Sarang @ Orchard Central

Got a sudden craving for some Korean food after watching a lot of Running Man over the past few days so decided to try out Sarang.

Kiwi Soju ($10)

Bacon Pajeon ($10.80)

Korean Army Stew ($18.90 + $1.00 for cheese)

Kiwi Soju was awesome, kiwis were sweet and blended well with the soju. Got a nice little buzz after. The bacon pajeon was also delicious. Loved the combination of bacon, scallions, chili and pancake.

I felt the Korean Army Stew was seriously overpriced. It's basically ramen, spam, some pork and kimchi and it cost about $20?! At first I thought maybe it's because it's a really big stew, meant for sharing. But looking at the portion served, 1 person could finish it comfortably.

Only ordered these 3 items and the bill came up to about $50.

I would return to try other items but would definitely NEVER order the Army Stew again.

Tatsuya (Goodwood Park Hotel) Lunch Set

 

Sushi Bento ($30.90)

Sashimi Bento ($28.90)

 
Exams are finally over for me, what better way to celebrate than with lunch at Tatsuya. This is the second time I've been here, but the first time, I was turned away as I didn't have a reservation; This place seems to always be fully booked. But I've read many good reviews and I've been on a Japanese food kick lately so decided to come back again.

We had the lunch sets since they were the most value for money items in a otherwise pretty expensive restaurant. It's stated on their menu that they import their fish from Tokyo's Tsukiji Fish Market and you can tell the fish used in the sushi is really fresh. The food took a while to arrive since they make it to order, so we distracted ourselves watching the chefs making the sushi since we had the counter seats. After the sushi is set on the bento, they take it to the back kitchen to add the tempura so it was piping hot when it arrived. Every single thing in the set, down to the fruits, was absolutely delicious.

After service charge and GST, the bill comes up to about $35 dollars each. More than what I would usually spend for lunch but most definitely worth the splurge once in a while. Would definitely return!

Tonkotsu King @ Orchid Hotel

Have been on a Japanese food kick lately and was browsing around the internet when I came across Time Out's 2012 Singapore's Best Ramen Bowl article. Tonkotsu King was number one on the list. After reading their description, looking at the price and checking that the location wasn't too far from my house, I immediately decided to check the place out.

There was a small line waiting to go into the tiny restaurant at about 2.30 pm on a weekday.

They had a order form for you to fill in while waiting. You can customize the ramen to your liking. I'm glad they had the 'No Spring Onion' option there, I hate spring onion but somehow always forget to specify that I don't want it.

They had a small bowl of hard boiled eggs on the table for you to add into the ramen, or snack on if you're hungry while waiting like my mum was lol.

The ramen arrived at our table about 5 minutes after we were seated, excellent service on their part. I had the Black Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen Special (All Toppings) since the menu said it was their signature dish. I guess all toppings means seaweed, flavored egg and black fungus. The Black Spicy broth has black pepper, it wasn't too spicy. Rich broth, creamy-yolked egg, generous serving of meat and noodles with a good texture - everything you would want in a ramen bowl, this one has it. The egg they served in the ramen was different from the ones they had on the table; it was really good, well worth the money.

This is a really authentic Japanese ramen place. I highly recommend it, but I think most people know about it already. Would definitely return to try some of their other offerings.

FYI they don't do takeaways.