Showing posts with label clementi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label clementi. Show all posts
Cheng's Gourmet Food Bar: Don't get your hopes up too high
Labels:
affordable,
brunch,
cafe,
clementi,
coffee,
sunday brunch,
waffles
·
Before you jump on the car and race on over to the nearest and newest Westie joint in high hopes for an immaculate waffle affair. Hold your horses and read on.
Cheng's Gourmet Food bar located along the infamous stretch of 'sure tio summon' shop houses along Clementi Road. A blessing for NUS students looking to curb their late night munchies since the vicinity houses popular joints such as Fong Seng Nasi Lemak and Niqqi's The Cheese Prata Shop. For a healthier option with more solid bites, you can now turn to Cheng's Gourmet Food Bar as an alternative. And if it's beer you're after, Cheng's touts quite an extensive list.
Ootoya: From Farm to Table
Labels:
clementi,
dinner,
health,
japanese,
media event,
orchard central,
restaurants,
salad,
salads,
sommerset,
vegetables
·
Most of the time, being a 'food blogger', and we often get blinded sided in our rat race to get to latest food fads; more often than not, losing sight of the true essence of food and it's humble beginnings. Especially in Singapore, because of geographical limitations and monetary considerations, very rarely do we come across individuals or corporations that show a remote passion in stressing the importance of sustainability practises in the Food and Beverage industry. While living in Sydney, 'farm to table' movements and 'local produce used' were a dime in a dozen. akin to the magnitude of the waffle and gelato craze here on our local shores, yet returning back to my motherland has cast a huge soaking wet blanket over my conviction to pursue environmental sustainability through local produce. Up till now...
A recent invite to Ootoya opened my eyes to a whole new realm of farming in Singapore. Panasonic Factory Solutions Asia Pacific (Panasonic) has announced it's pilot commercial supply of locally harvested vegetables to Japanese restaurant Ootoya. Cultivated in a 248 square meter indoor agriculture facility, 10 types of vegetables are grown via soil based environment with LED lighting, out with which 3 varieties are now employed in Ootoya's local menu. What impressed me the most tenacity of Panasonic in using their advancements in technology to derive methods to drive self sufficiency through a sustainable cultivation method. In the course of doing so, astutely roping in Ootoya whose focus on quality of life by offering up authentic home cooked Japanese food to their customers is unquestionably in sync with Panasonic's vision to adopt an sustainable and cost efficient method of farming that still hits the home run with the freshness and quality of its vegetables.
Shrimp Salad with Aurora dressing ($4). Mini Red Radish, red leafy lettuce, mizuna and shrimps served with creamy dressing made from bell peppers and tomatoes. Not my favourite but still does a great job in highlighting the great produce that is the local farm vegetables.
For the mains, we were treated to a choice of 3 sets of different proteins. S couldn't get past the Hokke Set, consisting of a charcoal grilled fish, miso soup, chawanmushi, rice and a side dish of braised vegetables; this instantly took me back to my experiences of dining at a Japanese home stay. The style of cooking so delicate and earnest that it almost felt like you were dining under the expert care of a matronly chef, the pride and meticulous ways of the kitchen individuals shining ever so brightly.
My Pork Belly Shiokuji Set presented different flavor dimensions and textures with each bite. The tenderness of the grilled pork belly achieving transcendence with the diners in the room.
Watch out for the new salads featuring the locally grown vegetables to be released officially somewhere in Mid-August. Meantime, for you faithful followers of Ootoya, here's a little something special.
fundamentally-flawed dined as a guest of Ootoya. A major thanks to Adrienne of Golin Harris for the kind invite!
Ootoya Japanese Restaurant
#08-12 Orchard Central
181 Orchard Road
Eating out: Sussing out Clementi Mall
Labels:
chinese,
clementi,
japanese,
restaurants
·
For me, I found the clementi mall to be of enlarged convenience given that it provided a quick gateway to the whereabouts of Phoon Huat (yay to home bakers!!!), it also brought a public library nearer to me!
Newest read and a definite recommendation would be "Heart, Smarts, Guts and Luck" - Anthony K.Tjan, Richard J. Harrington, Tsun-yan Hsieh. A refreshingly human take on getting into the crux of what it takes to build a successful entrepreneurial venture. I'll leave the book review to another time. Meanwhile, lets not forget THE LIBRARY...*swoons*
In the past two weeks, I've taken to dining at Clementi Mall on two occasions, mainly because it was an after thought and its accessibility was a bonus.
First shot was at Ootoya Japanese Restaurant. The heartland version of the atrociously crowded branches in Orchard Central was barely unrecognizable of its affiliation except for the communal area fashioned with floral tatami style seating. A definite plus point since the two of us managed to score the booth seats due to the few patrons present in the restaurant. Without much ado, we ordered the Sumibutadon set with Hijiki Rice ($23.50 + $1.25) and the Oyako Jyu ($13.00). It was a suspiciously long wait, eyeing the tickets very slowly being marked off by the expediter and the calm in the kitchen, our growing impatience evolving into anger fueled by an insatiable hunger. Shuffling my feet for an odd half and hour, I was ready to gorge down on the food. Then.. reality hit me like a ton of bricks as I lifted my first piece of chargrilled chicken to my lips. This was... really good. The Oyako Jyu, basically grilled chicken with egg on rice, epitomized Ootoya's cooking style and values, authentic homecooked japanese meals. And who would deny the fact that homecooked food always had a highway to the heart, a laborious action of love to produce that desired outcome. I was sold, licking up my unbecoming animosity along with the the remains in my bento box. My boyfriend's Sumibutadon set was an absolute steal too, Charcoal grilled Kagoshima Pork with rice. Absolutely love the genuine char grilled flavor on the meats.
Next up was Soup Restaurant, an old favorite of mine. The company's desire to offer up delectable cuisines with distinctively traditional recipes has brought them to the neighborhood of Clementi Town. With not so much as batting an eyelid, I locked in my orders for the Samsui Ginger Chicken ($15.90), Ah Kong Fan Shu Leaves(s)($8.50) and an irresistible plate of braised peanuts ($2.00). Yes i know of many restaurants that would scam diners with the mandatory peanuts already placed on the table. At the very least, Soup Restaurant has the courtesy to ask first! The only difference, these are worth ordering! The signature dish of samsui ginger chicken was a playground of flavors, fresh lettuce, a delightfully large saucer of ginger with succulent white chicken. You wouldn't stop till the last drop of that intoxicating sauce has been swaddled with a wad of hot white rice. The Ah Kong Fan Shu Leaves have always been a perennial favorite of mine, it's tenderness allowing for a intimate binding with the sambal chili sauce. Top notch dishes indeed.
Clementi Mall does have some pretty great finds stashed in its sleeves. So do give it a chance should you be considering some mid-range, 'go out in your slippers and shorts' alternatives to dining.
Clementi Mall
#03-53
Tel: 66592644
Soup Restaurant
Clementi Mall
#03-62/63
Tel: 66593688
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