Celine Chiam | Singapore Lifestyle, Beauty and Travel Blogger: food tasting

2/26/2014

The well-known Ramen Chain has finally made it’s entrance to Singapore.  Ramen Kagetsu Arashi,  the Ramen Chain that has garner tre…

2/26/2014

The well-known Ramen Chain has finally made it’s entrance to Singapore. Ramen Kagetsu Arashi, the Ramen Chain that has garner tremendous support and patronage in Taiwan and Japan will not fail to satiate your cravings for Ramen. Having 290 outlets worldwide, Ramen Kagetsu Arashi is here aiming to seize a first placing in Singapore.  Their “Kagetsu Ramen” in particular, represents more than 100 creative flavours for you to relish. Today, Ramen Kagetsu Arashi brings you two other delectable dishes: Ginjiro Ramen and Itameshi Dry Curry Rice. 

The Ginjiro Ramen ($13.90) can be said to be a very time-consuming dish. Pork bones are simmered over long hours in order to obtain the thick and non-artificial sweetness for its broth. Exclusive ingredients like dried bonito, kelp and some others are included in to enhance the flavoursome goodness. Undoubtedly, this Ginjiro Katgetsu Ramen is sure to be packed with rich collagen from the long hours simmering. 

 I find the texture of the noodles very well done (not too hard or soggy), even after we took a little while to shoot some photos. Generally, the broth isn’t too salty like how Ramen usually is. The most evident difference is also the choice of hard-boil eggs instead of soft-boiled. To explain the intention behind, Ramen Kagetsu would prefer hard-boiled eggs in order to avoid the soft-boiled eggs from affecting the taste of the broth. Thoughtful! 

To promote customization to your own likings, Ramen Kagetsu encourages you to add in condiments at your own preference to add oomph to the dishes. The 4 condiments are Black Pepper, Kagetsu’s secret soy sauce, Kagetsu’s special in-house seasoned chives andfreshly crushed garlic by using their own unique press tool. 

The Dry Curry Fried Rice ($12.90) on the other hand is a new addition to Ramen Kagetsu’s menu. A selection of premium spices are stirred and blended into the hotplate of fried rice, giving a flavourful relish. Fret not about the level of spiciness as it’s pretty average. To bring out the aroma, the rice is also scorched to give an extra crispy texture too. To top if off, find yourself a layer of fried egg and some sausages which you can stir fry together with the dry curry rice. 

The smoky aroma certainly perks up diners’ appetites as it was served. The Japanese rice grains are very soft and fragrant as well, which sums up a very decent base for the Dry Curry Fried Rice. 

Another common dish is none other than Japanese Gyoza ($6). This set of Gyoza is encased in crispy pastry skin filled with juicy chunks of meat fillings. Most importantly, the skin is specially imported from Japan and has the capability to retain that crispy and chewy texture even after frying. Serves as a good appetizer. Give it a try! 

Find yourself other kinds of dishes too! Some of which are: 

Arashi Genkotsu Ramen (In-house made Tonkotsu Broth)

Arashi Genkotsu Sio Ramen (milky white broth with natural sea salt)

Buta Moyashi (blanched beansprouts with marinated minced pork in their special recipe seasoning)

 

Find Ramen Kagetsu Arashi at the following outlets below. Soon you’ll be surprised to see a few more outlets popping out as they are in their mega expansion plan 😉

The Star Vista – 1 Vista Exchange Green, #01-41, 
Singapore 138617
Telephone : 6339 0335
Operating Hours : 11:30 AM to 11 PM (Fridays, Saturdays and eve of Public 
Holidays)
11:30 AM to 10 PM (Weekdays)

Tampines 1 – 10 Tampines Central 1, #02-09/10

Singapore 539536
Telephone : 6854 0335
Operating Hours : 11:30 AM – 10 PM

The Cathay – 2 Handy Road, #B1-01/02/03

Singapore 229233
Telephone : 6736 3055
Operating Hours : 11:30 AM – 10

Love,

Celine 

11/22/2013

[Media event] A week ago I got to experience something for the first time in my life – a ramen eating challenge organised by Ramen …

11/22/2013

[Media event]

A week ago I got to experience something for the first time in my life – a ramen eating challenge organised by Ramen Champion: Ramen Big Eater Challenge 2013. To increase the challenge of the competition, they got a competitive eater all the way from Japan, Ms Tomoko Miyake, to compete with 10 other men who managed to get through to the finals. 

Ms Miyake is really an incredible lady! Some of her competitive eating achievement includes consuming special handmade hamburger of 4.6kg, 100 dumplings within 6 mins and 4.6kg of yam rice within 35mins! 

How is that…. possible?!

***

Besides organising the competition, that day was also the grand opening of the NEW outlet of Ramen Champion at Great World City! They have made this opening special with the introduction of new Ramen brands like Butaou and Miyamoto, with existing brands like Tonkotso Itto and Bishamon Zero. Basically, an arena that brings all good ramen outlets together! 

These are the ramen available at the new Raman Champion at Great World City. 

My favourite bowl of ramen was also the winning ramen decided by the panel of judges, and it is the SAPPORO MISO SPECIAL RAMEN. Adequate level of saltiness and thickness of the broth are really essential. Sometimes, the choice of the ramen (thick or thin) makes a difference too. 

I was quite lucky to have many opportunities to take photo with the owner of Ramen Champion. He is a really nice Japanese chap who invites me to take a photo together like the one we did below.

And with all the chefs from Ramen Champion. Oh gosh I’m so fortunate.

Very soon after we had the opening speech done, we had a short food tasting by the panel of judges to determine who is the winner among the four ramen at Ramen Champion @ Great World City. 

Seems like the judges are very satisfied huh? 🙂

Oh wait, before the celebrity competitor eater gets too occupied with the ramen, let me have a photo with her first. Who would have imagined a petite lady actually having the power and stomach space to eat excessively?

And let the eating fun begin!

The personnel just keep providing Ms Tomoko with bowls and bowls of ramen, and hold on, plates of gyoza too? 

If you noticed, both the men beside Ms Tomoko have not even finished their large bowl of ramen, but Ms Tomoko is already working on the small individual bowls of ramen! 

Licking the lips to show great satisfaction from the yummy ramen

Finally when the competition came to an end, the scene resembles a war scene, with everyone perspiring except the competitive eater herself. 

Just look at the huge stomach which was not there at all previously.

So, do you think you can finish the enormous bowl of ramen all by yourself? If yes, perhaps try joining the eater challenge next year haha! All the best!!!

Thank you Ramen Champion for the invitation! It was such an eye-opener for me. 

Love, 

Celine Chiam 

10/06/2013

[Invited tasting by Smokey’s BBQ] Smokey’s BBQ has recently opened its second outlet in the west at Sunset Lane this …

10/06/2013

[Invited tasting by Smokey’s BBQ]

Smokey’s BBQ has recently opened its second outlet in the west at Sunset Lane this year June. Their culinary philosophy follows the American Texan BBQ style where unlike charcoal grilled BBQ, they used hickory and mesquite wood to smoke the meats. Finally, there’s a place to impress your meat-loving friends! 

Before I get started, I apologize for the lousy photos because the lighting there was super bad and I don’t have a flash 🙁

Smoked Venison Chili Nachos

Buffalo Wings 

6 pc $10

12 pc $18

18 pc $25

The buffalo wings did live up its expectation when it’s served fresh and piping hot. Underneath the flavourful crispy skin reveals tender and juicy meats with not much traces of oil. 

Smoked US Prime Beef Brisket 

S$25

Marinated in ABC Extra Stout, smoked and slow roasted for over 20+ hours, topped with home made BBQ sauce.

The long hour simmering managed to make the slices of beef brisket extremely tender. The original smokey taste from the beef brisket was further enhanced by the restaurant’s home-made sauce. Perhaps I prefer slightly more rawness in beef, so I thought the beef brisket was a little dry. Nonetheless, it can be easily complemented with their sweet tangy home-made BBQ sauce. 

Smoked Baby Back Ribs Half Slab $25

Underneath the succulent meat with an alluring smokey bbq taste are huge chunks of beef cartilage. If you like cartilage, good for you! If not, focus on the homemade BBQ sauce and their dry rub seasoning which made this a very satisfying dish for a carnivorous lover. 

Smoked Baby Back Ribs Half Slab $25

Southern Fried Smoked Fish $17 Cold smoked tender white fish fillet, corn meal crusted and fried.  Served with tarter sauce.

For fish-lovers, perhaps give Smokey’s rendition of Southern Fried Smoked Fish. 

I would give an honest comment that the fried fish is a little too dry to the throat. I prefer the wetter version of fish and chips. 

If you want a mouth-watering dish to curb your insatiable hunger after a long day of work, then you must not miss their St Louis Spare Ribs. 

St Louis Spare Ribs Full (family size) $48

As huge as the photo can tell, the St Louis Spare Ribs are coated with their special in-house sauce packed with lots of goodness. 

St Louis Spare Ribs Full (family size) $48

Smokey’s BBQ Singapore 

73 Joo Chiat Place Singapore, Singapore, 427790 

Phone: 6345-6914

Celine 

9/28/2013

[Invited tasting by Openrice] Wing Seong Fatty’s Restaurant has a long history and is now passed down to the next generation. …

9/28/2013

[Invited tasting by Openrice]

Wing Seong Fatty’s Restaurant has a long history and is now passed down to the next generation. It also has a affinity with Qantas Airline because back then, Qantas pilots patronized their restaurant for the unique and authentic Cantonese Cuisine. You wouldn’t be surprised if you see more foreigners than locals here at the restaurant.  That night during the tasting, two Caucasians spotted me snapping photo of the door front and introduced themselves as Qantas pilots. I was quite delighted to be able to chat with them a little. 

Qantas pilots who patronized this Cantonese Restaurants whenever they fly to Singapore

Enough of the story behind, Fatty Wing is now passed on to the son and business is still doing very well! Their Cantonese food really lived up the expectations.  

I like how the restaurant retains the historical vibe with old unadorned furnitures. 

Jumbo Spring Roll $3 per roll

First up we had an appetizer that was out of the menu. The spring roll differentiates itself from the commonly found ones through the ingredients stuffed in it. Sink your teeth into the crispy skin to find roast pork bits, chunky bean sprout and juicy radish in one such simple spring roll. I honestly think that the price is really reasonable. 

Jumbo Spring Roll $3 per roll

Fried Kway Teow with gravy $14 (large)

One of the mains served here is the seafood Horfun. It comes with either fish or assorted seafood. There is a consistent silky texture of the noodles and the horfun sauce, not forgetting the bountiful amount of fresh seafood and vegetables. The slight charred taste added an extra flavour to it.

The horfun was my favourite and I would recommend families to order this as a staple dish. 

Fried Kway Teow with gravy $14 (large)

Belachan Fried Rice $14 (large)

Another good competitor against the fried kway teow is none other than a plate of fragrant fried rice that comes with lots of ingredients chopped into tiny pieces. Just like how the name suggests, the belachan (fried shrimp paste) gives a strong alluring taste that stands out itself. I like how the fried rice isn’t too moist. 

Belachan Fried Rice $14 (large)

Homemade beancurd with mushroom gravy $22 (large)

By now I’m quite convinced that the sauce plays a huge role in each dishes. The next dish that – Homemade beancurd with mushroom gravy has its tofu drizzled with mushroom sauce that appeals to all the mushroom lovers. The tofu has a crispy outer layer wrapping its smooth and soft tofu, it was definitely easy to down a few pieces in no time.

Black pepper beef $22 (large)

Savour a dish of Black pepper beef combining the goodness of onion slices and pepper spices. The beef are very well prepared and it doesn’t taste too tough like how beef would taste when they are cooked for too long. I’m sure beef lovers would love this. 

Fried prawn with Oats $37 (large)

Fried prawn with Oats $37 (large)

The Fried prawn with oats ($37) was the most expensive dish but was very much expected to be the most satisfying dish that night too. The big juicy prawns retained the moisture from its freshness, with a thin layer of fried batter wrapping around it. The oats are a delectable companion to the fried prawns. 

Sweet and Sour Pork $22 (large)

Sweet and sour pork ($22) is a common dish on most dining tables. To make this an unforgettable dish, my personal view is that the meat has a very crucial role. Many times, sweet and sour pork can lose a lot of its moisture through the process of deep-frying. Thankfully, the dish that we tried that night was the total opposite. It’s juicy and chewy, but a little harder than chewy. Despite the challenge posed to my molar teeth, I still find myself grabbing more non stop. 

Fried vegetables with minced meat $16 (large)

The greens are dipped in the sauce pool made up of dried fish head in grinded powder form and oyster sauce. Not sure about the rest but I find the vegetables a tad too salty. And probably because of that, it got me quite addicted to the crunchy vegetables. 

To me, Wing Seong reminds me of the family dinners I usually have with my family. The simple zhi char style is non-costly and heartwarming. If you’re near bugis area, why not drop by and give the authentic cantonese cuisine a try? 

Wing Seong Fatty’s restaurant 

01-31 Burlington Square

6338 1087

Mon to Sun: 1200 – 1430, 1700 – 2210

Celine

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