Mia's Food Trail Review: Shin Sapporo Ramen

After my review of Penang Culture and Chicken Up from my Century Square Food Trail, I'm finally putting up the 3rd restaurant review, Shin Sapporo Ramen! 

Being a huge ramen fan, I've tried them out when they first opened at B1 of Century Square and I found them pretty okay.

Wakayama Tonkotsu-Shoyu Ramen - $14.80

It's funny how you put tonkotsu and shoyu together to get a slightly miso-like taste. Alright, I'm over-simplifying it here. The broth is like a thick, flavourful tonktsu broth but packed with more savoury saltiness to it. And as you can see, there's a good drizzle of flavoured oil in the broth as well, so this is probably not the best choice for ladies who prefer a lighter tasting ramen. But for me, who do enjoy a good authentic tasting ramen, this is really not a bad choice.

 Abura Soba - $14.90

One of their latest noodle creation, a dry ramen, tossed in delicious seasoned oil and served with braised charsiu, menma and an onsen egg.

The noodles, more on the salty side, has an amazing sesame oil fagrance with a peppery kick to it, which I absolutely loved. The braised charsiu were tender, and the runny onsen egg just completed the whole dish just like topping a cherry on a glass of magarita. 

I wasn't really that eager to try out a dry ramen, but this really won me over and I'm so glad I tried it. 

 Hiyashi Chuka Soba - $13.80

This cold noodle dish, though really colourful and instagram-worthy, isn't going to be my choice of noodle... at any ramen shop. Not that I'm against cold noodles (I love chasoba, btw) but hiyashi chuka has this distinctive vinegar-ish sour taste that I really do not appreciate. 

I know, something cold and sour does sound really appetizing, but just not for me. 

 Chuka Tofu - $4.80

Another cold dish that didn't go very well with my tastebuds, sadly. The gravy was way too salty, and the tofu too stiff. I was at least expecting a softer, more fluffy bite to the tofu but it came on way too hard, and with this 'raw' icy taste to it. 

Haru Salad - $4.80

With crisp lettuce, fresh cherry tomatoes and yummy sweet corns mixed together in one bowl, it's hard to find anything wrong with this dish. This is a salad so refreshing on the palate that I can easily wolf it down without any form of dressing, olive oil, lemon juice or whatsoever. 

 Chocolate Lava Cake - $8.80

When the staff first recommended their chocolate lava cake to us, saying that many customers specially visit for this cake, I was really skeptical. 

Chocolate lava cake at a ramen shop, really?

It took nothing more than just one bite for me to know why.

Molten, decadent chocolate sauce just oozed out of the soft, moist cake with a slice of the knife. Every single bite of the cake was just moist, rich and extremely chocolatey. If you're a chocolate lover, this is a dessert capable of driving ALL your blues away, no joke. 

Shin-Sapporo Ramen is located at Century Square, B1-10/11

For more information, visit their Facebook HERE

Till then,

Mia Foo

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Mia's Food Trail Review: Chicken Up

After my review of Penang Culture, here's another restaurant which I've really enjoyed the food while on my Century Square Food Trail.

Chicken Up!

I kind of like how they decor up the place. It's cute (those chicken feet!) yet paired up with pretty rustic looking furniture.

I've previously visited with T and tried out one of their KFC, kimchi fries and watermelon soju, all of which are really good but I felt was a little too pricey. Our bill for 2 (just those 2 dishes with the smaller serving of watermelon soju) came up to $80 plus $90? 

 Bulgogi Fries - $18

Comparing this to the kimchi fries, plus being a kimchi-fan, I'll definitely prefer the kimchi fries. The bulgogi ones are definitely a little too jerlat and 'meaty' for me. Fries itself is already a pretty heavy and oily taste, so drenching it generously with creamy mayonaise and tossed in bits of meat really isn't what I'll love to indulge in. 

I'll go for the kimchi fries anytime, sorry bulgogi. 

Toppoki with Seafood and Cheese - $20

And yes, that's quick a bit of shredded cheese on top when the pot is served. Just make sure to give it a good mix in.... 

And viola, cheesy seafood toppoki!

Unlike the 'traditional' topokki that has thicker gravy with a sweeter aftertaste (those sold locally in SG), Chicken Up does theirs more soupy, spicy without the off sweetness in the aftertaste, and added in tons of seafood, korean vermicelli, and topped up the goodness with grated cheese.

The teok (rice cakes) were chewy without taking down your jaw, and is well infused with the spicy flavour of the gravy, unlike some restaurants that probably doesn't cook the rice cakes long enough with the gravy, resulting in white and bland rice cakes. 

The pot looks small, but this dish sure packs enough to feed 2 or maybe even 3 tummies. 

A funny surprise when I tried the dish was when I bit into the mussel and heard something cracked. Initially I thought the mussel shell broke and I chewed on bits of it but it turned out....

The mussel 'ate' a miniature crab and haven't had time to digest it yet.

Watermelon Bingsu - $18

$18 might seem a little pricey for some watermelon balls, shaved ice, red beans and a scoop of vanilla ice cream sitting on half a watermelon. However, in terms of visual appeal, quantity and quality, $18 didn't feel that much overpriced either.
In addition, those shaved ice were made from freezing milk and not just plain water, making it much more creamy and flavourful than expected.

Macaron Ice Cream - $6 each

I was totally eyeing them when I visited the first time with T but ended up with no stomach spaces for even a bite of this after having the kimchi fries, KFC and watermelon soju. 

And well, it's really just a food trend and pretty instagram-worthy dessert. 

As seen, the macaron shells, perhaps affected by the coldness and dampness of the ice cream, were hard and overly moist and chewy in the centre. Not the best kind of macaron shell you'll want to bite into. The shells were also just flat sweet with no special flavours to them, which made me want to just chuck the shells and just eat the ice cream on their own.

Another $6 for one? I think I'll prefer finding another 2 girlfriends and sharing another bingsu instead, thank you.

Chicken Up is located at Century Square #01-44/47
For more information, visit their website HERE

Till then,
Mia Foo

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Mia's Food Trail Review: Penang Culture

Previously in my Century Square Food Trail post, I've mentioned that I'll be doing individual review posts on the restaurants I've visited and here's the first one coming up!

Located at level 4, beside Kenny Roger's, Penang Culture has been operating in Century Square for a while till date and I'm rather embarrassed to say that as a Tampinesian, I didn't notice them until I went on the food trail!
The restaurant is simple, with a slightly vintage feel to it (you can see it in the floor tiles) and is big and spacious like how a family restaurant will be.

And with that. let's get on with the food!

 Penang Lor Bak - $7.95

Well, I was expecting a pot of braised pork, and was surprised when it turned out as ngor hiang! Crispy on the outside with savoury and flavourful minced chicken meat inside, the lack of pork didn't effect its taste at all. Pairing up with a good dip of chili, this is just the dish to go for if you're not a fan of the distinctive 'pork smell' like me.

 Bronze BBQ Platter - $18.90

I'll find the satay, albeit flavourful, is a little too tough and dry (I took the mutton) and the squid a little too rubbery.
The disappointment of being slightly overcooked aside, the taste still packs a punch. The sambal, though not exceptionally spicy, is still strong enough to give a comfortable spiciness as you chew, with a slight hint of sweetness in the aftertaste.

 Penang Assam Laksa - $7.95

I'm not a fan of assam laksa at all, for I don't appreciate the sourness of the dish. But I love the extremely chewy (QQ) noodle that resembles the mouse tail noodles, which apparently is a characteristic of the dish. 

I so want to fish out the noodles and dunk them in the prawn mee soup! HAHA!

Penang Hokkien Prawn Mee - $8.95

Once again, I was expecting something close to our popular local delights, Hokkien Prawn Mee, but was surprised to see a bowl of prawn rice noodle soup.
Needless to say, the kway tiao (rice noodle) was soft and smooth, and the broth flavourful with the sweetness of the prawn heads and chicken bones that were used to boil it. With a quick mix in of the chili paste, this yummy bowl of prawn mee is complete!

Black Pepper Mantis Prawn - $10.95

After munching down a few pieces of it, I still couldn't really tell that they're mantis prawn. But who really cares when the taste is absolutely heavenly? The battered, fried pieces of the mantis prawns were then tossed in a savoury black pepper sauce that is so delicious! This will totally go well with a bowl of rice, I'll tell you.

Premium Crab Meat & Salted Egg Fried Kway Tiao - $14.99

As mentioned in my food trail post, this is my favourite dish at Penang Culture for the day. Those crispy fried bits you see covering all over the kway tiao are actually fried salted egg bits, which added to much texture and flavour to the savoury, soft and slightly chewy fried kway tiao that's tossed in generous serving of seafood. 

Coconut Milkshake - $6.95

I'm not a fan of coconut, but this drink is still pretty okay for me. It's more towards the refreshing taste of a coconut water than the heavy creamy texture of milkshakes in general. 

Rambutan Juice - $4.95

This is like a less acutely sweet version of the rambutan cocktail blended up with ice and served to you as it is. A really good choice, even if you're not really a big fan of rambutans. 

Penang Culture is located at Century Square, #04-11/12

For more information, visit their website HERE

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Food Trail @ Tampines Century Square

-credits to alllink.com.sg-

All thanks to Asia Mall's invite, Janel and I were really honoured to be able to be part of a blogger's food trail at Century Square located at Tampines. There's supposed to be 4 of us, but one just couldn't make it in the end and another simply decided to join the other (bigger) group of bloggers having a separate food trail at Tampines One because her friends are there, so... yeah, just two of us with 7 restaurants/eateries to conquer. 

This will probably end up as a novel book if I were to give a full review of all the food we've tasted from 11am to almost 6pm, so I'm just going to give a run through of our day first, giving a quick review of my favourite dish from each stopping point, and all 7 individual food review posts will be up and running in time to come! 

First up, we headed to the basement to to kick start our food trail at a pretty familiar restaurant.

Ayam Penyet President located at #B1-27

Smashed Fried Chicken (Ayam Penyet) - $6.80

The restaurant name kind of gave away what they do best. AYAM PENYET! Fragrant, crispy fried chicken, cooked and served smashed to allow diners to eat easily with fork and spoon with no mess of possibly flying bits of chicken. 

What makes a good ayam penyet definitely has to be its chili sauce, and Ayam Penyet President definitely has them right. Just a small dab brings on a fragrant, fiery burn to my tongue that's totally shiok. 

 Grilled Chicken (Ayam Bakar) - $6.80

 Crispy Dancing Fish (Ikan Joget) - $9.90

 Ikan Pesmol (Fish in Sundanese Gravy) - $12.90

Es Campur, $4.20 and Es Teler, $4

And then, we packed up our bags (and cameras) and headed to our next stop for the day.

Shin-Sapporo Ramen located at #B1-10/11

(For full review, click HERE)

Abura Soba - $14.90

I've visited Shin-Sapporo once when they were newly opened and found their ramen pretty decent. This time round, I was pleasantly surprised to be introduced to their latest noodle creation, a dry ramen, tossed in delicious seasoned oil and served with tender braised charsiu, menma (bamboo shoots) and an onsen egg. 

The noodle, though slightly on the salty side, has an amazing sesame oil fragrance along with a yummy peppery kick to it. I'm not really receptive to the idea of a dry ramen, but this Abura Soba has truly won my heart stomach over. 

And I know I've said I'm only going to touch on my favourite dish (which technically means only 1) from every stopping point, but... major cheating here because I really cannot resist this!

Chocolate Lava Cake - $8.80

I know it's weird having a chocolate lava cake at a ramen-ya, especially one with a rather pricey price tag, but this lava cake is worth every cent of your $8.80! The cake is soft, moist and with an extremely lava centre, oozing molten decadent chocolate. It's so good that we polished every bit off the plate even though we're already feeling the burden of a carbohydrate-overload on our 2nd stopping point with 5 more to go. 

 Chuka Tofu - $4.80

 Haru Salad - $4.80

 Hiyashi Chuka Soba - $13.80

Wakayama Tonkotsu-Shoyu Ramen - $14.80

And with a full tummy (already!), we headed (literally) next door for our 3rd stop of the day.

Sakae Sushi, located at #B1-02/03.

Hiroshima Oyster Shooters - $14.99/half dozen or $27.99/dozen

I can't say that this is my favourite dish over at Sakae for the day, but this definitely gave a lasting impression because it's my virgin oyster-taste experience!

Served in shooter glasses with a generous dash of spicy sauce, this will be a good choice for fresh oyster lovers out there who enjoy a spicy kick in their food. 

 Salmon Zukushi - $26.99

Sakae Don - $14.99

After having a sashimi feast, we headed over to my most anticipated stopping point for the day.

Chicken Up, located at #01-44/47.

(For full review, click HERE)

Topokki with Cheese and Seafood - $20

Well known for their KFC (Korean Fried Chicken), we were not served any (probably why my favourite dish is not a fried chicken) and was introduced to a dish I've given up on trying at Korean restaurants - Toppoki! 

And I can tell you, this $20 is definitely every penny worth spending! Unlike the 'conventional' topokki that has thicker gravy, Chicken Up does theirs more soupy, and added in tons of seafood, korean vermicelli, and topped up the goodness with grated cheese. 

 Bulgogi Fries - $18

 Watermelon Bingsu - $18

Macaron Ice Cream - $6 each

After a satisfying time at Chicken Up, we headed back indoors for some (more) icy desserts.

Marble Slab Creamery, located at #01-12/13

Chocolate Lava Cake with Maccha Ice Cream - $10.90

After trying a couple of their ice cream flavours, I have to say they really do their Matcha flavour right. Slightly sweet, with a strong green tea flavour and just a teeny weeny bit of the distinctive bitter tea taste, this definitely is the best Matcha ice cream I've ever eaten by far. 

 Durian Lava Cake with Salted Caramel Ice Cream - $10.90

Country Waffle with Thai Iced Tea & Caramel Macchiato Ice Creams - $13.80

Already entering food coma stage, we trudged up to level four for our 6th stop for the day, and we were really blown away by the awesomeness of what they've got to introduce to us on this food trail.

Penang Culture, located at #04-11/12

(For full review, click HERE)

Premium Crab Meat & Salted Egg Fried Kway Tiao - $14.99

If I have to choose just one favourite, I guess I have to go with this Fried Kway Tiao just because of the salted egg food trend going on now. Otherwise, I'll have a handful of favourites from Penang Culture! 

Yummy, savoury fried kway tiao tossed with generous serving of seafood and crispy fried salted egg bits. This is so goooood!

 Penang Lor Bak - $7.95

 Bronze BBQ Platter - $18.90

Penang Assam Laksa - $7.95

 Penang Hokkien Prawn Noodles - $8.95

 Black Pepper Mantis Prawns - $10.95

Rambutan Juice - $4.95

Coconut Milkshake - $6.95

And finally, we made our way down to our final stopping point for the day.

Soup Restaurant located at #B1-01/12/13.

Samsui Ginger Chicken - $16.90 / $32.90

Their most popular and famous dish, ever. You hardly see any dining patrons without this dish sitting on their table.
Chilled flavourful steamed chicken served with their special garlic sauce and a plate of fresh cabbage, this cold dish is truly addictive, mainly for their garlic sauce.

I'm hardly a fan of garlic, but this is so good! Fragrant and savoury, it's a must add (go little by little if you really dislike garlic) while having this chicken. Do not ever skip this sauce because you'll be missing out A LOT.

 Claypot Salmon - $15.80

 Earthen Bowl Tofu - $7.50

 Ah Kon Fan Shu Leaves (Spicy) - $8.90

Double Boiled Shimeji Mushroom with Chicken Soup - $8.90

With our more than just satisfied, bursting tummies and bags of dabao leftovers, we finally completed our food trail and called it a day.

Feel bored on a weekend and have no idea what to do? How about gathering some kakis and organise your own food trail at Century Square to challenge your tummies? 

Till then,

Mia Foo

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