Saboten (Parco Marina Bay) 2nd Post

Saboten is a Japanese restaurant chain well known for their Tonkatsu (fried breaded pork loin cutlet). Saboten was first started out in Shinjuku, Tokyo in 1966. Today, it is one of the biggest Tonkatsu chain in Japan with over 500 outlets. It has also expanded overseas to South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore.

In Singapore, Saboten has two outlets. One located  right in the middle of the city at Parco Marina Bay, next to Suntec City while the second is located at Changi Airport Terminal 1.

As we were in Suntec City, we decided to pop by Saboten at Millenia Walk for dinner during the weekend. 

Thus far, we had enjoyed our dining experience (food, ambience, service) at Saboten. Hence, the repeat visits. Another reason why we are back is because of their tonkatsu!

Their tonkatsu (Pork Tenderloin and Pork Loin) are so delicious because only a certain breed of pork is used. In addition, these pigs are grained fed. Barley is added into the feed to make the meat sweeter and tenderer.  Saboten uses only mature pigs of more than 180 days of age as they would have higher fat ratio. 

I like the environment and ambience at Saboten. It is quiet, clean, spacious and bright. With its Japanese wooden furnishing, it gave a cozy yet classy feel to the restaurant. Although the restaurant was full, we were quite lucky as we did not need to queue and got a table immediately. 

As Saboten was having the Oyster Fest, I could not resist the chance of savouring freshly imported oyster from Japan! Hence, I ordered the Oyster and Loin Set $23. The partner on the other hand ordered the Saboten Special Set $25.

Both sets came with free refill of Rice, Miso Soup and Cabbage. 

The 'tools' for grinding the sesame seeds - bowl and wooden stick. After the you are done with the grinding, scoop the tonkatsu sauce from the earthen urn into the bowl with grated sesame seeds. Mix well and dipping sauce for your Pork Loin and Pork Tenderloin is ready!

Left to Right: Yuzu (Citrus) Vinegar, Creamy Sesame 

Shredded Cabbage

While waiting for your mains to be served. Start off with the cabbage. The fresh cabbage are served cold. Choose either the Yuzu (Citrus) Vinegar or Creamy Sesame or both sauces and mix it with your shredded cabbage. Its very addictive. We easily polished the cabbage off and requested for three refills! Personally, I prefer the Creamy Sesame!

Oyster & Loin Set $23

The Oyster and Loin Set consisted of Pickled Vegetable, Rice, Miso Soup, 2 Oysters and Loin Cutlet.

Oyster & Loin Set $23

The 2 oysters were coated with bread crumbs and fried. They were big (fat), juicy and more importantly - fresh. 

The loin (fried breaded pork loin cutlet) is one of Saboten's signature item. It did not disappoint. The pork loin cutlet coated with crisp golden bread crumbs was tender, soft and slightly moist. The fat to lean meat ratio gave it a melt to mouth sensation. It was a joy savoring it, sinfully delicious. Best eaten when it is warm. 

Saboten Special Set $25

As for the Saboten Special Set, consisted of Pickled Vegetable, Rice, Miso Soup, Breaded Shrimp, Mini Pork Tenderloin, Half-size Pork Loin and Crab Cream Croquette. If you want to try a little of everything, this would be the set to order. 

Saboten Special Set $25

The Pork Tenderloin was darker in colour (slightly pinkish) compared to the Pork Loin. Although it had lesser fat, it was surprisingly soft. The long Breaded Shrimp was fresh. Its meat was firm and succulent.  

 Matcha Ice Cream

As usual, the norm here is to ended of the meal with a scoop of Matcha (green tea) Ice Cream. Milky with a mild sweet yet bitter green tea taste. 

Another great meal at Saboten! Although the items were deep fried, the chef perfected the heat and timing. Each piece was deep fried perfectly and were not oily. Service was good too. I has been since I encountered such good service. The staff promptly refilled our hot green tea (without us requesting) and also cabbage. I will certainly be back for more! 

Saboten (Parco Marina Bay) 2nd Post

9 Raffles Boulevard

#P3-01 Parco Marina Bay, Millenia Walk

Tel: 6333 3432

Opening Hours: Daily 1130am to 10pm

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Location

Other outlets:

Saboten (Changi Airport T1)

80 Airport Boulevard

#031-004 Changi Airport Terminal 1

Tel: 6214 9504

Opening Hours: 8am to 1030pm

Saboten (Changi Airport T1)
2 Jurong East Street 21
#01-19 IMM Building
Singapore 609601

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Din Tai Fung 鼎泰豐 (Raffles City Shopping Centre)

Most of us would have probably eaten at Din Tai Fung 鼎泰豐 before. But did you know that Din Tai Fung first started out selling only oil?

Din Tai Fung was founded by a man called Bingyi Yang. He opened a shop in Taiwan called Din Tai Fung and sold cooking oil. In the 1980s, when the business went down hill, he and his wife decided to use half of the shop to sell steamed dumplings. Their steamed dumplings were so good that they eventually stopped selling oil and ventured into a full fledge restaurant.

Today, Din Tai Fung is an award winning chain of restaurant with branches in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, the United States and Thailand. In Hong Kong, several of its branches are awarded one Michelin star.

Din Tai Fung was brought into Singapore after Breadtalk Group won the franchise rights. The group also won the franchise rights to operate Din Tai Fung in Thailand. Currently, there are 14 Din Tai Fung branches in Singapore.

I visited the Din Tai Fung branch at Raffles City Shopping Centre (which is just next to City Hall MRT station) on a Saturday evening. As usual, there was a crowd waiting outside the restaurant waiting for their numbers to be called (this is a norm during weekdays too).

For those who have never been to Din Tai Fung, here's a tip. There is no need to queue, instead you should approach the counter, inform the service staff how many person you have and get the order form (with the queue number written on it) from the staff. After that you can fill in the form, according to the dishes you would like to order. You should also ask what is the estimated waiting time. If the waiting time is long, you can consider walking around before coming back to check if your queue number has been called.

Although the restaurant had a considerably large sitting capacity, the place was full. We waited half an hour before our queue number was called. Simple, clean yet classy ambience. In addition, I like their open kitchen concept. Its great to see how the chef prepare our food! 

In another corner of the restaurant, the place had a classy oriental feel. 

Its great that they had Chilli, Vinegar, Soya Sauce, pepper and toothpicks on every table. It makes it so convenient for customers and at the same time, free up some bandwidth for the serving staff to concentrate on other things. Win-win situation. Crystal Jade use to provide these at every table too. However during a recent visit to their Plaza Singapura outlet, I noticed that they had removed them.

The ginger slices immersed in vinegar is a must have when ordering their Xiao Long Baos! 

Oriental Salad in Special Vinegar Dressing $3.50

The Oriental Salad in Special Vinegar Dressing was superb! It is my favourite appetiser at Din Tai Fung! Whenever I patronise Din Tai Fung, I am definitely order this! It's made of seaweed, beansprouts, strips of spicy bean curd and rice vermicelli. The ingredients are then mixed and tossed in their special vinegar dressing. It's very refreshing and addictive as each ingredient gives a different texture and flavour. A must order. 

Steamed Pork Dumplings $6.80 (6 pcs)

The Steam Pork Dumplings aka Xiao Long Baos (XLB) are one of Din Tai Fung's signature dishes. The XLB were filled with pork fillings and rich and tasty juice. Although the skin of the XLB was wafer thin, it was able to hold the juice.  Each piece of XLB is wrapped with a minimum of 18 exquisite folds.  Do handle the XLB with delicate care to avoid breaking the skin. In addition, be caution not to scald your mouth when the hot juice ooze out. The XLB are best eaten with ginger slices and vinegar. 

Fried Rice with Shrimps & Eggs $10.80

Fried Rice with Shrimps & Eggs $10.80

The Fried Rice with Shrimps & Eggs is another of my favourite dish! It was executed perfectly. You would be amazed to find out that the it consisted of just rice fried with shrimps, eggs and spring onions.

The shrimps were fresh with sweet succulent flesh. Each grain of rice was well coated with flavour from the egg, spring onions and shrimps. In addition, they did not stick to one another and was not lumpy. Kudos to the chef for his skills (heat control, timing and frying). 

Special Braised Beef Noodle Soup with Beef Brisket $11

The partner ordered the Special Braised Beef Noodle Soup with Beef Brisket. The beef soup was incredibly rich and well flavoured. However, the beef meat was disappointing. Several big chunks of beef meat were given. Although the meat were well flavoured, they were too tough and chewy. To put it simply, it was hard biting through the meat. Moreover, certain pieces had a thick layer of fat on it.

What I thought was amazing was that Din Tai Fung has so many branches in Singapore. Yet, somehow they manage to maintain the consistency of the food across all their branches. No matter which branch you patronise, the food taste the same! Not an easy feat to achieve.  Although the Special Braised Beef Noodle Soup with Beef Brisket was a let down, the rest of the dishes were perfect! I will certainly be back for more! 

Do note that Din Tai Fung does not accept reservations. Please click here to view the locations of the other 13 Din Tai Fung outlets.

Din Tai Fung 鼎泰豐 (Raffles City Shopping Centre)

252 North Bridge Road 

#B1-08 Raffles City Shopping Centre

Singapore 179103

Tel: 6336 6369

Opening Hours: Mon to Fri 11am - 10pm

                         Sat to Sun 10am - 10pm

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Han's Cafe (Suntec City)

Editor Note: Han's Cafe at Suntec City will be cease operation from 27th Feb 2013. 

Han's Cafe has been a household name since the 70s. I still remember when I was a kid, we frequently patronise Han's for their cakes. Back then they sold only cakes were considered cheap and good! Over the years, Han's Cafe has commercialised and is now a F&B chain  restaurant serving not just cakes and pasty but also a wide variety of food such as sandwiches, western cuisines (e.g. Fish & Chips, Chicken Chop, Pork Chop, Steak, Spaghetti), chinese cuisine (.e.g Hor Fun, Fried Rice). In 2007, they have converted some of their outlets to Hanis which serves food that are Halal certified. 

Han's Cafe at Suntec was relatively empty on a Saturday evening. It was easy finding a seat and ordering, a contrast to the other neighbouring restaurants such as Sakae Sushi which was packed.

After ordering, customers are required to collect some of their orders such as drinks, soup, bread and cakes (if they have ordered such items) at the end of the counter. In addition, customers will be required to collect the utensils themselves. The mains which require more time to cook will be served. This has been the concept of Han's Cafe for since a long long time ago.

We ordered the Grill Dory Fish ($9.80) and Chicken Chop with Mushroom Sauce ($11.80) All Day Set Meal which was available from 1130am to 930pm. The Sets was served with Soup of the Day, Main Course, Coffee / Tea / Ice Lemon Tea / Orange Juice and Dessert. 

Soup Of The Day: Cream of Mushroom Soup

The Soup Of The Day was the Cream of Mushroom Soup. Although the thickness of the soup was just right, there was barely an hint of mushroom flavour in it. 

Bread, Dessert and Orange Juice

The bread was the typical Han's Cafe Garlic Bread which has not changed for years as far as I can recall. Unlike other restaurants which uses French Loaf Bread, Han's Cafe uses normal bread with a layer of garlic spread on it. I quite like this soft version although it was cold as it I normally dip them into the soup.

Orange juice was average and seemed to be made from syrup. As for the dessert, despite its appearance, it was the nicest item in this meal! 

Grilled Fish Dory Set $9.80

The wife ordered the Grilled Fish Dory which I felt disappointing. It was lacking in taste. 

Chicken Chop with Mushroom Sauce Set $11.80

The Chicken Chop with Mushroom Sauce was average.  The carrots were blanched and boiled in water. The potato wedges were decent. The chicken chop was well cooked and the mushroom sauce helped enhance the taste of the meat which I suspect did not went through much marination (if any). Although there was nothing much to shout about, there was also nothing to fault.

I wonder if I am the only one.. the standard and quality of food at Han's Cafe seems to be deteriorating. They are better off concentrating on what they are good at, which are the cakes. Branching out to serving western and chinese cuisines and not doing it well may generate more revenue for them, but it will also erode the brand name that they have built up over the years.

Han's Cafe (Suntec City)

3 Temasek Boulevard

#01-187A Suntec City

Tel: 6339 3143

Opening Hours: Daily 7am to 10pm 

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Jack's Place (Marina Square)

Back to Jack's Place again. Jack's Place a restaurant chain specialises in serving affordable western cuisine such as steaks. The restaurant first start back in 1966 and now has 15 outlets in Singapore and evolved to include restaurants with other concepts such as Eatzi Gourmet, Seafood Harvest, Brewbaker's Kitchen & Bar, Hoshigaoka and Jack's Place under the JP Pepperdine Group. It's newest concept restaurant is the Kkongdon Korea BBQ, that offers Korean BBQ cuisine. 

Exterior

The exterior of Jack's Place restaurant at Marina Square. All their outlets have the same similar exterior with the same corporate colours. 

Interior

Even the interior is consistent. Same type of furnishing decoration. Classy modern furnishing and ambience with its signature white and green table cloth. Nostalgic! 

Kudos to their marketing and branding team for keeping a consistent image at all 15 outlets. Makes me feel so comfortable despite being at a different outlet. 

Spotted something new among their decorations. Nice touch. Cute design of animal cut outs in their corporate colour.

Daily Set Lunch Menu

Before we stepped in, we already know what we would be ordering. Its the N.Z. Ribeye Steak with Brown Sauce ($16) from the Executive Set Lunch which comes along with Soup of the Day, Garlic Bread, Day's Dessert and Coffee/Tea. 

Garlic Bread

Two slices of Garlic Bread, one for each of us. 

Soup of the Day

The Soup of the Day was carrot, potato, leek and chicken soup. It came piping hot. The soup was filled with the natural flavours of the ingredients. The chunks of potatoes, carrots and leeks were well cooked; soft yet retaining the flavours. The chicken chunks in it was surprisingly tender. Souperlicious Soup of the Day! 

Executive Set Lunch: NZ Ribeye Steak with Brown Sauce $16

The steaks at Jack's Place are served sizzling on a hot plate. Hence, whenever we hear the sizzling sound coming out from the kitchen, we will turn and keep a look out (anticipating) for ours. 

As expected, the piping hot sizzling NZ Ribeye Steak with Brown Sauce was served on the hot plate with seasonal vegetables and a baked potato. Do note, the hot plate is well... hot, touch the wooden parts instead if you need to shift the plate. 

Executive Set Lunch: NZ Ribeye Steak with Brown Sauce $16

I requested for my steak to be cooked 'medium' so that it will be soft and somewhat firm. The brown sauce was 'darn' good and complemented the steak perfectly. 

The seasonal vegetables served consisted of slices of carrots, radish and french beans. The carrots and radish were soft but the french beans were a tad too hard. A healthy side dish as no oil was used. I believed they were blanched and cooked in hot water. 

Executive Set Lunch: NZ Ribeye Steak with Brown Sauce $16

Baked Potato topped with Sour Cream sauce, Chicken Bacon bits and Spring Onions. I like how Jack's Place executed this as the potato was moist and soft on the inside. Moreover, the chicken bits were fragrant. If I did not know, I would have thought that this was pork bacon bits. 

Day's Dessert with Tea

Concluded the meal with Day's Dessert and tea.

Overall, a fulfilling and satisfying meal. Still my favourite place for an affordable and decent steak. In terms of service, the waiter and waitress were prompt. In addition, one of the staff came over and asked if the steak was cooked to our expectations. I did feedback to her that the steak was to our liking and that the french beans were a tad too hard. A little softer would have been ideal. Furthermore, feedback to her that it was a great meal thus far. I noticed that she also did the like wise for other customers. It was a nice gesture and I was impressed with her service.

ps: I always ask for extra brown sauce. It comes with no extra charge! Yummy! 

Jack's Place (Marina Square)

6 Raffles Boulevard 

#02-138H Marina Square

Tel: 6338 8292 / 6338 6081

Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 1030pm

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Saboten (Parco Marina Bay)

Saboten is a Japanese restaurant that is well known for their Tonkatsu (fried breaded pork loin cutlet). Saboten first started out in Shinjuku, Tokyo in 1966. Today, it is one of the biggest Tonkatsu chain in Japan with over 500 outlets. It has also expanded overseas to South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore.

This is my 2nd visit to Saboten, my first visit was slightly more 2 years ago (before I started FoodieFC). My impression of Saboten was good then, I remembered how addictive the salads were and also how good their Tonkatsu was. The main reason why I did not make subsequent visits was because of the location. I seldom venture to Parco Marina Bay. Their other branch is at Changi Airport, which I also seldom venture to. 

Japanese wooden furnishing bright cozy restaurant .

I ordered their signature Loin Katsu Set (L) which cost $23. It consisted of free flow of cabbage, rice and miso soup, breaded pork loin cutlet and ice cream. 

A bowl of sesame seeds with a wooden stick. Customers will need to grind the sesame seeds themselves with the wooden stick. After the seeds are finely grated, scoop the tonkatsu sauce from an earthen urn on the table into the bowl with grated sesame seeds. It will be a perfect dip for the tonkatsu (fried pork loin cutled). 

Shredded Cabbage

Left to Right: Creamy Sesame Yuzu (Citrus) Vinegar

As mentioned earlier, each set comes with free flow of shredded cabbage. The fresh cabbages are best eaten with either the Creamy Sesame or Yuzu (Citrus) Vinegar dressing. Highly addictive and tasty combination that caused me to indulge endlessly.

Fried Breaded Pork Loin Cutlet

The main star of the night was (of course) the Fried Breaded Pork Loin Cutlet. The grain-fed pork loin cutlet was tender and soft, coated with crispy golden bread crumbs. A plus point was that it was not greasy. Certainly delish!

It was accompanied with free flow of rice and miso soup.

Matcha Ice Cream

The meal ended off with a Matcha (green tea) Ice Cream. It was milky with a mild sweet yet bitter green tea taste that concluded this meal with a sweet ending. 

Saboten (Parco Marina Bay)

9 Raffles Boulevard

#P3-01 Parco Marina Bay, Millenia Walk

Tel: 6333 3432

Opening Hours: Daily 1130am to 10pm

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Other outlets:

Saboten (Changi Airport T1)

80 Airport Boulevard

#031-004 Changi Airport Terminal 1

Tel: 6214 9504

Opening Hours: 8am to 1030pm

Saboten (Changi Airport T1)

2 Jurong East Street 21

#01-19 IMM Building

Singapore 609601

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Osaka Town (Raffles City Shopping Centre)

Osaka Town located in Raffles City Shopping Centre specialises in serving Japanese Cuisine. In fact, Osaka Town is a mixed-concept restaurant so that customers can savour different varieties at one restaurant. Hence,  Osaka Town offers two Japanese brands; namely Botejyu and Sen No Chanpon. Botejyu serves Okonomiyaki while Sen No Chanpon serves ramen from Kyushu.

Menu - Okos 

What is Okos? Well Okos are also known as Okonomiyaki; a Japanese savoury pancake that is grilled.

Menu - Premium Set (a)

Menu - Premium Set (b)

There are many choices for the Premium Set which offers a combination of Okos (Pork / Seafood) and any rice set (Tofu Hamburger Steak / Salmon Steak / Chicken Cutlet / Shio Asri / Mix Mushroom / Spicy Pork).

Menu - Teppanyaki

Premium Set: Half Seafood Okos with Egg + Shio Asari Set $14.80

Seafood Okos with an egg on top along with Shio Asari, Rice and Miso soup.

Premium Set: Half Seafood Okos with Egg + Shio Asari Set $14.80

Premium Set: Half Seafood Okos with Egg + Shio Asari Set $14.80

Shio Asari; clams with bean sprouts, carrots, onions.

Premium Set: Half Seafood Okos with Egg + Salmon Steak Set $14.80

Seafood Okos with an egg on top along with Salmon Steak, Rice and Miso soup.

Premium Set: Half Seafood Okos with Egg + Salmon Steak Set $14.80

For this set, we requested for the egg to be fully cooked. 

Premium Set: Half Seafood Okos with Egg + Salmon Steak Set $14.80

The Salmon Steak with greens.

If you are wondering, why the lack of description, well... the dishes were just average. Nothing to shout about. Anyway, for $14.80, one can get quite a generous portion of food. Service wise, it can be hard to get the attention of the staff. 

Osaka Town (Raffles City Shopping Centre)
252 North Bridge Road
#B1-75 Raffles City Shopping Centre
Tel: 6338 5584
Opening Hours: Daily 1130am to 10pm
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