SABOTEN さぼてん

My last visit to PARCO Marina Bay was dining at Keisuke Tokyo Ramen Restaurant. This time, I went with my ex-colleague to Saboten for Tonkatsu. It was a week day and therefore, no queue ~ Phew! I had been wanting to taste their fried pork and see if they were as good as those served at Tonkichi.

Here's my review on their Tonkatsu ~ the pork (loin/fillet) was coated with breadcrumbs and deep fried till crispy on the outside; the meat was tender and juicy (not too oily) ; the bento set came with generously serving of thinly shredded cabbages and a bowl of hot miso soup ~ free flow for both items. However, I still prefer the gohan (rice) at Tonkichi which the texture is shinier, more fragrant and tastier. Overall, it was still a pleasant and satisfying meal. Service was good and staff was friendly and polite too ^.~

Here's mixer bowl of black and white goma (sesame)
~ grind them finely and the goma fragrant just smells good ^.~

Pour a scoop of Tonkatsu sauce into the freshly grinded sesame
which is the dipping sauce for the deep fried pork loin/fillet. The sauce has a rich flavor and just goes well with my Tonkatsu ~ oishii desu ne ^0^

See this lovely glass bottles of salad dressing in creamy goma (sesame) and yuzu (citrus fruit which is vinegar-based dressing) flavors.

Yummy ~ My Tonkatsu set also served with a crab cream croquette and prawn too ^_^

We had the cabbages to eat along with the pork. This could wash away the fatty bits and I also won't feel so guilty after eating all my porky. Hehe :P

Yummylicious!

SAKURA Restaurant @ Marina Country Club

It is a hazy week and not advisable to stay outdoor. But I could not do so as I just like to be out during the weekends. Anyway, it was a birthday treat for tiger bro and we decided to go to Marina Country Club for a charcoal grilled and shabu shabu dinner buffet at Sakura Restaurant.

I was thinking that there should be not many people coming for the buffet as the weather was hazy and raining heavily. The restaurant area was huge and almost filled up entirely! Luckily, I had made a reservation in advance.

As it was still early when we arrived at Marina Country Club (MCC), we went to racky the club.

There is a very large boats storage area and many boats/yachts are parked at the pier. It will be fun and exciting to have a boat trip. Tiger Bro has obtained the power boat (driving) licence and hopefully he can bring us out to the sea soon ~ wooohooo!

See ~ a hazy evening out @ MCC

We passed by Great Atlantis Seafood Restaurant. Apparently, their specialty is the Giant Grouper which every parts of it can be cooked deliciously. I love fish so I may come to try it one day.

The buffet is divided into raw, skewer, cooked, sushi, dessert and beverage sections. There are varieties of fish, meat, seafood, vegetables, cooked food, sushi, dessert and dipping sauces ^.~ The marination of the food were handled well and our grilled meats/chicken wings turned out juicy and tasty.

We were so hungry and all the food just tasted yummy. haha! The soup stock was super good and had a rich flavor with all the salted/sichuan veg, corns, eggs, prawns and mushrooms ^-^

Hmm ~ I still missed my steamboat at Tung Wing Hot Pot in Hong Kong which I previously posted in my blog.

Wow ~ the ingredients in our pot made it so colorful ~ Slurp ^.~

Grilled Scallops & Zucchini ~ oishii desu ne! We actually put in some soup stock on it
~ making it more flavorful. The slight charred and browned Zucchini were simply nice and the softness is just right. Seasoned with black pepper and a pinch of salt will be perfectly good!

Haha! Tiger Bro just could not resist his grilled pork slices ^0^
Happy Birthday ~ Stay "young" and lovingly always with Sista Kate!
HUAT ah!

Birthday Parcels

This was my 2nd time purchase of the customized cookies parcel from Yoke Bakery. As expected, their cookies were beautifully made and packed nicely in a simple yet presentable gift box together with a printed gift tag. I had also ordered their Brownie Nut Fudge which the photo posted on their website tempted me to order it ~ hehe!

The cookies parcel and brownie were a surprised birthday gift to EL. I did not have in mind what to get for her. Since she loves to eat, I decided to get her these delectable cookies and brownies. EL was so "nice" that she brought 2 pieces for me to try ~ ONLY 2 leh!!

Clean and white ~ Simple yet nice

This is awfully so so good and delicious!
Chocolatey, Nutty and Fudgey enough to make EL, her family, my mum and I drooling ~ of course, we desparately want another serving of the brownies.

Inside of the parcel ~ full of cookies

Kawaii, isn't it

Birthday cup cake cookie

The matcha flavor is just nice ~ the shortbread is light and tasty

This is my fav ~ healthy, chewy, nutty and fruity

Usually we will get to eat this during CNY ~ however, they can bake these too.
The cookies are packed in a small plastic container.

Hope EL likes my gift.

Chilli Padi Nonya Cafe

Chilli Padi serves Peranakan cuisine and provides catering services with a wide range of menus. They have set up a restaurant @ Joo Chiat Place and 2 Nonya cafes @ North Bridge Road and Heng Mui Keng Terrace.

Over a weekend, I gather a few friends to try their lunch buffet at the Nonya Cafe @ North Bridge Road. The buffet starts at 11 am till 2.30 p.m. and the price is S$13.80++.

We were early but the crowds came after about 11.30 a.m.

A sizzling pot of hot laksa gravy ~ the rich coconut gravy is fragrant ~
you can add chilli to increase it spiciness flavor.

The coconut milk adds a distinctive flavor to my bowl of tasty laksa!

Another piping hot pot of mee siam gravy goes well with the bee hoon.

It is a dish with 3 "S" flavors ~ Sweet, Sour and Spicy.

My plate full of Nonya Chap Chey (Mmixed vegetables, black fungus, vermicelli , dried lily flower buds and dried beancurd till its soft and tasty), Achar (pickled veg and pineapple and sprinkle with crushed peanuts), Assam fish slices, Nonya Curry Chicken and its gravy goes with rice. Oops! Almost forgotten about the Sambal Belacan Chilli Paste ~ super good and just increase my appetite!

My 2nd helping ^.~

Gado Gado (mixture of prawn crackers, potatoes, cucumbers, eggs, tempeh (fermented soybeans) and ketupat (rice cakes) ~ I thought it's an Indonesian dish but the buffet serves this too. Perhaps the gravy is made in Nonya's recipe. Anyway, it is delicious.

Surprise too ~ there are also local delights too ~
my favorite: Chwee Kueh and Yam Cakes.

Yummy! Another of my fav ~ Nonya Kueh Pie Tee :P

The Kueh Pie Tee cups are fresh and crispy. The tasty stewed fillings are sweet turnips, carrots, shallots/garlics and corriander leaves. There should be eggs and shrimps in that fillings too but I skip it.

Here comes my desserts ~ ATTACK! HeHe ^0^

Aren't the kueh kueh look delicious and colorful too :P

As most Nonya Kueh are steamed and baked of grated coconut flesh, coconut milk, tapioca, sago, gula melaka (palm sugar) and glutinous rice so I can be full after having these desserts.

Different colors, shapes, texture and taste ~ simply mouth-watering ^0^

An enjoyable and satisfying lunch ~