we live to eat

Rare angus beef slices with wobbly onsen egg

Lunch at Tanuki Raw is an inexpensive affair. From 11:30-15:00, Tanuki offers several good value sets ranging from $12-$18. And if you add just $2, you get miso soup, salad and green tea! If you are looking for the most bang for your buck, its got to be the Truffle Yakiniku Don ($14.80). We got ten thick, juicy slices of angus short ribs, perfumed with truffle oil. The onsen egg was poached to perfection -- dreamy-looking and poised precariously on top of the mound of rare beef slices. When prod, the runny, silky yolk coated the beef, becoming a rich sauce of sorts. Not to be forgotten, the vinegared rice that lay below it all was well seasoned with furikake and gave much needed body to the meal.

Although the Chirashi Don ($17.80) was very tempting, it didn't seem that VFM -- we always compare to Hanare, the gold standard for affordable Chirashi -- which led to our choice of the Salmon Don. The unassuming Salmon Don ($12) may be the cheapest on the lunch menu, but will appeal to those who crave salmon exclusively. The Salmon Don came with topped with blow-torched/aburi salmon, thickly sliced salmon sashimi and juicy, plump ikura. We had no regrets (:

We would highly recommend the lunch sets at Tanuki. We were simply blown away by the freshness of the ingredients and the generous portions. Apparently, their curry donburi is also extremely popular. We would definitely need to make a return trip to try out Tanuki's other offerings.

Tanuki Raw
Address: 181 Orchard Rd, #02-03 Orchard Central, 238896
Opening Hours: Mon-Sun, 11:30-22:30
Website: http://tanukibar.com/
Contact: +65 6636 5949
Damage: $12-18++/pax

Collagen jelly made from Jidori chicken bones

Our first trip down to Tsukada Nojo for their famed beauty pot or bijin nabe! By stewing Jidori chicken (Japanese kampung chicken) bones for more than eight hours until the bones completely dissolve, Tsukada Nojo creates these tofu-like collagen blobs which forms the base of your hotpot. The benefits of collagen are supposedly to firm up your skin and reduce wrinkles hence the 'beauty' pot name. More importantly, we heard that the broth at Tsukada Nojo was incredibly tasty and we simply had to try it. But the queue at Plaza Singapura was always daunting. So, when we found out that Westgate had an outlet, and the queue was a lot shorter, we had no reason not to drop by! We reached there slightly before 12pm on a Saturday and we were one of the 1st few customers.

While waiting for our collagen blob to melt, we went ahead to order one of their onigiri (rice balls, $3.80). This one was wrapped in bacon, drizzled with yuzu mayo and served with a lettuce leaf to appease the vegematics. Be warned, the bijin nabe portion is quite substantial, and you absolutely must slurp up every last drop of soup, so we advise not to order too many onigiris -- delicious as they may be.

Fresh, organic produce to go with the tasty stock!

To go with your hotpot, you are served a wide variety of organic produce, such as red radishes, yellow zucchini, ladies finger/okra, enoki mushrooms, taupok, baby corn and some leafy vegetables that were very tender and fresh (we were instructed to quickly blanch it because it overcooks rapidly). Which brings us to the service at Tsukada Nojo -- it was impeccable. Each table is assigned a waitress, and ours was patiently explaining the origin of ingredients and how to cook them in great detail. However, we were kind of busy taking photos and not paying much attention to her.. oops.

Before we could start dunking our ingredients in, we were made to try the unadulterated version of the soup, and try a portion of the Jidori chicken, which surfaced after the collagen pudding had melted. The soup was pure and very flavorful, although quite oily to the point of being sticky. The ingredients were nicely arranged in the pot for us (we declared ourselves first timers!) so we could get this lovely shot.

Looks good enough to eat already! Btw our steamboat picture is featured on EatBook's list of 10 steamboat restaurants! Head over to check out other steamboat restaurants that will keep your belly nice and warm;)

We chose the thin egg noodles to accompany our meal (you can choose from three kinds -- thick mochi, thin egg noodle and rice noodle). That is really one huge plate of noodles. We had a hard time trying to polish off everything but we always finish ALL of our food!

Seaweed paste to enhance the flavor of the stock

Half way through the meal, we were brought some seaweed paste (aww hearts), if we wanted to alter the flavor of our soup. Don't put too much, its quite salty, and besides, the soup is already good enough as it is!

Cute hand drawn pictures of us on the plates and konjac jelly

To wrap up our meal, we were each served a stick of konjac jelly on a plate hand-drawn by the waitress using sauces. So cute right hehe. Can't bear to destroy the pretty family portrait:/

Tempting advertisement for fried sweet potato and ice cream

Sweet potato fries and ice cream for dessert? Was so tempted to get a plate of this, unfortunately, our bellies were close to exploding and we had to give this a pass. All in all, a satisfying and highly recommended meal!

Tsukada Nojo
Address: #03-04, Westgate, 3 Gateway Drive, 608532
Opening Hours: Mon-Sun, 10:00-22:00
Website: http://tsukadanojo.asia/en
Contact: +65 6465 9356
Damage: $25++/pax

Alfresco style dining hall of the Clifford Pier

We were hunting for a good but affordable lobster roll place to celebrate S' birthday (he was in a lobster mood) and chanced upon Clifford Pier while doing our research. I must say it was a good find!

The restaurant is located within Fullerton Bay Hotel (about 15 mins walk from Raffles Place MRT) with a breath-taking view of the iconic Marina Bay waterfront in the background. The interior was impressive with its high ceilings, dangling chandeliers and towering arches, which lends a modern European touch to the restaurant.

Love those marble tables and solid wooden (heavy) chairs. You can also opt to dine outdoor - alfresco style to enjoy the fresh air and the magnificent view of the MBS. However, we preferred to enjoy our food under the cool blast of the air-con.

A section of Clifford Pier's menu is dedicated to local fare aka hawker food at a premium price -- totally not worth the price, unless you are an unsuspecting tourist. You can view their full menu over here. Nevertheless, we came here for the lobster, and we went ahead to order the Pier's Lobster Roll ($32) and the Pier Lobster Cobb ($32).

Love Letters with Ice Cream and Pulut Hitam?

They actually serve S' favourite dessert but we decided to give it a miss. $12 for a bowl of Pulut Hitam seriously?

Some murukku to munch on while waiting for our food

While we were waiting for our food to arrive, there was a complimentary serving of murukku! For those of you not acquainted with murukku, its a crunchy Indian cracker, encrusted with crispy ikan bilis and peanuts. The cumin gives the murukku it's distinct floral (pungent to others) taste and aroma.

A bottle of Rive Gauche wine as table decoration.

Pier Lobster Cobb - Salad with lobster, avocado and bacon

Pier Lobster Cobb ($32) -- this was more of a light summer salad with half a butter poached Maine lobster, chopped eggs, sweet corn, with rich avocado and crisp bacon, doused in a smokey tomato vinaigrette dressing. The lobster was firm and very fresh. It's our first time having bacon and avocado with our lobster, and surprisingly, they complement each other really well.

Pier Lobster Roll with fragrant truffle fries

The Pier Lobster Roll ($32) - butter poached half lobster, light mayo & chives in a brioche bun with truffle fries. The brioche was lightly toasted and was the perfect blank canvas for the lobster. The portion of truffle fries is gigantic - more than sufficient for two (we had leftovers). S wasn't a huge fan of truffle fries, claimed it smells like gas, uhhh.. lets just say to each his own!

Here's a closer look of the juicy lobster meat. Makes you wanna dig in already ;)

Nearby, there was a band to serenade us with classic oldies while we feast on our lobsters (great ambiance!)

Pretty Sher posing with MBS in the distance

Can't miss the chance to take my #ootd with the iconic MBS as the backdrop ;)

The Clifford Pier

Address: 80 Collyer Quay, 049326

Opening Hours:

Lunch: Mon-Fri, 12:00-14:30

Afternoon Tea: Mon-Sat, 15:30-17:30; Sun, 14:45-17:00
Dinner: 18:30-22:00
Supper: Sun-Thu, 22:00-00:00; Fri-Sat, 22:00-01:00

Website: http://www.fullertonbayhotel.com/dining/the-clifford-pier

Contact: +65 6597 5266

Damage: $32++/pax

Today was our long awaited Restaurant Week 2015 lunch at Violet Herbs! After sampling Arossa Wine & Grill's impressive Restaurant Week lunch menu a year ago, I guess the bar was set pretty high for this one. Today also the marks the first run on our new Sony A5100. We have gone mirrorless ;) Do bear with us while we figure out how this camera works; it's way more complicated than our trusty Galaxy S5. Violet Herbs is conveniently located along Tras Street, past Orchid Hotel -- look for Acclaim House if you somehow ended up on the opposite side of the road.

This sign board is pretty hard to miss though.

We realized we've been only taking photos of the food, but not the signboards. So, here you go!

There's actually two sitting areas, with different themes. The ground floor is purple themed while the 2nd floor is nature themed. We were ushered into the purple area but on hindsight, perhaps we should have requested for the 2nd floor because they use those cool looking black plates that looks great on the Marinated Red Miso Cod.

Oops, slightly blur menu as we were baffled with the auto focus on our camera. Violet Herbs brands itself as semi-formal fine dining, with rather interesting European/Asian offerings themed around herbs. We had a tough time deciding what to order as they all sounded so good. And from the pictures we've seen online, they all looked exquisite too. So in the end, we settled on one of each except the Roasted and Poached Foie Gras (Sher wasn't too keen on eating a mouthful of fat) and Chicken Roulade. This way, we get to sample as much of the menu as we could.

Pre-appetizers! Home-made focaccia with olive oil and balsamic vinegar dip. We weren't too thrilled by the lone bread though. Yes, there was the characteristic chewiness and the exterior had the ever slightest crunch. However, we kind of expected it to taste and smell of fresh herbs and we were sorely disappointed. Furthermore, the balsamic vinegar was rather bland tasting.

Today's amuse-bouche was a cute melon ball, garnished with some caviar and a sprig of coriander. Again, this dish somehow lacked the punch we were hoping for -- it just tasted like melon.

First up, Hokkaido Scallops & Salmon Belly. All this could fit in a tablespoon ): We wish we had more. The puree was silky smooth and tasted luxurious, not bad at all considering it's made from the humble sweet potato. We loved the scallop, which was seared to perfection.

The Mushroom Cappuccino looked great and tasted great. That foam is actually truffle foam and it's reassuring that they exercised restraint on truffle oil usage -- the gasoline-like taste/smell wasn't too overbearing. We could still taste the richness of the mushroom soup. Still can't figure out if that smudge at the side was intentional or accidental though (a bit of OCD going on).

Next up, the signature Marinated Red Miso Cod. But omg, why is it on a white plate. That's when we realized we should have gone upstairs... oh well. We hope we managed to do the dish justice with our shot. As for the cod, it was so tender, it flaked off in layers when you ran a fork through it. Sher, who doesn't usually eat eggplant, even polished the almond topped roasted egg plant. I guess she didn't know it was eggplant.

This shot of the Pan Seared Red Snapper didn't turn out so well ): Likewise, we were not too impressed with this dish as the snapper was tasted slightly fishy and overcooked. We would have preferred if the skin was crispy instead of chewy. The accompanying celeriac puree and the champagne cream sauce were excellent nevertheless.

For desserts, we had the Mascarpone Lemon Tart and the Lavender Creme Brulee. Don't know if it's just us but the tart shell, was rock solid and we had difficulty breaking it apart. For a moment, we were afraid it would go flying off the plate... urgh can't imagine how embarrassing that would have been. The lemon curd itself was delicious -- very tangy and (duh) lemony, although kind of runny; but the rosemary ice cream, like all the other herb-inspired creations before, didn't really stand out. We would have thought it was plain vanilla ice cream if we didn't read the menu beforehand.

The Lavender Creme Brulee was a bit of a let down. We could hardly taste the lavender infused in the custard; the custard was eggy rather than rich, smooth and creamy; and the crackly caramel top you'd expect a creme brulee to have was non-existent.

Overall, Violet Herbs has some hits and misses. The concept is certainly interesting, unfortunately, we found no compelling reason for a re-visit. For a restaurant that has 'herbs' in it's name, the dishes with herbs in them were perhaps too subtle to taste and somewhat lackluster.

Violet Herbs

Address: 81 Tras St, 079020

Opening Hours: Mon-Sat, 11:30-15:00, 18:00-22:00; Closed Sun

Website: http://www.violetherbs.com.sg/

Contact: +65 6221 3988

Damage: $25/pax (restaurant week lunch)

Kim Dae Mun is one of the most underrated Korean family eateries in Singapore. It's hardly reviewed anywhere and it's one of the better kept secrets in town. You'd never expect there to be authentic Korean food, until you round the corner of the Concorde Hotel -- a relic of a bygone age. The place was surprisingly crowded when we stepped through the glass door, considering how ulu the location is.

After taking your order, the ajuma at the counter barks your order over a microphone. And again when its time for collection. Drinks are sold separately at another counter. About the only thing remotely non-Korean about this place is probably the plastic chopsticks. At first glance, Kim Dae Mun screams budget Korean food. It's almost foodcourtesque the way they use the same black serving trays, metal rice bowls and plastic menus. Prices are affordable; you can get a pretty decent meal for just under $10.

Chock-full of prawns, squid, clams, sundubu (korean soft tofu),zucchini, xiao bai cai and straw mushrooms, the Tofu Seafood Stew ($7, non-spicy) made for a hearty meal. At Kim Dae Mun, you get to choose from several side dishes -- kimchi, pickled cucumber and spicy anchovies (too salty for our liking). If you have to choose one, we recommend the cucumber, which was refreshingly good.

The classic Kimchi Stew. For only $7, this was a steal as it is probably enough for two. Although simple, with just beaten eggs, kimchi, tofu and some pork slices, it is Korean comfort food at its humblest. The stews go well with white rice ($1) or if you prefer, red rice ($1.50).

Their potato pancake ($4) is a must try -- crispy and light. The dipping sauce of vinegar, soy sauce and spring onion does wonders to whet your appetite.

Kim Dae Mun is also known for other delectable dishes such as their steamed saba fish ($7.50) -- a healthier alternative to the usual hotplate saba fish. Not to forget the Bibimbap ($7.50) which comes in a sizzling hot stone bowl and topped generously with vegetables, pork/chicken/beef and a sunny side up egg. Remember your gochujang, no bibimbap is complete without it.

Kim Dae Mun Korean Cuisine
Address: #02-17/18, Concorde Hotel, 100 Orchard Road, 238840
Opening Hours: Tue-Sun, 11:00-20:30; Closed Mon
Website: https://www.facebook.com/KimDaeMun/
Contact: +65 9112 5910
Damage: $8/pax

Nestled among the many stalls dishing out local fare in Tanjong Pagar Food Centre, The Soup Bar does gourmet soups for just under $5. It caters to the typical office worker, whom after a cold and hectic morning in their cubicles, crave for that hearty bowl of soup. The soup is served in disposal bowls -- convenient for take-aways -- with a pack of cold butter and warm crusty bread. For the health conscious, The Soup Bar does pastas and salads too, which is all the rage in the CBD these days. Nope, doesn't float our boat. We went straight for their signature soups (: <Update: We were sad to hear that The Soup Bar has closed permanently. The owner has since moved to the Carving Board Sg, located near Chinese Garden MRT.>

We had to try their Tomato Soup, which was extremely photogenic and tasty at the same time. Even at such a low price, this tomato soup easily trumps all of the tomato soups we've ever had before. Step aside Pasta Mania, Hot Tomato, Jacks Place, Soup Spoon, Cedele -- The Soup Bar is the FT of soups, cheaper, better

The Chicken Stew with Brandy came with generous chunks of chicken, potato and carrots, awash in a thick and yummy broth -- be sure to use your bread to mop up every last drop.

The Soup Bar
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