Tomi Sushi, Parco @ Millenia

 I've been wanting to check out Tomi Sushi for quite a while now -  as been here previously for their lunch sets (which are quite value for money) but we decided to come for dinner in the end.

Located snugly in Parco @ Millenia 3rd floor ( among Keisuke / Ma-Maison / Nantsuttei ), both of us ended up leaving work early on New Year's Eve, so we reached at 6pm just as they were opening for dinner.

 The menu was pretty focused and the decor (and Japanese chefs) were all pretty authentically Japanese. We were pleasantly surprised that the majority of clients were Japanese - definitely a very good sign!

We ordered a Sushi Gozen Set which comes with sushi, sashimi and a bento of sorts to share, and ordered Toro Salmon / Mekajiki sushi on the side.

Sushi Gozen Set ($54) : { Tai, Aji, Maguro Sashimi }

 The sashimi came first - nicely presented, and the real wasabi was a little treat! Been quite a while (well, since our Japan trip anyway) to have real wasabi instead that sorry-excuse-for-wasabi paste. Sashimi itself was really good quality and a good cut - we're generally not a big fan of Tai and Aji but these were really fresh, soft and sweet!

The place has different soy sauces for sashimi and sushi, but honestly we couldn't really tell the difference.

{ Toro Salmon ($8) and Mekajiki ($8) Sushi }

 Founded in Niigata, Tomi Sushi is well known for its Koshihikari rice - and yes, the rice used here was awesome - cooked just right, grainy and subtly sweet and just the right amount of 'stick'. Nigiri was great - fresh and good cuts on the fatty salmon belly and the slight crunch on the swordfish. $8 for two pieces is not cheap but definitely not the most I've paid!

Sushi Gozen Set ($54) : { Maguro Chuutoro, Tai, Amaebi, Tsubu, Ikura, Tekka * 6 }

 As part of the set came a selection of sushi including a piece of Chuutoro. I'm not too big a fan of Chuutoro - which is kinda midway between the glorious Ootoro and a sweet firm Maguro. All nigiri were fresh and sushi made right with the right ratios - just lovely!

Sushi Gozen Set ($54) { Hijiki, Gindara Teriyaki, Assorted Tempura,
Chawanmushi, Miso Shiro and Fruit }

 We ended with the main set which had a delicious grilled cod with crispy skin, tempura that wasn't overly oily and just a light batter, and both the chawanmushi and miso soup were great.

While a little more pricey than average, the food here definitely did not disappoint. Highly recommended, and following Japanese restaurant tradition, come for their lunch sets for a good deal!

Tomi Sushi

9 Raffles Boulevard
#P3-04 Millenia Walk


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Main website: http://www.tomisushi.asia/
HGW Link (91% recommended at time of posting): http://www.hungrygowhere.com/singapore/tomi_sushi_parco_marina_bay/
Rating (out of 4) : 

Asia Grand, Odeon Towers

Here we have a joint birthday celebration of sorts and of course Peking duck is in order! Asia Grand can be found at Odeon Towers, a skip away from City Hall MRT.

 Made a reservation for 12.30pm on a Saturday and would highly recommend booking a table in advance.

We got a table right under the air con vent near the entrance. I was offered a red shawl by a waitress when we couldn't swap places to be further away from the blast of cool air - brownie points for service!

{ Baked BBQ Pork Puff ($4.20) }

 Char siew sou was nice - flaky, slightly buttery and salty exterior with the sweet char siew filling makes for a great start to a dim sum lunch.

 The main highlight of the meal: Peking Duck! We ordered a whole bird, which is carved by your table and made into little crispy-skin pancakes served with crackers. For an additional $10 I believe we got the rest of the duck meat to be fried up with rice.

{ Peking Duck ($38 on offer) }

 These are really good! The crunch of the crispy skin and cucumber within the soft eggy pancake is just so moreish. To our delight there is plenty to go around between the 4 of us :)

{ Duck Meat Fried Rice }

 I also really liked the generous chunks of duck meat in the fried rice, which was very fragrant and well wok-fried. Grains of the rice were completely separated.

{ Steamed Cheong-Fun with Shredded Chicken & Preserved Egg ($5.80) }

 We ordered Chee cheong fun with century egg just because it sounded quite unusual. To me it didn't taste that special though!

{ Fried Shrimp Roll with Mango ($5.20) }

 I enjoyed the combination of the mango shrimp with sesame. It goes quite nicely together but I thought the flavour could have been more balanced towards the savoury side as the mango is quite strong.

{ Bamboo clams ($22?) }

 Bamboo clams - don't think I've seen/eaten these kind of clams before! This was pretty good too, with the straw mushrooms, garlic and XO sauce.

  I can't remember the price but I remember it was pretty pricey! Never eaten this before but it was actually really good!

{ Gui-Hua (Osmanthus) Jelly Cake ($4) }

  Not a fan of this at all but it was pretty nice - the texture was firm and just mildly sweet and strong in flowery-ness.

{ Steamed Custard Bun ($4.20) }

 We were looking forward to trying the custard bun and when it came like this I was a bit puzzled and distracted by the swirly pattern. I don't think it's a different flavour though I could be wrong!

 The moment of truth: upon opening the bun we just knew this wasn't quite up to mark.. The filling inside just wasn't as fragrant and as 'kao' as the (very good) ones we had at Mouth Restaurant (which will now be the benchmark for all other liu sha baos!)

  Sorely disappointed! The custard was creamy but honestly, it was tasteless compared to others we've had. While I do like the craftmanship on the bun itself, the custard wasn't great.

All in all, the peking duck is the real winner here - $38 + $10 is really quite cheap, and while it's on 'offer price', it's been at that price for quite a while, so go fast before it ends! The dim sum is reasonably priced and most we ordered were hits, which explains how this was packed to the brim on a Saturday afternoon. Definitely call way in advance to place your reservation.

Asia Grand
331 North Bridge Road
#01-02 Odeon Towers

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Main website : http://asiagrandrestaurant.weebly.com/about-us.html
HGW Link (75% at time of posting) : http://www.hungrygowhere.com/singapore/asia_grand_restaurant_odeon_towers/
Rating (out of 4) : 

Mezza9 Champagne Brunch, Grand Hyatt

 Ah ... the legendary Sunday champagne brunch - offered by most hotels in Singapore, if you have roughly $150 (per pax) to spare. We decided to head to Mezza9 @ Hyatt for our first experience of such decadence!

 As the 138++ Champagne Brunch suggests, it's free flow champagne from 11:30 to 3. Let the debauchery commence!

 Bubbly and coffee - never a better way to start the day (we do not recommend drinking these together, however)

 We were seated right next to the sashimi counter and had good views of fresh slabs of raw fish on display. These were so good I succumbed to two full plates of salmon, swordfish, tuna and fat salmon roe :)

 Glorious sushi platter, which we didn't go for..

 So. Much. Unagi.

 Ho damn, mushroom risotto in the frickin' cheese wheel! Scrape bits of cheese off as you scoop your risotto. Granted I thought the risotto was slightly undercooked, but still great.

 Baby eggs benedict - I didn't think this was very nice because it gets a bit gross when it's not completely warm.

 Fresh mussels and lobster tail - good stuff! Mussels were quite surprisingly flavourful and the lobster flesh sweet.

 The hidden barrel of port wine next to the cheese station - heavenly!

 And ... desserts.

 Heaven is a place on earth :)

 Not the first time I harboured thoughts of swimming in a chocolate fountain. The champagne in my bloodstream made it very hard not to.

Plate 1 - prosciutto ham w/melon, assorted hams, oysters, mussels, lobster tails, smoked duck and asparagus salad.

Plate 2 - mekajiki, maguro, salmon, all the ikura in the world, with some lobster salad and miso shiro

Plate 3 - mini eggs benedict, mushroom risotto with freshly scrapped cheese, creamed spinach, creamy mashed taters, sautéed mushrooms, and foie gras

Plate 4 - roast beef, roast lamb, roast pork neck, rotisserie chicken, yorkshire pudding w/beef gravy, bernaise and mustard, with white pepper prawns and fried soon hock

Plate 5 - smoked salmon on bread w/cream cheese and capers, cheese platter with fruit bread and breadstick, and a glass of port

Plate 6 - tempura, chicken w/leeks, unagi, bacon w/tomato

Plate 7 - fresh cherries, chocolate mousse cake, cocoa chocolate thingy, strawberries in chocolate sauce, pecan pie

Plate 8 - bread and butter pudding, lemon tart, cherry pie, marshmallows and grapes in chocolate 

 After 3.5 hours of eating and drinking, it's safe to say this is the best birthday celebration so far :)

 Being the first champagne brunch we've been to, I can't really say if it's better or worse than others. But the service was excellent, our bubbly glasses were never (even half) empty, selection of food was great and quality was good. The winning dish of the day no doubt goes to the chocolate mousse cake - and the selection of desserts in general.

 Pro tip: Feel free to mix champagne with orange juice for your own free-flow mimosas.

Rating (out of 4):