Ichiban Boshi at nex

All of us woke up after a very good friend's birthday celebration and was really hungry.  We needed food asap and picked the closest venue where we could walk to.

After trying to decide amongst what seems like 10, 000 food outlets there, we picked Ichiban Boshi before one of us fainted...

We ordered various set meals and while some picked sushi from the conveyor belt cum carousel thingy, my girlfriend and I ordered the same thing and our set came with unagi, tempura, teriyaki salmon, chawan mushi, salmon sashimi, miso soup and rice :)

The unagi was done well, the tempura crispy, the teriyaki salmon was not too sweet and the salmon sashimi was fresh.  Both of us really thought it tasted good.  Another friend of ours ordered a set which consists of chawan mushi, tempura, salmon and unagi fried rice.

It tasted good too though her portion of fried rice was too much for her.  Another friend ordered the  tempura udon noodles.  It's tasty though the portion could be a little bit more.

The salad came in a rather a big portion for 1 person.  Ask for the another salad dressing if you don't fancy the one that came with it.

I think it is a decent place for casual dining with family and friends.  My good friend who had tried all the Japanese eateries in NEX said this is the best one.  Come early for lunch as you may not be able to get any table...  lucky we did!

Ratings:
Tempura Set    8/10
Unagi Fried Rice Set 8/10
Udon 7/10


#B1-04 nex
23 Serangoon Central
Tel: 66340128
Daily: 11:00am -10:00pm
(Last order: 9.30pm)

Buyan Russian Haute Cuisine and Caviar Bar

Decided to give this new restaurant a try.  My friend was saying that Russian food may be lousy but I thought, why not check it out.

one of the levels in Buyan

It is located in a shophouse in Duxton.  When I got there, there was no one at all to "greet" me at the sort of reception area.  It was totally empty.  Luckily, my friend had said that he's on the 3rd floor as I made my way up on my own with no staff in sight.  Only upon reaching the landing of the 3rd floor, I "located" a staff.

I was given the menu as soon as I was seated.  With iPad as menu and you can click beside the text to show the image of the food you are ordering.  There's 2 different menus, casual dining and fine dining.

They recommended me an appetiser from their fine dining menu as I couldn't make up my mind.  When it came, I think my Crabmeat Salad ($45) was superb! It was fresh, tasty, slightly crunchy and such a delight to the palate.  My friend ordered the Herring and Potato appetiser ($10) and it was excellent as well.  It was simple but very well done.  The herring was fresh, the potatoes were warm and it was good.  We were very happy with the appetisers that we decided to share another appetiser.  Since the Russians are known for caviar, we decided to go that way.  It comes with all the usual condiments and I enjoyed that very much too as I like caviar.

Shashlik

My friend ordered the Shashlik and I ordered the Beef Stroganoff as we feel we should order their classic dishes as our mains.  The Shashlik was decent though I was expecting something outstanding after our appetisers.  The portions were decent and it's reasonably tasty.  My Beef Stroganoff was delicious but I find the sauce too rich and therefore I was not able to finish it.

We decided to move downstairs to have our dessert.  The baked apple dessert was interesting and very different.  I've never seen this technique before.  The apple is still crunchy on the inside and it is crispy on the outside.  I will order this for myself the next time.  The berry dessert, ( I can't really remember the names of both desserts) is something light.  The pink liquid is sort of half drink, half jelly consistency plus the berries.  It is refreshing and just what I needed on a hot day though I won't really call it dessert.

I will visit Buyan again to try out other dishes and definitely will order the Crabmeat Salad again :)  I was also told that they serve 50 types of premium vodka in their vodka bar (apparently some not available elsewhere)  on the ground level.  So, I guess would be good for those of you who are vodka lovers...

Dessert:  Baked apple

Ratings:
Crabmeat Salad 9.5/10
Herring & Potato 9.5/10
Shashlik 8/10

Dessert: Berries

Beef Stroganoff 8/10
Baked Apple Dessert: 8.5/10
Berry Dessert: 6/10

Service: 7.5/10

Address: 9/10 Duxton Hill

Tel: +65 6223 7008

Opening Hours

Mon–Sat: 12pm – 12am
Closed on Sundays

Snacks

Kuih Lupis

I have been very very busy recently, hence, I have not been able to update my blog.  

Anyway, I came across some Kuih Lupis the other day and since it is one my daughter's favourite kuih, I decided to get some.  The Lupis is tasty and soft.  The grains are only slightly visible when you cut it across.  It is tender and moist and the "gula melaka sauce" (palm sugar) is not diluted.  My daughter told me that she rates this as No.2 so far, but then again her No. 1 choice was made by a friend's relative and can't be bought in the shops.  So that means, it's good.

Rating: 8/10

Mukmin Cafe

Bedok North Road

opp Bedok Stadium

Chocolate Tarts

There's another place which I must mention, though I was thinking of keeping it a secret :)  but I don't think that's fair to all of you :P

For those who knows me personally, they all know that I am not a snack person nor am I a dessert kinda gal.  Though, I will definitely make an exception for these "to-die-for" choc tarts.  I was introduced to this place by my JJCM Kaki (literal translation Walk Walk Find Food Buddy).  It is a small bakery and everything is being handmade by the owners, the auntie who does the tarts looks like she's at least 70 years old.  But let me tell you, you cannot stop at 2 or 3 when you start popping it in your mouth!!!

Th pastry is soft and slightly flaky with almost a "buttery-biscuity" flavour.  The chocolate is so creamy, yummy and not too sweet.  You have to have it almost immediately when it's out from the fridge else it would break apart.  The size is rather small and I would prefer it to be slightly larger in size.  Usually we'll get about 20 to 30 pieces for 3 persons.  It's selling for 80 cents per piece.

You have to go early as it's usually sold out by 4pm.  This is a MUST TRY!

Rating: 9.5/10

Nona Manis Bakery
Katong Shopping Centre
865 Mountbatten Road
#B1-93