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Ryoshi Sushi Ikeikemaru
any restaurant who chooses to serve Japanese food at Liang Court would need alot of gall, there is a steady Japanese community who'd visit the place and the restaurants that do well here would certainly have to prove their worth. Ryoshi Sushi Ikeikemaru takes the deepest end of the basement, adjacent to the Meidi-Ya Supermarket that draws scores of Japanese based in Singapore daily. their fish are imported from Numazu fishing port in Shizuoka, Tokyo and they pride themselves for delivering fresh and authentic sushi to the masses.
the interior houses a conveyor belt sushi bar, with individual tables by the sides as well. the restaurant serves more than 80 types of sushi and for good quality Japanese food, the menu is reasonably priced. you should expect a queue for dinners especially on fridays and weekends as they have developed a strong following since it gained popularity from 2012. 
we got fairly good value for money with this Sashimi Mori platter, with 5 types of sashimi served with lemon and wasabi on the side. it was pretty good, but i guess with the "imported directly from Japan" reputation to carry, must say that we've tasted fresher and sweeter seafood. then again, at the affordable price-range, this dish would do well to satisfy the general sashimi craving that comes up. in any case, the Bara Chirashi Don (sashimi cubes with Japanese rice) was alot better, with a generous serving of sashimi to top it off. 
we also tried some of their deep fried dishes off the ala carte menu. this Madako Karaage or deep fried octopus was surprisingly addictive. i'd have hated any octopus dish if it was rubbery in texture and difficult to bite through, but this one was fried well and would become a fast-moving snack to dip with the mayonnaise that was given. if there's another opportunity to come back, we would like to try the Kyoto-style grilled mackerel, which was another independent dish that was popular amongst the locals there. 
for those who'd just come for side dishes and sashimi, there are also some good carbs that can go well with them. we had the Tsukimi Udon, which comes with raw egg dropped on top of our noodles. the Udon is thin based, abit like ramen, which was a term that i later learnt that some Japanese food purists refused to adopt (since ramen comes from a Chinese word). so to pure Japanese, thin noodles can also be called Udon. with the egg topping and seaweed, the noodles made good accompaniment to the other dishes we had.. 
in all, Ikeikemaru is able to address the Japanese and local palette without burning a hole in your pocket. certainly not high end Japanese dining but good value for money quality that would leave you satisfied. with beers, sake and sochu on offer as well, this is one place where a whole group can enjoy a hearty and complete meal. Ryoshi Sushi Ikeikemaru 177 River Valley Rd Liang Court Basement 1 (At MEIDI-YA Supermarket) Singapore 179030 Opening Hours Daily: 11 am to 10 pm 全国各地の漁師の至宝を感謝を込めて握ります Labels: #ikeikemaru, #japanesefood, #liangcourt, #ryoshisushiikeikemaru, #sashimi, #sushi Kam's Roast
continuing with the theme of Chinese food, we cover a franchise that is something of an institution in its home country. with its roots stemming from famous roast goose restaurant Yung Kee in Hong Kong, Kam's Roast is a by-product of the family business' brand diversion. the outlet in Wan Chai Hong Kong has drawn scores of crowds since its opening in 2014. having been brought into Singapore by the folks behind Tim Ho Wan and Tsuta, it's reputation and media following has given the franchisees confidence to open in a fairly quieter location of Pacific Plaza.
perhaps not the most prominent shop front as well, tucked behind a pair of escalators. and unlike its Hong Kong main outlet, there is no goose served in the Singapore edition, thus taking the name Kam's Roast only (without any mention to the latter poultry). nonetheless, we loved all things Hong Kong and were somewhat surprised that it took us so long to try this in Singapore for the first time. 
without goose, the signature dish at this restaurant would be roast duck. it can be served in quarter portions, half-portions or whole. we ordered a quarter serving, of which we chose the lower-half which is supposedly more juicy. i personally think that selling duck these days is all about honesty, i mean, given that poultry production these days are generally quite advanced, you probably only would get lotsa bones because some dishonest salesman was trying to sell you some other parts. gladly, this was not the case at Kam's, with the meat portions generous, easy to eat and well roasted. 
the same could be said about the roast meat served here. this mixture of BBQ Char Siew and roasted pork was awesome. the pork crackling had a layer of very crispy skin, and beneath it was tender and flavourful meat. the Char Siew was glazed with honey and well marinated and probably, if this dish was served on its own, would have made a very addictive snack. the roast cuts at Kam's goes very well with steamed white rice and probably lived up to its standards from its Hong Kong counterpart. 
in all, it was an enjoyable experience for us. probably also with the hype having quite settled here, we avoided the massive queues that we experienced when we were in Hong Kong a couple of years back. the quality control of the food ensured that local patrons are not missing out and service here was probably better as well. it's just a pity still, that Singapore doesn't serve goose... 
Kam's Roast 9 Scotts Road, #01-04/05/06/07 Pacific Plaza Singapore 228210 Opening Hours Mondays to Fridays: 11 am to 10 pm Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays: 10.30 am to 10 pm Serving impeccable food in the warmth of a family-oriented environment Labels: #hongkongcuisine, #kamsroast, #pacificplaza, #roastduck, #roastmeat, #roastpork VLV Singapore
we have always wanted to check out VLV Singapore's exquisite range of Cantonese cuisine and award winning dim sum. having passed by the outside of the restaurant and club located at Clarke Quay a few times, few could imagine that the conserved building that once housed Indochine's Forbidden City would have carried a classy club and elegantly designed Chinese restaurant on the inside. speaking of Chinese, one side of its exterior certainly befits the lunar seventh month theme.
Run by the folks who once made Ku De Ta and Catalunya famous, VLV also boasts Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao's 2017 chef of the year Martin Foo. and despite if mysterious looking exterior, the restaurant on the second floor is all bright and snazzy. i recalled looking forward to our experience dining at Hong Kong's Tin Lung Heen a couple of years back, well the interior design and ambience of this restaurant also makes visiting VLV an experiential one. 
we had the opportunity to try one of the lunch sets that's being offered on weekdays, i thought it was a good summary of some popular Cantonese food through the medley of dishes that had been curated into each set. The Tasting lunch set menu offered such variety and we enjoyed this serving of Sea Prawn in nutritious herbal soup. the soup was very rich in taste and went well with the fresh prawns and mushrooms inside. 
The Crispy roast chicken is one of the specialties at this restaurant. it's roasted with sesame until the skin is really crispy and served with a unique five spice salt. if you didn't have a set lunch and looking to taste VLV's signature chicken dish, then order the Beggar chicken when you visit. we also enjoyed the Sweet & sour Chillean seabass and poached Choy Sum that was included in this set. 
As the Tasting menu is supposed to encompass abit of the various VLV offering, some popular dim sum dishes were also included such as Har Gao, pan-fried carrot cake and this Roselle flower Osmanthus Jelly. through these samples, it truly exemplifies the quality of the dim sum and has motivated us to come back to try the full dim sum menu. In all, our first dining experience at VLV Singapore was in many ways an eye-opener, but more importantly, the delivery of the food lives up to its award winning billing, the service and ambience is of good standard as well. hopefully these ingredients would come together, to make this place one of the contenders for next year's Michelin guide. 
VLV Singapore 3A River Valley Road, #01-02 Clarke Quay Singapore 179020 Opening Hours Daily: 12 pm to 3 pm; 6 pm to 11 pm Weekend Brunch: 11.30 am to 1.30 pm (first seating); 1.30 pm to 3.30 pm (second seating) a peerless global destination for the lifestyle connoisseurs.. Labels: #cantonesefood, #clarkequay, #dimsum, #highclassdining, #vlv, #vlvsingapore |
..ThE lEgEnD..
Last Movie: Ad Astra
Golden Village, Singpost Centre 
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