) – Assortment of big-eye snapper (kinmedai), squid with yuzu, medium fatty tuna (chutoro), scallop, eel, white shrimp, pickled radish and burdock.

(F) Soup – Similar to mine; Clam soup.

(G) Dessert – Melon and strawberry.

So although Tamaya Dining has been around for a long while now, we learnt from the staff that the sushi counter was only created 4 years ago when executive chef Koike Koji came on board. And although there were 3 chef (2 being sous chef) with 2 different groups of customer at the sushi counter, it was nice that chef Koji would personally prepare the sushi for (all of) us. I always preferred this kind of personal touch.

And if one doesn’t wish to splurge on an omakase dinner, one could opt for a very dinner by sitting at the (dimly lit) alfresco area or at level 2 for a quiet dinner.

Would I recommend Tamaya Dining? Well… In terms of value for money, it was pretty okie. But they are definitely one of the very few Japanese restaurants which has the sushi counter opened till really late. Like till 1am! Wow.

TAMAYA DINING
45 Cuppage Terrace, Singapore
6835 3539, Facebook
Overall: 7
Opening hours:-
Food/Beverage: 7
Mon : 18:00 – 23:00
Ambience: 7
Tues – Sat : 18:00 – 01:00
Value: 7
Sun : 16:00 – 23:00
Service: 7

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