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

MARUTAMA RAMEN

For the past few months, I had always wanted to have delicious ramen at Marutama. But each time I was at The Central Shopping Mall level three (especially the weekends), the long queues just repelled me from trying. This time I was determined and did not want to miss the chance. I had to queue up for about 20 minutues due to a long queue during lunch hour. Luckily it was worth the wait.

I ordered Marutama's special – Aka Ramen. The slightly spicy soup mixed 7 different nuts with chicken broth. Not the usual kurobuta (black pig) broth. Rich and aromatic. It was very delicious and not too salty. I squeezed some lemon juice into the soup to add a refreshing taste to it. The thin egg noodle was springy and well cooked. The 3 chicken meatballs were slightly spicy and nothing to shout about. Other ingredients included corriander, spring onions, seaweed, pickled onions and sesame seeds. Services from the male/female bosses and waiters were good.

• Food & Beverage 8/10 • Ambience 6.5/10 • Service 7/10