Waraku Japanese Restaurant

(*was trying out a sample article for http://www.funkygrad.com/lifestyle/displayarticle.php?artID=911&subcat=eat, that's y this post is so long)

where: WARAKU JAPANESE RESTAURANT
who: my cell group
occasion: my birthday ;)

The first impression that hit me about the east coast branch of probably the most authentic Japanese restaurant chain in Singapore was its crowded waiting area. Especially on a rainy, Saturday night and 10 minutes of trying to get my car into the tiny parallel lot, it just served to make the experience more memorable. One piece of advice – place a booking at least one day before, or resort to asking for a menu while sitting in a small waiting room with Japanese magazines that you probably cannot comprehend, just so you can save time later thinking of what you should eat. As luck would have it, we got a place in the restaurant after 40 minutes of waiting (yes, we had to pick a weekend to come in a big group of 7).

There was a lot of shouting going on, which is a rather common phenomenon in local Japanese eateries. This is very different from Japan, where I got to enjoy my meals in a much valued quiet environment, with Japanese waitresses asking politely if you needed more tea. In the midst of all the loud Japanese versions of ‘welcomes’ and ‘bill please’, we managed to get down to ordering. The menu is a grand sight – there are over 200 choices of authentic Japanese dons, hot pots, sobas and sushi. It would be a tough mission to come only once and hope to try most of the favorites on the menu. One of the must-haves, recommended by yours truly, is the Beef Kaminabe ($12.80, beef and vegetables cooked over fire in a paper pot). You can choose from 3 kinds of kaminabe soup bases – “Wafu”, “Miso” or “Chige”. Translated to English, it means with soy sauce, with misoshiru or spicy. We had the spicy soup, an excellent choice in my opinion. It went well with the medium rare beef and cabbage. The portion is small, but surprisingly filling. Guys, however, should probably opt for the Kaminabe Wazen set ($19.80). For an additional $7, you get the Beef Kaminabe, rice, sweet radish, salmon sushi and an array of tempura.

Waraku boasts authenticity. This is extremely obvious from the Sukiyaki ($16.80) it serves. Sukiyaki is thinly sliced beef and vegetables cooked in a mixture of soy sauce, dashi, sugar, and sake. Participants cook at the table then dip food into their individual bowls of raw egg before eating it. At Waraku, you get your personal ‘furnace’, whereas in Japan, it is more commonly eaten in groups of four, buffet style. The Shōyu used by the restaurant is not too strong, and a little sweet, which makes the soup delightful to taste. It is an exact replica of the Sukiyaki in Tokyo, only one would have more fun eating in Japan during the winter since the meat, eggs and vegetables come in a free-flow fashion. We also had the Niku (beef) Curry, one of our favorites. Definitely go for the regular size ($12) instead of the medium ($10). At just $2 more, the regular Niku Curry Noodles is 3 times the size of its medium counterpart. Talk about value for money. The noodles are thick and spongy, and the flavorful curry blends everything wonderfully. The generous amount of beef was an added bonus, since we only had 3 slices of beef for the Kaminabe and Sukiyaki.

To top off the beef section, we had the Gyu-Yanagawa ($12, sliced beef topped with egg in a sizzling pan). Do not be fooled by the gargantuan picture in the menu, which will probably leave you salivating. The miserable portion was barely enough for one person, and they do not serve rice (available at $2/bowl) along with it. To give the restaurant due credit, however, the dish is handled with a unique touch relatively differently from other Japanese restaurants, where sauteed gobo root and sweet sauce are added. Here, the egg is mixed with the fresh beef in the pan, unlike the way Sukiyaki is eaten.

After 4 beef dishes, the Una Tama Don that came along was a pleasurable treat. Once again, go for regular ($12.80). Unagi with egg, on top of traditional Japanese rice, the don is worth every dollar. It is said that to differentiate Japanese rice from other types, stick your chopsticks into the rice and when you lift them up, rice will stick to every part of the chopsticks. Try it at Waraku. Another don to attack would be the Kanimi Ankake Don ($12.80) – crabmeat in thick gravy on rice. Other dons that you have tried in food courts or other Japanese restaurants will pale in comparison. The famous Japanese crabmeat is surprisingly substantial in portion, despite its known extravagant cost. The restaurant had a promotion for crab legs once. At $52++, one is allowed to have free flow of the crab meat for 90min. Interesting. Makes me wonder how many crab legs you have to eat to satisfy the ‘kiasu’ Singaporean mentality.

Why go for anything else when you can get reasonably priced and most importantly, AUTHENTIC Japanese cuisine at Waraku? Thumbs-up for the food, but do bear with the noise, stuffy atmosphere and average service.
















WARAKU JAPANESE RESTAURANT
1020 EAST COAST PARK WAY SINGAPORE 449878(Located next to Tennis Centre in East Coast)

Ah Chew Desserts

Just a few stalls away from Tong Shui café – there’s only one word to describe this place – shiok. Thanks to Eugenia and Sue Ann, I have found dessert haven. Traditional Cantonese and Chinese desserts can be found here, ranging from hot desserts such as almond cream, sesame cream, peanut cream and red bean paste ($1.80 for small, $2.30 for regular). The red bean paste is v special, its cooked with orange peel and lily bulb, hence its fragrance. The peanut cream is sieved before its served, thus what you get is a smooth peanut paste which you wont get tired of eating because there is minimal oil. I polished mine off in about 1 min or so. For mango-lovers, there is no better recommendation than to try their mango sago ($3.50) or the mango sago with pomelo ($3.80), better known as 杨枝干露, a Chinese New Year dessert. The coconut milk is refreshing, along with the slightly chewy sago (tapioca balls), fresh mango and bits of pomelo that gives a tinge of bitterness to the otherwise sweet dessert. The almond cream and red bean ice with ice cream ($3.00) are most famous here. The red bean ice ($2.50) tastes like ice kacang, only that its served in a glass like in Hong Kong. Apparently, the owner of Ah Chew could not find similar desserts that he had in China over here, and hence set up this dessert stall. How enterprising, and how benefiting for us, especially me ;)

i) L:Aloe vera with lemon and honey ($3), R: Gingko barley ($1.80, cold)

ii) Red bean ice

iii) Grass Jelly with Peach ($2.30)

iv) Peanut Cream (small) *MUST TRY

v) Mango sago with pomelo

vi) Closer look

vii) Look at the amt of mango!

viii) Yes, it's that good...

ix) Pulat Hitam with vanilla ice cream

x) Fresh milk steam egg (cold)

xi) Fresh milk steam egg with red bean (cold) - v. good *MUST TRY

Tong Shui Cafe

Located in Liang Seah Street, this Hong Kong mirrored Cha Chan Teng, as it is commonly known, is dressed in its fine pink and green. The oldish look of the furniture gives unique flavor to the shop. Accompanied with the modern paintwork, the place is interesting to dine in. Another self-ordering place this is, where you place your orders by writing the numbers of the food on the food ticket. Didn't really try much there, since it was close to midnight and I was saving space for dessert at Ah Chew's. The food is cheap, as compared to other Cha Chan Tengs in Singapore. Of course, if you go to JB, 'cheap' is totally brought to another level. The famous nissin noodles ($3.88) have a light taste to them, unlike the ones that you cook at home with lots of msg. So yes, it is worth paying to have your instant noodles cooked by Tong Shui Cafe. Topped with a sunny side-up, greens and luncheon meat, it is sure to leave u satisfied. I tried the chee cheong fun with egg as well ($2.88). Nothing special, really. What is really worth mentioning and what I will label as a "if you dont try you will regret" specialty is their thick toast with peanut butter and condensed milk ($2.88). The thick piece of bread is so well-toasted, crispy on the outside. When you cut into it, the peanut butter oozes out. Matched with the sweetness of the condensed milk, I tell you, it's heaven. Every bite you take leaves you silent for 30secs or so, not only cuz its so good, but also cuz the stickiness of the generous gooey peanut butter prevents you from talking. GOOD STUFF. everyone shld really try this. No regrets, coming from me at least.

i) Chee cheong fun with egg

ii) Nissin noodles with luncheon meat and egg

iii) Peanut butter toast with condensed milk

24hr Srisun Parata Paradise

Blk 822, Tampines St. 81

This round-the-clock prata stall is the place to satisfy all kinda hunger pangs. The drinks and prata are bound to leave u wanting for more, not forgetting the mee goreng, beehoon goreng, indian rojak, roti john, etc. The array of drinks are fantastic, ranging from the famous teh/kopi tarik, teh/kopi cino, milo dinosaur, milo godzilla, etc... As for the prata, try their egg and onion ($1.40) or masala prata ($2.50). The paper prata is a glorious sight. Build like a pyramid, you can choose to have urs drizzled with condensed milk ($2.50), chocolate ($3) or have it plain with sugar and curry ($2). The prata is so thin you have to use your hands. The fork and spoon method just doesnt cut it. Check out the coin prata and puri prata. This is the first place i've seen with these two newbies on the menu. The coin prata features six small round pratas. With sardine its $3, with mutton curry its $4. I was a little skeptical abt it, since the price is rather steep. After trying, all I can say is I'm going back for more. You have no idea how much mutton curry they give. The helping of meat is highly generous --> you cannot find this any place else. With the coin prata, its a perfect combination, only that there's quite a bit of curry left over after the prata is devoured. The range of cheese pratas and thosais are worth a try too, although the cheese pratas are quite ex as well. Be prepared to wait for your food if you go around 10-1130pm, when the crowd gathers. The vendors are a little 'blur' too, but all in all, its a good place to have your good ol' comfort food.

i) Coin prata with mutton curry

ii) Paper prata (a.k.a. tissue prata)

iii) Egg prata with onion

iv) F: Kopi Cino, B: Kopi Tarik

記得吃

i was telling my bro that i have to remember this place because of the walnut paste that i was having. and when i looked up at the signboard i knew i wouldnt forget it -
記得吃 (translated to eng, it means remember to eat) - how can i forget? the walnut paste ($2) is fantastic, can hardly find it in singapore. also tried the red bean paste which was not to my liking.. i thought it was PASTE..turned out to be red bean soup with sago..quite ridiculous..the mango ice with grape fruit is delightfully refreshing..real mango fruit..pure joy for just $3.50.

since this post is quite short, here's a pic of my mum's tiger prawn spaghetti to top it off (each prawn costs more than $2):

Indulgz Bistro

Birthday dinner! chose this place cuz.. i duno why actually. decided on uber burger initially..but they serve nothing else except burgers..so being the considerate person that i always am.. i picked indulgz -_- ANYWAYZ.. the ambience is really nice. wine bottles, white furniture, mirrors, lighting. a true gourmet atmosphere..until the point where i dropped my knife and disturbed the tranquility. the food is good but not filling. so dun choose indulgz when u r feeling ravenous. for starters, we had the tomato&basil soup ($4.50), creamy&chunky mushroom soup ($4.90), Deep-fried Camembert Cheese with Berry Compote ($9.90) and Breaded Fried Mushrooms with Garlic Mayo ($5.50). i expected the tomato&basil soup to be much better. thicker and hot, at least. it was a disappointment. the mushroom soup on the other hand boasted a grander taste - prob cuz of the chunky bits in it. hardly like any other mushroom soup i've ever had. try the deep-fried cheese, its sth diff that u cant find elsewhere. will prob go well with a Chardonnay. for mains we had butterfish steak ($19.80, the fish was wayyy fresh, accompanied with a fine truffled mash potato and caesar salad - made up for the portion size), beer battered fish fillet ($15.50, just normal fish and chips, but really crispy) and the Chef’s Crispy Pasta with Chicken Mushroom Cream Sauce ($14.80, this, for sure, u cant find anywhere else - its Angel Hair Pasta, deep fried to crispiness, soaked in a heavenly cream sauce, with sliced mushrooms & chicken silvers - it wasnt like out of this world though). apparently, they have good-looking waitresses there. my bro found one eye candy.. so added bonuses to indulgz. pics are not that clear due to the romantic lighting of the place, but hopefully they'll still be somewhat visible...

1) creamy&chunky mushroom soup 2) tomato&basil soup 3) Deep-fried Camembert Cheese with Berry Compote and Breaded Fried Mushrooms with Garlic Mayo 4) Oozing cheese with berry compote on the side 5) Chef’s Crispy Pasta with Chicken Mushroom Cream Sauce 6) Butterfish Steak 7) Beer battered fish fillet

Ajisen - again

no need to intro again..i've been eating at Ajisen's v frequently cuz of the good discounts and good food ;) but i found the best ramen choice there. yayy me =) TRY the NAN-KATSU ramen. v v good. soup base is great cuz of the pork flavor. and the pork is so soft it melts in ur mouth. thats y its called 软骨拉面 in chinese. and the sashimi is seriously fresh. at least at the tampines branch. really didnt expect ajisen to have good sashimi. they have a salmon don, which is sashimi on rice - $10 during lunch time. shall try that sometime. the portion is huge. anw i went to the tamp branch with bing and rach the day b4 rach left for Aussie. had the nan-katsu at $10, then added two sides at 90cents each. the dumplings and salmon sushi. eat until cant move. the lunchtime promotion is as such - ramen of ur choice, side dish of ur choice and a drink at $10.90++. not bad la. with the discount card i get 10% off. rach had the volcano ramen (i always eat this in the past cuz its basically the spiciest ramen on the menu) and bing had the tomato ramen. just monday i went to the funan branch with aiwei n i had the paiku ramen - it was just ok, didnt think that the paiku will be fried heh. but it was cheap. $5 only - every 3rd mon of the mon ala carte ramen items are 50% off. great place, great food, great price ;)

pic#1:paiku ramen

pic #2: nan-katsu ramen
pic #3: rachel's iced green tea and baby octopus (the iced green tea really cmi - spoil the image of japanese green tea!)
pic #4: dumplings (not gyoza, more like jiao zi) and salmon sushi

pic #5: Tomato ramen

pic #6: Volcano ramen

Carls' junior

been to the marina sq branch quite a long time ago.. not much of a big deal..only that the burgers are big. to me, the best burgers in the world can only be found at IN-N-OUT burgers. sadly, the chain operates only in California, Nevada and Arizona. once u eat there, burgers elsewhere dun matter anymore...hahaha.. then again, i haven't tried the $101 wagyu beef burger at Uber Burger yet.. i'll try it soon (when i make it big..like how i'll fly to Tetsuya's in Sydney for the $200++AUD 10 course meal)..totally side tracking..back to carls' - went to the vivo branch with bro and cousins. had the portobello mushroom burger ($8 just for the sandwich). it was ok, not bad, but the mushrooms were just normally handled. anw i dun think portobellos shld be so highly priced..they're quite cheap actually..UNLIKE TRUFFLES. the beef chilli cheese fries are always soggy and not hot.. WHYYY.. again, the best chilli cheese fries can only be found in USA.

Fish & Co.

This is a place i go to very often..with jc mates and family.. so sometimes i get shocked that many ppl havent tried the food there..used to think its a v common place so i dun find anything interesting abt the food. but recently, i realised sth on the menu which is rather good and quite neglected. the seasonal fish (cajun) with rice. the rice at fishyco is always great, v tasty. i love the cajun seasoning..which goes perfect with the lemon butter. always ask for more lemon butter. it distinguishes fish n co haha. the seafood platter for 2 never disappoints i guess..for first timers its a must try..but go for the seasonal fish if u're sick of the place =)
pic #1: seasonal fish (cajun) with rice

pic #2: seafood platter for 2