Media Tasting: Barashi Tei

After a previous food tasting session at Barashi Tei last year, which was filled with tons of yummies, I was really glad to be invited for another food tasting session once again to try out some of their new items on the menu!

Deep Fried Softshell Crab - $12.80 

You can never go wrong with a big, fat softshell crab that's deep fried to perfection and served crisp and piping hot on a plate. The only bad thing about this is that you're actually on a diet but it's so hard to stop popping them into your mouth. 

Unagi Don - $18.80

I'm definitely not an unagi fan (I really dislike the meat's texture and exceptionally hates biting into the cartilage bits) but this was pretty okay! Although the distinctive "overly-tender" texture of the unagi can't be avoided, the marinate was definitely yummy and it made the overall dish less unappealing for me as a unagi-hater.

Ika Kabayaki (Grilled Squid) - $16.80

It's obvious even from the picture that this squid is humongous! Though not the most tender and juicy grilled squid you can find, I still find this a good pairing with perhaps, a pint of iced cold beer.

Chawanmushi - $4.80 / Ikura (Salmon Roe) Chawanmushi - $6.80

Barashi Tei has upped their chawanmushi game by topping them up with ikura! However, as I'm not a fan of these neon-orange salmon roe, I went for the standard plain ones instead, which was equally good! I love mixing in some tongarashi (Japanese chili powder) into my chawanmushi. Ground pepper does work too, but it's not really the same. 

 How about you?

Unagi Salmon Mentai Maki - $14.80

This was one of the two variations of salmon maki that were introduced to us that night. Even though I'm not that much of an unagi fan, this suit my palates a little better as it has a lighter, less complex taste to it. The slice of salmon and mentai topping pretty much overpowered the small slice of unagi wrapped in the middle as well, so I hardly noticed the distinctive unagi taste and texture within.

Spicy Salmon Maki - $14.80

The more jerlat (strong flavoured) salmon maki cousin of the Unagi Salmon Mentai, the Spicy Salmon Maki has a big fat ebi fry (fried breaded shrimp) wrapped in the middle of the rice roll and topped with seared salmon and spicy cream-roe sauce. 

The combination of the soft and tender seared salmon with crisp and crunchy fried breaded shrimp and a generous dollop of the spicy cream sauce gave the maki a more complex texture (and also a little bit harder to eat it all in one mouth). 

Sashimi Moriawase - $28 (for 12 pieces)

Must try for all sashimi lovers out there! I'm hardly a fan of raw fish, and especially avoid eating any while in Singapore as they can never be fresh enough to not give you the fishy taste (I can still taste them regardless how subtle). But the sashimi Barashi Tei serves were really fresh and I could manage keeping a few slices down (if I wanted to). I mean, I can eat them if you want me to. But honestly speaking I just do not truly appreciate sashimi so it's better that I leave it for the others who are true sashimi lovers, right?

Don't judge me.

And then, back to a few of the popular dishes we had in our previous media tasting...

Ishikari Nabe Set (Salmon Head Hotpot) _ $18.80

This time, we were served the salmon head instead, but the soup remains equally yummy and comforting!

Tamagoyaki - $5

And almost everyone went "JI DAN!" (Egg, in Mandarin) when this tiny plate of tamagoyaki was served. And a few of the bloggers actually bought takeouts of this back home. 

Undoubtedly one of the most popular dish I've ever seen at a media tasting event. 

Foie Gras Sushi - $15.80 (for 2 pieces)

One of the dishes of the night that also received tons of "oohs" at the table. This time, their popular foie gras has ditched the previous partner (sirloin steak) and found.... sushi rice! Although it may seem a little pricey at almost $16 for just two pieces of sushi, but Barashi Tei are actually pretty generous with the cut and if you're a die-hard fan of foie gras, this will definitely be worth your penny.

Barashi Tei is located at
266 Middle Road
Elias Building
Singapore 188991

Till then,
Mia Foo

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Food Tasting: Barashi-Tei

Yup, it's that time again. The time when I look at the numbers on the weighing scale and say, "who cares!" 

Located at a corner along Middle Road, Barashi-Tei is founded by Chef Wang Zhen Feng, with the 

Founder and Chef, Mr Wang Zhen Feng is proud to present Barashi-Tei, his new Japanese restaurant which serves only dishes made with freshest ingredients air-flown from Japan. 

Chef Wang picked up his culinary skills from a 60-year-old Japanese Master Check, who has more than 40 years of experience. 

If you're working around the area (they're right across the street from Peace Centre), you'll be glad to know that Barashi Tei also provides a wide variety of set meals that are extremely affordable.

The restaurant interior was kept minimalist and simple, and was pretty busy on a Friday night.

And now, let's move on to what's important. The food!

 Avocado Salmon Salad - $13.80

 Sashimi Salad - $13.80

Both salads come with a combination of fresh greens and cherry tomatoes, but the avocado salmon salad comes with sliced avocados and seared salmon while the sashimi counterpart comes with, well, sashimi (salmon, maguro, mekajiki etc)! 

Albeit fragrant and a little sweet, the salad dressing is quite salty, so it's best to add it in little by little and tasting your salad until you got the taste you want. 

Chirashi Don - $23

With yummy Japanese rice air flown directly from Japan, and generous slices of fresh sashimi (salmon, white tuna, mekajiki, maguro), tamago and topped with ikura, this is a must try for all those sashimi lovers out there.
Personally, I will not eat any sashimi (except for hokkigai) in Singapore due to the fishy taste in almost ALL the sashimi despite of how 'fresh' they supposedly are and they always lack the slightly chewy texture (meaning they're really not that fresh anymore) and tends to be mushier and well, just meh.
But the mekajiki I tried was so fresh! There's no fishy smell at all and the texture was springy yet not overly 'crunchy' and tasted really sweet.

Bara Chirashi Don - $13.80

This don is just like the Chirashi Don, but with the sashimi and tamago cut into smaller bite size and then toss in some cucumbers as well. For someone who doesn't really enjoy eating raw fish, I will prefer the Bara Chirashi over Chirashi as the 'rawness' is more managable.

Sake Jyu - $16.80

Maguro Nakaochi Don - $16.80

And if you only like salmon sashimi or only maguro sashimi, fret not! You can always go for Sake Jyu or Maguro Nakaochi Don instead. 

Aburi Bara Chirashi Don - $16.80

Can't take so much rawness in a bowl (like yours truly)? Then there's Aburi Bara Chirashi for you, with the sashimi seared (hence cooked on the outside and raw on the inside) and topped with avocados and ebikko. 

Spicy Salmon Maki - $12.80

Crispy ebi fry wrapped in yummy sushi rice and topped with fresh seared salmon and yummy spicy sauce!
Absolutely love the sauce, slightly spicy and savoury and complements the seared salmon really well.

Rice Paper Ebi Maki - $10.80

This reminds me of the vietnamese paper rolls, but so much tastier. (Sorry, the only experience I had with Vietnamese paper rolls is a bad one). The rice paper was really thin and soft, giving a barely there texture and the lettuce was crisp and fresh, which tones down the oiliness of the ebi fry.
I would have preferred to not have the tamago inside though, the sudden coldness and sweetness from the tamago was a little 'shocking' when you were happily chewing through the hot and savoury ebi fry.

Smoked Duck Kushi - $2.60

This is for all the smoked duck lovers out there, now you get them on skewers! How cool is that. Moreover, instead of the usual thin and relatively tough slices, the smoked duck kushi is cut into cubes, probably for a better bite. The meat is also much softer and more tender than the usual smoked duck slices you find in the market. 

Yaki Tamago - $5

Didn't know that the yaki tamago will be cold, hence was a little surprised when I bite into it and felt the chills instead. HAHAHA! Sensitive teeth, poor me. 

Not a fan of tamago at all because I would expect the egg to be savoury but I get 'tricked' every time (they're sweet). But if you love tamago for their sweet taste, this is the dish for you.

Kuruma Ebi - $7.80

(pan fried prawns with kuruma sauce)

Wasabi Ebi - $7.80

(deep fried prawns with wasabi sauce)

I love how the prawns are all shelled. Heh! The prawns are definitely fresh and not overcooked, retaining their springy texture and with a juicy sweet taste. 

Sauce wise, I will prefer the savoury kuruma sauce as I'm not a fan of wasabi. The wasabi sauce here doesn't come with the pungent-spicy kick though, more like the usual wasabi-mayo sauce. 

Both sauces are really rich and thick, and you might need to spread it evenly around all the prawns to avoid an overkill on your tastebuds.

Ika Teriyako - $13.80

Well, that's really a huge grilled squid, isn't it? I personally found the squid a little overdone, hence too chewy and a little tough. Or perhaps big squid just tends to have tougher flesh?

Sirloin Steak & Foie Gras - $19.80

Haha, Oyhz's favourite foie gras on steak. I don't eat both. Steak due to religion, and foie gras because... not an organ eater.
Oyhz seemed to enjoy this very much though.

You probably can't see it very well on pictures, but the insides of the steak was still pinkish!

 Gindara Nabe - $24

This just screams, "COMFORT FOOD!" The gindara (also known to Japanese as Black Cod) really suited the dish very well due to their 'fatty' smooth and rich texture that complement a soup really well. It really just swims down your throat.
The soup was both savoury and sweet while the gindara extremely fresh and springy. This is definitely the dish I will crave for on a cold and rainy day.

Pudding of the Day (Orange) - $3.80

The pudding is harder and more solid than the usual pudding I've had before and reminds me of sweeten condensed milk. A tad too sweet for me, but might be the dessert for you if you're a fan of rich and sweet puddings. 

Barashi-Tei is located at

266 Middle Road

Elias Building

Singapore 188991

Till then,

Mia Foo

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