Wednesday, October 4, 2023

Tomahawk King & Omookase @ Changi Road - Halal Steakhouse with Japanese A5 Wagyu Yakiniku, Western-style Steaks and Tomahawk

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Tomahawk King & Omookase, located on Changi Road, offers a unique halal-certified dining experience that combines the best of two worlds: Western-style steaks and premium Japanese A5 yakiniku, all thoughtfully curated under one roof. Their menu showcases a wide range of beef cuts, including both prime and prized-off cuts. This diversity ensures that it caters to every discerning meat lover's palate, whether you're craving the tenderness of a perfectly cooked steak or the rich flavours of yakiniku.

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A5 Wagyu Couple Set 4.2/5

The A5 Wagyu Couple Set ($99) boasts a delightful spread featuring 200g Mie A5 Kuroge Wagyu, 100g Premium Australian Grain-fed Ribeye, 4 pcs Tiger Prawns, an assorted Vegetables Platter, and unlimited servings of Japanese wagyu rice. The star of the show is the Mie A5 Kuroge Wagyu, renowned for its exceptional marbling and melt-in-your-mouth tenderness. At the same time, the Premium Australian Grain-fed Ribeye has a rich, beefy flavour and is superbly tender after being cooked over the flames. This set is a true celebration of premium ingredients and flavours, making it an ideal choice for couples seeking a memorable and indulgent dining experience at the restaurant.

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Tomahawk Set 4/5

The Tomahawk Set ($148) is an indulgent feast designed for those who appreciate a hearty meal. The set takes centre stage with a substantial 1.2-kilogram Tomahawk steak, a bone-in ribeye known for its impressive size and rich, flavourful meat. The Tomahawk steak has a beautifully charred crust on the outside, which adds a delightful smokiness and texture contrast to the tender interior. The meat is tender and boasts a robust and beefy flavour.

It also comes with a sizable portion of cheesy fries and onion rings and a trio of delectable sauces: Black Pepper, Mushroom, and Brown sauce. These sauces provide a range of flavours to complement the Tomahawk steak, from the peppery kick of the Black Pepper sauce to the earthy richness of the Mushroom sauce and the classic depth of the Brown sauce.

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Blue Lychee Cooler 4/5, Lychee Berries Cooler 4/5

Choose from their mocktails, such as the Lychee Berries Cooler ($9) and Blue Lychee Cooler ($9), which are refreshing and sweet – the perfect accompaniment to the savoury meat feasts.

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Photos and words by Crystal. A girl who likes to eat, photograph, and write about food, and dreams about travelling around the world one day. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Tomahawk King & Omookase
324 Changi Road
Singapore 419799
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Nearest MRT: Eunos (EW Line), Kembangan (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Tue-Sun: 11am - 10pm
(Closed on Mon)

Direction:
1) Alight at Eunos MRT station. Take Exit C. Walk to traffic junction of Jalan Eunos and Sims Ave. Cross the road and walk towards Changi Road. Turn left onto Changi Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 10 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Kembangan MRT station. Take Exit A. Cross the road. Walk down the canal to Changi Road. Cross the road, turn right and walk down Changi Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 10 minutes. [Map]

Tuesday, October 3, 2023

Joie @ Orchard Central - Restaurant with Modern Meatless Cuisine in Orchard Central’s Rooftop Garden

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Tucked on the 12th floor of Orchard Central is Joie, a restaurant that prides itself on bringing diners a modern meatless menu with Japanese-European elements. It shares the top floor with one other restaurant and the mall's rooftop garden, with views overlooking the bustling Orchard Road.

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Joie offers a 4 or 5-Course set for lunch and a 6-Course for dinner. The prices are as follows:

4-Course Lunch
$38++ on Mondays to Fridays, except Eve of Public Holidays and Public Holidays

5 Course Lunch
$50++ Daily

6-Course Dinner
$78++ on Mondays to Thursdays
$88++ on Friday to Sunday, Eve of Public Holidays and Public Holidays

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For this visit, we had two sets of the 6-Course Dinner and hence could sample more dishes as indicated individually below. Beverages are not included, but Joie offers quite a comprehensive list of alcoholic drinks and a more straightforward non-alcoholic list containing mocktails, coffee, tea and soft drinks.

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Complimentary Snack - Spaghetti Sticks

We were first served with a complimentary crunchy snack of Spaghetti Sticks in two flavours, spiced and non-spiced.

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Palate Cleanser - Passionfruit Sorbet

After that, we were treated to Passionfruit Sorbet, which was intended to cleanse our palates before beginning the course properly. However, it could have been less icy and a lot less sweet to provide a lighter and more refreshing start.

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Starter - Chef’s Selection of Assorted Platter 3/5

However, we were uncertain if it was intentional, but the capsicum kebab was made with a mix of vegetables in their raw form, and the raspberry sphere was overly sweet with a flat burst of flavour.

However, we were uncertain if it was intentional, but the capsicum kebab seemed to be just made with a mix of vegetables in their raw form, and the raspberry sphere was overly sweet with a flat burst of flavour.

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Side Dish - Bailing Mushroom on Paper Hot Pot 2.8/5

Our first side dish was the Bailing Mushroom on Paper Hot Pot. We appreciated the chunky yet soft-texted mushrooms here, but the accompanying soup was overly sweet, making it challenging to savour fully. A more balanced base would have enhanced the overall enjoyment.

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Side Dish - Gratinated Champignon with Mozzarella 2.8/5

For our second side dish, we had the Gratinated Champignon with Mozzarella. I looked forward to it when I saw the copious amount of cheese and golden-brown crust, but I was disappointed with the meagre portion of button mushrooms. The bread meant to pair with the Belgian endives was, unfortunately, a bit stale.

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Cold Dish - Tuna Cold Steak 1/5

We ordered the Tuna Cold Steak as our first cold dish, which had marinated watermelon with dill mustard dressing and a topping of pine nuts. The texture of the 'steak' was soft, but flavour-wise, it was cloyingly sweet.

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Cold Dish - Vegetable Sashimi On Ice with Oyster-Leaf Shooter Glass 2/5

We've had vegetarian sashimi a couple of times before this and were excited to try Joie's carefully plated rendition - Vegetable Sashimi On Ice with Oyster-Leaf Shooter Glass.

Instead of the usual konjac for the sashimi, they've ventured to use other elements, such as coconut, huai shan and aloe vera. The platter featured 'salmon, octopus, jellyfish and abalone', arranged from left to right. It was served with soy sauce and an oyster-leaf shooter glass. Unfortunately, like the previous dishes, most of these items leaned towards the sweeter side. We would have preferred a better balance with more savoury elements.

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Soup - Japanese Kunbu Broth with Hand Carved Tofu 1/5

Our first choice of soup was the Japanese Kunbu Broth with Hand Carved Tofu. We understand from the menu that it was meant to be a double-boiled Japanese seaweed consomme, but what we had was regrettably bland.

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Soup - Infusion of Cepes & Truffle 3/5

The Infusion of Cepes & Truffle was a better bowl. The mushroom soup here had delightful bits of mushroom and carried a mild truffle fragrance.

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Main - Truffle Risotto 2.8/5

There are 5 mains to choose from for the dinner course. The Truffle Risotto with a croquette on top, mascarpone cream, greens, and black truffle didn't quite meet our expectations. The risotto had a thick porridge-like texture, lacking the desirable al dente bite. Additionally, we would have appreciated the croquette more if it had been served hotter and crunchier to provide better textural contrast.

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Main - Grilled Summer Mushroom Steak on "Pu Ye" Hot Stone 3/5

Our second main, the Grilled Summer Mushroom Steak on "Pu Ye" Hot Stone, fared better. Beyond the visual presentation, the "Pu Ye" hot stone was intended to keep the dish hot. The mushroom steak here highlights a well-grilled monkey head mushroom with a mild smokiness. While the deep-fried spaghetti was too oily, I would have liked more of the truffle mashed potato as it was smooth and carried a good amount of flavour.

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Dessert - Yoghurt Pudding 2.5/5

The Yogurt Pudding dessert had a watery texture, lacked the expected tangy yoghurt notes and leaned towards the sweeter side.

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Dessert - Homemade Cheesecake with Oreo 2.8/5

Our last dessert was their Homemade Cheesecake with Oreo. It was average, with a decent amount of cheese flavour.

Unfortunately, our visit to Joie fell short of expectations. While we valued the warm service, the food quality needed to align with what we anticipated from a casual fine dining establishment. Many dishes lacked flavour or erred on the side of excessive sweetness. We hope this was an isolated occurrence and hope to experience better in the future.

Photos and words by Jo. A girl who loves her Mala (麻辣) at Da La (大辣), discovering hidden food gems and a good cup of matcha latte. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Joie
Orchard Central
#12-01
181 Orchard Road
Singapore 238896
Tel: +65 9663 0901
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Nearest MRT: Somerset (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 12pm - 3pm, 6pm - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Somerset MRT station. Take Exit C or D. Walk to Orchard Central. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]