Ootoya

Today was my second visit to Ootoya, a Japanese restaurant chain which I believe has outlets in Japan and Thailand.







It serves dishes reminiscent of home-cooked food - and they come either a la carte (just the main dish) or in a set.

The set costs about $3-5 more - and it comes with rice, pickled cucumbers, an appetiser, and miso soup - unless your set already has a soup dish.

The appetiser was yummy. It reminded me of the one at Sushi Kikuzawa at International Plaza, except it was cold. It consists of steamed slices of white radish, carrot, lotus and a small piece of chicken. And the miso soup is filled with tiny slices of white radish, carrot, yam, and pork. Its definitely a new take on miso soup - but tastes very wholesome!

Unfortunately, I didn't take photos of the appetiser or miso soup (:

Here's what we ordered:



Charcoal grilled pork slices set - I've stopped eating pork so I didnt try this, but the portion, as with most everything, was decent and looked delish!



Pickled cucumber (:



I think this was the Chargrilled chicken with orange sauce.



Chargrilled chicken with basil sauce and salad (about $16 for a set): I had this on my first visit to Ootoya (: The chicken was grilled till tender, and one can taste the full flavour of chargrilled meat! The slices were very thick and juicy. But it's a pity they don't put much sauce - on all three chargrilled dishes. It also comes with slices of hard-boiled egg, which complements the crisp, generous serving of salad very well (: But this doesn't taste Japanese at all - the drizzle of basil sauce made it more fusion-like. But still tasty.



I didn't quite fancy the staff recommendation of scallop on rice with chicken tofu soup (about $20 for a set). The rice (above) was topped with miso sauce and three small scallops - I do wish it had more scallops - the portion wasn't in proportion to the other three sets ordered. Then again, it was served with a huge bowl of soup, filled with tofu, chicken and cabbage slices. The texture at first was a bit like that of shark's fin soup - but the starch soon dissolved and it tasted like normal clear soup after a while. For this, the flavours just didn't appeal to me.



Why a photo of rice? Because my sister was such a big fan of it, she wanted a photo taken of it! She actually asked for a refill (free) of rice - and finished 2/3 of the second bowl. Impressive. She usually eats 2/3 of one bowl of rice. And M, who I went with the first time, finished his whole bowl of rice although he usually doesn't eat much rice. It is that good (:



And what meal would be complete without dessert (: Ootoya offers quite a selection - I think about eight choices. But we got all excited only to have the waiter tell us there were only two choices available - the egg pudding with caramel sauce and the green tea ice cream in soya milk syrup ($5).

I of course chose green tea ice cream (: It was fantastic, I spooned up every drop. The scoop was surrounded by two pieces of plain rice balls, lots of red beans, and green tea jelly! It was really really good - the ice cream was bittersweet, the rice balls were soft and chewy, the red beans sweet, and the green tea jelly melted in my mouth - it was a bit mousse-like. I would definitely return for this, and it's only $5! Unfortunately I couldn't make out the soya milk syrup at all (: But still bang for the buck.

So would I return? Yes most definitely. But I wouldn't have the tontoroni set (scallop on rice and chicken tofu soup) again.

Try it for yourself (:

Ootoya
#08-12
Orchard Central

It can be quite crowded, and unfortunately they don't accept reservations. They also don't allow you to get a table unless half of your party is present - ie table for four, two people have to be present.

Hope you like the place too!

Sushi Tei and... Yogurt Day!

Yesterday, met my best friend who came down from Canada. And cos she likes yogurt, and I LOVE yogurt, decided a yogurt day was in the works (: We went to visit three yogurt places. Which I thought seemed quite few at first, but woah I guess yogurt can be very filling!

But anyway, before that, went to Sushi Tei!

Tried some things from their seasonal menu, such as the onigiri, bamboo steamed food, as well as some beef collagen hotpot thing which I can't really recall..



Salmon Miso Onigiri, a tad dry at the edges, but moist and soft inside. The miso taste is mild, which is good because it complements the salmon instead of overpowering the onigiri and being too salty. It would be better if there were more salmon flakes though.



Spicy Clam Asari Soup Pasta didn't have many clams (mom said she doesn't think this is worth the cost) but the clams were tender and bursting with juices. The spaghetti was nicely done, so if you like pasta al dente, Sushi Tei will not disappoint here. Unfortunately the soup wasn't anything special.



This one was pretty good! (: Oysters on Rice in a bamboo steamer. I'm not a big fan of oysters, but for lack of a better word, the oysters were juicy just like the clams. And the rice was expected to be plain, but unexpectedly arrived a mixture of different rice as well as mildly seasoned. After letting it steam for about 7-8 minutes, everything is warm and moist, almost like lotus-leaf wrapped rice you get at dimsum places.



Beef and ramen.



Spicy stock with cabbage, enokitake mushrooms, pumpkin slices, white radish and what my mom said was some collagen thing. Not very sure though. But the soup tasted weird. Like kimchi gone wrong. Wouldn't have it again. Ramen's good though, eggy! (:

One last item we had from the seasonal menu was the apple ice cream.



We are big fans of their ice cream, especially Yuzu (yum!) but this one tasted like frozen apple juice popped in an ice cream maker. Try it if you love how apple juice tastes.

That's all from the new menu! (:

Now, meet my new relative (relatively new at least)!



This is Ayden, my little nephew. He's about a month plus old I think.

He's wearing the super cute jumper I got from Threadless! Love it ((:



Then M came and Yogurt Day commenced!

We had three in total, Yoguru, JCo yogurt and Yigloo.

First stop, Raffles City.



Yoguru has two flavours, original and Yogubliss. I'm a purist, so even though I do try other flavours, I always order original (: Well, for me, yoguru comes in third. It reminds me more of ice cream, as it is very creamy. Having the regular cup can fill you up, it is that thick. The tartness does not really come through, as it is overpowered by the milkiness. We agreed that it was too milky.

Nearby is JCo, land of donuts.



Yes its us again, I'm not a fan of being in photographs but this is the last one! (:

I LOVE JCo yogurt. I'm biased, I love frozen yogurt that does taste like frozen yogurt. Its tart, and only very slightly creamy. As a result, its very refreshing, almost thirst-quenching. The 'couple' size comes with three toppings, and the fruits and nuts complement this very well, providing sweetness for the tart yogurt. Almonds flakes are especially yummy with the yogurt, and JCo is very generous when it comes to toppings, even though they are included in the price (:

Our last stop was Yigloo!



Its a really cute place tucked in the basement of Vivocity, you must have seen its posters on the walls in vivo (:



The concept behind Yigloo is interesting. They offer many flavours, and like most yogurt shops, offer three different portion sizes. But they give you free topping! (:





Its a huge range, from different jellies, to many different fruits (including dragonfruit!) and dried ones such as nuts (: YUM! But you have to take it at one shot (:



yyyyyyyummmmmy!!



However, to ensure they make profit, the yogurt is swirled to the brim of the cup, so you don't have space within the cup for toppings, they go on a slippery slope of frozen yogurt (: Still you can put as much as you possibly can!



I would say that Yigloo comes in second for me. People who are big flavour fans will love this place for its wide range such as mango to cookies and cream yogurt, but I'm still a purist (: Otherwise, do try mango, I think its pretty good!! The rest reminded me more of ice cream in consistency.

But regarding original, Yigloo comes in as a compromise between Yoguru's extreme milkiness and creaminess, and JCo's tartness (: Plus you get free toppings!!

Still, it all depends on personal preference (:

M makes some weird faces after yogurt day ((: so cute.







Last but not least, if you're a bread and pizza fan, try Petit Provence's Sesami Pizza!



Its seriously good. Tomatoes and a generous serving of cheese slathered in what I hope is olive oil, is baked on a sesame bread base. GOOD STUFF ((:

That's all. Bye!

Dozo!

Dozo

Today we went for Japanese cuisine (: Located on the 2nd floor of Valley Point, a little shopping center near Redhill, Dozo is a little hidden gem. The name means 'please', and the food, service and ambience is fantastic!

Dozo only offers set menus, either in 6 or 7-courses.

Prices for which are $39.80++ and $59.80++ respectively.

Here's the old man scrutinising what's offered...




and the vain girl who only takes unflattering photos of me




Before this, Chubby and I went for hot yoga as it happened to be right next door. It was so-so... But this post will be about the food (:

We were the first customers at 11.30am and were led to a private room which was elaborately furnished, and had a full-glass window, providing excellent lighting.

The enthusiastic waiter (I suspect head waiter) was very enthusiastic (and corny), providing his suggestions for the restaurant's signature dishes. He also generously offered to let us have all 6 desserts (we only have four people).

We were given a yummy refresher of Mango Sorbet!





There were also yummy noodle sticks, served in a vase. They were refilled quite a few times!




Okay on to the good part.

The Starter (which is a single choice) consisted of small portions of foie gras, smoked salmon and scallop. They were all delightful morsels.







The foie gras was a juicy burst of flavour, and served on a small piece of bread.




The smoked salmon was topped with whipped cream and on a bed of mint leaf, resulting in a surprising salty, sweet and bitter minty sensation.




Compared to these two, the scallop was a bit bland, but still good.

The 6-course differs from the 7 in the cold dish, where there are various choices such as crab salad and sashimi.




Both parents ordered the 7, and Sashimi, of all things! Could have tried something else instead. This was served with salmon, herring fish with roe, and squid with roe.




It was very fresh and delicious, but could have used more variety.

Following this was an appetiser. Chubby ordered the Beef Tendon, which the waiter offered to change to meat, seeing as how she didn't eat tendon.




It was really great on his part. Parents had Escargot, and I had Foie Gras Chawanmushi.







I didn't try either of theirs, but Chubby really liked the beef. My chawanmushi was good, but the taste of foie gras might be too slight for others.

Next was soup. Of which we ordered only Mushroom with Truffle, and Crab Bisque.




Both was very thick. The mushroom soup was served with black truffle, and it was not overly creamy like Soupspoon's which meant one could eat it without getting sick after awhile. (I still love all of Soupspoon's other soups though)




The crab bisque had a strong but not overpowering crab taste, and had small bits of crab meat inside.

Next were the mains: three of them had Beef Tenderloin on 'Pu-Ye' & Granite Hot Stone, while I had the Sake Infused Grilled Unagi on Hot Stone, both of which were recommended by the waiter.

They were all happy with their beef, which reminded them of our favourite Macau restaurant and dad's favourite ever beef.




Its not wagyu, sorry for the error. But still good.

Mine had sake poured over the unagi (what a waste!!) and after a LOT of steam...

This is around 5 minutes after the pouring, there is still steam.




There was sadly, no sake taste at all! I would have preferred the sake left alone for me to dip unagi in (:




It was also served with some sort of buttered rice, I'm more a fan of plain rice.

Would not have this again, as I can't taste the sake.

Then it was time for desserts and drinks!

There are six choices for drinks, we had the Iced Fruity Refresher, Iced Mallow Apple Melody, and Iced Grapefruit Glory.




Look how pretty the serving is.




Mine came with some flowers inside, the rest had fruits and apples.

THEN! The happy birthday girl got a cake!

Decent smile first...




Starts showing her true colours...







Still happy




Blows candle, one year younger!




After this, they brought in the six desserts...

'Mo-cha' Creme Brulee:




If you love green tea, you'll love this. Completely matcha-infused!

French Cream Cheese Cake:




I didn't like this, the cake was too thick and hard.

White Sesame Panna Cotta with Black Sesame Ice Cream:




Not a fan of sesame!

You can see the photos get worse in composition as I am pressured to faster shoot so they can eat...

Napoleon of Red Bean and Yam:




This is rather good, and interesting. Slightly sweet, so if you only eat sweet desserts avoid this.

Japanese 'Mo-chi' served with Red Bean and Matcha Ice Cream:




This is GOOD! I loved the matcha ice cream, and the mochi was soft and sweet, didn't stick to teeth too.

and *drumroll* their Warm Chocolate Cake served with Ice Cream!




Loved by all (even the choc-hating mom), the best warm chocolate cake I've ever had. the cake was not too thick, and the chocolate inside was really liquid and flowing. YUM!

We will be coming back again, made a reservation for end-April (: Can't wait!