If the last time you went to the Geylang Serai Ramadan Bazaar was a few years ago, you need to visit it today. It's like a breath of fresh air with instagrammable inventions such as dragon breath (read: $7 Cheezels which has liquid nitrogen added so that you can spew dragon-like breath), galaxy drinks (read: milkshake with artificial coloring), unicorn tears (bubblegum milkshake), vampire blood (no idea about this one). 

Instagram has saved the Geylang Ramadan bazaar. It's actually a hipster thing to visit the Ramadan Bazaar nowadays. 

Just a week ago marked the start of a month of Ramadan fasting. It also marked the start of the annual Geylang Serai Bazaar which will end on 24 June.

The theme for this year is Unicorns!

A union of unicorns

As a non-conformist, I didn't get anything with unicorns. Here's the real (pun intended) food that I got:

1) Chicken scotch eggs with crackers in Peking duck sauce ($5)

Braved the "scotch-ing" hot bazaar for this scotch eggs. Basically it is eggs coated with minced chicken meat and fried cereal. While the eggs were delicious, the minced meat was so-so and quite flat in flavour. The prawn crackers that were drizzled in Peking duck sauce were good comfort food but nothing to shout about. 3/5

Location: Bazaar along Engku Aman Road

2) Raclette set ($12)

When raclette meets pototo. This was the most anticipated event at the Geylang Ramadan Bazaar and we queued 30 minutes for this. Unfortunately, the French-imported cheese is really just normal la. The potatoes are too salty for my liking. The price is too expensive for my liking. The queue is too long for my liking. 3/5

Location: Bazaar along Haig Road food centre side.

3) Big sotong ($7.50)

Because the queue for Raclette was too long, it was more efficient for me to go and scout for other food while my companion was queuing. Pro tip: Bring a group of friends and get them to queue at different stalls, and then meet to eat together. 

This big sotong caught my eye. The hot & spicy flavour is not super spicy. But I love the crispiness and chewy yet not rubbery texture. Satisfying crispy snack. 3.5/5

Location: Bazaar along Haig Road food centre side.

4) Thai fried ice-cream rolls ($4 for 6 rolls)

These ice-cream rolls screamed for my attention. The ice-cream is placed on a flat surface and mixed with fruits/toppings of your choice, and then flattened and rolled. It is gimmicky but there is something therapeutic watching them being rolled. Anyway, they are just like normal ice-cream. 2/5

Location: Bazaar along Haig Road food centre side.

5) Fried Oreos ($3 for 5 pcs)

4.5/5 when piping hot. 3/5 when cold. Deep fried Oreo that's coated with batter and topped with a crust of icing sugar. It's a burst of sweet and savoury in every bite. Who knew Oreos have a different side to them? 

Location: Everywhere

6) Fried milk ($5 for 6 pcs)

While the whole Ramadan Bazaar is trying to copy each other to be the best Unicorn, this stall caught my attention with its fried milk. The one and only stall that sells fried milk. There are 4  flavours available: (1) Original milk with salted caramel, (2) Pandan with gula melaka and shredded coconut (3) Thai milk tea with condensed milk (4) Mixed platter of the above. I don't like salted caramel and milk tea. So only left with option 2 - Pandan with gula melaka and shredded coconut. 

The texture is really interesting with its custard-like milk pudding that's enveloped by a super crispy golden outer layer. So you get a crispy yet soft feeling. I like the pandan flavour which is not overly sweet. 

Verdict: 5/5 for the first piece. 4/5 for second piece.. 3/5 for .. you get the idea. 

Location: Bazaar along Haig Road food centre side.

7) Katoshka double-fried russet fries ($5.90)

Finally something that I will return for. 6/5 this one is.

The russet fries are double-fried, making them crispy and yet moist at the same time. But the star is the special cheese sauce which is infused with herbs, making it rich, intense and addictive. So good..

I should stop writing about food in the middle of the night. 

Location: Bazaar along Haig Road side. Next to fried milk.

The griping thing about the bazaar is that it was super hot and the crowds were insane. I wished I brought a portable fan along. 

I wonder what would be the theme next year. But certainly not unicorns. As someone said, consistency is the playground of dull minds. We shall see..

Personally, a Mookata buffet usually conjures up images of menacing gas cylinders and splattering hot oil. I would classify it under "higher risk" food adventure, and unless the benefits are justified, I would not go near a Mookata anytime. Legend has it that Soi 51 Mookata has great value-for-money all-you-can-eat delicious Mookata buffet at $20 nett only! And $18 nett during promotion periods. That certainly outweighs the risk of me being burnt by a Mookata. 

The variety of food offered at Soi 51 Mookata is amazing. Besides the usual marinated pork, chicken and beef, I was surprised with the seafood offerings which include prawns, mussels, scallops, squid, bamboo clams, flower crabs. And they also have a huge selection of pork balls, Thai fish cakes, mushrooms etc. 

Taste-wise, we love almost everything. The barbecued marinated meats were excellent. They were tender and juicy. The prawns and scallops were succulent as well. Again, to re-emphasise the price point of $20 nett, it's really worth the money and there's not much to complain about the food standards.

Soi 51 Mookata has several outlets and I think most of them are located in coffee shops. Take your pick of "prime real estate" in the coffee shop and enjoy the open-air ventilation. Service is adequate and efficient. Though one should not be expecting restaurant type of ambience and service level.  We left with our souls satisfied, stomachs overworked. 

Contact: https://www.facebook.com/soi51mookata/ 

吊起来卖 or "hang up to sell" in English

Due to stricter employment laws imposed by the ministry of manpower in recent years, Hong Kong Kam's Roast Goose's Michelin winning goose did not get its work permit in Singapore.

Oh I think I got the wrong ministry. I meant the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) didn't issue work permit to the goose due to potential bird flu scares.

Without the star performer, the Singapore franchise of Kam's Roast Goose, which opened at Pacific Plaza in Orchard featured other foreign talents such as the Malaysian roast duck, and Toro Char Siew (barbecued pork).

The Toro Char Siew was highly recommended by the media. It was supposedly based on a secret marinade that is developed by the Kam family and you might have to marry their offspring if you really want to know the recipe. Wow, the sweet sticky sauce that coated the charred caramelised bits didn't disappoint! However, it was let down by the char siew which had lean meat that was too tough for my liking, and had too little fatty portions. For the value, it is overpriced at $22.80 and I doubt I will order it again.

Toro Char Siew ($22.80!)

We got a roast meat combo noodle (with 2 meats which we chose roast duck obviously and roast pork). The roast duck was quipped by my friend as 有前途 (got hope). Indeed the first bite into the crispy skin and juicy tender meat gave us hope that this is the one. But reality soon hits us that it just tasted like a good plate of roast duck and nothing extraordinary.

Roast duck and pork combo noodle ($11.80)

Roast pork & Roast duck

The noodles were supposed to be flown in from Hong Kong daily. But we did not find it very different or unique.

Service was attentive even though food took quite some time to arrive. Which is puzzling because I thought not much cooking was required.

So Kam's Roast didn't turn out to be a life changing experience after all. The food was not bad but there wasn't much economic value. A bit of 吊起来卖 or as they say in English, "hang up to sell". I guess I won't be back anytime.

We interrupt your daily business to bring you an important message. We think we have found the best cheesecake of the year.

Yes. From LeTao. And I don't know why it is not repeated like a broken record in my social media feed. The only articles I came across mentioning LeTao were the Straits Times and Daniel Food Diary.  After seeing Daniel's Instagram video which included someone breaking down into touched moments of "Omg it's very nice..", I was left with no choice but to check out LeTao.

For the uninitiated, LeTao is a super famous cheesecake from the land of desserts a.k.a. Hokkaido. Finally, LeTao has found home in Singapore, in the form of a takeaway counter store in Ion Orchard, located at B1 level near the Moleskine store if you know where is it. 

The best thing is there are no queues. Initially I was trying to see if there was some hidden queue.. You know, like Bake Cheese Tart's queue at B4 level which had me grinning like a lottery winner when I first saw there was no queue at its store... only till I was informed that the queue begins a few hundred meters away so that traffic is unblocked for other shops. 

But nope, no confusing queue system for LeTao. No never-ending queue. I repeat, no queue at all. #NeverUnderestimateSocialMedia

Petit Chocolat Strawberry ($12 per 50 grams)

Before we get to the best cheesecake of the year, the very helpful salesgirl gave us some samples of their chocolates and biscuits to try. The petit chocolat strawberry is a whole freeze-dried strawberry encapsulated by sweet white chocolate and dusted with a layer of strawberry powder. It's neither overly sweet nor sour, and makes a perfect TV or reading snack for the freeze-dried strawberry lover.

Otaru Rue Ironai Fromage ($10/box of 9 pcs; $19/box of 18 pcs)

I noticed many people were buying the Otaru Rue Ironai Fromage, or cheese cookies in English. I can see why. In between the crispy biscuits was a smooth creamy layer of cheese, which is the same mascarpone cheese used in the famous cheesecake. The affordable price-point makes it a popular add-on item too.

Double fromage ($28)

Now, for the pièce de résistance, the double fromage. The beauty comes in two layers: a froth-like creamy no-bake cheesecake that's not overly rich, and a rich solid baked cheesecake. 

The joy is when I eat them in one mouthful together. That's when the light airy layer melts into the solid layer, resulting in a sensational out-of-the-world taste and texture.

The cheese used in the no-bake cheesecake is Italian mascarpone. And I tell you, the Italians make really good cheese. Mascarpone cheese is a buttery-rich double-cream to triple-cream cow's milk cheese. Instead of using rennet which is an enzyme from ruminant animals to coagulate the cheese, citric or tartaric acid is used instead. Hence, the taste is softer and more delicate than other cheeses, making it a perfect combination with the rich cream cheese used in the baked portion.

Mascarpone Creme Brulee ($25)

We wanted to get their chocolate double cheesecake but it was sold out. But it's ok, I found love in the creme brulee cake. It uses the same Mascarpone cheese, Hokkaido milk and Madagascar vanilla. There is no caramelized top but the joy is not affected as I tucked into the creamy, egg-fragrant smooth creamy custard. The crust is a thin layer of flaky pastry akin to mille-feuille. Very good!

Take note that the double fromage costs $28 for a 12cm cake. That's equivalent to 4 slices. Which is about $7 for a slice.. not that expensive if you can slice it. LeTao Singapore does not sell in slices as it is the brand directive from Japan HQ. They can only sell pre-packed cakes with no direct contact with the food. But they provide disposable forks and knives so you can share with a friend and cut the cake on the spot. But I personally think it will be unwise to share.. kekeke..

There is no "we" in food.

Ok quickly go and eat LeTao before you make your new year resolutions on dieting, clean-eating,  blah blah blah..

Address: Ion Orchard B1-K7, 2 Orchard Turn Singapore 238801

Tel: +65 8799 3551

We live in the golden age of ramen, especially in Singapore where ramen shops sprout faster than you can say "oisshi". As I've always confessed openly, my favourite type of men is ramen. So when Tsuta Ramen, the first Michelin starred ramen in the World, has set up its first ever outpost in Singapore, I was left with no choice but to join the unwinding queue to find out more.

I queued on a Saturday morning. It was also Kam's Roast opening day in the same building Pacific Plaza. Kam's Roast is brought in by Hersing Culinary, also the same company that brought in Tsuta Ramen and 1-Michelin star Tim Ho Wan. Seems like Hersing is trying to build a Michelin empire in Pacific Plaza.

I posted a live update on the situation on Instagram that day.

The situation at 11.30am. Reporting live from Pacific Plaza, Singapore. . 🍜 🍗 Kam Roast will open at 1pm today. The plan is to eat Tsuta first then move to Kam. #determined

A photo posted by @weekendeatwhat on Nov 18, 2016 at 7:46pm PST

For the record, I didn't eat Kam after Tsuta because #TooFull.

Managed to get in after an hour plus of queuing (thank god for my Kindle which made the wait more value-adding).

I ordered the unusual shoyu ramen ($22.80 / 4 pieces of char siew / 1 ajitama egg), which is Tsuta's award winning ramen. The truffle oil and clam-based dashi stock was a weird combination for me. Hmmm let's just say I can't appreciate the exotic broth which was umami with a hint of truffle pungency. It wasn't inedible but personally, I don't think pungent and umami goes well together. The redeeming factor was the amazing seasoned runny egg which was sweet and savory, as well as the lean yet flavourful pork collar. I wasn't expecting myself to like the pork slices as they aren't the usual melt-in-mouth and fatty char siew.. but they turned out to be the most favourite ingredient of the day. The thin noodles were al dente and springy, just the way I like them.

Ramenologists would know that there is no such thing as a perfect ramen, given the huge variety of ramen types in this world (see Lucky Peach's A Guide To The Regional Ramen of Japan). Just like men, ramen comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Each person has their own preference. For me, I still prefer my thick milky pork-based broth, the typical ramen next door. Till then, doubt I will be going back to Tsuta anytime soon.

Address: 9 Scotts Road, #01-01, Pacific Plaza, 228210

This post just proves that I am the pro in procrastination. Actually Candlenut has been on my to-eat list since this blog was started back in 2013. And yet I must wait until it got a Michelin star in July 2016 before I visited. And yet I must wait until it shifted from Chinatown to Dempsey before I document my visit to its Chinatown outlet back in end July. So it's really an achievement that I managed to reach the end of this paragraph!

Initally we just wanted to try some ala carte dishes but I didn't know they don't serve ala carte during dinner. They only have a set menu at $68++ for dinner. Before you think it's too expensive for Peranakan dishes, I need to correct that it is Peranakan-inspired and they use premium ingredients e.g. Wagyu beef, NZ lamb, and quite a bit of seafood.

(Clockwise) Charred octopus with chincalok and achar, Blue swimmer crab kueh pie tee in yellow curry, Buah keluak pork dumpling, Wagyu beef satay

The appetizers started off well. My most favourite was the Wagyu beef satay which was well-marinated with spices, fork tender and grilled to perfection. The blue swimmer crab kueh pie tie, an interesting twist to the traditional kueh pie tie, was excellent and addictive. 

On to the mains..

Charcoal grilled John snapper fillet with black mango sambal, ginger flower and Japanese cucumber kerabu

Pardon my ignorance but this is the first time I've come across black mango sambal. I think it is mainly mango mixed with sambal and hence it is both sweet yet spicy at the same time. Excellent pairing with the soft tender snapper fillet. The ginger flower and Japanese cucumber kerubu improve the visual presentation of the dish while giving the overall taste of the dish a refreshing perspective too.

Pork meatballs in rich chicken and seafood broth

Another favourite dish are the meatballs. The broth is full of sweet and umami flavours. It is perfect to diffuse some of the spiciness from the spicy dishes.

Wok fried sambal, wild caught baby squid, petai beans, tamarind

This spicy squid is not for those who has low tolerance for spicy food. I left the petai beans alone.

Sayur lodeh kang kong with crispy whitebait and baby sweet potato leaves

The sayur lodeh kang kong is cooked in well-balanced coconut milk and spices. But what makes the dish outstanding was the salty crispy whitebait which gives the dish an interesting twist in flavours, textures and overall presentation.

NZ Maori Lakes lamb shoulder rendang, green banana, kaffir lime leaf, serunding

Last but not least, we enjoyed the lamb rendang which was classic rendang at its best. 

Durian soup, Mao Shan Wang ice-cream, D24 durian puree, feuilletine (left), Chendol (right) 

We got to choose our desserts from a list. Without much thought, we went for the durian and chendol respectively. No regrets. The durian dessert was as if I was eating real durian and the feuilletine tasted very local, similar to the wafer egg rolls I ate when I was young. As for the chendol, it's typical chendol that's done well. No complaints.

Service was super attentive. I was there when Candlenut was still celebrating their Michelin win and I got complimentary wine. Candlenut is probably the only Peranakan restaurant in the world that has a Michelin star and I really think they deserved it because they totally brought Peranakan cuisine to greater heights by incorporating creative ideas. The only pity for me is that they have shifted to Dempsey which is really a hassle to get to without four wheels. Till then, this will stay in my favourite dining memories of 2016. 

Teppei-san strikes the Japanese food scene again after his wildly popular omakase restaurant (read review here). This time with an electrifying move to open the first unagi specialty Man Man Japanese unagi restaurant in Singapore. I love unagi and hence made a special trip to 1 Keong Saik Road to find out more.

Man Man restaurant is not very big. It's quite smoky and could do with better ventilation. You can choose to sit in front of the kitchen which you would be treated with a gory theatrical trailer of your eel being killed live, skewered and grilled in front of you. I would prefer to pretend that my food's previous life was not a living animal so thank you very much, I'll pick the seat near the door.

Theatrical smoke effect

I got the una tama don ($18.60+) which is basically grilled unagi, soft tamogo and rice, soup. The char-grilled unagi's firm sweet meat is perfect with the accompanying Japanese rice that is drizzled with the special soy sauce. The thin layer of crispy grilled skin soaked with sauce was just enough to add flavor without greasing up the dish. The fluffy tamago adds a different dimension of texture to the entire dish.

The portion is not very big. So if you are looking for a mega feast of fleshy unagi meat, you might be disappointed with Man Man.

Man Man's queue on Saturday noon was fortunately not too man man (慢慢) (about 20 minutes). But I would recommend to bring insect repellent, sunblock, sunglasses, portable fans, caps etc as the queue is not sheltered from the blazing hot sun and the wildlife.  

Overall, I would recommend the unagi lover to try this at least once in his lifetime. I would also recommend the unagi lover to stop eating unagi for the rest of his life after that. According to Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unagi), unagi is an endangered species. Sorry for ending your dreams. Your sacrifice will be greatly appreciated by sustainability organisations worldwide. Thank you.

Man Man Japanese Unagi Restaurant

Address: 1 Keong Saik Road Singapore 089109 

Tel: +65 62220678 (No reservations for lunch hour)