Watami, Casual Japanese Dining - Star Vista

Studying near Junction 8 or Star Vista? Good news, Watami has student meals just for you! J The student meal which ranges from $4.90++ to $6.90++ is rather affordable and Watami offers a nice place for birthday celebrations or even a simple lunch. With 8 outlets spanning across the island and many outlets overseas, Watami has definitely experienced some form of success in its food.

We ordered 2 dishes for ourselves – the Ishiyaki Bibimbap ($6.90++), and the Chicken Katsu Tamago Toji ($6.90++). 

The Ship Restaurant and Bar Student Meal - Nex Shopping Mall

If you asked your parents about the restaurant, The Ship Restaurant and Bar, it might ring a familiar bell to their ears. The Ship restaurant has a long history which goes all the way back to 1977. They have had many articles posted about them – once in the New Paper, twice in the magazine 8 Days, and thrice in The Straits Times from 2007 – 2011. The Ship also received the Successful Entrepreneur award in 2010. 

The flagship outlet at the Shaw was once the talk of the town. It was frequented by many customers, often having a full house every night; a common date place for many. However, it was closed since 18^th June 2012 for renovations until further notice. It has been 2 years, and nothing has been said about it. Perhaps, the final outlet at Nex would be the last standing outlet in time to come in Singapore. Interestingly, The Ship has outlets in Malaysia. 

With a large amount of publicity over the past few years, little has been said about the current state of The Ship. Does the long legacy and heritage of the restaurant of serving good food still stands? The Tummy Tyrants are back in action to try the restaurant out. 

Food served at the restaurant will cost an average adult about $30. The only reason why we would go to the restaurant would be for the Student Meal! Without researching, we would have never known about The Ship’s history, or even its outlets in Malaysia. We definitely would love to try their normal lunch menu, but well… it is definitely stressful on our pockets so we will have to try it another time.

Hob Nob - Far East Shopping Centre

Tucked away in the totally underrated shopping mall, Far East Shopping Centre, lies a cosy and indie restaurant, called HOB NOB Café Bar. It’s on the 3^rd floor, and it is a little hard trying to find the restaurant. Come up the escalator, give a right turn and keep walking straight. You’d see the restaurant… soon. If you can’t find the restaurant, take reference from the male toilet next to the escalators. Face in the direction away from the escalators, walk straight and give it a right turn. If all else fails, cry. Haha I’m kidding. Just keep walking around the 3^rd floor until you find it. The mall isn’t that big anyway.

La Petite - Serene Centre

La Petite – What a brilliant name for a French Restaurant! Well I think it actually sounds pretty cool. In English, it means “the small”. That actually made a lot of sense. La Petite is/was a very small French restaurant. The outlet at Serene Centre is actually much bigger now that they’ve moved to a bigger outlet within the same compound. The other outlet, along Thomson Road, is actually pretty small. I’ve visited both outlets before, but we’re going to talk about the outlet at Serene Centre today.

Ah, before I continue, Tummy Tyrant 1 here. I have to admit – I’m not a foodie (yet). I have yet to understand and grasp the full concept of what food is truly about. I do enjoy eating though! My primary aim of contributing to Tummy Tyrants is through photography. I took the photos for the last post (which I’m really proud of haha). However, I didn’t take the photos for this post. Tummy Tyrant L took the photos this time! That’s really embarrassing though. Tummy Tyrant 2 encouraged me to write this post, so here goes!

La Petite is one of the places which both of us frequent a lot. We usually order the spaghetti with ham in crème sauce, or spaghetti carbonara, which is what I will be talking about today. I will also attempt to give my take on the spaghetti with cepes in olive oil, or “Aglio Olio” they have here too. Next, we will give our take on the fillet of chicken with cepes and rice. Lastly, we tried a dessert, crème brulee. 

Gastronomia - Cluny Court

Hello friends, Tummy Tyrant 1 here!

We visited Gastronomia, a shop which faces the main street along Bukit Timah at Cluny Court. I remember that Tummy Tyrant 2 and I were really hungry that day, but La Petite wasn’t opened yet and we had to rush off for something. Therefore, we decided to venture out of our comfort zone of decent Carbonara at La Petite, and headed towards Gastronomia.

I don’t know how to put this. The Spaghetti Carbonara which they served was bad. It was horrible. It was horrendous. Never, ever, ever try this. 

Hokkaido Fish Market - Square 2

Tucked beside the escalator of the top level of Square 2, one might not have high expectations of the quality of the food served at the Hokkaido Fish Market. However, our visits to Hokkaido Fish Market have (thankfully) proven us wrong.

We ordered the Saba Set ($11.80 nett) and the Unagi Set ($13.80 nett).

The presentation of the Saba Set (Saba fish, rice, miso soup and green tea, $11.80 nett) was simply stunning – with the slight sizzling on the surface of the skin of the Saba fish, which made the dining experience a slightly unique and exciting one. The Saba fish was cooked to perfection (not overcooked or dry, unlike most served in Singapore). My only complaint for the Saba fish would be that it cried out for a touch of seasoning/acidity (the thin lemon wedge was too small for the entire fish. Those with a smaller appetite or who would like to try some sashimi, should consider the Lunch Bento Set instead (1/2 Saba fish, sashimi rice, miso soup and green tea, $10.80 nett).