Sumo Bar Happy

This is actually a throwback post from last week. It's out of sheer laziness I took more than a week to write. I'm currently on diet hence the lack of food exploration. I want to look my best for Chinese New Year and my upcoming London trip in end April.

A belated birthday dinner from the brother. Sumo Bar Happy is a restaurant that is founded by the guys who are behind Tanuki Raw. It's a bar-like concept where people chill over bar food and alcohol. During my visit, I noticed the groups consisting of mainly couples, single men and one Japanese family. My brother and I stood out like sore thumbs because every other group consisted of at least one foreigner.

I wasn't too hungry so I settled for light bites. What you see here is the Lobster Taiyaki Sliders ($26). I didn't exactly read the menu and just glanced through instagram before ordering. This led me to mistook the Taiyaki pancakes as a crispy shell which unfortunately wasn't the case. Taste wise, I found the dish to be easy to eat. There's a sweetness to the fluffy pancakes which gave good balance to the sliders. I however still feel that a crispy shell would give the lobster sliders the added oomph. 

On top of the sliders, I also ordered the Spicy Mayo Char Siew HH Sushi ($5) and the Spicy Salmon HH Sushi ($5). It's on promotion if you reach there before 7pm. I would say that both sushi were done well but I'm still a greater fan of cold raw sushi.

The brother had his sights on the Sashimi Mazemen ($22) which is a combination of assorted sashimi and cold noodles. His assessment was that the raw fishes were really delicious with the slices very thick and generous. He also took notice that despite its thickness, the fishes were very easy to eat. The cold noodles and onsen egg that comes with the bowl play the role of the side dish to provide a complete meal experience.

Being at the bar, it'll be a waste not to try some of their sakes and my brother ordered the passion fruit sake ($10) to go with his meal.

I would say that Sumo Bar Happy is a pretty interesting concept which appeals more to foreigners used to bar top dining. I found the experience cramp. The menu selection has a number of unique dishes however there's an over emphasis on beef. As someone who doesn't eat beef, selecting a spread is rather challenging. If beef, alcohol and Japan agrees with you though, you might wish to check this place out.

Sumo Bar Happy
261 Waterloo Street #01-24 Waterloo Centre S180261

Tsukiji Sushi Takewaka

Finally! It's the long weekends!!! Saturyays are always my favourite day of the week. Especially after being bogged down with loads of work for the past two weeks... I felt like going on a play and eat rampage over this long break. So I dragged Vain Pot (who has been working crazy hours) out on a shopping spree in Orchard and we both felt much sated going home with our bags of shopping and a delicious dinner.

Dinner was spent at Tsukiji Sushi Takewaka, one of the many authentic Japanese cuisines in Japan Food Town. It serves a wide variety of freshly made sushi, tempura and cooked food. I've been having a Jap food craze the entire week, and this visit very much satisfied the craving. According to the website, Takewaka first opened its doors 28 years ago in Tsukiji, Japan. Known for fresh fish and seafood, Tsukiji Sushi Takewaka specialises in Endo-style sushi prepared by Chef Kawashima.

I'd be upfront and honest, I haven't been to sufficient authentic Japanese establishments to comment on the technical execution of the food. We kicked started our meal with the Anago Oshi-Sushi ($37) which is basically pressed conger eel sushi. It's without a doubt fresh and well seasoned. As someone who likes loads of wasabi on my food, I found it a little difficult to fully enjoy my meal due to the lack of 'wasabi flare up my nose effect'. Perhaps this is how real wasabi should taste like? I'm not sure. Did I enjoy the eels? I still did!

We also ordered a Takumi set ($45). This is made up of the chef's selection of assorted sushi with one medium fatty tuna included. The set also comes with dessert, chawamushi and a hot bowl of miso soup. When served, we were greeted with glittery and shiny surfaces of the assorted fishes. This is a good sign of freshness. We were asked whether we wanted the wasabi included in the sushi or at the side and I requested for the wasabi to be included in the sushi and an additional one at the side. I guess again, my gripe was that I couldn't really taste much wasabi even when adding additional wasabi on the fish. The sushi on its own is really fresh, the meat nice and cold with each fish distinctive flavour unique to the other.

On top of the sushi galore, we added a cooked meat to our meal. The Samon Harasuyaki ($12), grilled salmon belly was selected. As a dish, it was well grilled, I liked it that the salmon oil complemented the dish making it tastier. The meat was soft and falls off the skin easily. It's tender and retains the juiciness in the meat. However, I was a little disappointed that I had one salmon belly instead of the two shown in the menu's photo. In my view, I interpret it as a form of misrepresentation to the consumer. In the evaluation of whether to order the dish in the first place with the consideration of the price in mind, one slice versus two slice makes a difference.

To sum up my visit, I'm of the view that you either go high end if you wish to pamper yourself or just go mass market. I feel that many middle ground establishments give a half baked experience. While I give it to Tsukiji Sushi Takewaka that the food is indeed fresh and the cooked food tasting great, the nitty gritty frowned upon details really were a downer. There's definitely a market for their existence given that the place was quite occupied at 6pm. I would recommend Tsukiji Sushi Takewaka for readers who wish to pamper themselves with fresh, well prepared Japanese food without spending a bomb and aren't too fussy over the entire dining experience. Service wise, they are definitely better than a lot of mass market establishments.

Tsukiji Sushi Takewaka
435 Orchard Road, Wisma Atria, Level 4, S238877
(On a side note, if you download the Japan Food Town app and is a first time visitor, you can redeem a 10% discount off your bill)

Hakumai Sushi & Omakase

This week I pretty much didn't do much besides work and squeezing in brunches in between which feels really good on weekdays. I thought I'll do a double post this month because I have been quiet for too long.

Hakumai Sushi and Omakase is my first ever Omakase ($170/pax) meal in my life. Another milestone reached. Be warned that this post would be picture heavy because it's pretty much what it really is. This occasional extravagance is mainly a treat for Vain Pot's birthday. 

Due to the photo heavy nature, I won't be doing much food introduction. Photos are pretty much self explanatory. Instead, I'll give an overall summary of the experience after you see the food. 

Appetizers:

Cooked Food:

Sushi:

Basically the sushi doesn't end till you say you are full. Vain Pot and I were really stuffed till she had to escape outside for walks on multiple occasions. 

For dessert:

The overall experience at Hakumai is summarized as satisfying and value for money. No doubt the experience is on the pricier end but I'd gladly pay to do it again. The ingredients used were very fresh, I like it that the chef bothered to introduce each dish to us. I also like it that many of the dishes I wouldn't have ordered if it's on the ala carte menu because I am not adventurous enough. It's an eye-opening experience and I feel very grateful and fortunate to be able to have such meals from time to time. 

Hakumai Sushi and Omakase

#01-50A, 10 Anson Road, International Plaza