Ku-Kai Izakaya - Alfresco Bar @ SAF Yacht Club (next to Sembawang Camp) [Singapore]

Singaporeans love Japan and with the current travel restrictions imposed by the land of the rising sun; it's a fact that many people can't wait for the situation to improve! 

Well, you can curb a bit of that Japan wanderlust by venturing to the northern part of Singapore, where a lonesome yet iconic torii gate awaits your presence. It's not as spectacular as the one at Itsukushima Shrine but in our local context; better than not having any.

Getting to the place was quite a pain in the ass! The nearest public transport (bus) next to Sembawang Camp is almost 900 meters. Whatever the case, I decided to take grab as I was too lazy to walk in.

Stepping into SAF Yacht Club; I came here before a long time ago when Alex was still in the navy and it had changed so much! A lot more modern than before.

There was this ginormous structure that felt like a warehouse yet appeared to be parking for the yachts! Small yachts we are talking about here; you would have better luck finding the luxurious kinds at Sentosa Cove. 

Reached the instagrammable spot! Behind is Malaysia where the Johor Strait separates the two countries. Now that borders have open, I can't wait to go in and indulge! 

To the right would be Sembawang Shipyard, which was previously the Sembawang Naval Base that was established by the British back in 1938. It was said there were a lot of historical buildings within but sadly, we can't enter as access is restricted. 

My objective then was to the left of the torii gate.

Ku-Kai Izakaya; the Japanese equivalent of a English pub, and also the contributor of the instagrammable torii gate. No doubt a fantastic move as it definitely draws customers to this remote area, and makes them stay for some drink and food.

The key attraction for me would be the skewers of freshly grilled meat and vegetables, which is best washed down with ice cold beer! The aroma that seeped out from within the wooden hut was so tempting! 

Let's order! 

I noted from online reviews that despite its location, the izakaya was popular and I purposely dropped by at about 5.30 pm, in order to beat the crowd, and hopefully, a shorter wait for the food / drinks. 

My Suntory Premium Malt Draught and my friend's Lemon Chu-Hi! No complaint about my beer although the same can't be said about the chu-hi as it tasted just like carbonated lemon soda water with no alcoholic kick! How could it cost more than S$10?! 

Tako Wasabi - said to be a popular bar snack in izakayas, this was literally chopped raw octopus soaked in wasabi! Not a large portion.

Tasted pretty good; sauce was lightly salted, sweet with the wasabi adding a punch of spiciness to the palate. Thankfully, Alex wasn't with me as he would have rejected the raw snack.

Seafood Okonomiyaki - served like a pizza on a wooden board, I actually like okonomiyaki a lot even though you don't find a lot of Japanese restaurants in Singapore serving them. 

The one here was above average with quite a lot of crunchy cabbage within. And for a seafood pancake, I didn't taste any seafood! Maybe I gobbled too fast. Now that I am craving for Okonomiyaki, maybe I should check out Ajiya Okonomiyaki Restaurant near Beauty World which was given a strong recommendation by the Great Kon! 

Garlic Butter Fried Rice - I caught a whiff of the buttery aroma as this was served on the table. With exciting anticipation, I scooped a spoonful and put into my mouth. 

It was dry and surprisingly, bland. Neither the rolled omelette nor the prawns wow us. To be honest, this was disappointing; however, I am not going to waste the S$18.00.

Finally, our skewered meat and vegetables! 

Wait was okay; only 15 minutes. 

Chicken Thigh - the first thing I noticed was that this yakitori had a lot of meat! At S$4.80 a stick, it wasn't cheap but at least the operator didn't scrimp on the portion! I would have been pissed if it was about the same size as the yakitori from Tori-Q.

Juicy with a nicely grilled aroma; the only thing deterring it from being my favorite yakitori was that there wasn't enough yakitori sauce that would have significantly elevated the flavor.

Bacon Asparagus - a bit too liberal with the salt. 

Should have exchanged it for the chicken thigh

Shiitake Mushroom - despite its look which could have passed off as the dried mushrooms at my parent's place, this was in fact grilled perfectly with a soft, lightly salted texture that surprised me as I bit through it. 

Chicken Skin - again, a generous serving with a thin layer of crispiness that was lightly seasoned. A delight to have for deep fried / grilled chicken skin lovers. Shiok! 

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Sunset; can't see much as the izakaya faced more the east. From online photos, the place looked better at night but I can't wait as my blood was ferociously sucked by the mosquitoes! The itch was terribly bad and I am so glad I didn't get any dengue.

Nonetheless, I think I would go back again; maybe only for the beer and the skewers! And the next time I go, I shall be mindful to prepare mosquito repellent! 

Address

43 Admiralty Rd West, 

Within SAF Yacht Club,

Singapore 759962

Map

As above.

Directions

Go in from road next to Sembawang Camp.

Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/KuKaiIzakaya/

Pricing

Suntory Premium Malt Draught - S$9.30

Lemon Chu-Hi - S$10.30 

Tako Wasabi - S$7.00

Seafood Okonomiyaki - S$18.00

Garlic Butter Fried Rice - S$18.00

Chicken Thigh - S$4.80 a stick

Bacon Asparagus - S$5.80 a stick

Shiitake Mushroom - S$4.00

Chicken Skin - S$4.00

(Subject to Service Charge and GST)

One Fattened Calf Burgers - Epic Goldburger @ Galaxis (connected to one-north MRT Station) [Singapore]

First impression counts and the thing that intrigued me when I walked past One Fattened Calf (OFC) a few weeks ago was that it would take a lot more fattened calves to make a burger joint profitable! 

Whatever the case, I returned on a weekday evening to check out the place. As the area is catered more for the office crowd, after office hours would be recommended, especially for a person who works quite near, albeit still an MRT stop away. 

Ordered my food, paid for them, and then waited for my order number to be reflected on the queue number panel. Kitchen was open concept and it was busy! Guess many people had ordered for food delivery. 

I opted to upgrade my burger to a combo at S$4.90, which would allow me a serving of fries (original price, S$5.90) and one drink. Stupid me should have gone for the most expensive golden lime slushie as it was priced at S$4.90; I went for the mineral water instead.

Combo provided the original fries but you can top up for the premium truffle or cheese fries! For the former, it would be an extra S$2.50. S$2.00 more for the latter. 

Truffle Fries - a decent play on my favourite flavored French fries; the truffle aroma was strong although it can't win the unbeatable truffle fries from PS Cafe! I prefer fries that are thinner as they tend to be crispier but the thicker ones from OFC didn't disappoint with a layer of thin crispness. 

Cheese Fries - it's obvious OFC doesn't scrimp on the cheese as it was such a thick. luscious coating over the fries! I have no idea what that sprinkling of red powder is; my taste buds secretly told me there were suspicions of paprika with a touch of BBQ. Nice! 

Finally, our burgers! 

Apparently, the G refers to the Goldburger that was mine. Did you notice something strange about the packaging? To be frank, those packages frustrate me as messy me would continue to make a big mess.

Not the one from OFC; the burger was wrapped up like a Chinese bao and I thought it was such an ingenious idea as I didn't dirty my fingers throughout the meal, until the last two smaller bites.

Goldburger - "150g New Zealand premium grassfed beef, freshly basked and toasted potato bun, house special pulled beef brisket, cheddar cheese, charred onions, red onions, house-made crisp pickles and OFC special sauce"! The younger me would have removed the pickles; the older me decided to let them stay after remembering the one in black tap. 

To me, beef burgers generally had a standard flavor that was differentiated by the doneness of the beef patty, the freshness of ingredients, the type of buns and the kind of sauce. But Goldburger is in a different league altogether; the taste was distinctive and totally blew my mind. 

The richness and juiciness of the beef patty definitely helped, together with the onions, the soft bun and sauce; however, the lightly charred and sweet pulled beef brisket was a major factor that elevated the overall experience. I am known to wolf down my meal; this time, I was slowly savoring the burger! p.s. strangely, I didn't even taste the pickles. 

I will be back, for sure! 

By the way, it's a no pork, no lard establishment! 

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Address

1 Fusionopolis Place,

Galaxis, #01-31,

Singapore 138522

 

Website

https://www.onefattenedcalf.com/

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Goldburger - S$18.00

Combo Top up - S$4.90

Upgrade Fries to Cheese Fries - S$2.00

Upgrade Fries to Truffle Fries - S$2.50

(NETT)

King of Fried Rice - Egg Fried Rice with Shrimps @ Food Loft Clementi 431 [Singapore]

King of Fried Rice appeared to have expanded rapidly in recent years; there's even one near me at Wisteria Mall in Yishun and while I was interested, the motivation to check it out just wasn't strong enough.

The chance came when the stalls in another coffeeshop, that my colleagues wanted to visit for lunch, were closed. I laughed when I saw the neighbor of King of Fried Rice; Chef Kim HK Wanton Noodle had its first branch in Yishun and I have never tried the food too! 

After a wait of less than 10 minutes, here's my egg fried rice with shrimp! Most people would likely order their signature pork cutlet fried rice given the comparison to the Din Tai Feng signature but I am the rare few persons who aren't obsessed with it.

My idea of a perfect plate of fried rice required the companion of prawns and I was pleased to see quite a number (was it five or six?) peeking out from the egg coated grains! 

Wok hei was significant with a nice, balanced flavor that didn't pitch to overwhelm and impress; more like a dish that came from a housewife who just wants something delicious yet healthy for the family. Prawns were likely frozen but at least they were crunchy and not tasteless.

I did enjoy and would love to try their XO fried rice in the future. 

p.s. chilli was a tad too spicy for me, but it did elevate the fried rice.

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Address

Block 431, Clementi Ave 3, 

Within Food Loft Coffee Shop,

Singapore 120431

Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Egg Fried Rice with Shrimps - S$6.50