Sakana – High Quality Japanese Seafood Supplier Online [MEDIA DROP]

Aomori Scallop Japan 

Sakana is a Japanese seafood supplier that meticulously select high-quality seafood from Japan and around the world. Since 1971, Sakana has been supporting the Japanese Fishery Industry in distributing their catches and also fulfilling the salmon demand across Japan. Now, Sakana has brought their expertise and experience to the Singapore market to quench our thirst in high-quality seafood. 

In September 2020, Sakana officially launches its online store targeting the consumer or household market in Singapore. Previously, Sakana only supplied to the F&B market. 

For this Media Drop, I received Kabayaki Unagi Fillet ($15), Crab Cream Croquette 20 pcs pack ($15.10) and Aomori Scallop Japan 500g / pkt ($33.20). 

Kabayaki Unagi Fillet

Kabayaki Unagi Fillet

As unagi lovers, the first thing that I tried is their Unagi. The unagi weight is around 250gram, individual vacuum pack and freeze. The unagi is prepared in traditional Japanese grill, to ensure the authentic taste. To reheat, simply defrost and microwave it for 1 minute. 

Check of the flesh

Unagi Don

The flesh is soft, fatty and juicy. The marinate is a perfect balance of sweet and savoury. As the unagi sauce content is only about 8 to 10%, I get to enjoy more meat in each pack. For 250gram of unagi, I can easily make 3 unagi don and satisfied 3 pax dinner. Plus, I find the overall taste of the unagi tastes better than those served in most Japanese restaurant in Singapore. During the recent 10.10 sale, I bought 10 packs of the Kebayaki Unagi Fillet to share with friends and family. Yum Yum. 

The Fatty Unagi

For the Crab Cream Croquette, we did it two ways. One with an air fryer and the other is deep frying with oil. The air fryer method produced an attractive light golden colour croquette. The exterior is crisp, yet feel a bit dry. The fillings are cooked throughout and you can taste the creamy potato infused with crab flavour. However, I also notice that some of the fillings leaked in the air fryer as the croquettes expanded. 

Crab Cream Croquette 

Crab Cream Croquette - Air Fryer 

The deep-frying method resulted in a dark brown colour, likely due to mistake in temperature control. The exterior is crispy, while the fillings just burst when you bit into it. The deep-frying method still best to cook the croquettes. 

Crab Cream Croquette - Deep Fried

Crab Cream Croquette - Deep Fried

Crab Cream Croquette - Deep Fried (Dark Brown); Air Fryer (Light Golden Colour)

The Fillings

The Aomori Scallops from Japan looks plump, juicy and irresistible. LD and I decided to cook it with butter and garlic lemon sauce. The scallops were sweet and plump. The richness of the butter and the lemon, just accentuate the natural flavours nicely. The whole family enjoy the delicious scallops. 

Aomori Scallops 

Aomori Scallops 

The cooking video:

Recipe: 

Ingredients: Aomori Scallops – 1 box (thawed/defrost), butter salted, minced garlic, 1 lemon, parsley. 

Step 1. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the frying pan. 

Step 2. Seared the scallops on both sides (around 1 minute for each side). Remove afterwards 

Step 3. Clean the frying pan and melt 2 tablespoons of butter for the sauce. 

Step 4. Toss the minced garlic and stir until it turns slightly golden brown. Squeeze ½ lemon to the mix. *You can also add salt and pepper to taste. 

Step 5. Put the scallops back into the frying pan. Glaze the scallops with the sauce for 1 minute and sprinkle the parsley afterwards. 

Step 6. Plate the scallops. 

Aomori Scallop in Butter Garlic Lemon Sauce

Overall, the unagi and scallops are definitely our picks. Both are delicious and easy to prepare. Do check out Sakana for their delicious and high-quality seafood. Cheers!! 

Thank you very much Jennifer Yeo Consultancy and Sakana for the Media Drop. 

Food & Drinks: 8.5/10 

Value: 8/10 

Service: N/A (Media Drop) 

Ambiance: N/A (Media Drop) 

Budget per Person: $10 - $25; $26 - $50 

SAKANA 

6 Chin Bee Ave 

#10-03 

Singapore 619930 

T: +65 6259 6503 

W: https://sakana-ots-sg.myshopify.com/

F: https://www.facebook.com/Japanesesustainableseafood

IG: @Sakana_japaneseseafood 

OH: 24 Hours, Online

Overly Cheezy – Cheese Overload Pizza [MEDIA DROP]

Cheezy Cannonballs Pizza

Overly Cheezy (“OC”) is a unique pizzeria located in the heartlands of Hougang. OC signature is the use of 5 different kind of cheese on every pizza, consist of Gruyere, Mozzarella, Emmental, Cheddar Orange and Parmesan. OC recipes are the results of collaboration with top chefs from Japan, Italy, France and Singapore. 

The original media drop is a set meal for 2, consist of 1 Large Pizza, 1 Regular Pizza, 1 Cheezy Salted Egg Fries, 1 Chocolate Lava Cake and 1 bottle of soft drinks. I ordered Smoky Beef Salami Large, Cheezy Cannonballs Regular and Sprite for the drink. 

My first impression, I like their packaging. The yellow cheese colour on the pizza boxes is very eye-catching and set the mood for a pizza feast. It is crystal clear that cheese will be the signature ingredient of the pizza. 

The Pizza Box

Part of Set Meal for 2

When you opened the box of the smoky beef pizza, you will go WOW!! The cheese covers almost all the surface of then crust pizza, while the generous smoky beef toppings were swimming under it. The cheese is just delicious, combining the cheese pungent aroma, with savoury and umami flavours in each bite. The only drawback is the smoky beef is on the salty side; however, the kids just love it. 

Smoky Beef Salami Large

Smoky Beef Salami  - Slice

The cheezy cannonballs pizza is created with cheese lovers in mind. It is a combination of vine-ripened tomato sauce, cream cheese balls and parsley flakes. I like the concept; however, I feel the cream cheese balls are not suitable for the pizza. Since OC already uses 5 types of cheeses, they should do OC version of Margherita Pizza, loaded with lots and lots mozzarella to showcase the natural flavours of their cheeses and to have that cheese pull effect. 

Cheezy Cannonballs Regular

Cheezy salted egg fries is just a crowd-pleaser. It is packed in a box that looks like a slice of cheese. The holes on the box similar to the holes on artisanal cheese, allow the fries to retain its texture over a long period. The texture of the fries remains crisp externally and moist internally. The salted egg powder coated the fries evenly, not forgetting the solid cheezy dip. 

Cheezy Salted Egg Fries

Chocolate lava cake is solid. If you put it on a place, you will find the middle part still oozing with melted chocolate. Good to have it on its own or with a scoop of ice cream. 

Chocolate Lava Cake

As we are a big family, I also ordered 2 large pizzas $33. My pick was Trufflicious Hawaiian and Trufflicious Wild Mushrooms. For these two special pizzas, there is an additional charge of $4.50 each. These two pizzas are just awesome. It uses signature creamy white truffle sauce to bind all the ingredients. The mushrooms toppings and ham plus pineapple are generous and you can’t get enough for it. 

Trufflicious Wild Mushrooms - Large

Trufflicious Wild Mushrooms

So far, we only tried their classic crust, which is their hand-stretched thin crust. If you are looking for something different, OC also has special crust such as Milky Avocado Crust, Creamy Tomato Crust and Pâte Feuilletée Crust at an additional fee. 

Trufflicious Hawaiian - Large 

CBK Verdict: Super delicious pizza that everyone will enjoy (except for those who don’t eat cheese). The cream sauce and tomato base are very good, combine with generous toppings, they are the magic ingredients for delicious pizza. Better than most of franchise pizza brand and some artisanal pizzeria. We’ll sure order from Overly Cheezy again. Cheers!! 

Full Disclosure: There was a mix up in our order during the delivery. Out of goodwill, OC absorbs the charge for the 2 additional large pizzas which was not part of the Media Drop. 

Thank you very much, Dawn and Overly Cheezy Team for the Media Drop. 

Food & Drinks: 7.75/10 

Value: 7.5/10 

Service: N/A (Media Drop) 

Ambiance: N/A (Media Drop) 

Budget per Person: $10 - $25; $26 - $50 

Overly Cheezy 

Blk 311 Hougang Ave 5 

#01-189 Singapore 530311 

T: +65 6245 4922 

W: https://overlycheezy.com/

F: https://www.facebook.com/overlycheezysg/

IG: @Overlycheezysg 

OH: Daily 11.00 – 23.00 

Rendezvous Nasi Padang – A Taste of History

Korma Chicken Thigh 

Rendezvous Hock Lock Kee Nasi Padang (“RendezvousNP”) is one of the oldest Nasi Padang restaurants in Singapore. It is established in 1930 and gained popularity in the 1950s. With such longevity, this restaurant deserves the recognition as Nasi Padang institution in Singapore and likely become the taste that you grow up with. 

Rendezvous Hock Lock Kee Nasi Padang

I decided to visit RendezvousNP with my Nasi Padang makan kaki, K. We manage to reach the restaurant before 12 and beat the lunch crowd. Like kids in a candy store, we went overboard in ordering. 

Our Order

Korma Chicken Thigh ($9.30). A must-order here. The version of Korma Chicken here is similar to the curry known as Gulai Ayam in Indonesia. It is not a spicy curry, instead, it is sweet, rich in spices and fragrant due to the lemongrass, galangal and turmeric. 

Korma Chicken Thigh 

At RendezvousNP, you get is the whole leg of the chicken (drumstick and thigh). The flesh is juicy, succulent and infused with the curry. The skin is soft and full of flavour. The yellow gravy curry is robust and you can slurp it like a stew. 

Liver & Gizzard Curry ($5.10 – Small). Combination of liver and gizzard, bask in thick red curry. The liver is creamy, while the gizzard is crunchy. The curry is spicy, rich and filled with “lemak” from the coconut milk. 

Liver & Gizzard Curry

Cuttlefish Sambal – Medium ($10.30). Springy and bouncy cuttlefish cooked in sambal gravy. It is spicy, yet Shiok!! 

Cuttlefish Sambal & Egg Sambal

Beef Rendang ($10.60 – 2 pcs). A little bit different compare to the beef rendang you find in other Nasi Padang restaurant. The gravy is thick, but not lumpy like it is being simmered for a few hours. The beef is lean yet tender, however, the gravy did not absorb into the flesh. 

Beef Rendang

Sayur Lodeh ($3.90 – Small). Delicious combination of cabbage, long beans and ladyfingers. Cooked with coconut milk and turmeric for richness and yellow colour. The special ingredients here is the prawn, that adds umami and natural sweetness to this dish. 

Sayur Lodeh

Egg Sambal ($1.70). I did not try, ordered by K. Rice ($1.70 per plate). 

Service is friendly and efficient. You place your order at the food counter, get seated and the food will be delivered to you. The interesting part of their food counter is only half of it filled with food. The other half is filled with buckets and buckets of different type of curries. Once you are seated, RendezvousNP goes into full service, including if you want to order drinks, extra rice, gravy or extra dishes. 

CBK verdict. I find the flavour of Nasi Padang here is very comforting and very much agreeable with my palate. Each dish is delicious and consistent, though not much variety. They are very generous with their curries, which is the key to all their dishes. Definitely one of a must try Nasi Padang in Singapore. Cheers!! 

Food & Drinks: 7.5/10 

Value: 6.5/10 

Service: 7/10 

Ambiance: 6.5/10 

Budget per Person: $11 - $25, $26 - $50. 

Rendezvous Hock Lock Kee 

Restaurant Nasi Padang 

6 Eu Tong Sen Street 

#02-72/75/77/92 

The Clarke Quay Central 

Singapore 059817 

T: +65 6339 7508 

W: http://www.rendezvous-hlk.com.sg/

OH: Daily 11.00 – 21.00 

Salaam Bombay – Delicious and Excellent Value Indian Meal

Egg Biryani

We were introduced to this place by M&A, our friends living in the South of Singapore. Located in Fusionfolis, the restaurant name of Salaam Bombay (“SB”) means salutation to Bombay, the historic name of Mumbai, a melting pot of Indian cuisine. In addition to North and South Indian Cuisine, SB also serves the quintessential Bombay Street Food (Chaats, Pav Bhaji’s, Vada Pav’s and the Unique “Bombay Chinese”). 

Our starter is Papadum with Mint Sauce. This starter is complimentary from the restaurant. Light and crispy lentil crackers served with a refreshing mint sauce that will entice your appetite. 

Papadum with Mint Sauce

Fish Tikka ($18.90) boneless cubed fish marinated with yoghurt and Indian spices and bbq in tandoor. The flesh used for this dish, normally come from a bigger fish that have a firm texture. The fish is moist and juicy. Though the texture is good, we find the seasoning was too heavy, making the dish salty. 

Fish Tikka

Fish Tikka

Mutton Bhuna Gosht ($18.90). The Indian version of mutton rendang. The mutton is fork-tender filled with the multi-layer taste of spices. The hint of sweetness from the onion and garlic is just delicious. 

Mutton Bhuna Gosht 

Butter Chicken ($16.90). This is probably the most common dish that we order in any Indian Restaurant. It is creamy, buttery, sweet and tangy gravy together with succulent chicken thigh is just irresistible. The version at SB hits all the right spots and a definite must-order here. 

Butter Chicken

Palak Paneer ($16.90). A second dish that we likely to order in any Indian restaurant. Creamy blended spinach, mixed with feta cheese and blend with spices. This dish will not win the prettiest dishes, however, the subtle texture of the blended spinach with the spices and savoury flavour of feta cheese is just comforting. 

Palak Paneer

Egg Biryani ($14.90). Instead of the usual chicken or mutton biryani, we ordered egg biryani. This biryani served with hard-boiled eggs and without any gravy in it. The basmati rice is al-dente, infused with saffron and different spices. I like the version at SB because it is very well balanced and the cardamon flavour does not sticks out. It is easily mixed with the butter chicken, mutton bhuna gosht and palak paneer. 

Egg Biryani

Aloo Gobi ($13.90). Classic Indian dish made of spiced potato and cauliflower. We specially ordered this dish without the cauliflower, so our version is just potatoes. Creamy, soft, yet with a distinct potato crunchiness in it. 

Aloo Gobi

Garlic Naan ($5 for 2). Fluffy with subtle garlic flavour. For those that really like their garlic, you might want to ask them to whack extra garlic into the naan. 

Garlic Naan

Dessert, Gulab Jamun (Complimentary). Fried milk balls soaked with saffron flavoured sugar syrup. Think of it as donut soaks in maple syrup. Those who like their desserts extra sweet, this dish is perfect for you. 

Gulab Jamun

The restaurant setting is casual, modern and filled with lots of natural lights due to the tall windows. Service is friendly and efficient. This restaurant is also value for money, if you make your reservation from Eatigo (or you can call the restaurant directly), you can expect 50% discount on the ala carte menu especially during the off-peak time on the weekday and all day on the weekends for dine-in and takeaway. 

CBK verdict a must try Indian restaurant in the South of Singapore. The food is delicious and with the 50% promo it is just value for money. Cheers!! 

Food & Drinks: 7.5/10 

Value: 9/10 

Service: 6.5/10 

Ambiance: 7.25/10 

Budget per Person: $11 - $25 

Salaam Bombay 

86 Robertson's Quay

#01-04, Robertson Blue

Bar Bar Black Sheep

Singapore 238245 

T: +65 9111 6995

W: https://www.salaambombay.sg/

F: https://www.facebook.com/SalaamBombaySingapore

IG: @Salaambombaysingapore 

OH: Daily 11.30 – 21.30 

Previous Location:

1 Fusionopolis Place 

#02-03. Galaxis. 

Singapore 138522