Gullible Travels

Keisuke Tonkotsu King

POSTED ON Sunday, November 24, 2013 AT 7:22 PM \ leave a comment (0)

Featuring ramen from the Keisuke chain once again simply because we love their ramen. and for a ramen shop that already has FOUR different outlets across the island today, you've got to give them abit of credit for maintaining a steady dinner queue for their Tonkotsu King stall at Orchid Hotel.

Tonkotsu King (豚骨王) as the name suggests, focuses their broth base on pork, just like how their Tori King outlet at 100 AM has their soup brewed from chicken. personally, i think pork-based soup is still what ramen is all about.

the concept for the Keisuke group is fairly much the same. you queue for an eternity to get in, choose your type of ramen, say what you want/don't want, state the texture that you'd like the noodles to be done, and you're good to go. there's free-flow of eggs and beansprouts; and although you don't need to wait very long once you're seated, you can spend the time grinding your own sesame seeds (therapeutic)..

there are 3 basic ramen types at Tonkotsu King. as we've tried the original broth from our previous visit here, we decided to try the other 2 choices this time round - Black spicy Tonkotsu ramen and Red spicy Tonkotsu ramen. the black version above derives its spice from black pepper paste which is mixed into the soup. i was afraid it'd be too spicy for me but it turned out just right. could still taste the flavour of the pork broth which was important and the texture of the noodles was just right.

the red version on the other hand is really potent hot. you could see from the illustration below that the bowl was half covered in the red chilli paste when it arrived. we thought that the spice took away some of the soup's flavour somewhat. for both soup bases, the oil in the ramen can be pretty thick, even if you had indicated less-oil when you ordered. i guess this is Japanese style, so we'll just deal with it.

take nothing away from their own house-brand drinks, this bottle of green-tea cola certainly made our day. it was so good that we bought some bottles back to accompany us when we watch television. i think that totally encapsulated another ramen experience with the Keisuke group. thick flavourful broth, tender char-siew, nice texture noodles and green-tea cola to wash the oil down. lovely.

Keisuke Tonkotsu King
1 Tras Link
#01-19 Orchid Hotel
Singapore 078867

Opening Hours
11:30 am to 3:00 pm
6:00 pm to 10:30 pm (daily)

They should sell that green-tea cola at 7-eleven

Si Chuan Dou Hua

POSTED ON Sunday, November 17, 2013 AT 10:52 PM \ leave a comment (0)

I really couldn't take the name seriously when I first heard it, thought this was another bean-curd dessert stall. After all, with bean-curd being all the rage these days, i couldn't quite believe that this was a famous Sichuan/Cantonese restaurant, with a branch on the 60th storey of UOB Plaza 1 no less..

Si Chuan Dou Hua prides itself with a strong Sichuan heritage, translated through their food and their ambience. What better when they offer a splendid view of MBS and Marina Bay from their glass windows and their highly skilled service crew who'd pour tea from long-tip Sichuan-styled teapots. The setting gives its interpretation of a touch of class and the chilly temperature merely prepares you for the 麻辣 (spicy) fare ahead.

we went for the 60 dish deluxe fest, basically their popular ala carte buffet which offers an awesome variety of dishes. coming in bite-sized portions, we started with their specialty 口水鸡 (Sichuan chicken in spicy bean paste), sliced pork in spicy sauce, baby octopus - which puts Aijsen's version to shame, wasabi prawns and a few other cold dishes.

the thing about Sichuan spice is that the first bite appears harmless, and the after taste can be really potent. in this respect, Si Chuan Dou Hua does it best. The buffet spread also boasts a myriad of fish. we tucked into their fried Soon Hock, which we felt was too hard (and had too many bones) and truly enjoyed their steamed seabass.

as with several cantonese dishes, their fried food would be worth a try. Ordered the cereal prawns which were very well done, as well as tried their deep fried soft-shell crabs. Actually as with their sweet and sour pork, we found most of the traditional cantonese dishes normal tasting (a let-down for the true blue cantonese). would suggest to stick to the Sichuan food and their dessert when you're here.

as their name suggests, the bean-curd dessert in sweet wolfsberry syrup is their specialty. but take nothing away from other dessert dishes such as their red-bean pancake and their sesame ball with glutinous rice. the mango pudding is not bad too, heart-shaped somemore, good for every occasion.

having said that, inflation coupled with its prime location means that a buffet meal here won't come cheaply. Buffet dinners are at $45++ for fridays and weekends, while weekday dinners are at $40++. Nonetheless, if you're looking for good ambience and authentic Sichuan cuisine, you could just drop by once in awhile.

Si Chuan Dou Hua
80 Raffles Place
#60-01 UOB Plaza 1
Singapore 048624

Opening Hours
Lunch : 11.30am - 2.30pm
High Tea : 2.30pm - 6.00pm
Dinner : 6.30pm - 10.30pm

Highest restaurant in Singapore, really?