TheAugBunnies

Tucked in the 3rd floor of UE square where foot traffic is low lies Shin Minori. Despite hidden from plain sight and in a quiet mall, the restaurant pulls in the crowds and it will not be easy to get a table without a reservation. We check out the restaurant for their lunch buffet and find out what is the hype.

Hana Japanese Restaurant is tucked in a quiet little corner of Orchard road and is famous for their floating noodles which appears to be floating in the air. Having bitten by the Omakase bug in Sou Omakase in Kuala Lumpur, where the dishes are served intricately and artfully like western style fine dining, we decided to head to Hana and see what the chef has to offer.

Hakata is a city in the Eastern side of Japan located in the Fukuoka prefecture and they are famous for the Tonkotsu Ramen. Think broken pork bones simmering for days till a smooth and creamy white broth. The end result is a bowl of Ramen heaven for diners and we are here at Hakata Ikkousha to try it out.

Japanese buffets are one of the best indulgence with free flow of Sashimi, sushi, ramen and many other Japanese goodies. Service and an empty stomach is what left to make the best of a visit and we left plenty of space in our tummies before embarking on our journey to Momoya.

The humble Soba dish is a great way for friends to gather over a meal and Yomoda Soba in the Japan Food town of Wisma Atria is the perfect place to do that. Apart from Soba, noodle dishes like Udon and rice bowls are also served.

Azuma is a decent Japanese restaurant with a sushi conveyor belt much like our Sakae Sushi in Singapore. We check out how it fares with many off its other competitors that are just around the corner.

Kurotomon is a quality ramen bar churning out bowls of delicious noodles. Apart from being good at noodles, they also have a BBQ menu providing patrons with delicious sides of grilled meats to match with the hot piping noodles.

The Ramen Keisuke brand needs no introduction with is vast range of Ramen stalls all over the island each with their own specialties. The Clark Quay branch is no stranger to their winning formula with the snaking queue you see during meal times. With food as delicious as this, it is easy to understand why.

Sushi Zanmai is a popular Japanese sushi chain in Malaysia much like our Premium Sakae sushi in Singapore. The restaurant delivers decent quality sushi at affordable prices. are they worth a visit? Read on to find out more.

After a great fun for the past 2 days, it was time to move on from the hustle and bustle of Bukit Bintang and move on to a quieter part of town and continue our exploration of the city.

Sou Omakase is a classy Japanese fine dining restaurant specializing in Omakase where the chef will decide the menu. Patrons let the Yokohama born executive chef and his team present to you the best seasonal ingredients and lead you on a journey through Japanese cuisine.

Ichi Zen is a casual Japanese restaurant serving quality authentic Japanese cuisine. It is popular among couples and also office workers looking to enjoy some quality Japanese fare.

Buffet is one of the best indulgence to satisfy the insatiable hunger and to gorge yourself silly with loads and loads of food. Sankai is an awesome place for that providing with free flow of quality Japanese cusines and my favorite Sashimi.

Located at Johor Premium outlet, Kempachi is an upmarket restaurant fitting of a romantic date. The brand has its long roots in Malaysia have been awarded numerous accolades over the years. It is a must try if you are in the vicinity.

Kinsahi is a premium looking Japanese restaurant that serves quality Japanese cuisine. The restaurant is intricately and beautiful decorated with a misty river right in the middle of the restaurant.

Mar 14th is white day and a special day for the ladies in Japan, Korea, China and Taiwan. It marks the day that the guys have to do something special for the ladies. In these cultures, valentine's day is usually celebrated by couples with the ladies preparing a little something for the guys and white day is the time for the guys to return the favour. As the missus is Korean, I had to do a little something and we decided to come to Shin-Sapporo to have a blast and boy did we get what we were after!

The branch we went too is located at the basement of century square which is conveniently located 2mins away from Tampines MRT station. As their name suggests, it is a ramen restaurant and we were there to sample their new offerings which is the fire and sake ramen! Do note that if you are keen to try the fire ramen, prior reservation is recommended and walk ins to try the dish might leave you disappointed as we found out the hard way previously.

Like many of the Japanese restaurants, the ordering system has moved into an electronic form and patrons placed their order using the iPad. The fire ramen has its roots from Kyoto, Japan and I was very excited to be able to try this dish locally. Missus did not want to risk getting burnt and went with the comfort and safe sake ramen.

I was directed to another table deem to be safer for the fire ramen and given a set of instructions to follow. The friendly waitress then reassured me that the bowl of noodles will not endanger my life and it is safe.



I was made to wear their in house apron and have a piece of cloth placed on my lap.


The lights were then turn off to provide a better atmosphere. This got the attention of many people from the neighboring restaurants which thought we had a black out. The chef came forward with a ladle of flaming oil and once everyone was ready started pouring slowly into the bowl of noodles. The flaming liquid splutter on contact with the soup and burst into a huge flame which was definitely a sight to behold. I was very surprised by the "performance" which sent my heart racing and it totally made my day. This lasted a good 20 seconds which ended in applause at the end. The missus totally enjoyed it at a safe distance and mentioned that it seem that I was having a birthday celebration

After having the spectacle, i was directed back to my original seat and the noodles was served to me. I went with a cup of honey lemon to calm my nerves and the missus had the usual cold green tea.
The honey lemon tasted not too sweet and was a refreshing drink which ended up in missus hands in the end.
My bowl of noodles came and there was a thin layer of oil resulting from the flames that were poured over the soup. This did not deter me from digging into the wholesome bowl of ramen. The tonkotsu broth was awesome and had a creamy aftertaste. There was not too much to go with the noodles apart from the spring onion and thinly sliced cha shu which had very good flavour. Despite the thin layer of oil, the broth did not tasted oily and combined really went with the soft and thin noodles.


Damage: $50.26

Shirokiya is an Izakaya style restaurant with its tagline "Japanese Healthy Dining". We chanced upon this palce when we were exploring Chijmes one day and found out that they served Collagen hotpot. With the hype of Collagen and its beauty prowess, it became a must visit place for the missus.

Xin Hao Ramen is tucked away in a quiet corner in Bugis Cube. The ramen is quite good and comparable with many of the establishment Japanese Ramen chains.

Tampopo Deli is part of the Tampopo group of restaurants that is famous for its Kurobuta (black pig). Its Deli outlet is a no frills restaurant and very casual. The restaurant is suitable for a simple dinner date and also great for friends' gathering.

Tamoya Udon is the first overseas branch by the udon champion, Tamotsu Kurokawa. With such great tasting noodles, it is of little wonder why it has been so popular in Singapore. Apart from the beautiful and bouncy noodles, the restaurant also has tempura done masterfully and does not ooze oil when you chew on them.