A GIFT FROM OSAKA

I had a wonderful surprise lately when I received a parcel from my Japanese friend, Akiko. Recently she and her family went to the Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum in Ikeda, Osaka. She wanted to share with me her experience at the museum by sending me the museum flyer, packets of instant noodles and a souvenir cup noodle. So nice of her!

The museum has an instant ramen workshop "My Cup Noodle Factory", which allows visitors to make their very own "fresh" instant noodles. Akiko and her mum wanted me to try their choice of instant noodles – chicken ramen in a cup. They also did some beautiful paintings on the cup, using words like "love" and "peace". The cup noodle was wrapped in a clear plastic "balloon" pack with red cotton string. What a nice souvenir item!

As for the packets of instant noodles (bought from the museum), Akiko sent me Chicken Ramen, Shio (salt-based) Ramen and Miso Ramen. I just can't wait to cook them and get to know their taste. Now I know where I should visit when I go to Osaka again.

I am thinking what should I send to Akiko from Singapore next time...

CUPCAKES @ PAISLEY & CREAM

Delicious and creative food always interest me. And I have heard that Paisley & Cream serves a wide variety of cupcakes that are beautiful to see and yummy to eat. The cafe is located at The Central #01-09/10. From the glass showcase, I could see cupcakes flavours divided into 4 kinds – Nutty (pistachio, hazelnut, peanut butter, almond, etc), Fruity (strawberry, lemon, mango, carrot, etc), Chocolate (kit kat, toblerone, espresso+chocolate, snickers, etc) and Speciality (rum & raisin, baileys & hazelnut, kahlua & coffee, etc).

I ordered 2 cupcakes and a cup of coffee. One cupcake was the double chocolate. The chocolate cupcake was filled and frosted with chocolate buttercream, topped with edible tiny silver ball bearings and a tiny heart-shaped red biscuit. Beautiful! The cupcake had a slightly bitter taste and was not too sweet. Very delicious when eaten with the cream mousse.

The other cupcake I ordered was vanilla. The vanilla cupcake was filled and frosted with vanilla buttercream, topped with edible tiny silver ball bearings and a tiny flower biscuit. Visually stunning! Frankly I couldn't bear to eat it. The cupcake was not too sweet and very yummy when eaten with the cream mousse.

• Food & Beverage 8/10 • Ambience 7.5/10 • Service 7/10

 

 

 

PREFERE ICE CREAM CAFE

This ice cream cafe is located at Square 2 Shopping Mall level 3. I was told that all the ice creams of Prefere (which is French for 'favourite') are imported from South Korea. There are a couple of flavours to choose from – melon&yogurt, chocolate, strawberry&vanilla, green tea&yogurt, herb blueberry, grape&vanilla and so on. I ordered the melon&yougurt with chocolate chips in a cup, without toppings. The ice cream was smooth, creamy and not too sweet. I really like the strong honey melon taste. Very yummy.

• Food & Beverage 7.5/10 • Ambience 6/10 • Service 6/10

RAMEN & NATTO @ NETSURETSU ICHIBAN-TEI

I heard so much about the tonkutsu ramen at Netsuretsu Ichiban-Tei and decided to try it while in Liang Court. The soup (pork bone broth) was rich and aromatic. Yummy and not too salty and oily. The two big slices of fatty kurobuta (black pig) were well marinated with miso, tasty and not too salty. The stewed boiled eggs were average. The egg noodle was well cooked, not too soggy. Other ingredients included bamboo shoots and spring onions.

I also ordered a bowl of sticky Japanese natto. It was my first time eating this delicacy. The fermented soyabeans were quite small and tasted a bit bitter. Overall it had a strong flavour and smell, but it tasted kind of bland - not sweet/salty/sour. I guess I should have added some soya sauce. When mixed with seaweed, spring onions and some mustard, the overall taste was acceptable but complex. Not so remarkable. I wonder if other Japanese restaurants serve Japanese natto the same way as Ichiban-tei. I do not mind trying the delicacy again elsewhere.

• Food & Beverage 7.5/10 • Ambience 7/10 • Service 6/10

MIHARU RAMEN

Miharu is a Hokkaido/Sapporo-style ramen restaurant located at The Gallery Hotel level one. This cosy restaurant is popular for its miso and shio (salt-based) ramen. I ordered a bowl of Tokusen Tonshio ramen, plus a plate of pork gyoza (6 pieces). The salt flavoured soup (pork bone broth) was flavourful and rich. Not too salty and oily. Heavenly! The one big piece of chashu was soft, tender and well-marinated, with the stewed boiled egg very tasty. The egg noodle was well cooked and delicious. Other ingredients included braised bamboo shoots, corn, seaweed and spring onions. The pork gyoza was crispy on the outside, juicy and aromatic on the inside.

• Food & Beverage 8.5/10 • Ambience 6/10 • Service 6/10