Food Tasting: IPPIN Cafe bar @ Mohamed Sultan Road, Singapore

Nestled along the stretch of Mohamed Sultan Road, IPPIN cafe bar serves unpretentious home-cooked Japanese meals along with imported teas and alcoholic drinks. The interior is cozy and home-styled with a touch of industrial design and simplicity, and even house a beautiful sake bar and kitchen. Besides meals, IPPIN is also a small, atas Japanese mama-shop, which you can get your Japanese essentials at one place. 

This cafe bar was first introduced to Singapore by Ayumi Fujishiro with the intentions of helping her father set up IPPIN in October 2014. We had a short chat with the lady herself, and was astonished to find that she actually speaks Singlish despite the short exposure. Uh uh siol, not bad sia.

Blisshouse @ Clarke Quay, Singapore

Enter the whimsical world of Blisshouse, a fairytale-themed restaurant which serves Western cuisine amongst beautifully crafted gardens and fountains (and even a carriage!) that you might only discover in Disney movies. Photo opportunities are aplenty, making this place a well-desired venue for events such as solemnisation ceremonies, birthday parties and product launches, etc. In fact, the day we were there, there was some ongoing filming where there were parlour chairs and a grand piano set.

Ambience definitely scored high for Blisshouse, and service was pretty good as I would have expected. The service staff were attentive and dishes did not take long to arrive. Food-wise, there were some negative reviews from friends' experience and through my prior research, hence to be utterly honest, my expectations were not high for their offerings.

Song Fa Bak Kut Teh (松发肉骨茶) @ New Bridge Road, Singapore

Think of Bak Kuh Teh and Song Fa might just appear in most people's head. This is not surprising at all, considering that their history of selling Teochew-style Bak Kut Teh was deep rooted since 1969. From a humble assistant in a Teochew stall, Mr Yeo Eng Song established the original Song Fa Bak Kut Teh at Victoria Street, and has since passed the duty to his son, Mr Yeo Hart Pong.

Today, snaking long queues never cease to disappear during meal times, while patrons from all walks of life filled the rustic halls that depict the yesteryear of Singapore. Besides their famous pork rib dishes, they offer a variety of braised treats, fish soup and other side dishes, like peanuts and vegetables that would enhance the diner's experience.

Yayoiken @ Liang Court, Singapore

Liang court is best known for its Eastern-influenced culture and mall tenants, such as giant bookstore Kinokuniya, Meidi-Ya supermart and a dozen of authentic Japanese eateries. Unlike my Japanese-obsessed friends (okay, I'm being a little stereotypical here), Liang court is one place that I would put last on my "to-go list". First, prices are jacked sky-high there, because everyone claimed their goods are air-flown all the way from Japan. Second, the mall is out of my vicinity. Third, I could probably count the number of shops with my fingers (and toes). It is just not worth the trip, and the travel fare as well.

Well, not until recently when I visited their restaurants, such as Ryoshi Sushi Ikeikemaru, Tampopo and Yayoiken. Talking about Yayoiken, my bestfriend is forever raving about this latest addition at Liang Court. I am not going into the history, just that a whopping 125 years of history since their first humble outlet in Kayabacho, Tokyo was just incredible.

For their oh-so-beautiful menu, expect to find hamburger steaks, fried cutlets and fillets alongside with "more typical Japanese cuisine", such as tempura, sashimi and bento sets. My friend had Hire Katsu Set (S$16.90) the last time and was so tempted to order it again. I did the honour of savouring the pork cutlets, well.. in his place. Deep-fried to mere perfection, what's hidden beneath the crispy golden-brown skin is a combination of soft and juicy tenderloin cut, accompanied by the little traces of lard. I tell you what's better, pair it with the sweet sauce. Foodgasm. Oh, it is deep-fried, so don't expect it to be healthy, but do yourself a huge favour by eating the veggies.

Ryoshi Sushi Ikeikemaru @ Liang Court, Singapore

I love eating food. Food that is not only appetizing for the stomach, but for the eyes too. The Japanese, I did say, hold great pride in the preparation and presentation of their cuisine. Take a piece of salmon sushi for example, although seemingly simple, what's hidden behind it is years and years of practice and experience, resulting in a show of delicate knife skills and worksmanship turning the simplest ingredients to delectable, yet beautiful dishes.

 

And Ryoshi Sushi Ikeikemaru is an example of that. Located at the basement of Liang Court, this newly-opened Japanese restaurant is recommended by one of the friends and sure, why not go for it?

 

Their sushi are categorized into different range of prices from S$1.80 to S$6.80. Ingredients are imported from Japan at a regular basis to ensure only the freshest and most authentic is served to customers.

 

Aburi Cheese Ebi (S$2.80) is one of my favourites among the many. The fresh shimps topped with seared mozarella cheese is real irresistible.

 

Top seller - Ebi Avocado (S$2.80) tasted amazing as well. Soft avocado flesh with succulent shrimps, drizzled with mayonaise and topped with roes is probably one of the best creations the Japanese came out with.

 

Chutoro (S$5.80 for 1 pc) - Fatty Tuna sushi is incredibly soft, unlike salmon sashimi, tuna doesn't melts that much in contact with the tongue. However, this piece of prized cut has just the right density of meat and fats. I wouldn't recommend dipping this beauty in condiments, but just savour the fresh, original taste itself.

Big Salmon (S$2.80 for 2pc) - what can I say other than beautifully rendered salmon slices that melts one's heart. I had never had salmon sushi with such a big slab of fresh sashimi, this was my first and it was good, real good in fact.

We also had Peiyi's favourite Tamago (S$1.80), Tuna Corn (S$1.80), Namagaki (S$4.80) - raw oyster sashimi, and Aburi Salmon (S$2.80). For the salmon, it was a tad too raw, I prefer Genki Sushi's rendition better.

 

Quite the staple when we are eating Japanese cuisine, we ordered their steamed egg custard, Chawanmushi (S$3.80) as well. Their version is very much softer than the usual and breaks upon the slightest contact, try imagining traditional tau huey (soy beancurd). Tasteful and delicious - I recommend this.

Assorted Tempura (S$10.60) done right. Delectable, crunchy shrimps and vegetables deep fried nicely. For some reasons, I don't eat the tempura with the sauce given, well.. Maybe I love the crunch more.

Takokara (S$6.80) - Deep fried octopus was quite a disappointment. It was too hard and chewy.

Dorayaki Ice Cream (S$4.80) - Soft Japanese sponge cake with crispy fillings topped with Vanilla Ice cream is a must-try. It comes in a nice warm temperature which goes just well with the cold counterpart.

 

I managed to get some Warabi Mochi (S$5.80) - Green Tea Rice Cake from Peiyi's sister, Eliza. Their version was just nice and not heavily flavoured, somehow I wished there could be some green tea ice cream in the mochi itself. But, take my word for it when I tell you it goes super well with the ice cream and red bean paste.

 



Ryoshi Sushi Ikeikemaru gave me a pretty positive experience, as it promises a wide range of fresh, delectable sushi and other assortments to be served daily. Besides that, it has definitely set a certain standard for Japanese restaurants that I will be visiting in the future.

 

 



 

 

Ryoshi Sushi Ikeikemaru

 

Tel:  6337 1022

 

Operating Hours:

Daily 11am to 9.50pm

 

117 River Valley Road

#B1-48

Liang Court