Lady M Confections at One Fullerton

Lady M Confections is classy, sleek and everything you want to love and emulate. Overlooking the picturesque Marina Bay Sands and the iconic merlion, Lady M exudes such elegance and poise that I felt like a royalty when I stepped into it - a princess I would love to think.

Lady M hailed from New York, armed with a winning (lethal) combination of french artisan pastry techniques with Japanese sophistication and precision. Lady M took the world by storm with its Mille Crepe Cake- a first of its kind. On top of the crepe cakes, Lady M also has a range of delectable sweet treats that looked all so pretty and dainty. There are also savoury offerings at Lady M.

The Signature Mille Crepe Cake is the main reason why we arrived at Lady M for desserts. I mean, who else could exude the love and art of pastry making better than Lady M? Each layer of the crepe cake is handmade, layered with smooth light pastry cream, stacked neatly and nicely, and finally caramelised on the top till it is golden brown. It is indeed an art, really fine art. And it is this exact delicacy that caused such overwhelming commotion in our mouths. Ah, such beauty.

Strawberry shortcake and how well it is done is a true mark of a successful French-Japanese patisserie. Lady M's version of the strawberry shortcake put us on cloud nine with such fluffy vanilla sponge cake among clouds of lightly whipped cream. With fresh strawberries nestled in between, the strawberry shortcake was light, pure and my kind of paradise.

We also had an iced caffe to go along with the cakes. It was watered down and not up to my expectations. Anyhow, we still enjoyed the sweet delights and the dainty atmosphere at Lady M. In my opinion, the cakes that we had at Dulcet & Studio now pales (very much) in comparison. Furthermore, with its central location overlooking the beautiful skyline of the city, Lady M is clearly a winner. To top it off, the service was superb - we had attentive waitresses that promptly brought us the menu, the orders, and refilled our iced water even without us asking. Lady M is truly a class of its own.

Singapore Food Blog Review by Kumory

☁☁☁☁/☁☁☁☁☁

Lady M Confections

1 Fullerton Singapore #01-10

6820 0830

10am to 10pm daily

http://ladym.com.sg/

Brothers Ramen at Tanjong Pagar Plaza

Japanese ramen at a coffeeshop. How authentic can it be? Ramen made and cooked by 2 engineer-brothers. How good can it be? Brothers ramen at Tanjong Pagar Plaza is both authentic and good, and it is definitely an additional bonus that the 2 engineer-brothers are good looking too.

Brothers ramen is housed in Teck Kee Coffeeshop on the second level of Tanjong Pagar Plaza. It used to be known as Homebaked Dough, and changed its name to Brother ramen only in 2013 to concentrate on their specialisation in ramen. Crowds are aplenty at this coffeeshop during lunch time. Many, clad in their neatly pressed business shirts and dresses, brave the queues and the heat for a bowl of hot and piping Japanese ramen.

Brothers ramen specialises in Kyushu styled ramen. The shoyu ramen ($6) was a beautiful ensemble of medium thickness noodles, chewy black fungus, crunchy beansprouts, and topped with an artfully grilled chashu in a pretty white broth. Noodles were well-cooked, and the pork broth was thick and creamy, yet not overwhelming. The grilled chashu was a clear winner - well marinated, well grilled - simply lip-smacking!

The spicy ramen ($6.50) resembled laksa, and indeed, the pork broth was infused with both spiciness and creaminess that left us wanting for more. The spicy ramen was served with just noodles and a slice of the very well marinated and grilled chashu. The soup was hot, hearty and very, very well flavoured. It sorta left us hanging at the end of the meal, and (desperately) craving for more. 

At hawker prices of between $6 to $7, Brothers ramen is very value for money. Top notch quality broth, well cooked noodles and nicely grilled chashu. Everything worked very well together. Although we would love it even more if the bowl comes with an egg (or maybe even half) and a big piece of seaweed. However, the portion is just enough for lunch (which minimises the food coma in the afternoon to come), and will definitely leave you craving for more and planning your next trip to Tanjong Pagar Plaza very soon.

Singapore Food Blog Review by Kumory

☁☁☁☁/☁☁☁☁☁

Brothers Ramen

#02-04 Tanjong Pagar Plaza Singapore

1130am to 3pm (Mon to Fri); Closed on weekends

9437 7267

www.bro-ramen.com

Osaka Ohsho at Plaza Singapura

Osaka Ohsho, the King of gyoza in Osaka, is the latest addition to Tokyo Walker at Plaza Singapura. We were there during lunch time one day, and the giant gyoza in front of Osaka Ohsho was way too cute to miss. Of course we had to find out why Osaka Ohsho's gyoza took Japan by storm.

There was a weekday lunch promotion at Osaka Ohsho. Each lunch set comes with Osaka Ohsho's renown gyoza, and free flow of hot or cold tea. Every one of them looked so tantalising!

We settled for the classic dish- the Tenshin Han. Japanese rice was lovingly wrapped in a fried omelette with strips of carrot and onion within it. The japanese rice was chewy; and the omelette was browned to the texture that I liked. However, the brown sauce was a little too heavy for our palette. We had to ask for an extra bowl to scoop most of the sauce out. Only then were we able to finish this.

The Tenshin Han set came with 6 pieces of beautifully grilled and browned Gyoza. Osaka Ohsho makes each and every one of their gyoza by hand. Each gyoza is generously filled with cabbage, ginger, garlic and pork. The gyoza skin was crisply chewy, and the insides moist - vegetable was crunchy while the meat was still tender and juicy. Right taste, right texture. It is a no wonder that Osaka Ohsho claim to be the Gyoza specialist!

I have been having craving for Japanese ramen lately, and I jumped at the chance of trying the ramen at Osaka Ohsho. However, I was disappointed. The Spicy Gyokai Ramen came with 2 slices of char siew (not 3 as shown in the photos); braised egg (not the usual ajitsuke tamago); and the worst of all, lukewarm soup. I am a strong advocate of having my food served to me piping hot, and I would expect this the most from a fish-based dish. The fishy taste became overwhelming in the lukewarm soup, and I had to add in more Japanese chilli pepper to enhance (cover) the taste.

The only saving grace for the Spicy Gyokai Ramen set was the 3 pieces of nicely grilled gyoza that came with it. Osaka Ohsho is indeed a gyoza specialist- the taste of these gyozas were consistent with the ones that came with the Tenshin Han set.

When someone say that they are a specialist in something, believe them. Osaka Ohsho is known as a gyoza specialist, and indeed, it is where their (only) strength lies.

Singapore Food Blog Review by Kumory

☁☁☁/☁☁☁☁☁

Osaka Ohsho Plaza Singapura

Plaza Singapura #04-01 Singapore

http://www.osakaohsho.com.sg/

Miam Miam at Bugis Junction

Miam Miam, "yum yum" in French, is yummy in all aspects. The cover of the menu is already an orgasmic sight- beautiful, beautiful typography. What follows inside is pure food porn. Everything was screaming for our attention, and we were so compelled to have them all!

At Miam Miam, the visual delight did not just stop at the menu. We were equally wowed when our orders arrived.

Miam Miam Spaghetti was a fireworks display. The bed of yellow pasta was showered with generous portions of orange frankfurters and bacon; red tomatoes; green spinach and finally, topped with a white runny egg with sprinkles of chilli flakes and sesame seeds by the side. The pasta is tossed with french butter, shoyu and Miam Miam's secret broth. We do not know what went into the secret broth, but we do know that we love it.

Miam Miam Riz Noir Squid Ink Rice was another pretty sight. Yellow, fluffy omelette blanketing the black squid-inked seafood rice. Both the egg and the seafood went really well together, it was like a perfect match of surf and turf; french and japanese.

Miam Miam Souffle De Nuage looked really homely, like what Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother would bake for her when she goes to visit. The fluffy cloud of egg and cheese melted in our mouths, and tomato sauteed rice beneath it warmed our hearts. However, this became a little overwhelming after a while, and it was not without difficulty to finish it. For a rice and egg combi, we would prefer the Miam Miam Riz Noir Squid Ink Rice.

Miam Miam's French Toast was a chef's recommendation on the menu and we decided to go for it. We were shocked to realise that the white cream on top of the french toast was not ice cream but whipped cream, but all guilt was gone after the first bite. It was simply heavenly. The whipped cream was fluffy and light; melted on the piping hot toasted bread and seeped right through; and went really well with the maple syrup. We wolfed these down in no time - whipped cream and maple syrup and all.

Miam Miam Matcha Smoothie with Red Bean Cream paled in terms of flavour as compared to the Miam Miam French Toast. The taste of the matcha was not as strong as we liked it to be, and the red bean in the red bean cream was negligible.

Miam Miam Haze is earl grey tea with steam milk and vanilla syrup. It is also known by its fanciful name, the London Fog. The tea was a tad watered down, and could have been much creamier. It seems like Miam Miam is able to hit the right notes with its food offerings, and not so much for its beverages.

Go for the savouries in this French-Japanese/Japanese-French Cafe. The pasta and squid ink rice will definitely make you go "Miam Miam!".

Singapore Food Blog Review by Kumory

☁☁☁☁/☁☁☁☁☁

Miam Miam Bugis Junction

#02-14 Bugis Junction

200 Victoria Street Singapore

1130am to 10pm daily

,http://miam.sg/

Mara Shabu at Pasarbella Grandstand

Pasarbella is a quaint farmer’s market at Grandstand, the former Turf City. Pasarbella is nothing like the typical wet market that ‘pasar’ reminds you of; but is all the things beautiful just like a ‘bella’. The place could be a little inaccessible if you do not drive, but there are shuttle buses from Clementi MRT, Toa Payoh MRT and Bukit Timah Centre.

We ran and ran to take the MRT after work one day, and then ran and ran to the pick-up point at Clementi MRT because we did not want to miss the shuttle bus which comes only hourly. We were like mad men running through the peak hour crowd, and if anyone were to stop and ask us what we are running for, we would be really embarassed to say “Steamboat buffet”. But steamboat buffet is probably like the only thing that would make us run in our working attire- court shoes and all.

The shuttlebus dropped us off at the Westpoint entrance. Mara shabu is at the left corner of the far end if you enter Pasarbella here. It is a cosy setting at Mara Shabu, especially at the booth seats which are good for a party of two to four. For large groups, there is the long table at the centre of the restaurant. Mara Shabu has this cute mascot which is everywhere in the restaurant- points for brand image and consistency.

Mara Shabu offers 3 types of soup: Mara, Suki Yaki and Shabu Shabu. I like my steamboat soup spicy, and Galen likes it seafoody, so we settled for Mara and Shabu Shabu.

The Mara soup came with tons of spices in the red, fiery broth. It was like a fireworks celebration in that half of the pot. In contrast, the Shabu Shabu soup had only a piece of dark green kelp inside the clear soup. It was like a zen monastery. This pot is perhaps the most telling difference between the Chinese and Japanese culture, if you were to zoom it down to the soup broth each uses.

The vegetables at Mara Shabu are organic- there were many holes in the leafy vegetables especially, and Galen took that as strong cues that the vegetables were indeed pesticide-free. There was a huge variety of greens, and they were crisp and fresh. There was also a huge selection of seafood and meat- there’s something for everyone! The best dish at Mara Shabu has got to be its beef slices- the thinness and the proportion of meat to fat is perfect!

Galen and I usually don’t go for the sauces at steamboat restaurants- we prefer to retain the original taste of the food. However, the sauces at Mara Shabu were so awesome that we went for second servings of it! There were recommended concoctions at the sauce bar, and recipe for each. The recommended sauce for the Shabu Shabu soup was the ponzu sauce, and boy, they were right! The sour soy vinegar-based sauce went really well with the light and clear soup. Another recommendation is the homemade Mara Shabu sauce that was a perfect complement to the Mara soup, and especially good for the thin beef slices. A must-try!

These was the first of the many rounds we had that evening, outlasting every table at the steamboat buffet restaurant (as usual). Mara Shabu is a great place for a couple or family dinner for its cosy booth seats and wide variety of fresh ingredients; and also a good place for a friends or colleagues gathering for its spacious centre table and its vicinity to good wines and craft beers at Pasarbella. It is definitely a good alternative to the numerous steamboat restaurants at Liang Seah St in Bugis. Remember that the last shuttle bus service to Clementi MRT or Ang Mo Kio MRT leaves the Grandstand at 11pm.

Singapore Food Blog Review by Kumory

☁☁☁☁/☁☁☁☁☁

Mara Shabu

 #02-K16/17/18/19, PasarBella @ The Grandstand, 200 Turf Club Road Singapore

64651639

1130am-3pm; 6pm-10pm daily

https://www.facebook.com/MaraShabu