Found this hidden gem with really nice her giao (fish dumpling) and meatball! The meepok is satisfyingly QQ and thoroughly coated in lard and in-house-made chilli sauce. Chilli was lacking the spicy kick so I added more chilli padi. Her giao is one of the best I’ve tried. It comes with slippery skin while its filling leans more on the peppery side. What surprises me the most is the handmade meatball as it’s so flavourful thanks to the mix of pork and fish meat. This is gonna be a regular visit for the unforeseeable future.
Please note the stall has moved to 574 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10.
Another new Japanese spot in town, serving popular Japanese dishes at reasonable prices. Ordered their chirashi don that comes with salmon, tuna, kanpachi, scallop, cuttlefish and ama ebi, topped with ikura, tamago and the usual wasabi + ginger. Seafood was fresh and really like the sweet ama ebi as well as kanpachi. It’s served with normal rice beneath (unless you top up for Japanese pearl rice or noodle) which is ladened with lots of furikake, to the extent that it covers up all the flavour of other ingredients 🤦🏻♀️ Also decided to get the premium set— chawanmushi, 3 pcs of salmon sashimi, miso soup and mango mochi. Decent sides but not too memorable imo. I will do it without any sets (and furikake) next time. Overall, the chirashi is reasonably priced with generous amount of fresh ingredients.
Love the mix of charred and gooey bits, but the spotlight is definitely the super fresh and plump oysters. I’m still not a 100% fan of the gooey bits cos it can get a bit jelak at times, but overall it’s still delish. The only letdown is the watery bland-tasting chilli— not sure if that’s the norm or we caught them on a bad day. Will return if in the area!
Bulldog has been my new-found favourite over circuit breaker and that’s why i’m so excited that it finds its way into Habibi-san kushiyaki. The iberico pork jowl comes with addictive bulldog mayo- tangy and savoury at everh bite. Found the pork jowl a bit too chewy for my liking, and my lazy grandma teeth are leaning more towards shish tawook that is essentially chicken thighs with toum (whipped garlic). Chicken thighs are super duper tender and juicy that are so unexpected considering the huge chunks they come in. Secretly wish they can mix the bulldog mayo with the chicken thighs instead, but happy with how each is right now.
So happy to have said yes to the daily special at Habibi-san because it turns out to be as good (if not better) than their other items on the menu! The coral trout is stuffed with some vegetables (spring onions and, I guess, some thinly-sliced cabbage) before being wrapped (with some more cabbage?) and grilled to perfection. The fish itself is sweet, and imo doesn’t need additional macadamia sauce on the side. It’s already so good on its own because it’s fresh.
I’m such a sucker for berries and get super excited seeing this dessert comes with heaps of macerated mixed berries. Can’t really tell all the berries there are in the bowl- but usual suspects like raspberries, strawberries, and cranberries are present. Love the refreshing tart notes combined with the light cream chantilly. Basil oil was very subtle that I kinda forget about it after a while.
The audacity of putting this for dessert totally makes sense because we are ending our meal on a high note. The combination of homemade truffle paste, brie and berry compote is just perfect. Savoury, tart, sweet, and a bit of salty specks from ritz crackers. Although this is my fave, I prefer getting the other dessert AS WELL to truly end your meal on a sweeter note. 2 desserts are better than 1.
Tried the recently opened mala tang chain, Yang Guo Fu, but didn’t try the mala tang 😂 Their mala tang is made from beef broth, so giving it a miss. Their mala ban came with special sauce that should be poured over the blanched ingredients. The mala ban sauce, which tastes similar to sesame/peanut paste, was good on the first few mouths, but towards the end, it became super jelat. Ingredients choices are pretty good, especially the variety of meatballs! Will try the tomato soup next time.
Picking something light and refreshing to end the meal. The poached pear may not come with strong alcoholic kicks, but still pretty nice. Lime sorbet was a tad overpowering here, so I suggest having them separately. Nothing to shout about but still enjoying it.
Love how on point the truffle flavour and fragrant turns out- probably because they’re using black truffle instead of truffle-infused oil. Rice could have more bites, but still decent. Japanese croquette is surprisingly good— creamy and sweet. I also enjoy the edamame more than I thought I would. It definitely adds some crunchiness to the soft texture of the rice grains and croquette.
The salmon sashimi is similar to what I had for the appetizer, which, then again, was pretty impressive. While the sliced coconut (middle) was mediocre and underwhelming, the rest of the items are interesting. My favourite is the right-most item: huai san (waiter said it was bamboo shoot tho). Regardless, the sliced huai san came with slight crunchiness and savoury-tangy kick that is very appetising. The red jelly on the back was aloe vera immersed in what I guess was rose syrup— a refreshing break from other savoury flavour. Oyster leaf shot was another bold flavour that I love, letting me forget that it’s not even oyster to begin with!
Slowly braised Bailing mushroom served with some Japanese style paper hotpot albeit its flavour leaning more towards Chinese cuisine. Was told to slice the mushroom so it can slowly soak up the sauce, but it’s pretty tricky to do that on a paper hot pot. Nothing to shout about but still enjoy the simple, honest flavour from the mushroom and sauce.
