Monday, July 30, 2018

Suage Singapore - Sapporo Number 1 Soup Curry is now here in the Little Red Dot @ Capitol Piazza [Connected to City Hall MRT Station, Singapore]

I have had many fond memories in Hokkaido and friends who heard me raving about my trip would likely recall a mention of soup curry which was one of the recommended things to eat in Japan's northernmost island. 

The most famous store was Suage in Sapporo and i almost jumped out of my seat when i read, from J Passport, in June that Suage would be opening a branch in the little red dot! I would so love to have another mouthful of that soup curry right here in hot and humid Singapore! 

It definitely didn't take me long to arrange with two other friends (one of whom had tried soup curry before) to Capitol Piazza; it was also the first time i checked out the mall that opened for business in 2015. Guess i need to travel out of Yishun more often on weekends.

Casual dining concept that was much brighter than the Suage restaurant we visited in Sapporo; for someone who relies heavily on lighting for his photographs, i often had sweat rolling down my back when i realized a place was too dim for my amateurish photo taking skill. 

Ordering time! Notable differences from Sapporo as follows; free flow water was chargeable at S$0.50 per person (you can choose not to have any) and there was only one size for the rice (you may top up S$2.60 for extra rice).

I actually provided feedback to the staff on duty that the plate of fake rice on display was bigger than what was eventually served and commented they should at least give us a few options similar to their Hokkaido practice. To be fair, the rice provided was imported from Japan and it's a matter of costing; maybe i should cook rice at home and bring it along to the restaurant. 

Anyway, there's a set of instructions on how to enjoy your soup curry! I find it amusing as Singaporeans are generally no stranger to curry and we can have curry as a dip, as main meal or even in steamboat as a broth! 

Pork Kakuni Curry - i ordered the same thing i had in Sapporo as pork isn't very common in our local curries. Do keep in mind that the pork here in Suage SG was imported from the United States and not from Furano in Hokkaido. I had spiciness level three this time; you can choose from 0 to 10 with 10 being the spiciest. 

We added two extra sticks of chicken kushiyaki (S$3.80 for two) to try and was amazed by its soft texture and grilled aroma! I would have loved them better if the skin was more charred though. 

The assorted vegetables included half a potato, carrot, broccoli, eggplant, baby corn and half a soft boiled egg. If there's anything you dislike, you can swap it for another; for me, it's obvious i will remove the potato and maybe get eggplant instead.

I do things my way (no, didn't follow the instruction); i poured the soupy curry on my small plate of Japanese rice that's mixed with brown rice and drizzled with lemon. Okay lah, i did take a sip beforehand and the explosion of sour, sweet, savoury and spiciness all perfectly blended in that one sip; so delicious! And that thick yet tender piece of pork belly tasted even better than Suage Sapporo (surprise, surprise)! 

With that little amount of rice given (yes, i am still sore about it), i cleaned up everything in no time! I did notice that the soup curry appeared to be thicker for the Singapore's version and by the way, i would consider the egg to be hard boiled, rather than soft boiled. Key question now, would i return? You bet i will and i might really just bring along my home-cooked rice in my next visit.

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Location
13 Stamford Rd, #B2-53, 
Capitol Piazza, Singapore 178905
(connected to City Hall MRT Station)

Opening Hours
11.30 to 2.30 pm (lunch)
5.30 pm to 9.30 pm (dinner)

Facebook Page

Menu
As above.


Pricing
Pork Kakuni Soup Curry - S$13.80

Chicken Kushiyaki - S$3.80
(Subject to Service Charge and GST)

Additional Information
Vegetarian soup curry options are available even though i personally feel that the prices were comparable to those with meat and if given a choice, i would go for meat without any hesitation! 

Sunday, July 29, 2018

Kitty Cat Cafe - Near Democracy Monument @ Bangkok [Thailand] #kittycatcafe

Right after the filling meal at Krua Apsorn, i was checking out the directions to the forensic museum when i noticed something on Google Map; Kitty Cat Cafe. 

Since Andy is a huge feline lover and the cafe was somewhat along the way; we thought it might be fun and therapeutic to pay it a visit first, before we surrounded ourselves with dead bodies! 

The supposedly opening hour of 11.00 am didn't materialize as the shop remained shut at 11.32 am when we reached. Oh well, Andy managed to entertain himself with the stray cats loitering outside the cafe.

Two shopfronts for the cafe; we can already see cats lazing around and staff members preparing the cafe for opening. The shop eventually opened at about 11.42 am; thankfully not an excruciating wait for us. 

Note Before Stepping In! 
Order at least a drink / dessert for one person or pay an entrance fee of 60 baht. Wash your hands at the entrance and remove your shoes. Don't feed the cats human food; snacks for the cats are available (for purchase). Be gentle with the cats and don't disturb them if they are snoozing! 

Interior of the cafe; spacious would be the key word i can think of and as you can probably deduce yourself; it wasn't cluttered with fanciful decoration as in the case of the now defunct Purr Cat Cafe.

After that unhappy experience at Makura Cat Cafe (also in Bangkok), i was mindful that our bags shouldn't be at a spot where cats can comfortably sit on and take a pee. It was only when other customers started streaming in that i realized we were blocking others from taking the foldable tables! 

I will be bombarding you very soon with loads of cat photographs and judging from my facebook newsfeed, i know quite a number of you would go ooooh and ahhhh over the many adorable cats in the cafe! 

According to the staff, there were 30 cats in total although only 16 were out with us. Not all were pedigree as you could probably guess and some were in fact strays before their nine lives took a turn for the better in this air-conditioned cafe.

Cat treats were available at 50 baht and it came in a can and a spoon. 

Turned out to be a great tool to entice the felines to come to us! See how popular Andy suddenly became! Okay, to be fair, he already had better affinity with the cats compared to Alex and me but his popularity spiked with the canned food in his hand. 

As required from us as customers to the cafe; we got iced mocha, hot cocoa and cold chrysanthemum tea. There were more than just drinks on the menu, which i would share at the end of this post.  

This sleeping cat reminded me of a clock i saw once from taobao.com where the tail acted as a pendulum! Oh boy, the cats can literally doze off anywhere, anytime. For someone who has been facing insomnia, i am so envious! 

More on the adorable felines! 

I don't usually share my selfies in this blog but i took so many; it would be a waste for me to keep them all hidden in my phone! Hence, sharing a few considered the best of the lot! 

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Location
1/7-8 Prachathipatai Rd, Khwaeng Ban Phan Thom, 
Khet Phra Nakhon, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10200, 
Thailand

Map

Embedded as above.

Operating Hours
11.00 am till 9.00 pm
(Closed on Mondays)

Facebook Page

Food / Drinks Menu
As above. 

Pricing
Iced Mocha - 80 baht
Hot Cocoa - 70 baht
Cold Chrysanthemum Tea - 60 baht
Cat Treat - 50 baht