Grilled Australian Wagyu on rice
$23.50++

Overall, I’d think the dons at Aburi-en are priced more steeply that other Japanese restaurant counterparts. At this price point, one could easily get a little more greens and an onsen egg too! Here, onsen egg comes at an additional cost of $1.50. The Wagyu was grilled to tenderness and tasted decent - meeting expectations in overall. The amount of glaze over the rice could be a lot more generous tho!

Sour cream, sake cherry, rose

Having seen pics of the ice cream sandwich on social media, I had to get the igs-able dessert. My husband turned out to be more of a fan of this than I was. The ice cream was sandwiched between cannoli shells - I thought that was too crunchy and did not quite complement the ice cream well. The ice cream was infused with some rose petals which I did not quite appreciate - I’m fine with rose flavour but biting on the petals is.. weird. There was a slight, bitter after-taste from the petals ): Good for adventurous eaters who enjoy floral-tasting foods (me) but not for those who can’t appreciate astringency in their foods (also me).

Market greens, Wasabi chimichurri, Black garlic

At the recommendation of the staff, my husband decided on this main (as part of the set lunch menu). I was initially skeptical of the item (compared to duck confit, this seemed to much ‘simpler’) and by virtue of that, not as ‘worth it’. I guess I cannot be any more wrong. The pork jowl arrived - sliced in the right thickness, not too thin and not too thick. It was tenderlicious and well flavoured with wasabi chimuchurri and black garlic.

Hoisin glaze, Lup Cheong, egg, Cucumber

Must-order if you’re visiting for lunch! (Note: This is only available for lunch while all other items are available for dinner). I was captivated by the pic on the advertisement board outside the restaurant and decided on the peking pork belly sando (told myself I’ll do pastrami next round!). The sandos arrived on a plate, wow-ing both the husband and I with its presentation. It’s simple, yet luxurious with the surprisingly thick cuts of pork belly. The shiny glaze (seen at an angle, on the sides of the peking pork), added some luxe to it. The star of the sando was sandwiched between a thicc, fluffy bed of scrambled eggs and thiccc layer of Japanese cucumber. The bright yellow from the eggs added to the visuals and appeal of the sando, while the translucent, light green colour of the Japanese cucumber added some ‘fresh’, ‘clean’ vibes to the otherwise ‘heavy’ meal. I’m not a fan of cucumber but it’s a different story when it comes to Japanese cucumber! I had it cast aside at first but ended up re-staking them into my sandwich. They actually complemented the sando really well! The crunchiness, light-tasting cucumber added that refreshing element to the entire dish, cutting through any heaviness from the protein-filled dish. Last but not least, the nicely browned toasts were also generously slathered with hoisin sauce, but not too excessive to result in an overly sweet dish. I was impressed!

At $17++, the quality of this sando is definitely worth every penny and is on par with its bagel/ sandwich counterparts of similar price point!

Scallop tartare, Truffle, Ikura & Avruga caviar

A lover of noods, seafood and truffle, this literally was really screaming out to my husband in the list of appetisers from the set lunch menu. The angel hair that was served cold was a welcoming touch to the lips. Cooked al-dente, the springyness brought much satisfaction with each bite. The scallops were jelly-ish, most likely cooked sous-vide. The scallops tasted fresh, sweet and along with the truffle, ikura and avruga caviar, each bite was simply a burst of luxurious flavour. This could have been sold as a main!

We’re so glad to have chances upon Ju95 - the fusion of Japanese, Chinese and Italian elements were well harmonists in the execution of their dishes.

A hole-in-a-hut kinda asian fusion cafe in the west! The google ratings were high and we’ve seen plenty of praises for their food going around on social media. We were naive to think that the queue would be manageable (or in fact, no queue) given how ‘ulu’ the place is. We arrived at 7+ pm and were greeted by a queue - we ended up having to leave our number on the waitlist. It was a 45mins wait before it was our turn!

The chilli crab pasta was not part of the regular menu. It’s found on the seasonal/ specials menu located at the order counter. The husband went for this, and thought that this was pretty decent. Nothing wow but a comfort for chilli crab and noods lovers. I took a mouthful - the chilli crab sauce was a lil’ too tomato-ish for me but that’s kinda a biased opinion as I’m not the greatest fan of of tomato based pasta. It was great that the pasta base was adequately spiced with chilli - the spiciness that cut through the tomato taste made the base a lot more palatable (to me). At this price point, the crab meat served was decent in portion - shredded in flakes, it was easy to consume. Of course, nothing like savouring a chill crab right from its flesh

A hidden find somewhere in the west! The google ratings were high and we’ve seen plenty of praises for their food going around on social media. We were naive to think that the queue would be manageable (or in fact, no queue) given how ‘ulu’ the place is. We arrived at 7+ pm and were greeted by a queue - we ended up having to leave our number on the waitlist. It was a 45mins wait before it was our turn!

I went for the charsiew don which interestingly came served with Italian spiced rice. I couldn’t quite identify the spices used in their special homemade blend (secret blend that’s closely safeguarded I guess!) in the rice - every grain was nicely infused with the aroma of the spices. It wasn’t thyme, oregano or anything close to the spices you’d find in pastas. It was subtle, and not exactly herbaceous. I’m clearly not a spice connoisseur and I can’t quite pin point to any, except that it’s perhaps sth yellowish that gave the spiced rice a light yellow hint. It was rather addictive and I polished off all my rice! My husband who’s used to finishing my leftover carbs was actually quite impressed!

The Italian-asian fusion turned out surprisingly well. The poached egg was more ‘done’ than I’d expected. It wasn’t onsen; wasn’t at all slowly-gooey-runny and perhaps it was intentionally done so to avoid clashing in taste with the Italian spiced rice (?) That’s just a wild guess on my part.

I also loved the charsiew - clearly a signature item on their menu. At the time of order placement, the staff had to do a quick run to the kitchen to confirm that there’s still charsiew leftover. Apparently, it’s one of the cafe’s signature item! While some may complain of the charsiew being sliced too thinly, I think they’re in the right thickness in this Italian-Asian fusion (it’s fusion! Not your typical HK char chaan teng kinda charred, shiny, thick cuts with generous sweet marinate doused over it!) Think of it like a kurobuta pork don - it’s the same concept here, except it’s char siew!

Having been disappointed by the sirloin don earlier, I told myself that this place doesnt a second chance for its beef offerings. Perhaps… other items are worth a try. So here I am, trying the Unagi don and unfortunately, once again disappointed. Again, as with the previous experience, presentation wise - the dish looked promising, with a chunky slice of unagi nicely glazed and flavoured, topped with an onsen egg by the side. This time, I did away with the rice and decided on a full salad based. I polished off the sides, saving the ‘best’ for the last. Unfortunately, a bite into the unagi left me disappointed. The quality wasn’t as what you’d expect in Japanese restaurants (some would say, you pay for what you get) - the meat were a tad dry on the insides. On the exterior, the skin was rubbery and chewy, it took effort to slice it with my fork and spoon, or even, to bite it off. Twice bitten, forever shy. Unfortunately not a place where I’d revisit for the steeper-than-usual hawker fare and less-than-expected quality.

Priced at $11/bowl, the sirloin don is definitely not your usual pocket-friendly hawker fare. Yet again, compared to Japanese dons in restaurants, this is a steal, with no added cost (gst/ service charge). Served with seasonal greens that vary from day-to-day, with the option of salad base/ rice/ soba base or a mix of either 2, this makes up for a rather balanced meal. Presentation wise, the dish looked rather appetising and promising, with a gooey onsen egg too! Unfortunately, my first bite into the sirloin was disappointing - it was rubbery and chewy in texture, definitely took time to chew. And yes, it definitely looked undercooked and a tad bloody. The greens were fresh, and tastes as expected in plain, raw form. There wasn’t much dressing (if any added, I coudlnt quite taste it). The salad base fared a lil’ better, with some tangy mayo drizzled atop but otherwise, again, this was nothing fantastic to shout about. While the dish was served with Japanese rice, it was perhaps the most authentic-looking as it gets. The ‘homemade’ gravy that was drizzled atop the rice was lacking in umami and looked rather bland - translucent, light brown. It tasted as bland as it looked.

Soft spongy layers rolled with fresh cream and strawberry, topped with pistachio crunchy bits. The strawberry bits added tanginess to the overall flavour profile. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any significant pistachio flavour. At $5.80/pc, this is definitely steep for a Swiss roll. Fresh cream wise - it was light, fluffy and good, not too sweet I’d say. Good for a try if you’re a fan of fruity berry flavour and fresh cream.

Earl Grey Swiss roll with yuzu coulis and fresh cream in the centre, this was nothing exceptional to shout about, unfortunately. The earl grey flavour wasn’t prominent, unfortunately. So was the crumbly toppings adorned above - the flavour didn’t come out strong andI couldn’t quite make out what that was. The yuzu coulis did provide some citrusy profile and overall I’d think it was just… a citrusy Swiss roll. Fresh cream wise - it was light, fluffy and good, not too sweet I’d say. Good for a try if you’re a fan of citrusy flavour and fresh cream.

It’s all the craze about croons and I’ve managed to get hold of two! Made it 30mins after 1pm, when the 2nd batch was freshly launched and a queue had already formed. I stood in line under the sun nevertheless, determined to get a croon and some highly-raved abt Swiss rolls. Here’s featuring the Loaded Pistachio croon ($5.80/pc)- a circular croissant piped with pistachio creme and topped with some pistachio bits. Aesthetics wise, this certainly made the mark. I hurriedly plated the croon in the next hour to get some ig shots, then proceeded to savour my pricy pastry. There was a small letdown when the croissant delivered a chewy-doughy mouthfeel instead of a crispy, clean bite that I had expected. There was a lil’ tug-of-war between my teeth and the pastry. I guess it’s best served warm! Pop it into the oven for a quick toast and I guess you can be spared the disappointment.
Tho I feel a hallmark of a good croissant is one that doesn’t turn doughy/ chewy despite being left out at ambient temperature. Eg the likes of those at Tiong Bahru bakery!
Taste wise, the pistachio creme was dense, with subtle nuttiness and wasn’t overly sweet. Portion was pretty generous but could be better if it was piped more evenly throughout the croon (most of it were in the centre).Overall, I’d think this is on par with the pistachio croissant from Alice Boulangerie, at about the same price point and pretty much similar quality?