Nando's @ Bugis Junction

My experience with Nando's goes way back to my days as a student in London. Yes, they've been operating in London since back then. I used to go down to Nando's with my friends for my peri-peri fix, and it has found a special place in my heart. So, I simply had to give Nando's a try, now that they have opened in Singapore. However, the last time I passed the outlet at Bugis Junction in the evening, the queue was so long that I decided to go somewhere else for my dinner. I happen to be looking for food at an awkward hour (around 4pm) today, and decided to give Nando's another try.



The restaurant was rather deserted when I got there, and there was a sign to wait to be seated. Even though there were at least about 8 waiters and waitresses around at that time, they still did not seat me immediately. I actually never knew Nando's as a sit-down restaurant, but a semi-fast food outlet, where you ordered and paid at the counter and they served your order. Somehow, Nando's has moved up-market in coming to Singapore (even the outlets in Melbourne follow the format in England). Service was similarly slow, even though there was an abundance of staff (who seemed too preoccupied chatting to each other and sorting things out). I literally had to wave my hands around (even with a nearly empty restaurant) to get my order taken. If it were not for the fond memories of the food in London, I think I would have just left without ordering.

Decided on the Extra Hot Peri-Peri chicken (quarter) with two sides of couscous and peri-corn. Nando's does not serve tap water, and the only water available is the bottled variety. Thankfully, the food did not take too long to arrive. I was a bit to hungry at that point, that I forgot to take a photograph. The chicken quarter I got was the wing and breast section, and came smothered in peri-peri sauce (I don't remember that).

The peri-corn was a total waste of money, and consisted on a half cob of corn covered in more peri-peri sauce. Except that they did not care to remove all the hairy bits on the corn, and the sauce made it smell a little off. The couscous was slightly better, but was a little bland. The chicken was good, although I would tell most guys to order half a chicken for a standard meal (it was not a full meal for me, since I was going to have dinner in a couple of hours).

So I finished my food and went to the counter to pay for my food. There are no table numbers, and I guess you are supposed to sit at your seat to ask for your bill. However, considering the lack of customers in the restaurant at the time, the staff still had difficulty working out where I was seated(???!!!). The staff at the payment counter really seemed to need training in simple arithmetic, since a senior seemed to be teaching the junior how much change to take from the till (???!!!). This took a good five minutes, while I was waiting in front of them. I had to request that they hurry up, since it had begun to rain outside and I did not want to get drenched.

I think their attempt at moving up-market by having wait staff is a dismal failure. Staff training in responsiveness needs to be looked into immediately. I can now understand the long queues in the evenings, if the wait staff are so slow and unresponsive even during an off-peak timing. I think that if it is chicken you are after, KFC serves a far cheaper product. Or if you are keen on peri-peri chicken, Barcelo's offers a better experience (although the restaurant ambience is better in Nando's).

Rating: 5/10
Website: http://www.nandos.com.sg/
Address: #01-85/87 Bugis Junction, 200 Victoria Street
Phone: 6338 6555
Hours: 1000 hrs - 2200 hrs
Price: $$

Kazokutei @ Plaza Singapura

Having previously tried Kura at the Tokyo Walker, I wanted to try the handmade udon from Kazokutei, which was established in Osaka just after the Second World War.

I got there at about 6 pm, and the outlet was still relatively empty. Decided to get the Tempura Udon with Shira Dashi. The shop offers two main soup bases: the milder Shira Dashi is based on konbu (sea tangle), while the stronger tasting Koku Dashi based on bonito. Decided on an extra order of mixed vegetable tempura too.



The first to arrive were my serving of prawn tempura. It was followed by the big bowl of udon. Unfortunately, the waiter serving it managed to get the spoon to fall into the soup. He was going to retrieve it and serve it, when his supervisor told him to get a new bowl. Good thing, since I spotted a long strand of hair in the bowl too! So, I had to wait for my noodles, since the vegetable tempura was delivered shortly after the incident. At least I got a fresh bowl!



I finally tucked into my udon when it arrived, and found the texture slightly wanting. I found the udon at Tsurukoshi Udon had much better texture. The broth was good though. Subtle hints of the konbu came through. The tempura was also lacklustre, even though the size of the vegetables were quite large. It was all the fault of the batter, which was not as light as most tempura eateries.

Rating: 5/10
Website: http://kazokutei.co.jp/en/index.html
Address: Tokyo Walker, #04-01, Plaza Singapura, 68 Orchard Road
Phone: 6333 9285
Hours: 1130 hrs - 2200 hrs
Price: $1/2

Baikohken @ Takashimaya Basement Food Hall

I thought I would try Baikohken after I gave it a miss when I last visited the Basement Food Hall of Takashimaya. The shop has a sister outlet at North Canal Road which has been operating longer than this new outlet. As I placed my order, I asked the waiter what was their specialty. He replied that all Shio Ramen, Shoyu Ramen and Miso Ramen where their specialties. I asked which part of Japan the shop was from (Hokkaido) and decided to go for Miso Ramen.



I was presented with a large bowl that was covered with two large pieces of chasu, scallions, menma and the ajituke tamago. My first thought was that the tamago was over done and the yolks were almost cooked through. The two pieces of chasu were large and generous. I tucked into the ramen and found that it was served with copious quantities of bean sprouts. The tamago was not only overcooked, but tasteless, almost like a hard-boiled egg. The chasu was dry until it was well mixed in with the broth. The menma was also badly done, with poor flavour and texture. The broth, which is usually what makes ramen, was disappointing. There was little taste of miso (the fermented soy), and tasted more of salt and monosodium glutamate. Ramen was also disappointing, with no firmness to bite.

Even though their serving was generous and have a loyalty card, I doubt I will return. Ambience is minimal, since it is all open-concept.

Rating: 5/10
Website: http://www.baikohken.com
Address: #B201-04, B2 Takashimaya Food Hall, Ngee Ann City Tower A, 391 Orchard Road
Phone: 6235 3483
Hours: 1000 hrs - 2130 hrs
Price: $1/2

The Marmalade Pantry @ 1ON Orchard

This place in 1ON Orchard is a port of call for the trendy set. An all-day-dining eatery whose clientele consist of an odd mix of tai-tai's, expatriate families (or just mums with kids) and the yuppies (with the occasional celebrity). I describe it as the place to see and be seen.



I have to say that I am a sucker for steak sandwiches (ever since I had that great one on the Great Ocean Road so many years ago), so I had to order it. The steak is dressed with wasabi mayonnaise, and caramelized onions. While the steak was nicely done and tender, the onions were not as soft and sweet as I would have liked them to be. The sandwich is served with a side salad and some chips.



Was told to try the sticky date and toffee pudding, and so I did. The pudding was served warm, with a dollop of vanilla ice-cream. The hot and sweet pudding was perfectly complemented by the cold and rich ice-cream. I think I could have had another, but showed restraint...

Rating: 7.5/10
Website: http://www.themarmaladepantry.com/
Address: #03-22, 1ON Orchard, 2 Orchard Turn
Phone: 6734 2700
Hours: 1000 hrs - 2200 hrs
Price: $$

Men-Ya Kaiko @ 1ON Orchard

I chanced upon Hokkaido Ramen Men-Ya Kaiko when I was walking around at 1ON Orchard. The rents on the basement food street must be prohibitive, judging by the turnover of stalls. I have to say that it is a bit weird to be eating in a semi-open area, and paying restaurant prices.

Ordered the chicken ramen, partly because I was interested in seeing how it would turn out, and partly because I was a little sick of chasu. Did not go for the king crab ramen, since I thought paying about $30 in that environment was a bit over the top. I asked for the ramen to be cooked hard.



A large bowl of ramen came in no time. The ajituke tamago I ordered came in a separate saucer. The serving size was good, and the ramen was well cooked. The chicken was also tasty. Unfortunately, the two slices of pork included in the ramen were dry and like cardboard. The menma was also overly soft, giving it an almost melt in the mouth feel. The broth was not bad, but definitely not what you expect for a Hokkaido-style ramen, as the miso flavour was weak. It was probably one of the least satisfying bowls of ramen I have had recently. At the price, the ambience is seriously lacking, since it is restaurant pricing with food court ambience.

Rating: 6/10
Website: none
Address: #B4-52/53, 1ON Orchard, 2 Orchard Turn
Phone: none
Hours: 1100 hrs - 2200 hrs
Price: $1/2

Daikokuya @ Paragon

I have been wanting to try Daikokuya for some time, so I decided to drop in this evening. The place was quite full when I got there, but cleared out by the time I was done at about 9 pm. I had asked the manager to recommend me their specialty, and was told that the Sapporo Miso Ramen was their specialty, although he personally liked the Kyushu Kogashi Ramen. Decided to try the Sapporo Miso Ramen, since that is what they are known for.



The bowl of ramen was served promptly, and the Ajituke Tamago was nicely soft and gooey in the centre. The ramen came with a thick slice of chasu, which unfortunately had a strong smell of pork and was a little dry, and was garnished with corn, scallions, menma and a piece of seaweed. The miso broth was rich and satisfying, real tummy-warming stuff, so it was really let down by the chasu. The ramen itself was cooked nicely firm and was complemented by the miso broth.

Rating: 7/10
Website: http://www.daikokuya.com.sg/
Address: #B1-47, Paragon Shopping Centre, 290 Orchard Road
Phone: 6737 5416
Hours: 1130 hrs - 2230 hrs
Price: $1/2

Santouka @ The Central

I was passing through the area and thought that I would try Santouka's outlet at The Central Mall at Clarke Quay. I must say that unless you know the place, it is unlikely that you would bump into the restaurant, since it is tucked into one corner of the second level, and completely masked by the Nasi Padang restaurant Rendezvous that moved there recently. So, if you do not take the escalator from the ground level that is in that corner of the mall, you will have to walk past Rendezvous to get to Santouka

Since I am no longer a Santouka virgin, I went straight to the Toroniku Ramen. Decided to try the miso ramen this time, since that is the basis of Hokkaido ramen. I must say that the miso broth was good. Better than Kura, with that complexity, and with the added bonus of the pork cheek. The scallions, black fungus and menma, with the lone slice of kamaboko helps to offset the strength of the broth.

< I must say that the view of Clarke Quay is great. I think it would have really improved if I hung on till after the sunset, when Clarke Quay gets lit up.

And yes, I discovered that Santouka has a loyalty card programme. Not many know about it, and they do not advertise it. I literally had to ask for my loyalty card...

Rating: 7.5/10 (the cheek alone would be 9/10)
Website: http://www.santouka.co.jp/en/index.html
Address: #02-76 The Central, 6 Eu Tong Sen Street
Phone: 6224 0668
Hours: 1100 hrs to 2230 hrs
Price: $$