Tracy Juice Culture (Fortune Centre)

Tracy's Special Udon $6.90

Tracy Juice Culture is a small vegetatrian eatery located at the first level of Fortune Centre. The eatery offers a variety of healthy drinks ranging from Apple Wheat, Creamy Beetroot to Sunflower Carrot. It does not offer much solid food other than the Udon and Wild Rice Congee. They also sell Thunder Tea Rice on certain days. The Thunder Tea Rice availability can be found via their Facebook.

Tracy Juice Culture has a small seating capacity of around 25. Most of the days when I pass by during dinner/lunch time, the eatery is packed. I visited on a Saturday afternoon and the eatery was packed as usual.

Tracy’s Special Udon is something which I had always wanted to try. Whenever I walk pass the eatery, I always smell the aromatic fragrance.  This is a dish which nearly everyone orders.

Tracy's Special Udon $6.90

The Tracy’s Special Udon $6.90 consist of Japanese Udon served with mushrooms, broccoli, mock meat, and cherry tomatoes in a soup base that is made from tomatoes and parsley blended with mushrooms. The highlight is the soup which is so (souperlicious) delicious! It was so good that I drank every single bit, till the bowl was sparkling clean (everyone does that too). As for the rest of the ingredients they were average. They could have cooked the broccoli a little long as they were a tad too hard and the mushrooms were hard and dry. A pity the mushrooms did not adsorb the essence of the soup, else it would have been fantastic. Nevertheless, the wonderfully executed soup made up for it.

Tracy Juice Culture (Fortune Centre) 

190 Middle Road #01-34 Singapore 188978
Tel: +65 6224 0701 / +65 6336 0754

Opening Hours: Daily 9 am to 7.30 pm

Website

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Nana's Green Tea (Plaza Singapura)

Nana's Green Tea first started off as the Japanese version of Starbucks in Jiyugaoka, Japan. It all began when the owner (a Japanese man) was worried that the culture of drinking tea would be overtaken by coffee. Hence, he started Nana's Green Tea and concentrated on Japanese green tea and Japanese Food. Nana's Green Tea has many outlets in Japan. Besides Japan, they have also expanded to China, Hong Kong and even Singapore. 

Nana's Green Tea opened its first outlet in Singapore at Plaza Singapura (directly above Dhoby Ghaut MRTStation).

The design of the restaurant was unique. Each table was be 'surrounded' by either wooden or metal mesh rectangle frames providing customers with their own private yet cozy dining area. 

Week Day Set Lunch

Nana's Green Tea current has a Week Day Set Lunch promotion from 11am to 230pm on weekdays. With the promotion, customers can order any main course and a beverage below $8.00 for only $13.90! In my opinion, this lunch promotion is a real steal considering the prices of the main courses and beverages. Hence, I have went back more on more than four occasions during weekday lunch. 

The photos below are a summary of what I ate over several occasions. For reference, I will show the ala carte prices. 

Matcha Soft Cream Latte (cold) $8

Judging from the name (i.e. Nana's Green Tea), I knew that I had to try their Green Tea (Matcha). I ordered the Matcha Soft Cream Latte (cold) $8 which was topped with soft serve vanilla ice cream. It was initially very bitter at first. The magic starts when the ice cream melted resulting in a perfect harmony with the green tea. More creamy, sweeter and yet retained the distinctive green tea fragrance and bitterness.

Thin Matcha Green Tea Float (cold) $8

The Thin Matcha Green Tea Float (cold) $8 was topped with green tea ice cream was served without milk and sugar. Instead, sugar syrup was given. Personally, I preferred the Matcha Soft Cream Latte.

Hoji Kuromitsu Latte (cold) $8

Hoji Kuromitsu Latte $8 could be served hot or cold. I ordered the cold version. This drink is a type of Japanese green tea. The difference is that it is roasted in a porcelain pot over charcoal resulting in its colour and a caramelised taste. As I had not tried this before, I decided to try this. I did not like the taste of it. I will stick to the green tea instead. 

Azuki Latte (hot) $7

Azuki Latte $7 could be served hot or cold. The Azuki (red beans) was boiled with sugar and then blended with milk. Despite its dull appearance, it was quite addictive. The hot one was a tad too sweet. I preferred the cold version better as the ice helped lessen the sweetness level. 

Unagi Mabushi Don $16.80

The Unagi Mabushi Don $16.80 consisting of grilled soy marinated eel served with Japanese rice and topped with sesame, nori (seaweed) and spring onion was the most expensive main course. It was served with a bowl of miso soup. Their miso soup was quite good! 

Unagi Mabushi Don $16.80

Unagi Mabushi Don was easily one of the best main course in Nana's Green Tea. The grilled eel was so delectable and soft that it provided a melt in the mouth sensation. With the juices from the soy marinated eel drizzled over the rice along with the toppings, the rice was so savoury and addictive. 

Salmon and Maguro Don $15.80

The Salmon and Maguro Don $15.80 was also served with a bowl of miso soup and special sesame oil. It comprised of soy marinated tuna and salmon served over Japanese rice topped with sesame, nori, pickled ginger, spring onion, daikon sprout and mayonnaise sauce. 

Salmon and Maguro Don $15.80

Drizzle the special sesame oil over this dish to enhance the taste further. Although there was a generous serving of salmon and maguro (tuna), it was a pity that they were not fresh.

Sukiyaki Udon $14.80

Sukiyaki Udon $14.80 was served with sliced beef, toufu, mushroom, leek, poached egg and udon. The poached egg was decently executed and the egg yolk was still runny. Overall, it was a decent bowl of udon, but more ingredients could have been given. 

Sukiyaki Don $14.80

Sukiyaki Don $14.80 was similar to the Sukiyaki Udon, instead of Udon, it was served with Don (rice). 

Sukiyaki Don $14.80

We preferred the Sukiyaki Udon as the beef slices in the Sukiyaki Don was harder and saltier. 

Gyu Shabu Goma Dare Udon $15.80

The Gyu Shabu Goma Dare Udon $15.80 was beautifully presented. It consisted of beef slices, tomato, corn, cucumber, lettuce, spring onion, daikon sprout with cold udon. The difference ingredients provided different textures (crunchy, hard, soft) and flavours to this dish. It was exciting going through this dish at the initial stage. However, towards the end, I got jelak (tired) of eating this dish. 

Locomoko Don $15.80

Locomoko Don $15.80 comprised of beef patty, tomato, broccoli, lettuce, poached egg and Japanese rice. The tomato sauce which was added over the beef patty was just too spicy for our liking. It overwhelmed the other flavours. What a pity. 

Although there was hits and misses, the Week Day Set Lunch promotion made it so much more affordable having a meal at Nana's Green Tea! 

Nana's Green Tea (Plaza Singapura)
#03-80/82 The Atrium@Orchard
Plaza Singapura 
68 Orchard Road  
Singapore 238839
Tel: 6684 4312 
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm

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Liang Court Wednesdays' Food Tasting Trails: Tamoya, Shakey's Pizza and Dulcet & Studio

Continue on with my previous post on Liang Court Wednesdays' Food Tasting Trails, I made 2 trips down to Liang Court on the last day of the food trail for both lunch and dinner. 

Tamoya Udon

For lunch, I visited Tamoya Udon which is a Japanese restaurant that specialises in handmade Udon.

Tamoya Udon

With the Liang Court's Wednesdays' Food Trail Coupon, I was able to try the large Curry Udon (U.P $10.80) with Prawn Tempura (U.P $2.50), Fried Chicken (U.P $1.50) and Chikuwa Tempura (U.P $1). 

Curry Udon

The Curry Udon was delicious. The Udon handmade using three types of flour was the highlight. It was chewy yet soft and smooth. The curry with lots of onions added to it complemented the udon well. 

Prawn Tempura, Chikuwa Tempura and Fried Chicken

The Fried Chicken was decent, while the Prawn and Chikuwa Tempura were disappointing. Both the tempura were cold, hard and no longer crisp. They were also coated with too much batter.

For dinner, the Partner and I went for Shakey's Pizza.

The Liang Court's Wednesdays' Food Trail Coupon provided us with several choices:
(a) Slim Trim Caesar Salad (U.P $5) and Spaghetti Carbonara (U.P $13.80)
(b) Shakey's Baby Back Ribs (Full Slab) (U.P $19.80)
(c) Oishi Wasabi Premium Pizza (90-inch) (U.P $19.80) or;
     Hula Hawaiian Classic Pizza (9-inch)(U.P $18.80)

We went for option (a) and (c). 

Slim Trim Caesar Salad and Spaghetti Carbonara

We ordered the Slim Trim Caesar Salad and Spaghetti Carbonara.

Slim Trim Caesar Salad 

The Slim Trim Caesar Salad consisted of lettuce, egg, parmesan cheese, bacon bits and garlic bread was quite good. Considering the fact that we seldom take salad, we finish this entire dish!

Spaghetti Carbonara

The Spaghetti Carbonara served with bacon and mushrooms with creamy egg sauce may not be the best, but it as certainly quite decently executed.

Oishi Wasabi Premium Pizza 

As we wanted to try something different we decided to order Oishi Wasabi Premium Pizza which consisted of shrimps, scallops, pineapples and wasabi sauce topped with lots of bonito flakes. Surprisingly, the wasabi sauce did not overwhelm the taste and complemented this dish well. We both felt that the shrimps and scallops did not match up to this pizza. Both ingredients were not exactly fresh. What a waste.

Dulcet & Studio

After dinner we walked round the shopping centre and also visited Mediya, the Japanese supermarket while waiting for our food to digest. Before, we headed back home, we stopped over at Dulcet & Studio for its cakes.

The food trail coupon enabled us to order two pieces of cakes and also a cup of regular coffee. As we visited at close to 9pm, most of the more popular cakes had already been sold out. We were just left with three choices. =(

We chose the Rose Chiffon Cake (U.P. $7) and Macha Marble Chiffon Cake (U.P. $4)  with a cup of regular coffee.

Macha Marble Chiffon Cake

The Macha Marble Chiffon Cake was just average. It was soft and fluffy but too dry.  The macha flavour could have been stronger.

Rose Chiffon Cake

The Rose Chiffon Cake fared better. It was soft, fluffy and had a stronger rose fragrant.

The coffee was a huge disappointment. We took just two sips and left it untouched.

That's all for the Liang Court Wednesdays' Food Tasting Trails. I wonder if they will hold this again next year. It's so value for money!

Liang Court Wednesdays' Food Tasting Trails: Tamoya, Shakey's Pizza and Dulcet & Studio
Liang Court, 177 River Valley Road
Singapore 179030
Website
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Kazokutei 家族亭 (Bugis Junction)

Kazokutei 家族亭 is a restaurant chain that serves Japanese cuisine, specialising in serving Udon. Established in 1947, Today, Kazokutei is one of Osaka's most well-known brands of udon restaurant with more than 200 outlets in Japan. The restaurant chain pride itself in offering delicious and high quality handmade udon. Kazokutei serves 2 type of Udon and 2 types of soup bases; Kokudashi Udon from Eastern Japan with a stronger flavoured soup and Shira Dashi Udon from Western Japan with a sweeter tasting soup. 

Udon Lunch Special

The Udon Lunch Special is only valid from Monday to Friday till 5pm only, excluding eve of public holidays and public holidays.

Kokudashi Udon + Katsu Don Set $10.90

Ordered the Kokudashi Udon and Katsu Don Set from the Udon Lunch Special.

Kokudashi Udon (Kokudashi Udon + Katsu Don Set $10.90)

The handmade Udon from the Kokudashi Udon was thick, firm, springy and chewy with a smooth texture. While the soup was made from Katsuo Bushi (Dried Bonito) for a stronger flavoured soup.

Katsu Don (Kokudashi Udon + Katsu Don Set $10.90)

Katsu Don, a popular Japanese cuisine, is a bowl of rice topped with egg, deep fried pork cutlet, onions, seaweed and condiments. I seldom order this dish and am not an expert in this dish (as in I do not know what to look for in a good bowl of Katsu Don). To me, I like how the egg was cooked, it was cooked just nice and was still soft, not to the extend of runny. In addition, having each mouthful of the rice together with the egg, the sauce and caramelised onion was delectable. On the other hand, the Katsu (deep fried pork cutlet) was just average, sliced too thinly for my liking.

On another occasion..

Omurice Lunch Special

Omurice Lunch Special comes with 1 Free Soft Drink/Soda Drink. It is vonly valid from Monday to Friday till 5pm only, excluding eve of public holidays and public holidays.

Pork Cutlet Omu Rice $11.90

Ordered the Pork Cutlet Omu Rice from the Omurice Lunch Special.

Omu Rice ( Pork Cutlet Omu Rice $11.90)

The egg was cooked just nice, soft and a little runny (not too hard). Underneath the egg was fried rice flavoured with ketchup. It was tasty and not oily.

Pork Cutlet  ( Pork Cutlet Omu Rice $11.90)

The Pork Cutlet was average. The cutlet was crispy but thin and dry.

Fries  ( Pork Cutlet Omu Rice $11.90)

To be frank, the fries were just average. A tad too dry.

 Soup ( Pork Cutlet Omu Rice $11.90)

Flavourful and tasty soup. I was pleasantly surprised that there were a lot of ingredients in the bowl of soup such as mushrooms and onions. The downside was that it was on the salty end.

After having lunch over at Kazokutei on two occasions, I find that the lunch sets here are very reasonably priced for the amount of food. The Kokudashi Udon and Katsu Don Set was delicious. As for the Pork Cutlet Omu Rice, the Omu Rice and the Soup are the ones that will make me want to order this again. Service wise, the serving staff was prompt in refilling the drinks, taking the orders and serving the food. Overall, quite a nice place to come for Japanese cuisine.

Kazokutei 家族亭 (Bugis Junction)
200 Victoria Street
#02-49 Bugis Junction
Tel: 6338 0187
Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 945pm
Website
Location

Other outlets:
Kazokutei 家族亭 (Causeway Point)
1 Woodlands Square
#03-43 Causeway Point
Tel: 6893 6940
Opening Hours: 1130am to 10pm


Kazokutei 家族亭 (Junction 8)
9 Bishan Place
#02-34/35 Juntion 8
Tel: 6259 6698
Opening Hours: Daily 1130am to 945pm


Kazokutei 家族亭 (Plaza Singapura)
68 Orchard Road
#04-01 Tokyo Walker, Plaza Singapura
Tel: 6333 9285
Opening Hours: Daily 1130am to 10pm

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