This is everything pancakes should be - fluffy, soft and nothing like the dense rocks so many cafes seem to be dishing out these days. As impressive a picture it makes, I wouldn’t say the tower of whipped cream is necessary, although it is surprisingly light and airy. From the trio of sauces it comes with, it’s a toss up between classic maple syrup and the thick, creamy coconut sauce for me.

A safe dessert to end the meal on a sweet note, although I was aching for a black coffee after awhile (they are still waiting for their coffee machine to arrive). The filling is decadent and luscious, although we wish the crust was more buttery than crusty. Picky eaters, we are!

A classic done right, with every element on the plate bang on flavour. Call it getting old but IF I had to choose, I’ll go with the cleaner flavours of the roast chicken over this party in my mouth.

I’ve been a fan of chef Anthony Yeoh’s roast chicken ever since I first tasted it at Cocotte years ago, and this certainly did not disappoint. Wish the chicken was a tad more cooked through, but everything else, from the buttery sauce to The just cooked greens, was spot on.

I’m not usually a steak and eggs gal but this won me over largely in part due to the generous bed of beautifully caramelised onions. This really elevated the dish and brought together everything - sourdough, well-seared tender beef and runny yolks - in tasty harmony.

An oldie but always a goodie, this is one of my favourite renditions thanks to perfectly seasoned and creamy avo, the welcome salty bits of feta and spot-on poached eggs. The menu at this grocer-cafe is packed with simple, uncomplicated classics that are (mostly) done right. Helps that they get fresh ingredient picks from their adjoining grocer!

Rice topped with chunks of fresh seafood, and a crowd favourite that seemed to be on every other table at dinner. This classic is faultless, although its portion size seems a tad small when compared against the hearty Hitsumabushi. There’s an option to add on tuna belly ($9) and/or sea urchin ($9). We went with the tuna belly, but were once again disappointed with the small portion. There are better places to enjoy chirashi don, but this makes a good alternative if you’re dining with a non-unagi lover here; my advice though really is to go with the eel.

The detailed menu guides you through three ways to enjoy the Hitsumabushi, one of which is to pour over dashi and mix it up with the accompanying condiments of spring onions, shredded seaweed and wasabi. My favourite though is to eat it ‘neat’, with a good grind of Japanese sansho peppers to uplift everything with its zesty tang.

This medium portion of Uya’s signature grilled unagi rice bowl took a good 40 minutes to arrive at the table, and we were not the only impatient diners in the room on a Saturday night - it seems the restaurant has yet to get into the groove of seamless operations. A taste of this though had us forgetting about most of the frustration. Smoky, rightly charred in places and slicked in a tare sauce that’s just the right balance of sweet and savoury, this made for one very good meal. Pro tip: Though very new, the place was already packed with a queue waiting outside. Thank goodness they take reservations!

An update on traditional bossam, this sees sous-vide pork belly made to eat piled atop a leaf of endive, homemade white kimchi and homemade ssamjang (a spicy soybean based sauce). Like most of the dishes here, the Korean and/or Asian elements are pronounced, yet not in your face. There’s a refined elegance to this bossam dish that I rather enjoy!

This is by far one of the tastiest renditions of beef tartare I’ve had in awhile. Fragrant with sesame oil, great bite and an amazing combination eaten with the accompanying light as air sago chips. Not at all jelat! 👍🏼

Set up by Meta’s chef Sun Kim, Kimme serves up more casual but no less delicious Asian-inspired plates like this Hamachi Sashimi (part of the $36 two-course set lunch) served with ginger and gochujang - plump, firm and incredibly well balanced in flavour. It reminded me of the ocean-fresh sashimi I had just a week ago in Jeju’s Dongmun Market. 😋