Kushi Dining Bar | ThumbsForFood

Hi! It has been long since we did a review on japanese buffets in Singapore. Thank you Kushi Dining Bar for the invitation to try their new menu!

Kushi Dining Bar is a pioneer in the concept of premium Japanese ala-carte buffet in Singapore. It has been around for more than 6 years now and was previously at Hotel Windsor. The head chef behind the restaurant, Ryan, has more than 20 years of experience and is very helpful in serving up their signature dishes for us. 

One thing that caught my attention was that they had many regular customers when we visited on a Friday night. For foodies who are always looking out for new dishes and creations, you will be happy to know that the chef actually make changes to the menu on a six-monthly basis. Perhaps that is the attraction factor that pulls back all the regular customers. Kushi Dining Bar's latest menu will feature a mix of familiar favourites, as well as, new additions that are not so commonly found in other restaurants.

Some of their well-loved favourites include the Pitan Tofu, Lobster Porridge and Pork Cheek (Ton Toro). 

I am a fan of Pitan Tofu, so I was really happy to see that it is one of the chef's specialties. What makes it different from the rest is that even the tofu is handmade by the chef. I have tried many Pitan Tofu, and usually, it is the sauce that can make or break it. But for this, the tofu is really unique! There is a layer at the bottom of the tofu that has crabmeat in it.  This is definitely something that will keep me coming back.

I have heard a lot about the Lobster Porridge and I have to say that it did not fail my expectations. It is the watery kind of porridge, more of the Teochew style. The broth was full of richness and had hints of freshness from the sea. If you are a seafood lover, you should definitely have a try at this! Of course, the lobster meat was not as flavourful and was a little tough compared to the grilled lobsters we normally have but all the richness is really in the porridge broth! 

Picture by +Dariel Quek (YummyFoodBook) 

My favourite dish of the night has to be the Ton Toro (Pork Cheeks). To be honest, it is really sinful but I cannot ever resist the temptation of yummy food. Love the melt-in-your-mouth kind of meat!

Picture by +Dariel Quek (YummyFoodBook) 

Of course, the chef also brought us the new additions to the menu. The highlights are the Anago Tempura, Cheese Tempura and the Shiro Maguro Aburi Sushi (White Tuna Sushi).

Even though I am a japanese food lover, I have never tried Anago Tempura before. Well, if you are thinking what is it.... don't worry, I was also curious as to what was the difference between Anago and Unagi. Anago is basically the Japanese term for saltwater eel and is often used for deep-frying while Unagi is the term for freshwater eel and is usually barbequed with sauce. The Anago Tempura will appeal to Unagi lovers! The fish is sweet, with a soft texture. 

The Cheese Tempura, however, did not appeal to me. It was a bit too heavy, perhaps because I finished a stick by myself. If you have a small appetite, share it with your friend!

The White Tuna Sushi (Shiro Maguro Aburi Sushi) was really delicious. I love anything and everything aburi-ed. The white tuna is lightly torched and it is something that you will not commonly see in other places!

We also tried some other popular dishes at Kushi. If you are a Hamachi collar fan, you would be happy to know that it is included in their premium buffet. The Hamachi collar was grilled perfectly, with a sprinkle of salt, soy and citrus. 

Picture by +Dariel Quek (YummyFoodBook) 

Waygu beef (Picture by +Dariel Quek (YummyFoodBook) )

Garlic Fried Rice (Picture by +Dariel Quek (YummyFoodBook) )

Grilled Ika (Picture by +Dariel Quek (YummyFoodBook) )

Oysters (Picture by +Dariel Quek (YummyFoodBook) )

 Sashimi Platter (Picture by +Dariel Quek (YummyFoodBook) )

Overall, I had a good experience at Kushi Dining Bar. Other than the usual items that we see in japanese buffets, Kushi serves up their unique dishes which makes it stand out from the others. 

They have 3 different menus for buffets: the Classic, Premium and Gourmet. You can check out the pricing and menu details here ! 

Personally I will go for the Premium buffet as it includes some of my favourite items such as the Hamachi Kama, the waygu beef and tuna belly! It will be good to check out the menu to decide which buffet is more suitable for you!

Kushi dining bar has limited seats, so it will be good to make reservations prior to going down!

I will be doing a post on my favourite japanese buffet restaurants in Singapore, so stay tune to our blog!

Thanks again to Kushi Dining Bar for the invitation (:

Kushi Japanese Dining Bar
36 Newton Road #03-01
Hotel Royal
Singapore 307964

Opening Hours:
1130am-230pm (last order)
530pm-930pm (last order)

Till then,
Z

Nuvo | ThumbsForFood

In the bid to search for the most value-for-money set lunch in town, we found our way to Nuvo. Nuvo is situated in Marina Square's Dining Edition. Nuvo is a contemporary Italian Restaurant that has Japanese influences. Nuvo has a slightly more open dining area, that are more large group and family friendly. They also have more private areas in the restaurant. 

Interior

Interior of restaurant

Nuvo's usual ala carte menu can be found here. The process of their usual mains range from $32 onwards, Starters at $15 onwards and sweets at $12 onwards. For the month of August, Nuvo's set lunch is priced at $15++. It seems that their prices for set lunch sometimes vary according to every month. At $15++ for set lunch, we found the deal irresistible and thus, visited the place to try out the menu.

We were served with complimentary bread and garlic butter. The bread was served warm and was absolutely comforting for the start of the meal. It had hints of rosemary and other herbs which enhanced the flavour of the bread. Additional servings are chargeable.

Complimentary Bread & Garlic Butter

The default starter is actually the Pumpkin soup seen below with a slice of candied bacon. I took a look at the August Menu and realised that the soup was changed to Baby Green Pea Soup. The Pumpkin soup was really quite good and smooth. It lifted our palate for the meal.

Pumpkin Soup

We decided to try their other starters on the menu as well. The one below is Mugi Cha Smoked Salmon, which we had to add $3 on top of the standard set lunch price. The dish is served with Wasabi Cream, Furikake (a type of Japanese rice seasoning) and Baby Spinach. It was quite delicious and refreshing. The portion was a little on the small side.

Mugi Cha Smoked Salmon

For mains, the default main is the Linguini with char-grilled pork. I see that this item might also change depending on the months. For August, it was Corn and Crab Linguini. Based on first sight, the linguini looked lifeless and bland. But, surprisingly, it tasted really flavourful and uplifting. We felt that the sauce of the linguini was done really well. The pork slices were also tender, juicy and well-marinated.

Linguini with Char-grilled pork

With an additional $4, you get to upgrade the default main course to a Cotoletta "My Way" - which is Crispy Chicken Breast, rice, Mozzarella and Japanese Curry. We thought that the chicken was done neatly. I however, did not really know how to appreciate Japanese Curry. It tasted quite good to me as it wasn't as sweet as other curry versions.

Cotoletta "My Way"

For additional of $5, you can choose their Pork Collar. We read prior to our visit that their Pork Collar was delicious. Our pork collar was grilled and topped with cheese and a handful of greens. The sauce plated alongside the pork went really well with the meat. The pork was tender and tasty. Do give it a try if you're a pork lover.

Pork Collar

For desserts, the default is their Lychee Panna Cotta. We all agreed that the Panna Cotta was one of the best we have ever eaten thus far. The texture was light, the flavour refreshing without being too thick. We could easily finish the whole bowl without any effort. The slices of fruit and mikan added tinges of sweetness to the Panna Cotta, providing it with a good balance. Definitely a recommended dessert!

Panna Cotta

For an additional $4, you can get their Black & White, which is a chocolate pie served with crumble and a dash of honey & fig ice-cream. The chocolate was really rich. For hardcore chocolate lovers, this might be the dessert for you. Personally, I felt that it was too heavy and I would prefer the Panna Cotta. 

Black & White

Overall, we felt that Nuvo's set lunch was really value-for-money because of the good quality. We would stick to the default menu the next time we are here but, feel that new patrons should definitely try their various dishes in the menu to get a good feel of the cuisine they offer. 

Nuvo

#02-100 Marina Square Shopping Mall

6 Raffles Boulevard

Sun & PH- Thu: 11am-11pm

Eve of PH: 11am-1am

Fri to Sat: 11am-1am

http://nuvo.sg/

www.facebook.com/nuvosingapore 

Cheers,
Y

Fat Cow | ThumbsForFood

Beef lovers have probably heard about Fat Cow, especially for their famed set lunches which include the popular Beef Donburi. Having heard much about it, we decided that we have to make our way down to try it out for ourselves! The plus point about the set lunches are that they are also available on weekends. 

For the full set lunch menu, please click here. Set lunch is priced at $38++.

Set lunches are served with Salad, Miso Soup and Chawanmushi, as you can see from the photos below. We felt the salad and miso soup was nothing out of the ordinary. The Chawanmushi was actually quite good. The egg was pretty smooth with ingredients such as prawn, crabmeat and scallop in it. Personally, I really like that the egg was rich and not diluted. Yet, it was able to remain it's smooth and silky texture. 

Salad

Chawanmushi

We tried 3 different items on their set lunch menu. The first is the famed Fat Cow Donburi. It consists of char-grilled wagyu beef with onsen egg and thinly grated japanese leek. Everyone agreed that it lives up to its name. The onset egg was really one of the best onsen egg I've tasted because it is so perfectly cooked. The wagyu was almost melt-in-the-mouth with a tinge of charcoal fragrance.

Flowy Onsen Egg

If you love foie gras, you've got to try the Fat foa-gura don. It is glazed foie gras with grilled wagyu beef. They added some pickle to it for a balance of flavours. The cubed foie gras was absolutely delicious and totally melts in the mouth. Although the grilled wagyu couldn't beat the char-grilled one, it is still good. The sauce kind of took away some of the original wagyu flavour.

Fat foa-gura don

For those non-beef lovers, there are also other choices such as Chirashi Don (Mixed sashimi don), Tonkatsu Don as well as Gindara Miso Yaki seen below. The Gindara Miso Yaki is miso marinated cod filet. It is quite fresh and done quite well, preserving the natural fish oils in it. Personally, I feel that the highlight is still their wagyu dons.

Gindara Miso Yaki

The only qualm we had was that the portion was quite small. I guess that's what you get for quality food. :) Overall, we felt that food was the Fat Cow Donburi was the winning point with service on the slow side as it was pretty crowded on a weekend. The ambience was not bad as tables were partitioned for some privacy. Do get your tables reserved beforehand to avoid disappointments on weekends!

Fat Cow
1 Orchard Blvd #01-01/02
Camden Medical Centre
Singapore 248649

Tel: 6735 0308

Cheers, 

Y

En Japanese Dining Bar @ Alocassia | ThumbsForFood

If you have been following our blog or instagram @thumbsforfood, you would have realized that I am a crazy fan of Japanese food, especially sashimi. I love to go to Japanese buffets as they allow me to eat all the sashimi that I want. Sometimes, I am amazed by how much sashimi I can finish. I have tried quite a few Japanese buffets in Singapore! You can read more about them here:

• Ikoi Japanese Restaurant
• Senki Japanese Restaurant
• Irodori Japanese Restaurant
• Shinkei Japanese Restaurant

Yes, I was really excited when I received an invitation from Katherine to go for a food tasting session at En Japanese Dining Bar! Don't worry if you have not heard of this new gem because it is relatively new. It started its business sometime in August 2013. But, I believe you might have heard of or even tried some of the other restaurants under the EN group: Z'en Japanese Cuisine, Monster curry and Tokyo Pasta Mario. 

The first thought I had when I saw the name of the restaurant was :"What does En mean?" Well, 'En' means circle or fate in Japanese and the reason for this being the name of the place is because it is meant to be a meeting place for people, 'a circle of gathering' for all. 

EN @ Alocassia Premium Buffet 

Adult: $68++

Child: $25++

(Minimum of 2 person)

Other than buffet, the place serves up ala carte dishes as well! If you are wondering the reason behind the relatively higher price tag of the buffet, it is because they serve up more variety of food compared to the other buffets. Some of these include queen crabs and premium beef shabu shabu. Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised with the variety of food that was available to us. 

private rooms are also available!

dining area

outdoor dining area

Beef Carpaccio. This dish comprises of thinly sliced raw beef with a marinade sauce. The beef is super delicious. This was definitely one of our favourite! Even though I was told that all the dishes were included in the buffet and were free-flow, I just had to reconfirm it by asking Katherine again. Beef Carpaccio is quite expensive if you have it at other restaurants as an ala carte item! 

Salmon Carpaccio. Well, I have tried several kinds of carpaccio dishes but not salmon carpaccio. The salmon tasted really good with the sauce and the fried garlic! If you are a salmon fan like me, this dish is definitely for you!

Sashimi Platter. They served up 5 types of sashimi: salmon, swordfish, tuna, yellowtail and snapper. I love their sashimi cut because it is sliced thick enough for us to savour the freshness of the fish but not too thick that we will get sick eating it. I was a bit disappointed with their salmon sashimi though. But it could be because it was left on the table for too long a time. 

Sashimi Salad. I love En's creation of sashimi salad. It was so good that I finished the whole plate. They were very generous with the sashimi. If you are a fan of sashimi salad, you should definitely try this because it is so much better than the ones you see in other restaurants. I always satisfy my craving for sashimi salad at sushi teh but this is just so good! I think the chef added this crunchy jellyfish-alike thing in the salad and some flying fish roe on top of it.

Salmon California roll

California Roll

Sushi Platter. Okay, I must admit that I will normally skip eating sushi during Japanese buffets because I want to maximize my intake of sashimi. But, I am glad that I tried these sushi as they were really quite good! I had the ones with the raw fish on them and I really like the taste of the rice. The amount of rice was just nice, in the sense that it won't take up all your appetite so that you can have space for all the other delicious food!

Gekkeikan Sake (1.5 litre). As the name of the place suggests, it offers a good variety of drinks and sake as well. We got to try the Gekkeikan Sake and it went really well with the food on the table. I would say that it is a good drink for ladies as it is easy to swallow and more on the sweet side. I am not an expert in Sake so if you would like to try some sake, I am sure the staff present would be more than pleased to introduce you their wide array of selection!

Yakitori Sticks

Shabu Shabu. This is definitely a must-try! Their shabu shabu is one of the best I have ever eaten.

Just look at the marbling on the beef slices. It tasted nicer than how it looked... so can you imagine? :D The beef was really smooth, almost reaching the melt-in-your-mouth level! This is seriously the highlight of the meal. I can finish one whole plate of this to myself!

 

Goya Chanpuru. This dish was recommended by the chef for us to try. The main ingredients are bitter gourd, spam, eggs and tofu! You will love or hate it depending on your relationship with bitter gourd!

Fried tempura. My favourite is the prawn tempura. This is really good when eaten hot!

Queen Crabs. You can choose to either eat it like this or put it into the hot pot. For me, I prefer it to be eaten straight. I love how sweet the crab meat tasted! The best part about such crabs is that you don't have to go to huge lengths just to get the meat. The shell is so soft and it is really easy to get the meat out!

Ending the meal off with some white beer! ^^

Overall, I had a very pleasant dining experience at En Japanese Dining Bar. I would definitely return there as it offers many unique dishes that other Japanese buffets in Singapore do not offer. If you have a chance to visit the place, you have to try the premium beef shabu shabu and the queen crabs! I wouldn't mind trying out their selection of sake at the bar as well! I think that this place is very suitable for birthday celebrations or big group outings as you can eat all you want and at the same time, chill out over some drinks!

A good news to all who are interested in visiting the restaurant! There is a 10% discount on all ala carte and buffet prices.

Quote "bloggers promotion" at En @ Alocassia to enjoy this 10% promotion! 

(Valid till 31st April)

Thank you Katherine for your invitation!

If you have any enquiries, please feel free to email us at thumbsforfood@gmail.com or drop us a comment below!

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Have a good week ahead!

Cheers,
Z