A Tale of 2 Dinners Part 2 The Good Ending – A Marvellous Kaiseki Dinner @ Gettoan on 26Jan2015

excellent uni

excellent uni

after the excellent ryokan breakfast this morning, we now had cause to anticipate a nice kaiseki dinner on 26.1.2015.

kaiseki menu

kaiseki menu

this time we were not disappointed.

hence i had termed these 2 dinners on 25.1.2015 & 26.1.2015 “a tale of 2 dinners”

what a difference a menu change made.

see the sub-par dinner on 25.1.2015

with a good kaiseki dinner & breafast, Gettoan 月灯庵 did fully meet our expectations of a good ryokan.

umeshu梅酒

umeshu梅酒

for this evening, dinner started with umeshu梅酒.

excellent chawanmushi with egg & spring onions

excellent chawanmushi with egg & spring onions

excellent chawanmushi with egg & spring onions

excellent chawanmushi with egg & spring onions

the chawanmushi (茶碗蒸し) was outstanding. there was bits of minced ginger on top. the texture & flavours were exquisite. maybe i will try this at home.

superb braised wagyu & tendons

superb braised wagyu & tendons

superb braised wagyu & tendons

superb braised wagyu & tendons

superb braised wagyu & tendons

superb braised wagyu & tendons

the braised wagyu & tendons was just superb. texture was almost like gelatinous, had bite yet dissolving in the mouth, and nice mellow beefy flavours, mildly sweet. this was par excellence! ^^

sashimi moriawase

sashimi moriawase

grating own wasabi

grating own wasabi

ika

ika

fish sashimi

fish sashimi

we grated our own wasabi roots!

sashimi moriawase was nothing like last evening’s which was below those at sun with moon, or for that matter any supermarket basement sashimi picks in japan!

this time we had good serving each of uni, very sweet! ika was pretty good & the fish slices were very good too. the same lady server initially said it was swordfish, but when i mentioned it did not look remotely like kajiki, she corrected herself but we did not understand what fish it was actually. whatever, what counted was it’s good!

excellent anago tempura

excellent anago tempura

excellent anago tempura

excellent anago tempura

excellent anago tempura

excellent anago tempura

excellent anago tempura

excellent anago tempura

& we had an excellent tempura!

the 2 large pieces each of anago (sea or conger eel) was a large helping. the tempura batter was just great & the whole experience wonderful.^^

bungo wagyu 丰后和牛

bungo wagyu 丰后和牛

bungo wagyu 丰后和牛

bungo wagyu 丰后和牛

& we had a wonderful bungo wagyu 丰后和牛 shabu shabu. there were 10 large thick slices of wagyu for 2 pax, beef was well marbled and flavourful, very good indeed!

shabu shabu

shabu shabu

noodles, mushrooms, veg

noodles, mushrooms, veg

we had the usual noodles, mushrooms, vegetables.

bungo wagyu 丰后和牛

bungo wagyu 丰后和牛

bungo wagyu 丰后和牛

bungo wagyu 丰后和牛

i can have this again! 🙂

if we were to make a comparison with mikuni’s excellent kagoshima wagyu sukiyaki konabe, certainly what we have at Gettoan was much more marbled & better beef quality. in terms of satisfaction, mikuni’s was almost as good & a good approximation to this.

pickles

pickles

we had pickles with the gohan (rice).

cake dessert

cake dessert

dessert was ok. we did not have much interest for the butter cake. it maybe that gettoan indeed is trying to be fusion, with the foie gras tofu last evening (tonight’s chawanmushi would beat tat hands down), and these cake stuff, which some restaurants in Singapore like kuriya etc does too.

anyway, we were immensely satisfied with the kaiseki dinner this second night. ^^

c.h.e.f andy

Advertisement

A Tale of 2 Dinners Part 1 – Disappointing Totally Below Par Kaiseki Dinner @ Gettoan on 25Jan2015

bungo wagyu ishiyaki 丰后和牛石烧

bungo wagyu ishiyaki 丰后和牛石烧

we were booked for 2 nights at Gettoan ryokan 月灯庵 at yufuin 汤布院. Gettoan ryokan & its kaiseki dinners had very good reviews, and we were expecting a very good dinner on the first evening we checked into the ryokan on 25.1.2015.

it turned out to be really disappointing. i would say this dinner was below just about every ryokan dinner i had in tohoku (we visited just before the tsunami, sadly cannot go back now), and way below (say) mikuni or hachi or kuriya in singapore.

i need to add here though that the japanese breakfast the next day was excellent (& the day after too) & the shabu shabu kaiseki on our second night 26.1.2015 was just exquisite, par excellence, so i term this a tale of 2 dinners. ^^

https://chefquak.com/2015/02/08/a-tale-of-2-dinners-part-2-the-good-ending-a-marvellous-kaiseki-dinner-gettoan-on-26jan2015/

https://chefquak.com/2015/02/08/wonderful-breakfast-a-redemption-gettoan-ryokan-yufuin-kyushu-on-26-1-2015/

https://chefquak.com/2015/02/08/another-wonderful-breakfast-to-savour-gettoan-ryokan-月灯庵-yufuin汤布院-kyushu-九州-on-27jan2015/

kaiseki menu

kaiseki menu

sensai

sensai

sensai-seaweed wrapped mentaiko

sensai-seaweed wrapped minced salmon?

sensai - fish roes

sensai – fish roes

the sensai was ok, but really unexciting for this class of ryokan (i.e. very expensive ryokan). the mini kaiseki lunch at kuriya had far better sensai (前菜). and the omakase lunch at GOTO had just as good sakizuke(先附).

tofu dish with foie gras

tofu dish with foie gras

the foie gras flavoured tofu dish was a nice dish, but really average by japanese kaiseki standards, non descript really.

sashimi moriawase

sashimi moriawase

sashimi moriawase

sashimi moriawase

the sashimi moriawase (kampachi, tai maybe?? & hirame) was an immense let down, completely substandard. for me, even sun with moon sashimi is much better standard than this! sashimi was not sweet & was tough – a really low grade cut!

yuba pot

yuba pot

there was a egg, yuba pot with veg. i would give same assessment as the foie gras tofu…underwhelming, just like the entire dinner.

clear soup with fish

clear soup with fish

clear soup with fish

clear soup with fish

the clear soup came with a nice tasty piece of fish, maybe snapper? anyway for this dish alone, maybe one could say “normal service resumes??” but this was a non-substantial by-the-way dish in a kaiseki.

bungo wagyu ishiyaki 丰后和牛石烧

bungo wagyu ishiyaki 丰后和牛石烧

bungo wagyu ishiyaki 丰后和牛石烧

bungo wagyu ishiyaki 丰后和牛石烧

of course the bungo wagyu ishiyaki 丰后和牛石烧 was just excellent. like my wife said, ishiyaki is self service & they did gave a very good beef cut. in a good or at least par-for-the-course kaiseki, one expects to taste good cooking, some creativity & great matching of taste. those were non existent in this dinner!

ochazuke

ochazuke (お茶漬け)

ochazuke

ochazuke (お茶漬け)

ochazuke

ochazuke (お茶漬け)

ochazuke

ochazuke (お茶漬け)

other than the bungo wagyu ishiyaki 丰后和牛石烧, the ochazuke (お茶漬け) was the only other dish throughout the dinner that we consider of good standards. the kampachi cut was good & could be taken as sashimi or slightly poached with the rice. the yuzu miso paste was great & the dashi 上汤was just excellent! a very good dish.

deseert

deseert

the dessert was just as bad. any dessert in sun with moon would be better!

one comment on the service. the overall service of the ryokan was top notch as expected of any ryokans of this standard. we were assigned a server who spoke very good english & we were kind of expecting top level service.

but the service was really superficial! the server tried to get us to order red wine instead of sake claiming that the dishes suited wine better. i would say none of the dishes qualified at all as western or fusion & why would one take red or white wine instead of sake for a japanese dinner, they were just not very good japanese food! & it was quite blatant way to get us to spend more money. this the first & only time we encountered that in japan. even in Singapore these days, server will advise you NOT to order things you don’t need/want!

and worse, after the beef before ochazuke she asked us whether we wanted tea. we asked for ocha & was later billed 950yen! of course it was not about the money. she did not tell us it was chargeable, and the way she asked it was evident that she did not intend to reveal it was chargeable. immediately after the ochazuke, we were served another ocha, this one free. does that make any sense??

for me it was a lowly tactic suited for yesteryears, like london chinatown in the 1970s, not a top class ryokan in Japan, or for that matter any ordinary restaurants in Singapore.

fortunately for us, the ryokan redeemed itself the next few meals. we were asked again the next dinner if we wanted tea by the same server, again w/o telling us it was chargeable! some bad habits just do not go away!

c.h.e.f andy

Great Mazechirashi Don @ Aoki Restaurant on 10Dec2014

mazechirashi don

S$40 mazechirashi don set

a friend bought me chirashi don lunch@ aoki today on 10.12.2014. 🙂

this like the gold standard of chirashi don, according to many reviewers. ^^

well was it for me? must say it was very good.

otoshi

otoshi

otoshi

otoshi

we were served an otoshi. very nice. not sure what it was. some shellfish maybe. mirugai (geoduck)?? texture yes but didn’t look quite like.

salad

salad

salad

salad

nice salad with ponzu sauce.

10346535_10152882837094494_3550865762275599733_n

S$40 mazechirashi don set

& the main event mazechirashi don.

there was uni (not much), chutoro (seemed quite a bit), & the usual hamachi, salmon, maguro, tamago, bits of anago (conger eel), and ikura, also some pickled ginger.

the sashimi amount was substantial & very tasty eaten with the rice.

basically it was a barachirashi don. it would beat tatsu’s very expensive & ordinary S$40 chrashi don hands down.

ginza kuroson S$20 chirashi don lunch set didn’t have uni or chutoro, so not really up for comparison but that was just S$20!

if i am just looking for a very tasty barachirashi don set, then the one at sun with moon was pretty good. it came with an excellent salmon fish head miso soup too. again w/o expensive uni & chutoro.

and recently i had very good chirashi don lunch set at sumiya for just S$18.80. it had thick cube cuts so it was more of a chirashi don than a barachirashi.

so i guess indeed aoki would ace them all. all except mikuni for me.

mikuni’s chirashi don had 2 thick slices of chutoro, hotate, uni, botan ebi, aburi salmon etc at S$45 (after 50% feed at raffles discounts). for me even aoki’s very nice barachirashi don was no comparison.

& it is available for dinner also. but of course feed at raffles 50% discounts only for up to 5pax on sundays & mondays & for only 2pax other days. no perfect deal.

pickles with gohan

pickles with gohan

nice pickles (not salty) & ginger.

trio of dessert

trio of dessert

jelly

jelly

trio of dessert

trio of dessert

quite nice dessert, a plum jelly, nice penna cotta & ice cream. 🙂

for S$40, i can definitely do this again!

c.h.e.f andy

Great Value Sushi & Sashimi Bento Dinner @ Momoya on 6Jul2014

tempra & udon sey

tempra & udon set

went to friend’s house in the east again to watch wimbledon finals between djokovic & federer on 6.7.2014.

we decided to go another place for dinner. we had been going to east coast lagoon food village the last few times. 1 friend suggested momoya at jalan pari burong.

S$17 sashimi & sushi set

S$17 sashimi & sushi set

S$17 sashimi & sushi set

S$17 sashimi & sushi set

S$17 sashimi & sushi set

S$17 sashimi & sushi set

S$17 sashimi & sushi set

S$17 sashimi & sushi set

S$17 sashimi & sushi set

S$17 sashimi & sushi set

S$5 sashimi upsize - 9 pieces

S$5 sashimi upsize – 9 pieces

S$5 sashimi upsize - 9 pieces

S$5 sashimi upsize – 9 pieces

must say they have very good & inexpensive sets here. momoya also serves ala carte buffet, S$31++pax for lunch & S$35++pax for dinner (same buffet menu).

1 friend ordered the tempura & udon set. the tempura moriawase included 3 prawns, i guessing 1 fish & 2 vegetables. i tried 1 prawn, it was ok, the batter just average not so great.

another friend & i ordered the sushi & sashimi set. there were 12 pieces of sashimi – 4 slices each of salmon, maguro (tuna) & hamachi (yellow tail). salmon was very good, comparable with sun with moon at wheelock & might be better than or about same as chikuwatei. hamachi & maguro were quite standard, probably about same as chikuwatei not as good as sun with moon wheelock. the 6 pieces of sushi were pretty good quality – salmon, maguro, kajiki, eel, amaebi & ebiko. the set included soup & chawamushi (very average not great). at S$17++ for 12 pieces of sashimi & 6 pieces of sushi of above average to good quality, it was really good value for money.

we added 2 upsized portions of sashimi. this was same as the sashimi in the set except that there were 3 slices each so total 9 pieces sashimi for just S$5.

i would say the sashimi was about comparable with chikuwatei so S$17 set for 18 pieces was a much better deal than the S$25++ chirashi don at chikuwatei, and adding the upsize 9 pieces sashimi, it was just S$22++. the sashimi were good enough that greedy me enjoyed the overdose of 27 pieces for just S$22++. the S$20++ chirashi don set at ginza kuroson offered better quality sashimi but portion wise would be 1/2 this mount.

i would do this again when visiting my friends in the east.

c.h.e.f andy

So Very Nice 4pax Family Dinner @ Mikuni on 23Jun2014

oysters - S$28

oysters – S$28

dinners at mikuni are always so very enjoyable. see recent post on a wonderful mikuni dinner on 31.3.2014.

we were there again on 23.6.2014. this time we ordered the chirashi don, oysters & golden prawns, in addition to the usual.

the oysters were good. at 50% discounts, it was S$14 for 3 pieces. the ones we had recently at chikuwatei was better but more ex – 2 large ones for S$22. 🙂

chirashi don - S$90

chirashi don – S$90

chirashi don - S$90

chirashi don – S$90

the chirashi don was so, so very nice. this must the best in singapore or anywhere for S$45++ after 50% feed at raffles (FAR) discounts. 🙂 needless to say, it was far, far better than sun with moon or chikuwatei. not only there was uni, 2 pieces of chu toro, & a huge botan ebi, all the other cuts like salmon, tai, hamachi, hotate were so sweet & fresh & so very many. 🙂

it was kind of a late discovery for us, as we dined quite a bit at mikuni but we tend to take the cooked food rather than sashimi.

botan ebi - S$42 for 3

botan ebi – S$42 for 3

botan ebi - S$42 for 3 pieces

botan ebi – S$42 for 3

we had the usual botan ebi sashimi (S$42 for 3 pieces) & had the head deep-fried.

sous vide octopus tempura - S$30

sous vide octopus tempura – S$30

& we all loved the sous vide tako kari kari age.

cold sake - S$50

cold sake – S$50

the sake was ex… S$50 & only 25% discount.

golden prawns - S$40

golden prawns – S$40

golden prawns - S$40

golden prawns – S$40

& the golden prawns (basically teppanyaki large prawns with lots of mayo) was really good! each of us had about 5 prawns, so there must be 20 pieces. we took very little mayo but this mayo taste was very good. 🙂

lobster uniyaki - S$48

lobster uniyaki – S$48

lobster uniyaki - S$48

lobster uniyaki – S$48

the lobster uniyaki today was below the usual standard. i had always liked the lobster but somehow this time the lobster meat did not have the usual bouncy fresh texture. couldn’t say it was bad but c/w the golden prawns, it was substantially poorer.

kagoshima wagyu konabe - S$48

kagoshima wagyu konabe – S$48

& the kagoshima wagyu konabe was as good as ever.

the bill came to S$239nett for 4pax (c/w S$205 for 4pax at chikuwatei & such huge guff in quality of food). excluding the sake, it would be S$195nett or S$165++ for 4pax, really good deal. 🙂

i think i gonna go back just for the chirashi don. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Superb Sashimi & Unagi don Set @ Sun with Moon Wheelock on 22Jun2014

sashimi moriwasse for 2 = S$29.80

sashimi moriwasse for 2 = S$29.80

my wife & i were in between meals & decided to have “tea” (more of 2 meals dinner & lunch into 1, save time, money, calories..haha) @ sun with moon at wheelock. this is becoming our favourite restaurant. 🙂

we were not really interested in their tea menu. likely we were not the only ones so they provided full meal sets in their “tea” menu.

sashimi moriwasse for 2 = S$29.80

sashimi moriwasse for 2 = S$29.80

sashimi & unagi don set = S$34.80 (addition chawanmushi S$3.50, salmon sashimi S$3)

sashimi & unagi don set = S$34.80 (addition chawanmushi S$3.50, salmon sashimi S$3)

sashimi & unagi don set = S$34.80

sashimi & unagi don set = S$34.80

sashimi & unagi don set = S$34.80

sashimi & unagi don set = S$34.80

i was already thinking of the sashimi at sun with moon after the not entirely fulfilling chirashi don dinner at chikuwatei on 17.6.2014, so 1 ordered a sashimi & unagi don set S$34.80. we did not want to have 2 sets so we added another sashimi moriawasse for 2pax at S$29.80.

(P.S. subsequently i had dinner at momoya on 6.7.2014 & it was 1 of the best value sushi & sashimi bento).

the sashimi moriawasse that came with the set had 9 pieces c/w with the ala carte sashimi for 2 (only missing 1 ama ebi & 2 slices of hotate in comparison) , and cost S$5 more. i would consider both quite reasonably priced & vis a vis each other. 🙂

as i mentioned on my post on chikuwatei, the salmon sashimi were sweeter, tastier here. the cut was also quite thick but perhaps just somewhat thinner c/w chikuwatei. the kajiki (swordfish) was a lot sweeter & there were ama ebi & hotate (missing in chikuwatei). for me it was a lot more shiok here. we also added a salmon sashimi side (3 thinner slices for S$3) & a chawanmushi (S$3.50). 🙂

sashimi & unagi don set = S$34.80

sashimi & unagi don set = S$34.80

sashimi & unagi don set = S$34.80

sashimi & unagi don set = S$34.80

the set also came with the unagi don which i liked, side dish (vinegared unagi which my wife liked), soup, pickles & a drink.

we also added 1 small green tea parfait S$6.80.

there was a 15% card discount for ocbc, however it only applied to the ala carte order. since i had the members card (cost S$20 & you get back S$20 in points for redemption) which entitled to 10% discount for the whole bill, which came to S$82nett. its somewhat more ex c/w chikuwatei which was an overdose (not complaining!) of average to just above average thick cut sashimi for a S$25++ chirashi don.

c.h.e.f andy

Oysters & Chirashi Don @ Chikuwatei on 17Jun2014

japanese oysters

japanese oysters = S$22 for 2

my daughter & jh bought dinner as return treat for my wife & i ‘lombang’ aka enjoyed collateral benefits. 🙂

they suggested chikuwatei, and now thinking back the last time i went there was 3yrs+ ago. these few days i had been thinking of going to chikuwatei again so the time was most fitting.

(P.S. subsequently i had dinner at momoya on 6.7.2014 & it was the best value sushi & sashimi bento, quality equal if not better than chikuwatei & much better value)

not sure if there was any change of ownership but the service was very much better. the lady taking charge at the front counter, showing us to the table, gave good recommendations and was not pushy. the oysters she recommended were excellent. when she was clearing the dishes at the end of the meal she tipped over my wife’s sake cup. later she came back with a full cup of sake. i guess we could have reasonably asked for that too but we did not, & did not really expect it. 🙂

chirashi don

chirashi don = S$25

chirashi don

chirashi don = S$25

teriyaki chicken

teriyaki chicken = S$10

japanese oysters

japanese oysters = S$22 for 2

we ordered 4 chirashi don for 4pax, 2 servings of oysters (4 oysters), teriyaki chicken & a 250ml house sake (S$16).

i was much looking forward for the chirashi don as i had not taken here for so long. in fact i was slightly disappointed. the helpings were just as large – 5 slices of salmon, 3 maguro, 3 kajiki, 2 hamachi & 2 tamago (egg), with a heap of ikura. rice was good, ok not the best. the salmon was not so sweet (2 of the 5 were sweeter). i thought that the salmon sashimi i had at sun with moon wheelock as a S$3 side dish for 3 pieces were better! the kajiki & maguro were also not very sweet, the hamachi was a bit sweeter. the ikura added a slightly salty, flavourful touch to the vinegared rice.

i guessed overall it was not too bad but a bit underwhelming for me & kind of below what i expected. if i were having just sashimi, the S$20 chirashi don lunch set i had recently at ginza kuroson was a lot better quality, but that was lunch. if i wanted combination then the sets at sun with moon would be more attractive than this.

must add though that the oysters were quite large & excellent, juicy, tasty with no metallic taste, very enjoyable. the teriyaki chicken was good too, though not really food i would order.

probably won’t come here too soon unless there are some other specials or promotions.

c.h.e.f andy

Great Kurobuta Kimchi Nabe Dinner @ Shirokiya on 11Jun2014

kurobuta kimchi nabe

kurobuta kimchi nabe

bought a groupon voucher for a japanese hotpot at shirokiya cuppage terrace branch (S$22.80 voucher for a S$38.80++ nabe) & went with my sis for a 2pax dinner on 11.6.2014. 🙂

there were 3 choices of nabe for the S$38.80 price option, 2 were chicken.  we picked the kurobuta kimchi nabe.

kurobuta kimchi nabe

kurobuta kimchi nabe

there were about 10 large slices of kurobuta belly pork (the restaurant said 160g for 2 servings), and you could add another serving (80g) for S$9++.

kurobuta was quite excellent. nabe also came with 4 mussels (ok la..), tofu, lots of vegetables & kimchi. it was a good tasty & satisfying nabe.

broiled kurobuta

broiled kurobuta

broiled kurobuta

broiled kurobuta

broiled kurobuta

broiled kurobuta

the other menu items though did not attract me. sashimi salad at S$20.80++, sushi & sashimi were quite ex, assorted sushi maki was S$25.80++. i would rather take these at mikuni or sun with moon at wheelock.

there was a (limited order) S$17.80 grilled salmon belly that looked great but was too large for 2 of us. we considered a S$13.80++ ishiyaki kurobuta don but decided we didn’t need the carb & selected the S$10.80 broiled kurobuta. this was really good! 🙂 a very tasty, flavourful, generous helping.

both items were very good. dinner came to S$35.50 nett (S$22.80+S$12.70). i bought 2 more shirokiya vouchers when i got home. 🙂

not sure i would do this at the usual price of S$38.80++, but at 1/2 price S$22.80, it was very good value. the very good kimchi chigae at aburiya cost S$13.80 for <1/2 portion & <20% pork (& not kurobuta) by comparison. azmaya used to offer 50% discount for pork shabu shabu ala carte buffer at S$12++. currently there is only a S$17.50 pork shabu shabu set, which comes to S$35 for 2pax c/w S$22.80. so shirokiya’s groupon offer great value. 🙂

c.h.e.f andy

Best Value Chirashi-don Lunch @ Ginza Kuroson on 6Jun2014

10013730_10152447976894494_5064793207471164058_n

mesclun salad

this truly the best value chirashi-don in singapore.

P.S. subsequently i had dinner at momoya on 6.7.2014. the sashimi selection were slightly not as good as kuroson (with amaebi & mirugai etc) but it was like double the quantity.

i had taken this ginza kuroson chirashi-don quite a few times previously, but had not been there lately. having lunch with my sis today & decided to go kuroson on 6.6.2014. 🙂

10453376_10152447976919494_1276063218868424027_n

iced green tea (free flow)

1544524_10152447976959494_3026904624503269905_n

miso soup & pickles

at S$20++, the chirashi-don alone was good value. the set came with free flow iced green tea,  mesclun salad (& this had a lot of arugula & not a cheap salad), miso soup & a pickle.

1392055_10152447976999494_6692590990403522026_n

chirashi-don

1908019_10152447977099494_4513803690446848524_n

chirashi-don

10172860_10152447977154494_8810158291448554520_n

chocolate pudding

10447556_10152447977039494_5388447196574805774_n

chirashi-don

the chirashi-don itself was quite perfect as always. there were like 9 pieces of sashimi over the don. i counted 2 tai (or perhaps 1 tai, 1 hirame – the 2 white fish), 1 maguro, 1 shake (salmon), 1 katsuo (seared bonito), chopped aji (horse mackerel), 1 tako, 1 mirugai (geoduck) & 1 amaebi (sweet prawns), & piles of ikura, & some pickled ginger, sliced zucchini & chopped eggs. the rice itself was well vinegared & very tasty. this 1 of the worthwhile carbo I actually finished.

this would be much better quality & better value c/w the chirashi-don at tonkichi orchard central & the bara chirachi-don set at sun with moon.

lunch was very satisfying after quite long while. will come back soon.

c.h.e.f andy

Excellent 5pax Birthday Dinner @ Sun with Moon Wheelock on 16May2014

10341511_10152400196379494_3869921545629531515_n

bara chirashi don set

daughter booked 5pax dinner at sun with moon @ wheelock to celebrate the birthday of our domestic help on 16.5.2014. 🙂

i really enjoyed the excellent lunch here on 7.5.2014. this the first time i came for dinner.

10309346_10152400196454494_2724658806903506191_n

salmon fish miso soup for bara chirashi don set

10330317_10152400196589494_8103034204905943815_n

bara chirashi don set

the bara chirashi don was very tasty, both the fresh sashimi & rice. i supposed in terms of quality of ingredients, it’s hard to beat the S$20 chirashi don lunch set at ginza kuroson, but that was lunch, this dinner. 🙂

10152484_10152400196684494_418148206444274551_n

dobin mushi (teapot soup)

10363321_10152400198374494_754933652431252278_n

okonomiyaki

10368234_10152400198784494_1167414003028320186_n

salmon maki

wife & another daughter did not want a heavy set, so ordered a dobin mushi plus a okonomiyaki & salmon maki to share. 🙂

dobin mushi was ok, competent.

okonomiyaki was very good.

& salmon maki was good.

10270295_10152400198899494_6328199981477492503_n

tori nabe for my unagi kebayaki set

10341966_10152400199139494_6133279187983665858_n

unagi kebayaki

10301068_10152400200369494_1768934373272834973_n

salmon sashimi with my unagi kebayaki set

10291867_10152400202004494_560769243716104889_n

my unagi kebayaki set

i ordered a unagi kebayaki set for myself. we shared the food of course. 🙂

it was very good. the chicken nabe came with a ball of collagen, made the soup very tasty.

the unagi kebayaki was fresh eel. i had not taken unagi for a while & this one was good! 🙂

the salmon sashimi side dish here is always good. i always add that to my lunch set for S$3.

10369142_10152406907519494_9138562455029407718_n

teriyaki cod & tempura set

our domestic help ordered a teriyaki cod & tempura set. i did no try. the cod looked great & the tempura had 3 large prawns, really good set! 🙂

10359411_10152400203334494_2187172064966119542_n

great tea parfait

we were all greedy & ordered 2 parfaits to share for 5pax. this our favourite dessert here! 🙂

10308174_10152406907559494_139993545960480655_n

tofu cheese cake

10329322_10152400196204494_5762464892714442066_n

tofu cheese cake

we were attracted by the tofu cheese cake so ordered take-out to bring home as birthday cake for our domestic helper. 🙂

after eating this tofu cheese cake, i googled & found an excellent internet recipe & made my own very good tofu cheese cake. that was really fun. 🙂

for me, both lunch & dinner sets here were excellent value for money. the 5pax dinner cost S$150 though we only ordered 3 dinner sets plus some ala carte to share.

c.h.e.f andy

Tofu Cheese Cake

tofu cheese cake

tofu cheese cake

had an excellent birthday dinner at sun with moon @ wheelock for my domestic help on 16.5.2014 & bought back a tofu cheese cake as her birthday cake. 🙂

it was really good. we enjoyed it so much i decided to try making one myself.

i googled & found a very simple & truly wonderful no bake tofu cheese cake recipe. i had frequent homecooked dinner for friends & overly relied on my chocolate lava cake for dessert. i tried apple pie couple times & though it was ok there was no wow factor, nothing exciting. tofu cheese cake sounds exciting (at least to me & my children!) so i thought i would give it a try.

tofu cheese cake

tofu cheese cake

tofu cheese cake

tofu cheese cake

tofu cheese cake

tofu cheese cake

tofu cheese cake

tofu cheese cake

tofu cheese cake

tofu cheese cake

tofu cheese cake

tofu cheese cake

it was really a simple easy to make recipe & it turned out, well, ever so delicious & pretty too! 🙂

1 practical logistic problem was i could not find a 6″=15cm spring form cake pan with bottom release. anyway i did not know what it was until i googled. i found a 8in=20cm one at phoon huat at clementi avenue 3 costing S$7.90 so i bought it.

as the recipe was for the 15cm cake i basically doubled the recipe quantities.

go try yourself. enjoy!

c.h.e.f andy

Ingredients:

  • 105g digestive biscuits (7 pieces)
  • 60g melted butter – i used unsalted
  • 200g cream cheese (cut to 2cm pieces)
  • 200g silken tofu (cut to 2cm pieces)
  • 200g plain yogurt
  • 100ml whipping cream
  • 60g Sugar
  • 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
  • 3 tsp gelatin powder (15g)
  • 50ml warm water

Directions:

  1. put a wax paper over the bottom then tighten the springform cake pan & ensure bottom is smooth.
  2. put digestive biscuits in ziploc bag & break & roll to powder. melt butter in microwave (40sec) & add to biscuits. mix well then empty into cake pan. spread evenly to form an uniform flat base. put in fridge.
  3. add plain yogurt, tofu, cream cheese, whipping cream, lemon juice & sugar to a blender, pulse & blend
  4. add 3 tsp gelatin powder to 50ml warm water & stir to dissolve completely. add to blender & blend.
  5. empty into the cake pan & place in fridge for 4hrs. when serving release the springform & remove from the bottom. voila!

Enjoyable Lunch @ Sun with Moon on 7May2014

unagi & gyudon kamameshi set with kurobuta

unagi & gyu kamameshi set with kurobuta

went with wife to sun with moon at wheelock for lunch on 7.5.2014. last came to sun with moon wheelock 4 months ago on 7.1.2014. 🙂

there was a 20% discount promotion for kamameshi set so i picked the unagi & gyu set & picked a kurobuta side dish (came with the set including soup & pickles). we also added a chawanmushi & a salmon sashimi (S$3.50 for each item). my wife ordered a maki & a green tea mochi parfait. we shared all the food.

kurobuta side

kurobuta side

the kuobuta side dish was very good. there were 4 large slices of pork which came in a tasty broth. 🙂

unagi & gyudon kamameshi

unagi & gyu kamameshi

the kamameshi (釜饭) pot had a thick wooden cover, and they placed an hourglass for accurate timing….maybe 5mins not sure…

it was a very large helping. the rice was very fragrant, tasty & the unagi & beef were all good. 🙂

red bean mochi dessert

red bean mochi dessert

i ordered ice green tea which was included for the set & my wife added S$1 for her hot green tea. 🙂

green tea ice cream mochi parfait

green tea ice cream mochi parfait

the mochi parfait was still nice though the price went up from $4.90 couple years back to $6.80 now.

forgot to take photos of the maki (S$15) but it was quite good though not a must have item for us. after 20% discounts, the kamameshi set cost S$24. all in we paid S$60. the other place i used to go was kuriya dining at great world city. however recently, prices there had gone up quite a bit, and the lunch sets i liked are now priced at S$68pax instead of S$58pax, a 15% increase.

will come back for sure. the 20% discounts on kamameshi promotion will expire 31.5.2014.

c.h.e.f andy

 

Quality Lunch Sets @ Sun with Moon at Wheelock on 7Jan2014

beef don with kaisen (seafood) hotplate set

beef don with kaisen (seafood) hotplate set

son was flying back to london in the evening. we wanted to go for a quick family lunch. kuriya dining was full so we decided to go sun with moon at wheelock on 7.1.2014.

beef don

beef don

kaisen (seafood) hot plate

kaisen (seafood) hot plate

salmon sashimi

salmon sashimi

plum jelly & grapes

plum jelly & grapes

there were wide choices of lunch sets which were reasonably priced. my son & i picked the S$21.80 mini beef don with kaisen (seafood) hotplate, and added S$3.50 for 3 pieces of salmon sashimi.

the beef don was excellent, very tasty & good helping of beef. i always like dons especially chirashi don anyway. 🙂 the seafood pot included 3 pieces of unagi (eel), 2 large cut of salmon & 1 scallop. it was tasty too. the salmon sashimi was excellent, better than those served at good buffet, of sushi counter standard. 🙂

the ume (plum) jelly was good.

sushi & pork nabe set

sushi & pork nabe set

my daughter had the sushi A set (i think also S$21.80) which came with a pork nabe, again a good helping of shabu (thin sliced) pork which was good. the sushi looked ok but not great.

beef & tori (chicken) kamameshi (釜饭) set

beef & tori (chicken) kamameshi (釜饭) set

beef & tori (chicken) kamameshi (釜饭)

beef & tori (chicken) kamameshi (釜饭)

my wife had beef & tori (chicken) kamameshi (釜饭). i wasn’t a fan of kamameshi but this was very fragrant.like my wife said the kaisen kamameshi were average but this beef & chicken one had great flavours infused with the rice. excellent dish but cost a fair bit more at S$28. i would not select this myself but it was a good combination with other sets as we shared some of the food. 🙂

overall, i think sun with moon lunch sets offered quality & quite good value in the <$30 range. for higher priced sets, i would go for the S$48/S$58 mini kaiseki lunch at kuriya dining,  or the lunch sets or ala carte at mikuni with 50% feed at raffles discounts. 🙂

c.h.e.f. andy