Sunday 21 March 2021

Enjoy Eating House – Singapore Comfort Food with A Twist [MEDIA INVITE]

Grandma's Te Kah Bee Hoon 

Enjoy Eating House & Bar @ Stevens is the new flagship outlet of the popular Enjoy Eating House & Bar at Jalan Besar. A labour of love of Owner and Head Chef Joel Ong, this new establishment at Hotel Mercure on Stevens will feature Singapore comfort food complete with Chef Joel own unique twists and simple tweaks.

The Bar
When you enter Enjoy @ Stevens, you feel like travelling back to the 80s and 90s Cha Chan Teng. The décor is retro, the utensils are ceramic plate disguise in old school melamine and the menu itself designed to look like the traditional Lunar 365 days calendar that our grandparents used to have. The music from the era of Hong Kong 4 heavenly kings will serenade you throughout your dining session. Hanging on the wall are animated posters showcasing the inspiration of the dishes created here.

Part of the Dining Area

Animated Posters
Our meal started with Chef Joel's XO White Fish Soup ($10). The fish is fresh and silky, swimming in the cloudy broth. The milky colour in the broth is not from milk, instead, it is extracted from a long period of preparation and simmering. The broth tasted sweet and robust, infused by the Chinese cabbage, goji berries and a generous sprinkle of XO. It is comforting, delicious and slowly opens up our appetite.

Chef Joel's XO White Fish Soup 

Chef Joel's XO White Fish Soup
Hainanese Chicken Satay ($10). It is well marinated with sweet spices, succulent and finished off with the signature charring on its exterior. The satay sauce is solid, with roughly grounded peanut and a pineapple puree. Completing the dish is homemade achar that nicely cuts through the sweetness in this dish.

Hainanese Chicken Satay 

Hainanese Chicken Satay
Singapore Style Chilli Prawns ($22). This is a “die die must try” dish here. The prawns are fresh, crunchy and for those who like the prawn heads, you will definitely love sucking on these ones. The chilli sauce is bold, showcasing the sweet, tangy, spicy and eggy flavours. Don’t forget to order and crisp and pillowy mantou (50 cents per pcs, min order 4 pcs) to soak up the gravy. LD and I like the gravy so much, we simply slurp it till the last drop. Yummy!!

Singapore Style Chilli Prawns 

Singapore Style Chilli Prawns 
Grandma's Te Kah Bee Hoon ($14 for small). Fork tender braised pork leg that reminds me of the Thai version. The bee hoon exudes “wok hei”, smooth with a slight al-dente texture to it. It is served with Thai Style Green Chilli sauce, to spice up the dish and balance the richness at the same time. The Thai influence on this dish derives from Chef Joel’s experience in running a Thai restaurant.

Grandma's Te Kah Bee Hoon

Grandma's Te Kah Bee Hoon

Grandma's Te Kah Bee Hoon

Foie Gras with Truffled Sous Vide Eggs ($14). A different culinary style for this dish. We like the crisp and creaminess of the foie gras. However, I find the egg yolks are slightly overcooked. Maybe it is better, if they do a soft boil egg style, like in our Nanyang breakfast style.

Foie Gras with Truffled Sous Vide Eggs 
Popiah Garden ($14) - Flagship exclusive. Old school style of ice cream served in popiah skin and drizzle with crushed peanuts and microgreens. There are three flavours of ice cream: blue pea, soursop and Horlicks with sea salt. The soursop and Horlicks are our picks as they have a stronger flavour, while the blue pea is very subtle. Best to finish the desserts fast as the popiah skin can get chewy after a while.

Popiah Garden 

Popiah Garden 

For the drinks, we tried Iced Thai Milk Tea and Pandan Lemongrass Tea. Both drinks are very fragrant and we like the fact it was not overly sweet. For the alcoholic drinks, the fully decked bar with Singaporean-inspired alcoholic beverages like Compendium Chendol Gin and locally-brewed craft beers from Lion Brewery Co. ready to crunchy your thirst.

Pandan Lemongrass Tea and Iced Thai Milk Tea
Overall, we are impressed with the food served at Enjoy @ Stevens. The food is comforting and delicious, while Chef Joel unique twists and tweaks elevate the dishes to another level. The Singapore Style Chilli Prawns are a Die Die Must TRY dish. We will be back to try the rest of the dishes in the near future. Cheers!!

ENJOY Souveniers to purchase
Thank you very much for Protegie PR and Enjoy Eating House & Bar Team for hosting us.

Food & Drinks: 8.5/10
Value: 8.510
Service: N/A (Tasting Invitation)
Ambiance: 8/10
Budget per Person: $11 - $25, $26 - $50

Enjoy Eating House & Bar @ Stevens
30 Stevens Road
#01-07 Hotel Mercure on Stevens
Singapore 257840

T: +65 8511 1478
IG: @Enjoyeatinghouse
OH: Daily 11.00 – 23.00

Monday 8 March 2021

[CLOSED] Wa-I Sushi – Luxurious Omakase Experience [MEDIA INVITE]

Aburi - Flame Torched A5 Wagyu Beef
Wa-I Sushi is a new Omakase restaurant located at The Scarlet Hotel. This 14-seater restaurant is helmed by chefs Simon and Steven, who have extensive experience in Japanese cuisine. Using the freshest and finest seasonal ingredients air-flown from Tokyo’s Toyosu Fish Market three times a week, both chefs have the freedom to curate and execute innovative specialities.

Wa-I Sushi - Shopfront 

Wa-I Sushi - Chef's Table
The main menu here is the Omakase Set, priced at $200++ per pax. Let us take you through the gastronomic experience at Wa-I.

Wa-I Sushi - Dining Area

Wa-I Sushi - Table Setting
Appetizer Two Kind, Lobster Salad and Seaweed in Vinaigrette. The lobster salad is thick, rich and creamy. Meanwhile, the seaweed in vinaigrette has a jellyfish like texture, immerse in tangy seasoning. Not only it opens up your appetite, it also balanced the richness of the lobster salad.

Appetizer Two Kind, Lobster Salad and Seaweed in Vinaigrette

Appetizer Two Kind, Lobster Salad and Seaweed in Vinaigrette
Four Kinds of Sashimi, from the left Akami Zuké (Marinated lean tuna from the upper part of the back), Suzuki (Japanese sea bass) with Caviar and Truffle Oil, Otoro (fatty tuna) and Shima-Aji (striped jack).

Four Kinds of Sashimi
A gastronomic journey of different type of sashimi. Shima-Aji has a clean taste with a slightly chewy texture. Akami Zuké has a silky texture marinated with soy sauce plus a touch of spiciness. Suzuki flavour is usually very mild, providing a perfect base for the pairing with caviar, truffle oil. Otoro is the pinnacle of sashimi, where the flesh just melts in your mouth. We can never get bored of this. This was just WOW!!

Four Kinds of Sashimi
Nimono (Cooked dish), Sea Bream with Burdock, Carrot and Radish. A Japanese style clear fish stew. The sea bream tasted fresh, firm and subtly infused with the flavour of burdock, carrot and radish. It tasted light, yet complex with multiple flavours at the same time.

Nimono (Cooked dish) -
Sea Bream with Burdock, Carrot and Radish

Nimono (Cooked dish) -
Sea Bream with Burdock, Carrot and Radish
Yaki Mono (Grill Dish) -Tiger Prawn Mentaiyaki. Perfectly grilled fresh tiger prawn, sweet, crunchy topped with rich and creamy mentai sauce. It should be eaten with the red pickled ginger sprout, which will tame the richness of the mentai sauce.

Yaki Mono (Grill Dish) -Tiger Prawn Mentaiyaki

Yaki Mono (Grill Dish) -Tiger Prawn Mentaiyaki
Aburi, Flame Torched A5 Wagyu Beef. A5 is the highest rating of wagyu beef that is full of marbling. It is so fatty; it is best to consume in moderation. Chef Simon slightly seasoned the beef with pink Himalayan salt before torching it with the utmost care. It is cooked to a rare point of doneness and served with salad and homemade dipping sauce.

Chef Simon torching the A5 Wagyu Beef
I recommend you ate the first slice without the sauce, this will allow you to enjoy the superb texture and flavour of the A5 Wagyu Beef. The pink and marble slice of A5 Wagyu Beef just fatty, smoothy, silky and melts in the mouth effortlessly. #Beefgasm.

Aburi - Flame Torched A5 Wagyu Beef
The homemade sauce is tangy and packed with a spicy kick, unlike the regular Japanese dipping sauce. Meanwhile, the bitter salad with tangy vinegar dressing complemented the Wagyu beef nicely.

Aburi - Flame Torched A5 Wagyu Beef

Homemade Dipping Sauce
Soup Meatball, Tofu Miso Soup. A soft and flavourful chicken meatball with delicate tofu complements the clean taste of miso soup.

Soup Meatball, Tofu Miso Soup

Soup Meatball, Tofu Miso Soup
Up next are the different types of Sushi. Shima-Aji (striped jack) Nigiri with Wasabi Tobiko. It is smooth, silky with the subtle pops from the tobiko.

Shima-Aji (striped jack) Nigiri with Wasabi Tobiko
Aka Ebi (red shrimp) Nigiri topped with Uni (sea urchin). Fresh, crunchy with creamy umami finish from the uni.

Aka Ebi Nigiri topped with Uni

Aka Ebi Nigiri topped with Uni
Hirame (flounder) with Mentaiko and Edible Flowers. Chewy and crunchy, with delicate edible flowers.

Hirame with Mentaiko and Edible Flowers

Hirame with Mentaiko and Edible Flowers
Chutoro (medium fatty tuna) with Mayo and Tobiko (flying fish roe). Solid maguro flavour, topped with mayonnaise infused with herbs flavour.

Chutoro with Mayo and Tobiko

Chutoro with Mayo and Tobiko
Uni (sea urchin) Roll. #Unigasm Experience!!!

Uni Roll

Uni Roll

Dessert Sea Salt Ice Cream. The ice cream taste was a bit bland in the beginning. We asked Chef Simon to sprinkle a touch of Himalayan salt on top of the ice cream, and the flavour just burst out. Yummy, a nice ending to a superb Omakase dining experience.

Dessert Sea Salt Ice Cream
The décor of the restaurant is cosy and decked in wooden furnishing. The best seating area of course is the Chef’s Table. However, due to the safe distancing measure, the seating there is limited.

Overall, it was a superb dining experience. The menu is carefully curated with the freshest and luxurious ingredients, suitable for that special occasion. The little touch of edible vegetables and herbs elevate each of the dishes. A place to consider for Japanese Omakase Experience. Kanpai! Cheers!

Thank you very much Jennifer Yeo Consultancy and Wa-I Sushi team for hosting us.

Food & Drinks: 8.5/10
Value: 6.5/10
Service: N/A (Tasting Invitation)
Ambiance: 7.5/10
Budget per Person: $81 and above

Wa-I Sushi
33 Erskine Road
#01-01, The Scarlet Hotel
Singapore 069333

T: +65 9724 0123
IG: @Waisushi.sg
OH:
Tue – Sat: 12.00 – 14.30; 18.00 – 22.00
Closed on Sun & Mon.

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