Red Bean Taiyaki from Mr Obanyaki @ Ngee Ann City Food Hall in Orchard [Singapore]

Maybe it's age; I do find myself craving for a snack even after meals, especially if I am outside. Sometimes, it would be ice cream; other times, it might be cheng tng. 

I was at Ngee Ann City food hall a weekend ago and those who are acquainted with the place would know it has a number of stalls that offer snacks; one of which is Mr Obanyaki! 

There was a queue and the aroma was tempting! Despite her age, the elderly staff was experienced in handling the making process of the taiyaki, with every motion timed perfectly, and performed deftly. A visual treat, doubt.

@cavinteo Making the taiyaki! At Ngee Ann City! #ngeeanncitysingapore #taiyaki #mrobanyaki ♬ original sound - Cavin Teo

Happy to see she was quite liberal with the red bean paste! 

Finally my turn to order! Four flavors to choose from (red bean, chocolate, cheese and mochi red bean). Being a traditionalist, the red bean it shall be!  

Piping hot taiyaki in this paper bag! Extra care shall be exercised in case butterfingers me caused to drop it on the floor; with so many people in Ngee Ann City, you would not likely catch shy me picking up a dropped item from the floor and continue to eat it.

Look at how pretty this fish was! It was still hot, felt heavy with what appeared to a thin crisp for the outer shell. I am a fan of Crayon Shinchan and you know what's his favorite way of eating taiyaki!?

He will eat it from the butt, by pressing all the filling out, into his mouth! Disgusting it sure was. I am not as crude; I shall leave the best for the last and target the parts with likely the least filling. Starting with the tail. Batter was chewy yet with an enticing buttery aroma. 

Red bean was the quality type; a mix of smoothness with rough mushiness that wasn't overly sweet and complemented well with the batter. A satisfying snack that managed to fill up my tummy. Imagine eating this in cold weather! 

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Address

391 Orchard Road,

B2 Takashimaya Food Hall, 

Ngee Ann City, Singapore 238872

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Red Bean Taiyaki - S$2.00

Ajiya Okonomiyaki Restaurant @ Jurong Kechil (Near Beauty World MRT Station) [Singapore]

Nowadays, I am pretty hooked on Facebook Watch where I was shown never ending videos on summaries for movies, dramas, amazing places of interests, interesting documentaries and of course, mouthwatering recommendations on food. 

I was craving for okonomiyaki after watching a video on the Japanese pancake and remember that the Great Kon mentioned about the supposedly famous Ajiya okonomiyaki restaurant near Beauty World, and decided to pay it a visit! Craving is such a hindrance to dieting! 

Thankfully no queue as it was already the tail-end of the Friday lunch crowd. Do keep in mind the above conditions, especially the dining limit of 75 minutes and the minimum spent of S$15 per seat / adult. 

This section would have caught your eyes upon entering the restaurant; that large teppanyaki table with the grilled plate. While okonomiyaki is the main draw, teppanyaki options like beef tongue, pork. Japanese wagyu beef etc were also orderable.

Slightly more private tables were offered for groups of at least four persons. Since there were only Alex and I, we were brought to the main teppanyaki table instead.

Seat that also doubled up as a bag storage!

Only issue; I forgot about my bag when I left! 

Refillable boiled water was chargeable at S$0.80 and we decided to just go with homemade houjicha instead since the price differential was S$1.70 and I never quite liked paying for water. Iced houjicha as it has been crazily hot these few weeks. 

Awaiting my food to be cooked right in front of me.

I was wondering initially why there was a paper placemat in front of me, where it showed the step-by-step instructions on how to make okonomiyaki! You can cook the okonomiyaki yourself using the iron griddle in front of you (eatery shall provide the ingredients) and there's a 10% off! 

Ingredients were ready and even the oil was put in place.

Guess which option would I undertake? DIY?

Given my pathetic cooking skill with an extreme optimism that I can perfectly managed the actual timing that the food would be ready right before they charred; I think it's better to leave it to the professionals. I am not going to waste my S$17.50 okonomiyaki! 

It appeared simple enough; pour, flatten, flip, smear with the okonomiyaki sauce, decorate with the mayonnaise sauce, sprinkle with seaweed flakes and top with bonito flakes. Okay, I shall attempt next time! Maybe upload the entire process to my tiktok account. 

Anyway, time to indulge! The ingredients I choose for mine octopus, fish roe and prawns, and you can select from 12 others from across seafood, meat & dairy and vegetables. I presume seafood would be more worth it and totally ignore the rest. 

 

This okonomiyaki was more cabbage than flour, providing a good, healthy crunch in every delicious bite. While the mayonnaise and okonomiyaki sauces supplied the essential tastes, the strongly flavored bonito flakes and seaweed flakes played a key role in enhancing the flavor. And strangely enough; the seafood ingredients I requested didn't play that important a role.

Octopus was on the hard side whereas the other two failed to result in fireworks. Alex's version was prawn, crab meat and grilled onions, and the unassuming onions would have won my seafood ingredients any time! With 15 ingredients, I bet there will be one combination (out of 455) that would satisfy you.

Chawanmushi - smooth texture and nice tasting with little pieces of prawns, chicken and mushrooms. Even though it didn't wow, there was really nothing to complain about for its pricing of S$4.00.

Done! Sufficiently full although the okonomiyaki wasn't doughy and I have no other starch-heavy dishes for this late lunch! 

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Address

104 Jalan Jurong Kechil, 

Singapore 598603

Map

As above. 

Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/AjiyaSG/

Menu

Scan QR code

Pricing

Non-veg Okonomiyaki - S$17.50

Chawanmushi - S$4.00

Houjicha - S$2.50

(Subject to Service Charge Only)

Happy Chef Again - This Time the Chicken Shnitzel

I was a teenager once and remember how my stomach was an almost bottomless pit. Hence, with both my niece and nephew going into the teen phase; I knew I had to source for eateries that don't break my pocket, have food that tastes good, yet filling.

With that in mind, I brought them to Happy Chef! I reviewed more than a year ago and noted they would meet all three aforementioned conditions. 

Both lamb chop and happy chef chicken were enjoyable but I decided to go with something new. The Chicken Shnitzel, although I am not too sure what shnitzel means. Sounds like a German word. 

As expected, the portion didn't disappoint; fantastic news given the two kids who were with me! My complimentary two sides were sunny side up and garden vegetables! I should have re-read my past review as I had given full marks for the mashed potato! 

Your typical breaded chicken cutlet but the thickness of the meat was on the thin side. Nevertheless, the thinness didn't compromise on the juiciness and overall taste was still, although not as satisfying as biting into a thick piece of fried chicken.

p.s. ignorant me went to Google and shnitzel means a very thin boneless cutlet! Next time, maybe I should just go with the mixed grill which appeared to have both the lamb chop and happy chef chicken.

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Address

Block 465, North Bridge Rd, #01-5041 

465 Foodcourt, Singapore 191465

Map

As above.

Operating Hours

11.00 am to 9.00 pm

(note: closed till 01 June 2022)

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Chicken Shnitzel - S$7.50

Best Mutton Satay from Pondok Makan Indonesia @ Albert Centre Hawker Centre (Bugis) [Singapore] #albertcentrehawkercentre #halal

When it comes to satay, my preferred meat is pork, followed by mutton. However, it's hard to find good mutton satay; while the flavor is there, the issue faced centered on its usually hard texture, nothing like the tenderness I can find in pork satay.

The Great Kon begged to differ. According to him, the ones from Pondok Makan Indonesia stall at Albert Centre Hawker Centre are the best and I did attempt to check out the stall once but it was already closed for business. 

I was lucky this time round as the stall was open and I managed to secure 10 sticks of mutton satay. Honestly, I would have ordered another 10 sticks of chicken satay if not for the fact that I was alone and had a separate dinner appointment later. 

From the look, the mutton appeared moist and juicy although I would personally prefer a more charred texture. Once I took a bite, it's an OMG different story. The juiciness was expected but it easily trumped over the rest of mutton satay I ever had in my life; meat was surprisingly tender, flavorful and chockful of herbs and spices! 

Another key feature was the piece of mutton fat in the middle of each stick of mutton satay; kid you not, the sinful stuff was good stuff and elevated this amazing mutton satay to epic level! If you want me to choose between a non halal pork satay and this halal mutton satay, I might go with the halal option.

For that extra oomph, dip the satay into the peanut curry gravy; even though it was a bit too fluid for my liking. I also prefer a nuttier flavor. A friend asked me if it was gamey and I told him it was a wrong question because I love mutton simply because of their iconic taste.

Cleaned it up and couldn't wait to be back!

Thanks to the Great Kon for the recommendation! 

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Address

271 Queen Street, 

#01-123, Albert Centre Food Centre,

Singapore 180271

Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Mutton Satay - S$0.70 a stick

(Minimum 10 Sticks, Can't Mix)