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)

Happy CNY!

It's been a while.. Have been really busy at work and there was no time to blog. I would have thrown in some vulgarities here but since it's CNY, let's keep things harmonious and pleasant. 

Anyway I am so glad to get some time off during this CNY.. Despite life being kind of tied up, I unwound it by going down to Chinatown for Korean BBQ dinner a few Fridays ago! 

Seriously, good food makes me happy. Even though I had to return to office after the dinner to continue working.

What's so special about Manbok is that it has both steamboat and BBQ buffet. Best of both worlds. The other one I can think of is Seoul Garden. But after Manbok, I won't be going Seoul Garden anymore. 

They have this suction thing that helps to suck away the smoke and oil. Though we still smell like our food, the smell is not that strong. But not a good idea to bring a hot date because your view will be obstructed.

And while you are waiting for your meats to cook, chomp on some cooked food. Esp these crispy Korean chicken wings that are coated with soy and garlic. OMG they are like the best. Ever. Needless to say, I had a few rounds of these. And they are always available in hot and piping mode. Well done Manbok!

Before cooking:

After cooking:

Here's my guide on which Manbok meats to piah!

My most favourite would be the marinated pork collar, followed by the spicy pork belly that has the perfect ratio of translucent fat layer and lean meat layer. The chicken leg was awesome too - tender and juicy. My fellow diner loves the non-marinated pork belly which you could really taste the sweetness of the pork. Manbok's meats are really high quality and substantial. They have a lot of beef too but I'm not a beef fan. 

For the record, vegetables were consumed too:

As for the steamboat, you determine the soup - clear soup which is actually a clam soup, or spice it up by adding some Korean spice sauce.

The buffet comes with free flow of drinks. The mango juice was not bad but the lemon juice cannot make it. And of course, there is free vanilla and chocolate ice-cream!

And yes, free beer for more than 4 pax. Blink blink blink..

They have a lunch buffet at a charity price of $15 nett on weekdays and $18 on weekends! I haven't personally tried the lunch buffet. But if the spread is similar to dinner, then I must say it's really very worth it. Are we like in 1995? 

The dinner buffet was $29+ (no GST but 10% service charge), which is also not bad given that the quality is really good and you get steamboat + BBQ + cooked food + unlimited Korean fried chicken+ fruits + drinks + ice-cream. And free beer for groups with 4 pax or more.

For the gambling kings and queens who have huat from CNY illegal gambling already, consider some unstoppable feasting at Manbok.

Address: 277 New Bridge Road s (088752) - Located in a shophouse.

Tel: 6557 0939

Dark and elusive, Ronin looks like a favourite brunch place for vampires. Except that no blood is served. I had quite a hard time finding Ronin because it doesn't have a signboard. There is only a sign outside stating its address 17 Hong Kong St. 

Visited at 11am on a Saturday morning and was very pleased to find quite an empty cafe. #victoryscored

Communal table spotted in the middle and several bar tables nearer to the open kitchen. Common sense says don't sit near the kitchen unless I want to smell like my food. 

A glance of the drinks menu and Wicked ($5.50) caught my eyes. Blink blink. It is actually a mocha mint which was refreshing and cooling, and surprisingly mint complements the mocha very well. I like that it is not bitter and yet not overly sweet. My friend got the pretty Matcha tone ($5.50) that had steamed milk on top of a thick layer of matcha. Which was highly raved as intense and nice.

We both ordered the brioche French toast ($14.50), a sumptuous brunch which comes with braised apples, bacon and hazelnut butter and syrup. I like the fluffy toast and the hazelnut butter sauce that drenches and complements it nicely. But the apple was too sour for me. 

Service was attentive too. I like that Ronin doesn't charge GST or service charge, which made our brunch pretty value for money. I think I'll go back for Wicked soon.

Address: 17 Hong Kong Street Singapore 059660

I went to PS Cafe on Ann Siang Road. It's a pretty restaurant located at the end of Ann Siang Road which was on top of Ann Siang Hill. The restaurant was quiet and offered a different vibe from the rowdy watering holes along the road and Club St area. 

Though by the time we trekked up the hill, we were sweating buckets enough to water the plants at PS Cafe. 

Ok I know Ann Siang Hill is not really a high hill.

The Victorian style decor was so pretty and the place smelt of flowers. It would be perfect for a romantic date.

PS Cafe is well known for its brunches. However, we were there for dinner on a Friday evening.

Truffle shoestring fries

When dining at PS Cafe, truffle fries is a must order. PS Cafe's version was probably the best truffle fries I've ever had. And I am not even a big fan of truffle fries to begin with. The fries, infused with truffle oil, were fragrant and light, making me feel less sinful clearing it. The fries were topped with grated parmesan cheese making it more addictive. It was so irresistible that the plate was wiped out quickly.

Crispy calamari 
The deep fried squid rings were accompanied by two sauces - a brown sauce which was sweet, and another white sauce which was honey lemon butter. Typical fried food which was addictive and delicious.

Crab tart ($32++)
For my main course, I chose the crab tart which was served with prawn bisque cream , lemon honey vinaigrette dressed greens & homemade harissa.

The tart was very huge and so was the accompany salad. I was unable to finish it.

It's something like baked mash potatoes, and there was crab meat shreds within. The outer tart was very crispy. However, it was a bit too salty for my palate. A pity it was also not served hot. I was quite disappointed with this as I was really looking forward it. Somehow the dish did not turn out right.. maybe because the taste was lacking in dimensions. The portion was too overwhelming for me to finish by myself. 

Chargrilled cheese burger ($29++)
Chargrilled wagyu & US chuck pattie topped with melting gruyere & mozzarella cheese, tomato, mesclun greens, sauteed mushrooms & crispy onions on a toasted sesame bun with shoestring fries

My fellow diners ordered this.. OMG more fries.. totally fries overload.

The picture doesn't do justice to its actual humongous size. Fellow diner also didn't finished it. And one of them complained that the steak was overcooked. 

Overall, I think I will just come back for truffle fries.

PS: This PS outlet only accepts teenagers and adults. So no yelling babies or children.

PPS: They hold two seatings... we had the 6.30pm to 8.30pm seating. And they were ultra prompt.. we were reminded to leave around 8.15pm.

Address:
45 Ann Siang Road, #02-02, S 069719