Koh Grill & Sushi Bar - The Place to Eat Maki in Singapore

Koh Grill & Sushi Bar
#04-21 Wisma Atria Shopping Centre
Reservations: Call 91803805 (or use Chope)
Daily: 11.30 am to 10 pm (closes later on Fri & Sat)
Our meal (4 pax): $40 plus per pax
Average - $20-33 per pax
Japanese
Pretty bad service except the Maki is Heavenly
1* The Place to Eat Maki

     P was going to give us a treat with her first paycheck and she chose Koh Grill & Sushi Bar. It was the national day weekend and it looked as if the place was giving away free sushi from the likes of the queue. P told the waitress she made a reservation and the waitress scowled back, there is no reservation. P coolly showed the email confirming her reservation and the waitress paused for a moment then said, wait a moment. 

 A minute later, we were shown to an empty table. 

  The waitress stoically informed us that all sushi and sashimi orders will take half an hour to be served, then she went off to another busy table. 

   This is the japanese restaurant equivalent of the hawker store that sells such good food that it is going to be as nasty to you as it is humanely possible. Ok, I exaggerate. A little. 

  But, the maki really is heavenly and all the food was good: 

  

Not bad slightly sweet sake. 

Chicken Karage - I ordered it as it is one of my Mum's favourites. 

Puffer fish! This is actually really good.

And finally, the main highlights: 

      There was only one thing to be said at the end of the meal：

 娘，妹长大了！

The Rabbit Stash

The Rabbit Stash
354 Alexandra Road, #01-07
Reservations: Call 98588607 (10am-9 pm)
Lunch: 12 to 2.30 pm (Wed to Sun)
Dinner: 6.30 to 10.30 pm (Tues to Sun)
5 course Degustation Dinner - $90-100 pax (includes wine)
Ala-carte - at least $50 per pax
Asian Inspired European Cuisine
Extremely warm service & lovely food
1* Dual Shot (Dessert: Herbal gelee with manuka honey & avocado cream with blueberry coulis)

      When I heard about The Rabbit Stash, a quiet, unpretentious restaurant opened by a chef who had incredibly strong word of mouth from private dining, I immediately thought of M. M likes food almost exactly the way I do - we live in the moment when we eat wondrous food - just thinking of the food. And, it was just in time, because M and I have been trying to improve the frequency of our dinners - we used to meet every Friday before boyfriends (and alas, husbands) came along. 

     The food at The Rabbit Stash is honestly, very good. But, what makes me want to tell all my friends to go eat at The Rabbit Stash is how warm and lovely the people who work at the restaurant are. The serving staff didn't seem professional to me, not because they weren't good, but because they were so warm and sincere - I suspected that they were relatives of the owners of the restaurant. It's the kind of place where everyone wants to make this place special. And, somehow, by sheer force of will, it is. 

     The 5 course degustation Summer Dinner (for the mains, M had the ribeye while I had the snapper): 

Sea Scallop Ceviche 

San Marzano tomato, passion fruit, mozzarella, lime espuma

Ocean Prawn 

Nonya “Assam” puree, white asparagus, pineapple mousseline

Black Ribeye (145g)

Horseradish, sweet corn, black olive velvet, bacon, charlotte potato

Pan seared Snapper 

Truffle tangerine, field mushroom ragout, Japanese yam

Dual Shot 

Herbal gelee with manuka honey & avocado cream with blueberry coulis 

This is seriously heavenly. I really hate jelly desserts but I loved this. 

Chocolate Lava Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream

We switched the earl grey panna cotta for the chocolate lava cake on the ala carte menu. 

    At the end of the meal, Chef Matthew came to ask us about the food, and we both chorused that it was really good. And, then, Chef Matthew asked M if there was something wrong with the asparagus because she didn't eat it. I nearly died laughing as M tried to explain it wasn't because the asparagus wasn't good, but she simply didn't eat asparagus.

   Chef Matthew's wife, Donna, is in charge of the wine at the restaurant. She's an incredibly attractive and warm lady. I asked what was the inspiration behind the restaurant's name, and she shared that both Chef Matthew and her were born in the year of rabbits - which coincidentally, M and I were. She also shared that there was a baby rabbit (a baby born in the year of the rabbit) who came earlier in the day as well. So, I checked if babies were welcome at the restaurant and they are! Which is great, because M and I are always trying to find places where J can bring her toddler son 1 and baby son 2.

   I, sometimes, get melancholy when I think about babies. I always think back to the moment when Mum was really ill and she told me, it looks like ZM's mum will have to take care of the grandchildren. It bit me then, and it still bites. But, I know that my children, P's children, will know of her, feel her love, because P and I were only ever mothered one way, and that is the way we love.

   And, I write this here, because it's exactly how I felt when Donna shared why the restaurant is called The Rabbit Stash... because rabbits keep their most precious things away in the stash. Mothers, too, they stash their most precious things in their children.

     And this is why P is Pearl, and I am named Crystal. 

SEA Aquarium (Part 4) - Ocean Restaurant by Cat Cora

Ocean Restaurant by Cat Cora

Resort World Sentosa - either enter through the SEA Aquarium or West Zone Car Park, B1M

For reservations: 65776688

Lunch - $80 per pax 

Western/Fusion

Gorgeous Ambience 

1* Swordfish Tartare 

      Eating at the Ocean Restaurant was a pure visual pleasure. We gasped at the enormous stingrays that roamed like Batman and pondered over the loneliness of fishes. The starters and mains were excellent, but you could skip the dessert if you don't want to order the set menu. 

     I love this place and would come back again. Now, swim on and enjoy the view. 

Starter: Swordfish Tartare (Sweet, Spicy and Heavenly)

Starter: Dad's Salmon Thing (He ate it so fast I have no idea what it tasted like.) 

Starter: Cauliflower Soup (Soothingly good) 

Mains: Kurobuta Pork Belly (Sinfully delicious) 

Mains: Lamb Ribs (Tender and Juicy)

Mains: Wagyu Beef (Ribs if I remembered correctly. I can't eat Beef. P: It's crispy on the top and melts in your mouth at the bottom. Damn.) 

Dessert: Chocolate Surprise (Forgettable) 

Dessert: Chocolate Brownie (Tasted like a christmas cake. This is not meant to be flattering.) 

Note the resemblance: 

Because he was so happy: 

Star Ratings (2)

     P is probably my fiercest critic. She insisted that I edited the top right corner of the blog to clarify what star ratings actually mean. "It's confusing!" P stated in a tone that suggested that an unclear star rating system was close to travesty. So, there P!

   She tut-tutted at some of the photographs I uploaded and proceeded to photo-bomb me with many of the other taiwan photographs she took. ZM says it feels like the blog is being edited by two people. Haha. Of course, you can only hear what P says through me, because if she ever has a blog, it would be only updated once a year. She is perfectionist to a flaw. If you are close enough to be invited to her instagram, you will know what I mean - "I don't post shit" is P's hidden motto, or at least shit would have to be rainbow-coloured with golden sprinkles to even have a chance.

   I hope this is clear - a star rating is supposed to be uncommon (though perhaps not, since I would only be motivated to write about something truly great). It is my own mini self-indulging award.

   1* - Highly Recommended

   2** - In A Class of Its Own

   3*** - Life Changing!

  P is enthusiastic about the paris entries, "You have to use my pictures of Paris." It's true - she makes Paris looks like paradise. Perfection, I guess, does come in handy once in a while.  

Ciel Patisserie

Ciel Patisserie
Blk 124 Hougang Ave 1 #01-1444
Opens on Tues-Thurs (11am to 8 pm), Sat (11 am to 9 pm) & Sun (3pm to 9 pm)
Lovely range of tarts & cakes
1* Lemon Meringue Tart

      Every time you see a gorgeous photograph on my blog (see above), it is likely taken by P. Clearly, our parents gave us different gifts. Ciel Patisserie is interesting because it was set up by a very young baker (she's about 23 this year) in a HDB estate. I really like the thought behind this place, it's called "Ciel" meaning "sky" or "heaven" in French because she would like to give everyone a slice of heaven.

 

    The decor lacks a little je ne sais quio, but is youthful and comfortable. The strawberry shortcake and cheesecake (called Scarlet, I think) were relatively wholesome. But, the lemon meringue tart was an exciting mix of freshness, cream and hardness. Not too sweet, not too sour - the tantalizing kiss that only lemon can give.

 

    

    Lots of girls came into the shop - some of them their heads just reaching the counter, their little hand in their mother's. Some from the school we went to, it seems, not so long ago, but it's already been years. 

    It's so nice, I thought, to have a beautiful dream of a place like this. 

     "I'm writing a book for Mum," I told P. "I'll need you to help me with the images." 

     She laughed. 

     "Will you write something too?" I asked. 

     She says she is still trying to remember. To go through the memories and find out what she would like to say. 

     P and I are not scared of death. We talk of death sometimes like a neighbour living around the corner. Oh, death is not frightening. It is the death of others that is so. It is the hurt and sadness that comes after death. 

    Death will come one day. In the meantime, let's just sip some tea and eat some cake. It will be nice, I thought, to have something sweet to think about on the way. 

    

Star Ratings for Desserts

   P says my food reviews should include the prices of the food items. I frown because that would take a lot of work and I don't really see myself as a food blogger. I am just a part of the peanut crunching crowd - hoping to remember what goodness feels like. 

  Still, it has made me review whether my food entries are at all helpful. I'm probably going to write a lot more about dessert places because P and I often just eat desserts together (and I always feel Mum is around because she has the sweetest tooth of us all). 

  I've decided to have a star ratings for desserts! Generally, I find the sweet treats at most cafes and restaurants passable - they give that obligatory hug to your sweet tooth and it's done. But, for those sweet treats that are a notch above the average - gives the sweet tooth a kiss of life and fireworks, why I think those treats deserve a star! 

  I'm going to set a range of 1 to 3 stars - with 3 being the maximum. Places that get no stars will simply mean that the desserts I ate on that one occasion didn't have a truly fantastic dessert - but that doesn't mean it does not have hidden gems. I hope this will be helpful and I'm excited to share about the few places in Singapore I did find star-worthy desserts. Although it's also a little sad to say that my three stars desserts are situated in Paris. 

   Then again, aren't all experiences subjective? As the Little Prince would say, "You - only you - will have stars that can laugh." 

The Naked Finn

The Naked Finn
41 Malan Road
Gilman Barracks
For reservations: 66940807 (call only after 4 pm)
Dinner: $90-100 per pax (including wine)
Seafood
Simply perfect
1* Razor Clams

     I asked for a real date, where he will take me to somewhere nice, and we will both dress up like we need to impress each other. But life is a funny creature - every time you go out of your way and plan something, it seeks to surprise you. We both ran overtime on a Friday Night, which is rare for both of us, and only met at 8 pm, due to certain technical difficulties. We were emotionally ragged out by the time we met. He was especially tired, and angsty, which is extremely rare for him. So, I swallowed my own tiredness, which is rare for me, and sought to lighten his mood as we set off for our very long journey to a place unknown to me.

  The weather was lovely. The air was light. We sat outside. Feeling like we were amidst in nowhere. We ordered the Estella set for two ($128) and they served up this delicious white bee hoon dashed with lime and I knew it was going to be magic. We talked, and laughed, and prodded and joked, and had conversations as if we weren't married, and yet the softness, the understanding, that we were.

   After the meal ended, there was a moment, while walking under the orange lit street, where I thought how nice to be walking like this. And, I knew I had felt this way before, and, even better, I knew I would feel this way again. You took out your phone and opened an application. You held it above our heads, towards the sky, look, you can see the constellations above us. So, there we were, in our nice clothes, in the middle of the street, chin up, facing your tiny screen mapping out the connections for us. How far we have come, and how far more we must go.

   You told me this morning you were thinking of the razor clams. I asked if you wanted to go back again. You said we should go somewhere else. Indeed. We can't ever go back again. It will never be as good.