Itacho Sushi

I like Itacho Sushi for its quality and mostly well-executed sushi. Although a tad expensive, and almost always having to wait for seats (no different from Sushi Tei, another Japanese restaurant I frequent for its variety and consistent standard). We visited the one at B3 of Ion Orchard, located between Nara Thai Cuisine and Wrap & Roll, for dinner on a weekend. Other branches can be found at Bedok Mall, Bugis Junction, Changi Airport, JCube, Plaza Singapura and The Star Vista. My dining companion ordered the roasted duck breast sushi and pork sushi not commonly found elsewhere as well as prawn sushi and mango roll. Having tried the whole sea eel sushi before and not particularly impressed with it, I went for a seasonal fish sushi, the scallop with roasted duck breast sushi and a sashimi platter. Also shared sautéed scallops with mushrooms and strips of cabbage, capsicum and carrots in black pepper sauce on hotplate. None of these fresh and succulent dishes disappoint.

Tim Ho Wan

Now, the world's cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant has four branches in Singapore – Atrium@Orchard, ERA Centre, Bedok Mall and Westgate. Almost a year since it started offering authentic made-to-order (not pre-steamed and reheated) Hong Kong style dim sum on our sunny shores, the initial hype has died down so queues were no longer as long. We visited this hole-in-the-wall eatery in the west, and queued about half an hour for lunch despite Sunday being perfect for yum cha. How could we miss the legendary Baked Buns with BBQ Pork? My dining companions, who have eaten at Westgate's Tim Ho Wan before, declared that the standard had dropped though it was still delicious albeit smaller. Steamed Egg Cake was a tad moist, not as airy-light and fluffy as the first time I tried it and no longer addictive. Deep-Fried Spring Roll with Egg White and Steamed Pork Rib with Black Bean Sauce tasted largely the same as my previous visits, except maybe the former was a tad oilier.

Menya Musashi

My dining companions and I were looking for a place to lunch at Westgate yesterday when we chanced upon Menya Musashi's lunch sets at $13.90 for a ramen and a side dish. Since Ippudo has yet to open and Paul is better known for its pastries and sweets, we decided to try this Japanese ramen chain located on the 2nd floor. Established since 1996 in Japan, it was named after legendary samurai Miyamoto Musashi famous for his double sword style. Other branches in Singapore include Bedok Mall, Ion Orchard, Raffles City Shopping Centre, The Star Vista, Thomson Plaza and VivoCity. There are three versions of soup base for its ramen – white or original, red (spicy) and black with garlic. The tonkotsu broth is supposedly boiled with a substantial amount of pork bones for more than 9 hours with a chef stirring it every half an hour to prevent the bottom from being burned. According to the website, it is creamier than most other places.