Japanese

Tanuki Raw @ Orchard Central

/ Fiona Seah / 5 Comments

Hey everyone!

Remember when Orchard Central used to be a ghost town? I remember how quiet it was when it first started despite its prime location along Somerset. Empty shops (mostly boutiques) that looked like they were on the verge of closure lined the mall and there was hardly any affordable eateries around. Most of the time, I would avoid going there because there was seriously nothing much to see. And it also didn’t help when the MRT exit was directly linked to its competitor Somerset313 which also enjoyed the bustle and attention brought by its anchor tenants like Forever21.

Fast forward more than 3 years and the mall began to show some improvements with more well-known F&B outlets occupying most of its commercial space. I like how Orchard Central has now become an international food hub, offering established brands like Dean & DeLuca and Lady M which were previously too out of the way for me.

Besides international brands, there were also a couple of local F&B firms that made their way to Orchard Central. One of them is Tanuki Raw, a sushi and tapas bar restaurant 🙂 As unusual as its name, this restaurant celebrates Happy Hour every single day, offering $2 oysters and $10 Martinis and cocktails from 5pm to 8pm when long queues typically start to form. There’s even an al fresco area where you could enjoy great live music while you dine!

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Shopfront, snapped with my phone.

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A picture of my resting bitch face to begin this post HAHA. We were given an outdoor seating on our second visit!

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Apple & Mint cocktail (S$10+)

The $2 oysters come with a catch – you can only order a maximum of 6 oysters per alcoholic drink ordered. So boyfriend and I (reluctantly because not in the mood for alcohol actually) ordered a cocktail so that we could get the oysters as well. After all, they were our reason for dining at Tanuki the very first time.

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Fresh oysters at S$2+ each.

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The oysters were remarkable – fresh, huge, clean and meaty. It’s super worth the price!

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5 slices of Salmon Sashimi at S$7+.

Like the oysters, the Salmon Sashimi can only be bought with purchase of any alcohol. It was great but nothing extraordinary; it didn’t leave an impression. Nevertheless it was fresh and adequately thick and fatty.

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Garlic Fries at S$7+.

I was craving for truffle fries that day but the restaurant doesn’t have it, so I settled for garlic fries! They came piping hot in a basket and in such generous amount which was impossible for me to finish. They were incredibly tasty, mildly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Bravo! Each piece was thick and sliced proportionately too 🙂

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Rockstar (sushi roll) – seared salmon draped over mozzarella, mentaiko sauce, at S$10+.

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Mozzarella in the middle.

This is an all-time favourite at Tanuki, and possibly mine too. I really love the torched taste of the seared salmon as well as the richness of the Mentaiko sauce. The entire thing was simply delicious. As most of you are aware, sushi traditionally has to be eaten in one bite but this is such a mouthful hahaha. It took me awhile to successfully chew every bit of it.

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Truffle Yakiniku Donburi – pan seared black angus short rib, onsen egg, truffle soy sauce, at S$18+.

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I’m in heaven~

This was the highlight of our dining experience because it’s the bomb. I couldn’t believe I finished the entire donburi when I was supposed to be on a low-carb diet. So if you’re on a diet, I suggest you forget about this dish altogether (pretty sure it’s more than 500 calories) because once you start, it’s gonna be so difficult to stop goddammit. IT’S SO GOOOOD.

Meltingly tender and extremely satisfying, the thick black angus short rib slices were an absolute treat. The eggs were cooked perfectly (just look how runny those whites are) and the rice (mixed with toasted sesame seeds) was phenomenal. Needless to say, this is a must-try when you’re at Tanuki.

That’s all for this food review!

Thanks for reading 😉

Tanuki Raw
181 Orchard Road
#02-03 Orchard Central
Singapore 238896
Operating hours: 11:30am – 10:30pm daily
Tel: +65 6636 5949
E-mail: tanuki@tanukibar.com
Facebook | Menu | Instagram | Twitter

Free Flow of Wagyu Beef @ Tenkaichi

/ Fiona Seah / 2 Comments

Hello everyone!

This year marks Singapore’s Golden Jubilee (or SG50 for short) and many discounts tied to it have been sprouting up everywhere as early as last year, much to the delight of penny-punching people like myself. I have enjoyed discounts at participating shops especially eateries which were unknown to me previously (or I didn’t patronise because of the price). News of such discounts are usually spread by word of mouth (such as Facebook), just like how I got to know about Tenkaichi‘s fabulous promotion. In conjunction with SG50, Tenkaichi is rolling out their best deal ever:

Premium BBQ Buffet with Free Flow of Wagyu Beef at only S$50+ on weekdays and $55+ on weekends!

*jaw drops*

Boyfriend and I are huuuuge lovers of Wagyu beef. But we don’t eat it often because it’s considered as a luxury food which can cost at least S$50 per a hundred grams. Heck, even fresh Wagyu beef sold at our local grocery stores aren’t cheap! So S$50+ (there isn’t GST but there is a 10% service charge) for free flow of Wagyu beef is definitely a steal! Fortunately, we learned about the promotion early and made dinner reservations at the restaurant 3 weeks in advance because all slots were snapped up very quickly!

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Shopfront at City Gate (Keypoint)

Keypoint is about a 3-4 minutes’ walk away from Nicoll Highway MRT station. It’s quite convenient because there is an overhead bridge leading all the way from the train station to Keypoint, so you don’t have to cross the road at all! Tenkaichi is located on your right if you use the correct entrance but it’s also not difficult to find it if you enter through a different door.

Like Keypoint, the interior design of the restaurant speaks of mediocrity and the age of the premises. As someone who values first impression, very often I equate good decor to good food (although I’m always proven wrong). The ancient-looking floor carpet in the restaurant certainly made me have second thoughts about the positive reviews I read online about Tenkaichi. It’s hard to imagine that a restaurant like this would be the home of the top award-winning Japanese BBQ Buffet Restaurant in Singapore specialising in premium quality Wagyu beef.

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Cooked food section

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Takoyaki

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Tempura and others

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Sushi

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Fruits

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Pickles

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Sauce and condiments

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Ice cream which we never got to try because we were too full by the end of our meal!

But contrary to my suspicion, it does serve premium Wagyu beef and it’s so damn good. It’s definitely not a gimmick. As boyfriend described, he could really taste the superiority of the beef and every piece melted in his mouth. I dare say that it’s also one of the best I’ve eaten so far at such an affordable price. In fact, with Tenkaichi’s lowest price guarantee, if you find another restaurant in Singapore at a lower price, they would gladly beat it by 10%! Of course, terms and conditions apply 🙂

Diners are given a 2-hour limit for the buffet to which a restaurant staff would remind about half an hour before the time is up. The time limit is more than enough for people with small stomach capacity like myself. But for people like my boyfriend who can eat a bull (literally), you’d be wishing for a time extension!

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Wagyu Beef Yukke, marinated Wagyu Beef with Egg Yolk, to be mixed and eaten raw!

The above is my FAVOURITE Wagyu beef dish of the night. The slimy texture of the beef may seem revolting to some but trust me, it’s absolutely tasty! It’s like eating sashimi, but better!

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Wagyu Karubi, Wagyu beef short rib

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Wagyu Nakaochi Karubi (Wagyu beef rib intercostal)

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Short ribs mixed

Some of the short ribs are cut in thick slices which Bf and I found hard to bite.

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Wagyu Tataki, lightly grilled Wagyu beef sashimi. To be eaten raw as well! But I’d suggest to leave that stomach space for the Wagyu Beef Yukke mentioned above!

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A plate of sashimi – Shiro Maguro (white tuna), Tako (octopus) and Shime Saba (vinegar-pickled mackerel). HEAVENLY.

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Hotate, giant scallop – really nice and soft when it’s grilled!

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Shake Sashimi, Norway salmon sashimi. They weren’t served cold but they were fresh nonetheless!

The salmon sashimi was a last-minute order because we wanted to just have Wagyu beef throughout the course of our buffet meal. But leaving out salmon sashimi at a Japanese buffet just didn’t quite do for me!

The food was served very quickly although many a time the restaurant staff got our orders wrong. But they took our rejection in stride and got our orders out within a few minutes. Amidst the surge of patrons, the staff never failed to flash an amiable smile on their face and assist in the needs of the customers. I was truly impressed!

More pictures of the meat on the grill to make you drool.

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The grill was constantly loaded with Wagyu beef because it’s free flow!

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The grill warmed up very quickly and the beef cooked relatively fast!

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About done

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Ready to eat! Yummy 🙂

Bf and I made a pact to return again even though the SG50 promotion is going to end today (5 April 2015). He has nothing but praises for the Wagyu beef and it’s not very often that he would rave so much about something. It must be really good then! 🙂

Thanks for reading!

Tenkaichi Japanese Restaurant
371 Beach Road,
City Gate (Keypoint) #01-18/19
Singapore 199597
Tel: 65 – 6293 4498
Email: tenkaichi_sg@yahoo.com.sg
Website | Menu | Reservations | Facebook

Family Reunion @ Gion Dining

/ Fiona Seah / Leave a comment

Happy Lunar New Year and 恭喜发财 to everyone, especially my Chinese readers! Also, 财源广进 to those who are still trying their luck on BlackJack and Mahjong! Lady luck clearly isn’t on my side this year as I kept losing money to my formidable banker and only managed to recoup some losses from playing Mahjong. Fortunately all my bets were small so I didn’t lose much. Plus, everyone had fun! And I guess that’s what matters most 🙂

Ever since the passing of my Grandma, my maternal relatives had always have trouble finding a place to host family gatherings because no one likes cleaning up the mess at the end of each session (either that or cooking for a large group of people is tedious). So gatherings after 2009 were either held at my cousin-owned restaurant or the function room at my aunt’s condominium. But the labour crunch during the CNY period meant that it would be impossible to hold gatherings at these venues. So to save us from racking our brains, my uncle very kindly booked a few tables on 初二 at Gion Dining to accommodate everyone.

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The Japanese restaurant, although conveniently located on the second level of Royal Plaza on Scotts (Orchard), didn’t quite draw the crowds because of Carousell Buffet on the ground floor, which serves as the main attraction for the hotel. So nobody else other than my family members walked into the restaurant the entire time, leaving the place entirely to ourselves! Shiok man!

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My #ootd from Love, Bonito. Boyfriend didn’t have time to go home to change because we had an impromptu Mahjong session the night before, so he just grabbed whatever shirt he left at my place.

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My adorable nephew and niece

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Niece and cuzzie

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One of my uncles, cuzzies and another little addition to the extended family!

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My niece, also boyfriend’s new god-daughter (his all-time favourite person. Yes, he likes her more than me)

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Qtipi

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Sake. Not really a wine drinker (especially Japanese wine) so I didn’t really take much of it. But beer works for me.

It’s now time to eat! What’s a Chinese New Year dinner without first making a mess on the table with lo hei?

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Look at the mountain of Salmon Sashimi..

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Full view of our Yusheng. For non-Chinese, Yusheng “usually consists of strips of raw fish, mixed with shredded vegetables and a variety of sauces and condiments, among other ingredients” and it’s “often served as part of a multi-dish dinner, usually as the appetizer due to its symbolism of “good luck” for the new year.” (Wikipedia) Apparently, this CNY tradition is only applicable to the Chinese community in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Surprisingly not so in PRC, Taiwan and Hong Kong even though it originated from the Cantonese community!

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Everyone at the table would “then stand up and on cue, proceed to toss the shredded ingredients into the air with chopsticks while saying various “auspicious wishes” out loud,” (Wikipedia)

That was my third Yusheng this year (you know, we Chinese really love doing things in abundance) and the one I had at Gion wasn’t the best out of all of them. Japanese-style Yusheng has always been my favourite because it usually comes with more fish (salmon) than those in Chinese restaurants and tze char. Although this came with really fresh Salmon Sashimi, they were in such big slices that they weren’t enough to go around. On top of that, the flour crisps were replaced by peanuts and bleagh, I dislike peanuts.

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Miso soup was nice but nothing special.

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The Chawanmushi was served hot thus I really enjoyed the smooth and firm texture (though still incomparable with my all-time favourite Chawanmushi from Itacho). If I remember correctly, there were diced chicken and artificial crabmeat. Perhaps it would appear more appetizing if it was topped with slices of Narutomaki (Japanese fish cakes with a swirl in the middle).

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The Sumuono Moriawase was one of my favourites that evening. There were prawn, octopus, crab claw meat and other meat (can’t remember the rest oops) with seaweed and cucumber in sweet vinegar sauce. They were all soooo fresh!

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Live oysters (shared among 6 people) was mad fresh too! Spritz some lemon juice onto it and you’re good to go! The coldness of the oyster made eating it even more enjoyable 😀

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Lobster sashimi (extreme bottom left) was MY FAVOURITE. It was so fresh and sweet! This dish was shared between 2 people but there were plenty of flesh on the claws so Bf and I didn’t have to compete against each other for it hehehe.

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This HUGE (I think it was as long as my arm) salmon was steamed to perfection. I’m not sure if it’s actually on the menu (or was it a special item requested by my uncle) because it tasted a lot like Seabass cooked Cantonese-style with all the sweet and savoury soy sauce. But the steamed salmon was so gooood and my jaw hung in stunned disbelief when it came. It was gigantic, I repeat, GIGANTIC.

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Close-up shot of the meat to make you drool!

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Tempura prawn and potato! Being a seafood lover, I’m surprised to find myself liking the potato more. It’s chewy and addictive!

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Okay, this is definitely not on the menu because it was prepared by one of my aunts – broiled mushrooms and chicken feet with abalone. #aufamilycancook!

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4 strips of Chicken Karaage because I forgot to take a picture of it when it was served. I don’t really like Chicken Karaage despite being a huge poultry lover because they tend to be really dry from my experience. But this was mildly juicy and very crispy! I believe this is a common item on their Groupon deals. Worth a try!

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I believe this was Gyudon (beef bowl) without the rice. It was a tad dry and I don’t think we managed to finish this. Kinda expected considering the amount of food we were served that night!

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These cheesecakes (I only had one slice of it anyways 😦 ) were the BEST I had tasted in my life, no joke! It was like a mixture of vanilla ice cream and fluffy cheesecake which literally melted in my mouth. IT WAS DIVINE OMG. If I didn’t have to rush off for a movie, I’d totally ask for another slice! This is highly recommended 🙂

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And the sumptuous feast ended with a bowl of porridge which I felt was a um… strange arrangement? But it was alright and the watery texture reminded me a little of KFC breakfast porridge.

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Let me conclude this post with a picture of Bf entertaining my bored nephew in between dishes with Clash of Clans.

All in all, the dishes served towards the end of the meal were a lot better than the entrees and appetizers. I personally think that this restaurant has potential if not for the steep prices. After reading some not-so-favourable reviews about the restaurant online, I can conclude that Gion Dining specialises more in seafood sashimi and makes better food when there is a smaller dining crowd.

Try avoiding Groupon vouchers (the dishes they typically include in their Groupon promos look awfully cheap to begin with anyway) if you can afford the regular prices and don’t dine there during the period of time when Groupon vouchers are accepted as I don’t think the restaurant, which is visibly facing a shortage of manpower, is able to handle the Groupon crowd.

So there, I’ve said my piece! Thanks for reading 🙂

Gion Dining
Royal Plaza on Scotts
25 Scotts Road
#02-01
Operating hours: Opens daily
Lunch: 11:30am to 2pm (lunch closed on Mondays)
Dinner: 5:30pm to 10pm
Contact number: 67356100
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