Sunday, February 28, 2010

Makan Wish List

There are so many eating places to try, yet so little time (not to mention so little stomach space too) to do so. As I plan the next eatery I wish to visit, here's a list of restaurants that I really want to try.

Cafe La Chateau - Valley Point
Tampopo - Liang Court
Tetsuya - Tanglin
Heart Bistro - Palaise Renaissance

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Nara Japanese Restaurant

The gang and I were scouting around for a late dinner when we drove by Nara Japanese Restaurant along Maju Avenue at Serangoon Gardens. As PT had generously offered to give us a treat, we decided to give this place a shot. Parking in Serangoon Gardens is madness. It's almost impossible to find a lot and worse still, almost every lot is a parallel lot (shudder). Luckily, PT managed to grab a lot just metres from the restaurant.

Nara's a quiet, spacious place with warm cosy lighting and comfortable booths. Service was excellent, and a new waiter who served us was attentive and friendly.

Once we sat down, a raw veggy salad and a tasty miso dip was served. Not bad, I thought, until I realised that I was charged $4 for this dish. Kena conned!


PT, as usual, wanted MEAT and so ordered the Beef Bulgogi. These well-seasoned slices were lightly grilled to melt-in-your mouth tenderness.


I wanted something fresh and since PT was paying, what the heck, I ordered a plate of Sashimi Moriwase.
Even at 8 plus, the sashimi was fresh and firm and the tuna slices were fantastic!


FT ordered the Nara Ramen. It wasn't as good as I had expected as the soup was quite diluted, unlike the rich, thick stock we have come to expect. No pics here as all you would see would be whitish soup with several floating leafy vegetables.

The Tempura Soft Shell Crab was so-so. I tasted lots of batter but hardly any crab.


JT's chicken porridge was interesting and tasted quite different from the usual chinese congee. It was made from the Japanese sticky rice, so that alone enhanced the taste. It arrived bubbling hot in a claypot, which gave it a deep smoky flavour. JT complainted about it though, preferring the lighter flavour of the Chinese congee.


Nara Japanese Restaurant
10 Maju Avenue