Tenya Tempura Tendon

Missing some Tokyo Tendon? Well Tempura Tendon Tenya, Japan's No. 1 Tendon chain restaurant, has landed on our shores with their Orchard Central outlet, the first of many to come. Established in 1989 in Asakusa in Tokyo, the tempura specialist is known for its value-for-money meals.

Dig into a bowl of glistening Masshigura Aomori rice adorned with perfectly battered and fried pieces of seafood, meat or vegetables tempura, drizzled with an umami tare glazing sauce with the perfect viscosity, priced from $7.90. 

The price is surprising because most of the ingredients are sourced from Japanese producers to ensure the highest quality bite, starting from their special blend of wheat flour for their tempura, to the customized blend of tare sauce with soy, dashi and grilled eel essence (from traditional soy sauce maker Kinoene Shoyu) and down to their togarashi chilli. 

Precision is key to the perfectly fried tempura. With a patented Automatic Fryer, Tenya is able to produce consistent tempura without an experienced chef, at the speed of 1000 pieces of tempura per hour! That's how you can get cooked-to-order tempura at Tenya Singapore. 

Man Fu Yuan InterContinental Singapore New Menu

Easily one of my favorite Chinese restaurants, Man Fu Yuan at InterContinental Singapore has always provided finessed plates of comforting traditional dishes which bring together the family. Their latest menu by Executive Chinese Chef Aaron Tan has spiced things up with innovative techniques along with smoke and fire, providing diners with a multi-sensory experience. 

We started with a luxurious honey-glazed bbq Duroc pork belly char siew ($28 per serving) which was topped with caviar and gold flakes. The meat was served cold but the flavors were robust. I would have preferred a warm piece so that the fats would be creamier. 

The chilled Fanny Bay oysters in hua diao wine, ikura, bonito shoyu ($24/3pcs) was a stunning appetizer and is definitely my preferred way of enjoying the plump shellfish. Served in a cloud of tea-infused smoke, the presentation is certainly to impressed a corporate client but the dish is more than that. The refreshing yuzu dressing provided a touch of sweetness which enhanced the briny freshness of the creamy flesh. 

The braised beef short ribs, wild mushrooms, spicy sauce in lotus leaf ($68) is best eaten with a bucket of rice, which we regretfully did not have. That braising sauce had amassed all the goodness from the chicken mushrooms, morels and the gelatinous meat. The dish is served in a salt crust and flambéed with peppercorn for a very slight fragrance (hardly noticeable) but it was more theatrics than for flavor enhancement.  

Avenue 87 Modern Asian Restaurant

Avenue 87, a tale of two Singapore chef friends Glen (of three Michelin Star Ultraviolet) and Alex (previously from Park Hotel Clarke Quay) who trained and started their careers at the same place and are now back to start this Modern Asian restaurant at Amoy Street. 

Well-loved Asian favourites (the chefs' childhood favorites and memories) are given a creative twist using traditional and contemporary techniques here, and presented in a four or six course dinner menu ($76/98). Wine pairing is available, as curated by Avenue 87's Beverage Specialist, Si Hao, a Certified Specialist of Wine.

We started with snacks of chicken skin chips (think keropok) and kueh pie tee with a take on curry fish head albeit meatless. 

Hidden under the curry crema are thinly sliced baby eggplants, lady’s fingers, semi-dried cherry tomatoes, and curry leaves. Best way to eat your veg is to hide them!

The first dish was a Japanese inspired salmon sashimi dish, topped with a refreshing icy soy wasabi granita, and accompanied by ponzu pickled wakame, dill oil, and sour cream. 

This was followed by a super comforting fish soup with deep-fried egg floss no less! All components are made from scratch here, with an anchovies and roasted sea bass bone broth with an anchovy buttermilk sauce for that creamy base, balanced with the sweet tanginess of confit tomatoes and sliced bittergourd. The sliced poached sea bass is from Ah Hua Kelong for extra freshness because #supportlocal. So dang good. 

Sambal octopus anyone? Think Peranakan rempah and sambal with a blanched octopus, topped with stir-fried greens (and beansprouts urgh) and a confit egg yolk, wrapped in a attap house looking banana leaf. I didn't quite like the texture of this as it was pretty flat and the sambal could have more kick. 

The main course was a baby lamb rack inspired by Alex’s memories of Vietnamese local meat skewers. The New Zealand lamb was marinated with a Vietnamese-style blend of herbs and spices which gave a satay-like flavor to it. The use of a sweet tangy sauce made from locally-sourced stingless bee honey was genius actually, and helped to balance any gaminess. A rotating choice of sides comes with the meat. My vote goes to the fluffy coriander rice.

Endings made sweeter with 2 sweets thanks to Alex's sweet tooth. The first, a house-made coconut ice cream served with pound cake crumble, papaya, and caramelised pineapple. It had a gula melaka kind of milky flavor to it which was absolutely delish. 

The second dessert, “pisang no goreng" was more than what meets the eye. The fried parcel contained a coconut custard and the banana was found in the ice cream instead. I enjoyed this in more ways than i do a goreng pisang. 

Gotta love the variety of eats at Amoy Street and Avenue 87 certainly stands out with their cuisine. They also do offer a lunch set for that midday craving. Their confit duck with yam rice and salted vegetables is calling out to me. 

Avenue 87

47 Amoy Street Singapore 069873 

Tel: +65 9838 8401 / +65 6970 5491 

Monday to Friday: 11.30am - 2.30pm, 5.30 - 10pm

Sat: 5.30 - 10pm

Spago Marina Bay Sands

I live for weekends these days for that slight reprieve from work, which has become quite unbearable the past weeks. Before a 3am operations stakeout the day after (hell i'm not even in ops), i managed to squeeze in a dinner at Spago as a reward/encouragement and boy did it help me get through the week. 

The first international offshoot of Wolfgang Puck’s renowned Beverly Hills restaurant, Spago at Marina Bay Sands offer a seasonal menu of Californian cuisine with global accents and you'd find some Singaporean dishes like Kaya Toast and Laksa here. 

The restaurant overlooks part of the pool, which you would not see if dining indoors. On a cool night, i believe it should be quite comfortable dining along the outdoor terrace but i do prefer the classy indoor environment. 

My weakness right there, bread and butter. It took all my willpower not to tear into everything.

A creamy mushroom choux to start us off. 

Truth be told, i didn't expect the "Kaya Toast" ($35) to work as well as it did. Out with the classic pairing of pan-seared foie gras with an acidic fruit compote, at Spago, the buttery liver is balanced with a sweet pandan-coconut jam which actually works. All components of the local kaya toast breakfast is present on the plate- splatters of egg curd, toasted brioche, and even espresso (it went into the foie gras mousse). 

The Charcoal Grilled Octopus ($32) spectacular and i'd highly recommend this. I've not had such a tender octopus leg before and honestly octopus should only be cooked this way. This dish certainly took reference from Japanese cuisine, with the use of Japanese herbs, tempura sea beans, bonito and powdered nori. The accompanying kaffir lime aioli further lifted the dish.

The Agnolotti with Sweet Summer Corn ($28/38) was another pleaser. Lovely little parcels of sweet corn puree, flavored by a savory creamy mascarpone sage sauce and shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano. The simple life. Or lux it up with some shaved truffles if you wish.

Iberico Pork Chop ($65) is one massive stunner for any meat lover. The meat, served medium, was a delicate shade of pink in the center. The heavy notes were balanced with a ripe whisky-glazed pears and, lemony fennel, and gremolata. We'd recommend this for sharing if you're a small eater. We ended up bringing half a portion home (which was still great the day after). 

The Japanese Sea Bream “Laksa” ($55) is another rich dish, but slightly more manageable than the pork since the curried coconut broth helps to whet the appetite with the spice. Underneath the crispy seared fish lies the dry fried rice noodles, a more refined and smooth version of the thick bee hoon on the market. 

For desserts, we had the Marina Bay Sands 10th Year Anniversary special salted caramel soufflé ($10) served with a farmer’s market Fuji apple sorbet. Perfect with an espresso! 

Great first experience at Spago, the wait staff are knowledgeable and very friendly. We thought the prices were very affordable even for their tasting menu. We were surprised at the affordable pricing. Be sure to check out their lunch and sunset menu too if you're looking for a deal.

Spago

L57, Sands SkyPark, Hotel Tower 2

Tel: +65 6688 9955

Lunch: 12pm – 2.30pm daily

Dinner: 6pm – 10pm (Sun – Thu)

Dinner: 6pm – 10.30pm (Fri – Sat)