Cliff(y) Goes Dining

Frankly speaking, that was my virgin experience with oxtails! Closely related to the previous post, Poulèt is a casual French eatery managed by Minor Food Group. It's an irony though that despite its name which means 'chicken' in English, I didn't actually try any of their chicken dishes.

Where pork fats meet runny yolk! If you're looking for French cuisine that won't burn a hole in your pocket, you have to make a visit to Saveur. Having a casual interior, the branch at Purvis Street that I went to recently was pretty much packed during lunch hours.

Thousand Island chicken - Thai style? UPDATE (09/05/2015):  The restaurant has closed down. It's been almost 5 months since I graduated from NUS. Recalling the happy memories that are etched forever in my mind, I couldn't help but miss school life. Today, it's time to review the food I tried at SUN Asian Bistro which offers Asian and Western cuisines. However, I haven't given any of the Western selections a try.

Pretty authentic Indonesia fried and grilled chickens! I guess I'm done writing on the food I tried in Japan, save for some tidbits that I bought along the way. Fret not, I'll be going to Japan again at the end of the year with Pikachu and Melon for another round of food hunting during winter! Anyway, it's been quite some time since I last wrote on eateries in Singapore, so today I'm going to review a humble Indonesian establishment in Lucky Plaza, Orchard Road. 

First time having ajitsuke tamago for breakfast! Instead of the usual hotel hopping that I've always liked to do, I only stayed in one hotel in Tokyo. Comfort Hotel Tokyo Higashi Nihonbashi (3*) was my choice as it offers value-for-money rooms, not to mention its perfect location which is just a minute walk from Bakurocho station.

Vegetables galore during my Shinkansen ride to Tokyo! Just like most tourists coming to Japan, I succumbed to the temptation of ekiben , a term used to which refers to boxed meals sold in railway stations throughout the country. On my trip from Kyoto to Tokyo via the bullet train known as Shinkansen, I enjoyed my lunch which I got from one of the shops in Kyoto station (which, unfortunately, I have no idea how to describe the location).

Crispy, airy tempura cooked before your eyes! AEON Mall is one of the leading shopping malls in Japan. One of them is located at Narita city near the airport. While wandering inside, I chanced upon a tempura (Japanese battered and deep-fried assortments) restaurant where customers can directly see how the dishes are being made while waiting for their orders to come. Since there isn't any English menu available, I'll directly translate the name of the dishes I tried as usual.

Double richness: tonkotsu soup and soft-boiled egg! Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum is a food amusement park with an astonishing atmosphere of the old town of Tokyo in the late 1950s. Out of the nine shops, I actually only tried one of them since I was already feeling quite full. Do note that the ramen has a policy whereby each customer has to order at least one dish. Men No Bo-Toride specialises in tonkotsu  (lit. pork bone) ramen, boasting its soup which is simmered for 20 hours. There isn't any English menu available, I suppose, so I'm just going to do a direct translation of the dishes I tried.

Do well in examinations with 'anki pan' rusks! Before leaving the Fujiko F. Fujio museum, I dropped by the gift shop to look for something I could buy. As expected, one of the items that you can buy is  dorayaki (Japanese pancake with red bean filling), Doraemon's favourite food. I didn't expect there'd be  anki pan  (lit. memorisation bread) rusks on sale though. So cute!

One of the most nostalgic meals in my life! Being a huge fan of Doraemon, I couldn't afford to miss a day trip to Fujiko F. Fujio Museum in located at Kawasaki city in Japan. As I walked through the exhibition hall, I couldn't help but feel a rush of mixed feelings that made tears well up in my eyes: happiness, awe and perhaps a bit of sadness (that I'm no longer a little boy), but to name a few. Following which, I had a simple lunch at the café on the third floor.

A happy marriage between tonkatsu and green tea? Fancy chazuke (Japanese dish made by pouring green tea over cooked rice)? Prior to the trip to Japan last June, I'd never tried one before. Hence, I made it a point to drop by one of the most popular restaurants serving a combination of tonkatsu (Japanese breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet)  chazuke in Shinjuku, after walking past the entertainment and red-light district of Kabukicho. Haha...

Huge, fatty beef bowl with half-boiled egg! Matsuya was founded in 1966, providing what's known to be the Japanese fast-food staple, the beef bowl, among other items. In Japan alone, there are already more than a thousand outlets as of the end of March this year. By the way, there's no English menu in the branch I went to, so I'm going to loosely provide the names of those I ordered in English.

How good is the shrimp burger? The craze about the shrimp burger that has just been introduced in Singapore is still ongoing. Today, I'm going to churn out a short review of the same burger in its country of origin. 

The best 'anago sushi' I've ever eaten in my life! UPDATE (03/03/2019):  The eatery has moved to 6-3-2 Toyosu. Being Japan's most famous and venerable market in the world for tourist destination, Tsukiji Market boasts its plethora of fresh seafood everyday. Don't miss breakfast when you happen to be there. I patronised Daiwa Sushi, a perennial favourite among Japanese and tourists alike, which is located just outside the main market area. I was quite lucky that day since I only had to queue for about an hour to get a seat.

One of the few whale meat restaurants in the world! From the Kansai region of Japan, we're now moving to Tokyo, the capital city of the Land of the Rising Sun. When you've had the chance to go to Shibuya, don't forget to snap a picture with the statue of the loyal dog named Hachiko and drop by the restaurant for a taste of whale meat. Worry not, the restaurant has assured that they're not using endangered whale species in their kitchen.