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Kaisen Tei
in the small country of ours, when a little trend catches on, it gets replicated pretty quickly. of late, many stores have sprung up selling poke-bowls or the similar Japanese donburi bowls with sashimi cubes. Kaisen Tei is a new concept brought in by the folks behind Ministry of Food (MOF), it specialises in Kaisendon (rice bowls with seafood sashimi) and also allows customers to create their own DIY pokebowl.
taking an open-concept space within 313@Somerset, Kaisen Tei brings the fun of designing your own bowl of chirashi don. patrons can customise everything from their bowl size (affects the number of allowable toppings), their base of rice or salad, their seafood toppings and the sauce to go with it. if this becomes too much of a hassle for some, the restaurant also offers some default bowl combinations where you could order off the menu. with the bowls being affordably priced, this store will give other sashimi outlets a run for their money. 
a DIY rice bowl can actually have quite a varied range of combinations, depending on whether you'd like to go healthy or if you're a sashimi lover. with 6 types of sashimi cubes to choose from, be it the ever-popular salmon sashimi to mini hotate (scallops), the typical sashimi offerings are all present for selection. some cooked toppings are available at a slightly premium price if one would like to add on some salmon roe, jelly fish, eels or the like. the more health conscious ones amongst us would have gone for the salad bowls. 
the default signature Kaisendon, will come with a mixture of eggs, salmon and tuna sashimi cubes, together with a sprinkling of greens. whilst the food and colours make the dishes very Instagrammable, the plastic bowls and plates does tend to make this appear somewhat 'low budget' and unlike most sashimi bars where the cold cuts are only prepared when you've ordered, the food here seems to be prepared earlier. no big issues on freshness, and we still managed to enjoy some wholesome bowls. not the best chirashi dons we've eaten nonetheless. 
if raw food is totally not your thing, Kaisen Tei offers curry rice sets as well. now, the white disposable plates does make this appear pretty make-shift and the tempura choices being served separately from the curry does make the dishes somewhat dry. we're not too big fans of this selection and would recommend that visitors stick to the sashimi rice bowls. in all, this concept is synonymous with other MOF restaurants, offering quick, simple and affordable Japanese meals. the chain was once very popular in the early 2000s and this could allow them to spark a mini-revival again. 
Kaisen Tei 313 Orchard Road #03-41 313@Somerset Singapore Opening Hours Daily: 11.30 am to 10 pm perfect as a healthy takeaway meal for diners on the go.. Labels: #313somerset, #chirashidon, #japanesefood, #kaisendon, #kaisentei, #pokebowl Blend It Up
Homely Italian restaurants with a story charm behind it will often be popular amongst its converts turned loyal supporters. many of whom have a slightly longer history and are located within private residential areas to create that rural, rustic feel. Blend it Up along Upper Paya Lebar Road caught our eye on a random drive home. through a quick check online, it turned out to be the restaurant with the highest ratings in the Paya Lebar/ Tai Seng area.
Opened by celebrity chef Peter Neo (who opened Pietro Ristorante Italiano some years back), this restaurant revolves around fuss free Italian food and fusion creations adapting Singaporean flavours into some of the dishes. Despite its off-the-beaten-track location, the place can be pretty crowded during dinner times and parking around the area could be a challenge due to limited lots. more importantly, given its pretty extensive menu, Blend It Up maintains a good quality for all its dishes, encouraging repeat visits from its regular customers. 
the wide selection of pizzas at the restaurant are served piping hot when it comes to the table. we tried the signature Blend It Up pizza that is made up of feta cheese, ham, mushrooms and a sunny-side-up egg in the middle. the crust is crispy with a soft dough and right amount of flavour, making this dish popular among the adults and children. we tried it together with some specialty chicken wings, which came with a its own blend of curry sauce. 
the pastas here combine some Italian classics and others with a local twist. many customers gave good reviews for its Spaghetti prawn paste Aglio Olio and we could understand why. the blending of the pasta with homemade prawn paste makes the dish really fragrant, coupled with fresh prawns and dory fish slices to complete the dish. other pasta dishes that are worth a try would be their Spaghetti Vongole, which has a generous serving of clams immersed in a white wine sauce, as well as their crabmeat and lobster Ravioli which albeit a smaller portion, came in a very zesty tomato based sauce. 
popular desserts here include a selection of gelato scoops, which included some special local flavours such as durian. although the lava cakes make a good Instagram choice, our Pistachio lava cake fell short as the souffle disintegrated when we tried to cut into it for the lava to flow. the vanilla gelato was a saving grace as we had an ice-cream craving that day. in all, Blend It Up makes a cosy family restaurant serving a wide selection of quality Italian fusion food. the ambience makes the restaurant suitable for a date night as well, so long as your date isn't put off by the parking situation. 
Blend It Up 325 Upper Paya lebar Road Quemoy Building Singapore 534946 Opening Hours Daily: 11.30 am to 3 pm; 6 pm to 10.30 pm blend the Italian tradition with a twist of Asia.. Labels: #blenditup, #italianfood, #italianfusion, #spaghettiprawnpaste, #upperpayalebarroad Kuro Maguro
Japanese sashimi restaurants are increasingly commonplace today, but finding one with extremely fresh and good quality cuts are not quite as common. especially after you've tried the real thing in Japan and crave for something that comes close. A new joint at the recently open Tanjong Pagar Centre has made a phenomenal following in a short time. having underestimated its popularity by trying to make a walk-in visit on random weeknights, we soon found out that reservations are absolutely a must for this restaurant in the CBD.
Kuro Maguro celebrates tuna (Maguro is Japanese for tuna), various cuts of it imported directly from Misaki port in Japan. Many dishes revolves around the Maguro theme and beyond the sashimi styled servings, some dishes are even prepared grilled or stewed. The restaurant is actually a pretty compact space, probably only a few tables and a long sashimi bar counter. the place is popular among the working faithful where they get to see the chef in action while tucking into their sashimi rice bowls. 
The specialty of this restaurant is obviously their cold cuts. patrons can select from different parts of the tuna for a 3 cut or 5 cut sashimi, or like us, they can go for an Omakase styled mixed seafood dish. All the various seafood slices were fresh, well-cut and surprisingly sweet. it was a little bit bordering on fine dining though, with only 2 slices for each type of seafood. 
and then moving on to the lunchtime favourites, the sashimi rice bowls. with poke-bowls being all the rage these days, Kuro Maguro's delivery of these combinations are top-notch. We tried the Kaisen Meshi, which is an assortment of mixed seafood, including fresh prawns, salmon and tuna. while the lean tuna went into the sashimi, the chef suggested that we tried their daily special, stewed fatty tuna or Maguro Toro Kakuni. turns out to be the surprise package of the evening, with the tuna stewed to a soft, chewy texture, and the savoury (albeit salty) broth going well with the cold cuts. 
the classic Chirashi Don with a twist, this bowl is called Barachirashi - an assortment of sashimi cubes in a rice bowl. a very interesting dish with hearty portions of fish. the restaurant also serves sochu, Asahi beer and a seasonal selection of sakes (Japanese wines). Quality Japanese food will not come on the cheap, though Kuro Maguro is considered reasonably priced. the crowds that come here are a testimony of its quality and for those with a more discerning tastebud, the premium donburi sets will certainly cap their experience here. 
Kuro Maguro 7 Wallich Street #01-04 Tanjong Pagar Centre Singapore 078884 Opening Hours Daily: 11.30 am to 2.30 pm; 5.30 pm to 10.30 pm from the fishermen’s hands to the dining table.. Labels: #donburi. #sashimi, #japanesefood, #kuromaguro, #tanjongpagar, #tanjongpagarcentre |
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