Suki-Ya Dinner Buffet

Of the many restaurants open at the relatively new Katong 112 shopping mall, the one that caught my attention was Suki-Ya Japanese Restaurant which has hotpot buffet for lunch and dinner. Reasonably priced at $16.90 for lunch and $20.90 for dinner (additional $2 on Friday to Sunday, public holiday and eve of public holiday), my partner and I decided to try the dinner buffet to see if it is truly value for money.

Given a choice of 2 out of 3 soup bases (shabu shabu, sukiyaki and kimchi) for the hotpot, we opted for shabu shabu and kimchi. Beside a free flow of meat (beef, pork and chicken), the dinner buffet comes with a variety of vegetables, mushrooms, fish and meat balls, beancurd etc. We were most impressed by the freshness of the meat especially the sliced beef which is extremely tender and tasty. It was only at the end that we realized that we had a total of 9 plates of meat between the two of us.

Having read some unpleasant reviews of other outlets of the restaurant, I must say that Suki-Ya at Katong 112 left us a very good impression. Not only is the service staff efficient and attentive, the food is delicious and worth every dollar paid. Do come down to Katong 112 with your family and try it for yourself.

8/10

Suki-Ya
Katong 112
112 East Coast Road
#03-04
Singapore 428802

Ishi Mura House Special Ramen

This Japanese-themed foodcourt on the level 3 extension of Northpoint Shopping Centre looks more like a restaurant on the outside. Which is why even though I have been working in Yishun, I never knew that Ishi Mura is a foodcourt until recently.

An interesting concept of food stalls with an impressive variety of delicious Japanese food ranging from ramen to baked rice and omelette rice, pizza and pasta, okonomiyaki, bento and burger, sushi and sashimi etc, I decided to have the house special ramen after much hesitation.


Reasonably priced at $6.90, the house special ramen comes with a prawn, two scallops, a piece of char siew (braised meat) and half a braised egg. Filled with delightful seafood essence and a slight milky tinge, the special soup is sweet and flavorful and goes very well with the springy ramen. The authentic homemade chilli paste is remarkably spicy and savory. The fresh scallops and prawn are also juicy and tasty.

Delicious yet affordably priced, Ishi Mura ramen will certainly give Ajisen ramen a run for its money.

7.5/10

Ishi Mura (Northpoint)
Northpoint Shopping Centre
930 Yishun Avenue 2
#03-47/50

Ajisen Ramen Hokkaido Seafood Ramen Lunch Special

I was never a fan of ramen (Japanese handmade noodle) because I used to think that ramen tastes the same as instant noodle. Only after my friend brought me to Ajisen Ramen for lunch did I realise my misconception. From then on, I became a big fan of Ajisen's $10.90 ramen lunch special which comes with a bowl of ramen, a plate of side dish and a drink ($12.83 with service charge and GST).

My favorite lunch special combination is the Hokkaido seafood ramen and white fish with hot green tea.


Topped with scallop, sotong and crabmeat slices, the Hokkaido seafood ramen is popular for its special soup base that is slightly milky in consistency and filled with the irresistable essence of seafood. The tasty soup goes very well with the ramen which has a smooth and flour-like texture. I like to add dried chilli flakes because they make the soup spicy yet do not alter its authentic flavour.


The white fish, which is actually fried crispy nuggets stuffed with fresh fish meat, tastes great with the savory chilli sauce. The hot green tea helps to quench every bit of thirst at the end of the sumptuous meal.

For an affordable yet satisfying ramen set lunch, I strongly recommend Ajisen Ramen. With 17 outlets scattered all over the island, there is almost certainly one that is near to you. Come down and try it for yourself today.

7.5/10

Ajisen Ramen
http://www.ajisen.com.sg/contact.htm

Tokyo Japanese Restaurant

Located at Amara Hotel, within walking distance from Tanjong Pagar MRT, this Japanese restaurant, which serves sumptuous buffet dinner, is recommended by a friend of mine. Not a fan of Japanese food because of my phobia of raw seafood, I was surprisingly impressed by the supreme quality and generous variety of cooked dishes available at the buffet. Leaving the sushi and sashimi to my friends, I helped myself to the mouthwatering teriyaki and tempura.


The pan fried salmon was fresh and tasty while the pan fried beef (yaki niku) was tender and well-marinated. The salmon teriyaki (shake teriyaki) was absolutely irresistable while the skewer chicken (yaki tori) was sweet and flavourful. The soft shell crab (kani karaage) was crispy and delicious while the fried prawn tempura (ebi fry) was succulent and finger-licking good. The fried rice (yaki meshi) was exceptionally fragrant and the paper steamboat (kami nabe) was savory and complimentary to the fried rice. Food aside, the authentic ambience of the restaurant was simply breathtaking.


Even for a non-lover of Japanese food like me, I must admit it was a very memorable dining experience. And at $32 per person, it is quite affordable and certainly value for money. So all Japanese food enthusiasts out there, do not hesitate any longer. Bring your family down to Tokyo Japanese Restaurant today.

7/10

Tokyo Japanese Restaurant
The Amara
165 Tanjong Pager Road #01-17
Singapore 088539
Tel: 62262303