Azabu Sabo: Hokkaido Ice Cream Aside

I'm sure many of you have seen plentiful Azabu Sabo Hokkaido Ice Cream kiosks located in town shopping areas, and most of those who have tried usually go for their signature Green Tea flavour. However, the strong taste of Green Tea could be very subjective. You either love it or hate it. Thus another flavour which we find is the best among competitors so far is the Rum and Raisin one. This is a strong recommendation (and not an advertisement!) from us - just get a scoop to convince yourself.

Anyway, so much so for their ice cream. Azabu Sabo also serve Japanese cuisine at several restaurant branches, and we decided to give it a go.

The restaurant offers two dining sections, one inside the shop itself, and the other outside at the 'open area'. We were given the latter and it was pretty okay if you don't mind occasional stares from people at the higher stories or escalators.

Green Tea Milk Shake,   S$7.80++,   

A wonderful thick milky shake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. This should suit the general liking because the green tea flavour was strong enough to taste, yet at the same time, subtle enough to not overpower.

Sabo Style Teriyaki Chicken Bento,   S$11.80++,   

The portion was seemingly decent than what we would expect from a S$11.80 bento. There were generous slabs of Teriyaki Chicken, a mass of sweet minced (?) egg, shreds of seaweed covering the rice, some pickles and salad as sides, plus a bowl of clear miso soup.

Grilled Premium Rib-Eye Beef Steak with
Wasabi Butter Sauce,   S$19.80++,   

This, although one of the slightly higher priced menu item, with lots of (cheap) pickles and vegetables to 'fill in the space', the rib-eye steak was worth it all. Bite-sized premium beef cubes tenderly grilled to relish tasty juices inside your mouth. And for something different, it was served with plum rice and matching Wasabi Butter Sauce.

Caramelized Sweet Potato and Japananese Rice Cake
with Matcha Ice Cream,   S$8.80++,   

We wanted an atypical dessert rather than those bowls of soft serve sundaes with sauces and lots of toppings which people usually order. Wrong choice, because the Caramelized Sweet Potato and Japananese Rice Cake turned out very disappointing. They were hard and tough to chew on, and we struggled our way through to finish it. Lesson learnt - just stick to the popular choices.

VERDICT
For a brand which specializes mainly in desserts, the food fared reasonably well enough. We might be dropping by again for some after-meal-desserts, and when that time comes, we'll be be choosing the popular ones.

Azabu Sabo - The Central
#01-68/69, The Central ©
6 Eu Tong En Street, S(059817)
(+65) 6410 9578
Sun - Thur: 11.30 a.m. - 9.30 p.m.
Fri - Sat: 11.30 a.m. - 10.30 p.m.
http://www.azabusabo.com.sg

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Kyomomoyama: Still Room for Improvements

A random impromptu choice among the bulk of Japanese restaurants over at The Central ©.

Modern zen interior decor of the restaurant, neat and simple. Surprisingly it was rather empty compared to the raging queue at Waraku during the common 7 p.m. dinner time.

6 Sashimi Mori,   S$45++,   

Sashimi Mori! One of the most expensive starters in the menu, with an assortment of 6 different types of Sashimis - salmon, tuna, swordfish, octopus, plus some other kind of fish which we couldn't really tell. Served chilled on ice shavings, the slices of raw meat were reasonably fresh and firm, and they melt right into your mouths.

Tempura Mori,   S$19.80++,   

The Tempura flour clumped up too much on a few parts, but overall, the dish felt neither too heavy or soggy, even after leaving aside for quite some time.

Hotate Mentai Yaki,   S$15.80++,   

An oh so delicious giant Hotate (scallop) with molten cheese blanketing all over. Be careful not to let it drip!

Steak Don,   S$19.80++,   

The entire Don was filled with tender beef steaks and that only, accompanied with an aromatic gravy sauce. First few scoops were wonderful, but soon it became a routine when the same food just got repeated over and over, even with pickles and miso soup as occasional diversions.

Salmon Oyako Don,   S$18.80++,   

Again, salmon Sashimis were fresh, but not so for the salmon roe if we were to pick on. Yes, they still burst and squirted juice upon pressure, but we were expecting a higher grade from such price.

VERDICT
With prices ranging from mid-high to high, the food seemed just slightly above average. The menu choices were a little restrictive and were mostly 'a la carte' - Kyomomoyama could do better by offering food in sets during dinner (and not just over lunch).

Kyomomoyama 京桃山
#03-87/100/101/110, The Central ©
6 Eu Tong Sen Street, S(059817)
(+65) 6534 8001
Mon - Sun: 11.30 a.m. - 11 p.m.

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Coffee Club: Coffee and Beyond

Stop for a moment in front of Coffee Club to inhale a few breaths of the strong coffee aroma. Absolutely tantalizing.

This gotta be the place for you to throw yourselves onto comfy sofa seats for a good chill.

Iced Tiramisu Latte,   S$8.90++,   

A bitter sweet mix of Tia Maria and Marsala Wine concoction, topped with a rich scoop of vanilla ice cream, and decorated with chocolate shavings.

Iced Mocha Vanilla,   S$6.90++,   

Vanilla ice cream, cinnamon powder, milk and chocolate syrup complete this scintillating doppio espresso, served with a hint of fragrant mocha and sensual spice. Slurp this up fast before the ice melts and takes a place at the bottom.

Polenta Chicken Bites,   S$7.50++,   

Appetisers are supposed to whet one's appetite, and this one certainly had done its deed. Fork your way through these bite-sized lemon-infused chicken pieces, coated with Polenta flour and then deep fried. So crispy and juicy, you won't stop at one.

Slipper Lobster Linguini,   S$16.80++,   

Missed the first word, and we thought that it was a big lobster dish for a moment. In a plate of Linguini cooked in Aglio Olio style, was a fresh piece slipper lobster paired with piquant tomato sauce. Seafood tasted sweet and was rather close to that of crayfishes'; Linguini were supple with a redolent touch of garlic; and capsicums further add on crunch to the dish.

Crusted Dory Gremolata,   S$13.90++,   

We've never eaten such a crumbly version of dory fillets before, and man, it was remarkable! Two tender dory fillets coated in herbs and breadcrumbs baked till nice and crisp, drizzled with a lovely parsley and poached egg sauce, and served with spicy Chorizo mashed potatoes underneath. Do not be deceived by its dainty presentation, because as you uncover the well hidden portions, you'd be filled to the brim in no time.

Matcha Tiramisu,   S$4.90++,   

This wasn't in the menu. We just happened to spot it on display outside and decided to make an order of it.

While nice on its own (with red bean fillings, soft spongy cake and all), this however failed its name, 'Matcha Tiramisu' big time. The main Matcha flavour was close to naught, and it doesn't carry any characteristics of a Tiramisu at all.

Muddy Mud Pie,   S$6.90++,   

Who can resist a giant slab of luxuriously smooth Cappuccino and chocolate ice cream on an Oreo crust, flooded in a pool of more crumbs and ribbons of warm chocolate fudge? This dessert is sure to blow you off your mind, and get you chocolate high.

VERDICT
From their famous coffee, ranging to their desserts, main courses, and even to appetisers, we are loving them all! Prices are, to our surprise, very reasonable for the kind of quality food, relaxing atmosphere, and helpful service we received.

Coffee Club - The Central
#03-105/106/107, The Central ©
6 Eu Tong Sen Street, S(059817)
(+65) 6534 9080
Mon - Sun: 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.
http://www.coffeeclubworld.com

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