Sakae Sushi

Normally I wouldn't go to Sakae for sushi because it just can't compare to the better offerings out there ie. Hachi, Itacho or Sushi Tei etc.

Thus I did not expect much on my recent visit there with a client, and found myself rather satisfied with the food despite some misses. Plus points were that they revamped their menu and orders were done electronically. Maybe all these were this already in place and I'm just being sua ku HAHA.

We ordered mainly salmon dishes and the featured ones are:

1) Seared Salmon with Yuzu on Noodles (the noodle had a more fanciful name but I'm getting old...)
- very disappointing because it literally had no taste to it, and I could not detect a hint of yuzu. DWYM - Don't Waste Your Money.

2) Sakae Signature salad
- I enjoyed this the most, as there were 3 main flavours; sweet, spicy, umami (foodie fact: this is the newest human taste bud) which kept me going back for more for the crunchy bits of fish skin & fresh lettuce/beetroot that was nicely juxtaposed with fresh fatty slices of salmon sashimi. SHIOK.

3) Salmon Sakura Sushi & Salmon Cheese Sushi
- both were decently done, with thick salmon pieces atop neatly packed pearl rice grains. I was curious & worried about the cheese and salmon combination, as both textures were the soft and gooey type. It turned out to be a good one, where the umami of the cheese brought out the freshness of the fish and simply melted into the flesh.

4) Soft shell Crab Omelette Maki
- I guess you can't go wrong with this, but Sakae did it well, with a fragrant egg skin and nicely fried crustacean. Simple and good!

5) Azuki bean and Matcha Tai Yaki
- it was a joy to discover this new addition to the dessert menu but I found it too sweet though, and would prefer a lighter version. Those more sweet-toothed can give it a try in future! I think my sweet tooth is disappearing with age.. :p

Overall, I had an enjoyable meal that left me feeling satisfied and healthy. But it still doesn't make the cut to be on my favourite list..... yet?

And have a great CNY you all!

Don't go list: TCC - really boring food.

I don't think I'd ever head back for a main course again because the sides tasted much better. :(

Even then, I believe I can whip up better sides !

Sides ordered were:

1) Shrimp martini 

- one of TCC's latest creations, and they were basically fried shrimps coated with batter. It was decent but nothing great, and thank goodness the sauce had some kick to it; slightly spicy with a tinge of sweetness.

2) Mozzarella sticks

- you cannot go wrong with this. But after a while, my tastebuds fell asleep because it is just cheese and more cheese. Wrapped in a flat breaded roll. Plus some tomato sauce. It's unlike Spizza's crispy sticks, where the cheeze really oozes out and has a firm chewy texture which keeps you going for more.

Mains ordered:

1) White fish with yuzu 

- this was SO bad I don't even feel like talking about it. The fish was dry and tasteless, and the vegetables..... none of them sweet. I buay tahan after 2 bites and requested to change my food.

Decided to give up on the mains and went for a salad instead. 

The Apple & Salmon salad was a surprising standard above the rest, with fat pieces of well smoked fish and sweet, fragrant apple cubes ( that were not very crunchy however). I would have enjoyed the salad had not the white fish destroyed my usually good appetite :p

2) Roast beef baked rice

- totally forgettable, with tasteless beef cubes atop a dish that felt like not much effort was put into it.

Goodbye TCC, it was nice acquainting myself with you. 

Maybe we will keep in touch for your desserts, but you will never be my muse.

X'mas lunching at Spruce

And so, after last night's feast, we headed down to Spruce for an X'mas brunch.

It was packed, but no surprises there, given the good ambience; surrounded by foliage and good ventilation, and hearty fare. There was pleasant chatter all around, and it was a breezy afternoon, which made the place very relaxing to be at. 

When the waitress said the lemonade was freshly made, we decided to give it a go, and it was indeed refreshing. Good recommendation missus!

There were many of us, so there was a lot of variety on the menu, yay!
(In retrospect, it is better to stick to tried & tested choices when it comes to food :p)

1) Crabcakes benny:

Decent, but nothing outstanding. I found the crab meat a tad fishy, and slightly hard. On the whole acceptable, but I wouldn't order it again :/

2) Brioche French toast with mascarpone cream and fruit jam:

I liked it, as it was fluffy and soft. Could be more eggy though. The cream and jam were light, so it made a good combination with the bread. Warning: order and share, otherwise you will definitely get sick of it, given the ginormous serving and the fact that it is ALL bread. (Antoinette has really good french toast btw, will post about it when I go back!)

3) The Spruce Signature burger:

Lives up to its name, with a thick beef patty atop a sweet & pickle-level sour dressing, complete with thick cut crispy fries sprinkled with what seemed like chipotle and salt to me. A very satisfying BLT (Must show off my new foodie vocab cos I just found out what this meant!) that will keep you going for more.

4) Salmon bagel with sour cream cheese:

A classic combination that cannot go wrong, with freshly toasted bagel slices (Who doesn't love these things?! Don't talk to me if you don't.) and thick smoked salmon slices. The onion slices were also juicy, sweet and very pungent, with a strong sting. Certainly woke up after sinking my teeth into one! And Spruce does their salmon well, where it is superb fresh and not fishy at all. And their extra serving of salmon for $6 makes your buck worth, cos we couldn't finish them thick pieces. ps/Seems like this dish is served in slices eh?

5) Grilled chicken with scrambled eggs:

 

Good scrambled eggs, firm yet slightly runny and not too creamy. Chicken was juicy and tasty as well. Perfect for someone who likes his food simple and straightforward. 

6) Banana chocolate pancakes:

Not bad for pancakes, but nothing outstanding. This was the denser and heavier kind, something like MacDonald's hotcakes, where you can get full really fast from the flour. BUT the crumbs surrounding it were good, and helped to refresh the palette. This serving can easily feed 2-3, and I would recommend saving some space for desserts instead of this.

7) Spruce signature salad with goat's cheese and croutons:

Really.... not recommended. The textures of the salad were mostly similar, with too much avocado, sweets dates and cheese. It was a very heavy salad that didn't have much taste, so sad! Maybe I should sell them the Orange Sweet Duck salad recipe hor.

Despite some shioks and buayshioks, I still like Spruce for its ambience and efficient service. Will still be going back, only for its burger, bagel and breakfast sets : D

Spruce Operating hours:
Phoenix Park (Tanglin)

Mon - Fri: 10:30 - 22:30

Sat - Sun: 08:30 - 22:30

Tel no: 68365528

A late post on our X'mas eve cookout!

We decided to come up with a simple X'mas menu, inspired from J.O's cookbook.

Loves how he makes everything look so simple and delicious! We.... are getting there.

So on the menu was:

1) Orange Sweet Duck salad:

A really simple salad to make, because we cheated with a ready made salad pack and added in figs, walnuts, dried mangoes, peeled oranges & smoked duck slices from Sheng Siong. 

Arrange all the ingredients prettily (follow picture).

 Finally, toss it with balsamic vinegar before serving and viola! 

A fresh, crisp, sweet, sour and salty combination with many textures.

Lovely.

2) Pan fried Zucchini and capsicum:

2 cut zucchinis & 1 red cap, put it on the grilled with some butter till you get the grill marks. Top off with some mozzarella cheese if you like, and we are done!

3) Famous Spam ham aglio oglio:

Get 2 cans of Spam ham, dice and set aside. Fry these with chopped garlic, chili padi and mushrooms. 

Now pour in olive oil and mix well with the linguine (already boiled prior) in a pot over low heat.

 Arrange nicely and toss before serving.

4) Homemade pumpkin soup:

This needs a food processor or handheld food blender. 

You can try mashing them but it will take forrrreeeevvvvver. Maybe X'mas over already. 

Chop up 1 1/2 butternut pumpkin and boil them until soft. 

Blend them, or mash them, depending on what you've got.

Add in salt and pepper to taste, and water (if you prefer it more watery). 

Ours was creamy and thick, perfect with Cedele's Sourdough & Multi-grain bread mmm mm. 

Gotta love Cedele!

5) Sauteed Butter mushrooms:

1 bag of portobello mushrooms should suffice. Remove the stems and wash. Fry with butter and serve in the juice. Easy peasy!

6) Turkey and mushroom risotto:

Twas a donation from Vivi, so I don't have the recipe but nice nonetheless :p

7) Thick German sausages:

Delicious juicy stuff, bought from a canteen in SIA. 

Don't have the name though. 

And we were stuffed silly by the end of the 1st sausage, this was how thick it was!

A great cookout I must say, and what a wonderful christmas eve spent indoors with good homemade food & family :)

Do we just need peaceful moments like this? How was your x'mas eve?