Saboten

Have always had tonkatsu at Tonkichi; this time we attempt a new outlet.

As with Tonkichi, you are served free flow of cabbage, miso soup and rice. There were 2 types of sauces for the cabbage - an orange peel sauce and sesame sauce. I personally preferred the former for its lighter and slightly sour taste.

If you are having the tonkatsu, you are given this mini bowl of sesame seeds to grind on your own and add it to the tonkatsu sauce.

I ordered the special set, which came with hire katsu, rosu katsu, ebi and cream croquette. I usually order the hire katsu because I do not eat the fats, but I seem to realise that the meat on the rosu katsu somehow tasted more tender and aromatic, although I still did not consume the fats. And sad to say, none of the miso soup I had locally can beat what I had in Japan.

The set came with green tea ice cream. Not too sweet, but still had a strong green tea taste.

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Ohsumi Shabu Shabu

Back to little Japan at Cuppage, this time to have shabu shabu.

We were given this seaweed-like appetizer.

In shabu shabu, the meat is cooked in konbu broth which is pretty tasteless in itself. So we have dips for the meat. From top to bottom, sesame sauce for any kind of meat, ginger sauce for pork and a vinegar based one for beef. Surprisingly, each sauce went very well with its intended meat.

Condiments to add to your sauce if you wish.

This was the beef in its beautiful red. However, it was not as tender as we would like when cooked.

The pork felt a little more tender, probably because it's more marbled. Note that we took the beef set, and this plate of pork was an extra order.

Came with an assortment of vegetables, tofu and konnyaku.

The pot which you cook your meats in.

The set comes with your choice of rice, ramen or udon.

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Jones the Grocer @ Dempsey

First time here. The place was bright and spacious, with in-house products lined all around the sides.

Shared this muscato wine from Australia. First time having this wine, and I kinda like it. A little sweet, fruity and sparkling. Alcohol content was only at 5%. This is probably the last time I can drink on a working day.

Had the lamb meatballs which came with flatbread and a yoghurt dip. The yoghurt dip was cold and had zucchini in it, which was rather refreshing. The lamb meatballs were covered with tomato-based sauce and was juicy on the inside. This whole dish had a very Moroccan feel to it.

Ended the meal with tiramisu. Expresso taste was strong, but I think there was no alcohol in this as I could not detect any.

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Nagomi

Nagomi located at Cuppage Plaza, serves fresh seafood flown in from Japan and imported Japanese liquors.

The place seats less than 30 persons. Basically, it's omakase style, meaning you allow them to decide your menu depending the seafood they have, although they will first enquire if there is any food that you do not eat. I did notice that some japanese diners were shown a japanese menu, but locals would do fine allowing your menu to be decided on your behalf.

You are served a small amount of appetizers - macaroni and tuna with mayonnaise on the left, and seasoned vegetables on the right.

Shoyu for sashimi, and the other one for oysters which I actually forgot to use. The small cup was for the sake that I ordered. You are given a tray full of sake cups and you choose a cup of your liking. My first time doing that so I felt a little sua ku and embarrassed for not knowing.

My sake served cold. I chose the smooth over dry.

First up was japanese tomato - sweet and juicy. Tasted pretty amazing with the salt.

My god! These have to be the best oysters I had in my life. My experience with oysters had been so-so, so I usually steer away. But these were the best - extremely fresh and succulent, with nary a hint of fishy smell.

Our sashimi platter, which the owner explained to us the kind of seafood served. Counter-clockwise from top left: uni, scallop, maguro, snapper, and I can't remember the last 2! The uni was really good, just like that ones I had in Hokkaido!

Can't remember what fish this was, but it had a very soft and fine texture inside. Went really well with the salt.

Braised pork belly. Well braised and sinful.

I remember the name of this one - Mehikari, a kind of solefish. This was steamed and light in flavour. I like the soft texture of the meat.

Grilled beef. Beef slices were tender and aromatic.

Lastly, we had chicken broth porridge, which was savoury and hearty.

The owner came over and informed us that this was our last dish and if we would like more food, but we declined.

Finally, for desserts we were served fresh peach from Japan. These were really sweet and juicy, the way you would expect Japanese fruits to be.

At $260 for 2, it is worth every single cent for the quality of the food. I think this is my best Japanese meal in Singapore thus far (Kazu serves yakitori, so that's of another category). Certainly worth coming back for more.

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Mad for Garlic

Came to this Italian bistro which supposedly originated from Korea. They serve pasta, pizzas and steaks, and has a garlic theme for almost all its dishes.

They seemed to have a large collection of wines. Ordered a glass of red wine at $10.50.

Tried this Garlic Tower Bread, so named because when it was served it came standing upright with a heap of minced garlic. The waiter will then cut it into fours, after stuffing the garlic into the bread.

The bread was warm and crispy. The garlic had a texture like that of preserved radish sans the garlic taste. However, I'll take the usual garlic butter bread any time over this.

"Tenderloin Steak topped with Special Balsamic Sauce and Fresh Rucola." Sounds interesting, eh? Which was why I ordered this dish called Cacciattore as my main. For $32.90, I thought this was pretty small, as the tenderloin was half the height of what you get at Jack's Place.

What's worse is that even though I ordered a medium doneness, the tenderloin was still rather rubber-y in texture. Definitely not tender at all.

Although I am not sure about their pastas and pizzas, I will definitely not be coming back here again. I think I can get way better quality food at these prices.

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