Tonkichi Japanese Restaurant at Orchard Central

I went to Tonkichi Japanese Restaurant for my birthday because it looked so pretty and the menu looked good.

I felt like I was really in Japan (and I should be tomorrow if not because my trip was cancelled :( )

I told the photographer to take the background but he included me in the pic as well.

The food doesn't come with most of the sauces. They're available at the side so you can choose the amount you want to put.

Different sauces.

The ramen set comes with a ramen of your choice, a katsu of your choice and a side of your choice.

This the ramen set that I ordered.

My companion likes my ramen, but I prefer Marutama (click to see my post on it).

The tonkatsu ramen I ordered.

I chose hire katsu and agedashi tofu.

It came with a huge ladle that is freaking fun to use.

The  set looked even more sumptuous.

This is my fave. Grilled to perfection!

Grilled cod.

The sashimi served there is super fresh and creamy. I would recommend getting a plate of sashimi to savour.

Sashimi don.

A sumptuous spread.

We are gluttons so we ordered another salmon roll. And we didn't regret it because it was sooooo good.

Grilled salmon sushi.

The bills came up to about $90+


How do you usually celebrate your birthday?

Dinner & Drinks with Han

Han and I celebrated my birthday after attending DrGL MAN's launch at Escentials and Paez's launch at Threadbare & Squirrel (click to see my post on it)

Because we've been walking around in heels (although Han changed into the comfy Paez that she bought that day), we decided not to venture too far and went for dinner at Shokudo at Bugis Junction.

I can never resist ordering Shokudo's pasta because it's so yummy. Yeah, like ANY pasta. I went for this one because I haven't tried it before (and I've pretty much try every other pasta on the menu). I think this is pretty alright... I still prefer the Carbonara and Chicken balls skewers with cream pasta.

Tomato based pasta with pork slices.

This is pretty decent but the wasabi mayo is yummy.

Prawn fritters with wasabi mayo sauce.

This is what Han ordered. It came in a super generous portion.

Burger!

At first we wanted to walk around the mall but because our feet still feel tortured by our heels, we decided to seek "refuge" at Intercontinental Hotel.

A pianist was making music there and the ambience is just fab. The kind of ambience that I'm a total sucker for!

We got some drinks - I had a Hoegaarden and Han had Irish Cream Bailey's.

We had a fantastic chat about - well, pretty much everything under the sun. And took lots of pictures.

Okay, I just want to show off my hair, ok? Oh, and a bit of my Kate Spade bag.

Here are pictures of us playing with my camera's Fish-Eye effect function.

Where do you go to chill out?

Thai Thai at Mandarin Gallery

I love walking in Mandarin Gallery. There's a sort of serenity there and it just smells soooooo good. The music that plays softly in the background is to my taste too. While I have been there on several occasions for fashion shoot loans (particularly at Terra Plena and hansel), I haven't tried the F&B outlets there. Okay, besides Arteastiq Tea Lounge for tea. And it wasn't a good experience because it was a Monday afternoon at 3pm, and half the menu was unavailable, and the servers didn't bother to let us know when they pass us the menu. In the end of we have to go through this conversation:

Me: Could I have Dish A?
Server: It's unavailable.
(Took another two minutes to go through menu again)
Me: Ok, how about Dish B?
Server: I'm sorry, it's not available too.
(Took another two minutes to go through menu AGAIN)
Me: Erm... Dish C then.
Server: We're out of salmon.
(After taking away Dish A, B and all salmon dishes, we're left with about... five options or so)
Me: Ok, I'll just have whatever my friend is having.
Server: But your friend is already having it.
Me: What do you mean? Do you mean my friend ordered the last one?

You get the drift! But I digress, of course.

I meant to say that I haven't really visited the F&B outlets there and have heard raves about Wild Honey, that's why I chose Mandarin Gallery as venue to meet with TM and Qi.

In the end, Wild Honey said we have to wait for an hour to get a seat. I refused to and we went around to look for other F&B outlets. Then, we chanced upon Thai Thai.

Thai Thai for tai-tai!

And Thai Thai's interior reminds me of a place where a tai-tai and her friends will hang out at.

The menu.

It's elegant, the ambience is soothing, quiet and very cosy. (It's very a lot less crowded than the other eating places at Mandarin Gallery).

Lamps in a bird cage. Yes, that's how my lamps will be like in my future house.

Qi and I got a seat by the window while we waited for TM to arrive.

Tai-tai wannabe.

No Thai meal is complete without mango salad! Or at least that's what I think :) The salad is slightly sour and super appetising. It's a great dish to start the meal off.

Thai mango salad.

This is my favourite dish out of those we've ordered - Homemade tofu with Thai sweet and sour sauce. This is surprisingly good. The outside of the tofu is fried till it's crispy, but the inside has a melt-in-your-mouth texture. The sauce doesn't overwhelm the taste, but instead, complements the crispy tofu very well.

Homemade beancurd with Thai sweet and sour sauce.

The Green Curry with Chicken has a strong taste of herb and spices. It's not particularly spicy, so it should be suitable for most people.

Green curry with chicken.

This is a crispy yam basket with chicken. The yam basket part of the dish is the most delicious, it tastes like crackers when you munch it, but as you swallow it, the fragrant taste of yam is very evident.

Yam basket with chicken.

Here's a group shot and me holding the Campo Marzio pen they've given me as a birthday gift - a perfect gift for a writer :)

Us after a satisfying meal!

Thai Thai is located at #04-08, Mandarin Gallery. By the way, don't be intimidated by how posh it looks. Each of us spent less than $30 on the meal and were very, very well fed.

Which other F&B outlets have you visited?

Birthday at Manhattan Fish Market with Family!

I have been busy with birthday celebration for the past week or so. Celebration with the family was at Manhattan Fish Market.

Manhattan Fish Market is my fave when compared against Fish & Co, New York New York, NYDC and the likes.

We started the meal with the Caesar Salad:

I feel... healthy! :)

My absolute fave on their menu is actually the Creamy Mussels. However, because the Lobster Platter that we ordered came with mussels, we went for the Louisiana Prawns instead.

The server looked very serious when he handled the prawns.

The prawns are really juicy and dipped in thick and rich sauce that makes for fantastic dip for the baguette that is served together with the dish. I don't usually eat prawns, because I don't like the taste of it. But the gravy masks the taste of prawns (that I don't like) so this dish is fine for . I know, it's lots of calories, but it's a treat for a special occasion!

Look at the golden goodness!

And here comes the highlight of the day - Lobster Platter! The server came and grilled the lobster right before our eyes and it's really quite spectacular.

Lobster grilled before it's served.

Look at the spread! There's a lobster cut into half and coated with grilled cheese, mussels, dory fish fillets, fries, and they're all "carpeted" by super fragrant garlic rice. Oh yes, and tomatoes for garnishing and to help you feel more healthy after eating these! :)

WOOHOO!

No indulgence is complete without some sinful but pleasurable desserts. Mudpie for all of us to share.

More indulgence!

And grandma indulged in some ice-cream.

Choc and vanilla ice-cream topped with whipped cream.

Which is your favourite "family restaurant"?

Free admission to ArtScience Museum at MBS

In July and August, you'll get to enjoy complimentary programmes, movies and lectures related to Van Gogh Alive and Dali: Mind of Genius. Yes, ALL FREE! Great weekend activities :)

A few interesting ones that I want to highlight:

ArtScientist Workshop, where you get to exercise your creativity by creating collages using Van Gogh Painting. Bring your kids, nieces, nephews, neighbours' kids, friends' kids there! Kids shouldn't just go for tuition, they should practise getting creative too. It's held every Sunday and Tuesday, 4pm-5pm

Photo courtesy of ArtScience Museum.

A Surreal Concert: Live Concert by Lirio Salvador & Elemento. They will perform eclectic music using string, wind, electronic and percussion instruments and integrate the music with performance art, new media, sculpture and audio art. Sounds damn funky. This will happen on 15 july, 7pm-7.45pm

Photo courtesy of Elemento.

Another interesting activity is the Dance with Dali dance workshop, led by Vincent Yong, choreographer and dancer. It's five sessions and would include a final showcase at the end of the 4-week training. Held on 19, 26 July, 2, 9, 16 Aug, 7pm-8.30pm. This costs $150 for 5 sessions.

Photo courtesy of Sylwia Kujawska.

Entry fees into the ArtScience Museum is $30 for adults; $27 for senior citizens; $17 for children.

P/S: I went to the Van Gogh Alive! exhibition and it was AWESOME.

What do you do on weekends? 

Cheap and decent Japanese food court at North Point

Do you know that there's this entire area that sets aside for Japanese food at Northpoint?

I stumbled upon it some time ago and decided to hop over there for dinner.

The interior doesn't look spectacular but at least there are some thoughts put into it.

The selections are fine - there's sushi, ramen, omelette rice and this area that's set apart for those who want to enjoy buffet.

The sashimi weren't particularly fresh nor succulent, but did you expect it to be restaurant standard?

This is what I had. Omelette rice with scallops in cream sauce. It may not look very fab but hey, it's pretty decent!

My companion had Omelette rice with chicken cutlet in curry.

They've got quite a few of these "lantern" lamps.

The prices are really affordable - think food court prices and if you arrive early (like, 7pm or before that), you can get a seat easily.

Any affordable food recommendation?

Cirque Eloize id at Marina Bay Sands

Last Sunday afternoon, after doing sourcing for a shoot, I made my final stop at MBS for 1. the last venue for the sourcing 2. to meet a client 3. to go for the Cirque Eloize id performance!

It's held at the Grand Theater:

The performance has a series of stunts. See pictures:

The most memorable performances would probably be from the stunt biker, juggler, contortionist and trampoline performance. All of which were performed with fantastically rhythmic music, a joyful storyline and perfectly executed stunts.

The show will play from June 1 to June 26 at Marina Bay Sands Grand Theater. There are shows everyday except Tuesday, at 7.30pm, and on weekends, 1.30pm as well. You can get your tickets by visiting
www.marinabaysands.com/ticketing, call 6688-8826 or book in person at Marina Bay Sands Offices (Museum, Theaters, SkyPark, Retail Mall and Tower 1 Lobby).

See my full review here.

What's your favourite circus stunt?