Tburu Japanese Restaurant @ Orchard Gateway at Emerald

With the opening of Orchard Gateway, many new restaurants have also sprout up in the new shopping mall. Located on the fifth floor of Orchard Gateway @ Emerald is Tburu, the latest concept by restauranteur, chef and self taught designer Calvin Yeung. Whisked away from the busy shopping belt, the beautiful restaurant is spacious and comes with panoramic view of the busy shopping street below.

Kanpachi Carpaccio with Truffle Oil 4/5

The lunch started with the Kanpachi Carpaccio with Truffle Oil ($22). I thought the truffle oil was a bit on the heavy side masking the clean taste of the hamachi. I would enjoy it more if it is kept simple allowing the ingredient itself to shine.

Sake lovers will rejoice over the selection of premium sake from the Kyushu prefecture, made exclusive to Tburu.

The special beer mug at Tburu caught my interests. It helps to keep the beer chill and very delicious. Kanpai!

Tempura Salad 3.5/5

Next is a healthy dish of Tempura Salad ($14/$16). The vegetables are only very lightly battered, not losing the natural freshness of the greens.

Iberico Pork Jaw from Spain 3.8/5

The Iberico Pork Jaw from Spain ($18) was flavourful and has a chewy bite to it. I understand it was a priced cut of meat but it was too delicately sliced for a more substantial enjoyment.

Hotate Chawanmushi 4.2/5

The Hotate Chawanmushi ($12) may look simple but the steamed egg was light, smooth and flavourful. The addition of the scallop gives a luxurous lift to both the texture and flavour.

A4 Japanese Wagyu from Gunma Japan 4.2/5

Served in a rosemary smoked funnel, the A4 Japanese Wagyu from Gunma Japan ($22) comes with a nice hint of smokiness on top of that layer of fatness, which literally melted in the mouth.

Hotate Foagura Maki 3.8/5

These Hotate Foagura Maki ($32) is quite interesting with the raw scallop in the middle topped with a piece of foie gras. It may be a luxurious treat for some but I thought the maki did not hold together as a dish.

5 Kind of Aburi Sushi 4.5/5

Last but not least, we have 5 Kind of Aburi Sushi ($38). Lightly torched on the surface to give it a nice aroma and charred taste, this is well complemented with the delicious sushi rice. Definitely ending the night on a high note.

Matcha 4.5/5

Wash down the greasiness with a bowl of Traditional Green Tea, made the traditional way by whisking it. It is a real experience.

As part of the opening promotion, Tburu is offering 50% discount of their 8-course omakase menu from now until end of September at $50 (usual price $100) for reservation before 730pm only. Do note, reservation is required to enjoy the promotion.


Tburu
Orchard Gateway @ Emerald
218 Orchard Road
#05-01
Singapore 238851
Tel: +65 62210004
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tburu
Website: http://www.tburu.com.sg/
Nearest MRT: Somerset (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 1130am - 230pm, 530pm - 1030pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Somerset MRT station. Take Exit C. Take the underground walkway leading to Orchard Gateway @ Emerald. Take the lift to level 5. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

Lunch at Ellena's (Cuisine Paradise) Place

A couple of months back, Ellena aka Cuisine Paradise invited us over to here place for lunch. I thought it would be just be a normal home cooked meal with a couple of close foodies we get to know one another through our blogging journey. I was quite taken back that she actually prepared a feast for us. It is amazing that she can cook 13 dishes in like 2.5 hours.

Red Wine Lees Chicken

Steam Tofu with Minced Meat

Okara Omelette

Baked Rosemary Honey Chicken Mid-Joint

Fried CP Gyoza and Fishball

Baked Salmon with Sweet Corn, Tomato and Cheese

Steamed Fish with Kiwi Fruits

Steamed Chicken with Rice Wine

Steamed Egg with Salted Fish Meatball

Steamed Drunken Prawns

Above were all the beautiful dishes Ellena cooked on the spot. I was at the kitchen to witness all these and managed to pick up a few tips from her. If you want to try cooking any of the above dishes, you can check out Ellena aka Cuisine Paradise post at http://ellenaguan.blogspot.sg/2012/09/6-new-recipes-lunch-gathering-at-my.html for the recipes.

Pandan Cupcakes

For the lunch gathering, Hazel aka AiMakan also made us some lovely pandan cupcakes.

Chocolate Mocha Mousse Cake

Actually there was a planned surprise waiting for Hazel. We planned to celebrate Hazel's birthday and Celes aka Celestialdelish has baked a chocolate mocha mousse cake for the celebration. The receipe can be found at http://www.celestialdelish.com/2012/09/chocolate-mocha-mousse-cake.html

Mission successful! Our beautiful Hazel with her birthday cake.

Kkongdon Korean BBQ @ Marina Square (Marina Link)

Kkongdon Korean BBQ is a new food and beverage establishment brought to you by JP Pepperdine Group. If you don't know JP Pepperdine Group, they are the one that brings you Jack's Place, Seafood Harvest, Eatzi Gourmet, Brewbaker's and Restaurant Hoshigaoka to the local food scene.

Kkhongdon in Korean literally means best price value. The history started back with the first Korean BBQ restaurant in Sinchon, Seoul in January 2005. To date there are 67 outlets in Korea providing high quality Korean BBQ at reasonable price.

The restaurant is nicely spaced with extendable air suction pipe. It also has an air purifier placed in corner to freshen the air in the restaurant so customers do not smell like BBQ after dining.

Free flow Kimchi and Korean side dishes are available at the buffet counter but rather limited selections.

Aaron the restaurant manager cooked us some kimchi and bean sprouts saying that it tasted better when it is warm. Indeed it did and I will do so when I next visit another Korean BBQ restaurant.

Raspberry Rice Wine 3/5

As I wanted to try something different on the beverage menu, Aaron recommended me the Raspberry Rice Wine 360ml ($19). Unfortunately I did not know how to appreciate it. I should have just stick to my beer.

Beef Skirt 4/5

Beef Fingers 4/5

On the beef menu, I tried both the Beef Skirt ($16) and Beef Fingers ($16). The beef was directly imported from JP Pepperdine's own Silver Fern Farms in New Zealand. These are the same beef used for Jack Place's steak. The beef was tender and succulent.

Pork Belly 4/5

Knowing my weakest for Pork Belly ($16), I would always prefer them over the beef. The beautiful layers of fat and meat when grilled were simply sizzling yummy.

Spicy Pork Belly 4/5

They have the spicy version too. The Spicy Pork Belly ($16) was just as good but it was a bit too mild in the spices. I did not get the hot rush I was expecting.

Bibimbap 3.5/5

Beside the Korean BBQ, the restaurant also offers authentic Korean dishes on the menu prepared by the lady Korean chef. Being a rice person, the Bibimbap was served at the right time to fill my stomach. We asked Aaron how come there was no egg and it was not served in hot stone? He told us this is from the lunch set menu. Without the hot stone cooking the rice, the crisp and burnt rice at the bottom was missing which was the delectable part of it.

Seafood Pancake 4.2/5

The Seafood Pancake ($12) had a nice thin crust on both the top and bottom while the inside was moist and fluffy. Topped with seafood it was quite a sumptuous pancake.

Kimchi Pancake 3.8/5

For kimchi lover, the Kimchi Pancake ($10.80) is definitely one pancake for you. With a generous amount of kimchi in between the flour batter, each bite of the crunchy kimchi inside was an enjoyment.

Ginseng Chicken 4/5

It was a cold night and the Ginseng Chicken ($18) was perfect for warming the body. A well executed dish that was hearty and comforting. If I want to be picky, the soup was lacking the ginseng flavour.

Kimchi and Pork Belly Stew Hotpot 4.5/5

The Kimchi and Pork Belly Stew Hotpot ($22) is the most popular Korean dish. The well fermented kimchi with tasty pork belly worked harmoniously in the bowl of spicy broth. Besides the soft and tender pork belly, the hotpot also comes with soft and silky tofu.

Steamed Egg 4/5

The Steamed Egg ($6) was quite flavourful with custard like texture topped with scallions and carrots. I couldn't tell what's the broth used to thin the egg mixture but it definitely lifted the taste and dimension of this humble dish.

Overall I think Kkongdon Korean BBQ is worth a visit with good quality meat. On top of that, there are a good selection of authentic Korean dishes. It would be nice if they can expand the selection of free flow kimchi and side dishes. I still left the restaurant smelling of BBQ so it probably need to install a few more air purifiers.


Kkhongdon Korean BBQ
Marina Square (Marina Link)
6 Raffles Boulevard
#B1-01/02
Singapore 039594
Te1: +65 63362580
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kkongdon.sg
Nearest MRT Station: Esplanade (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 1030pm

Direction:
Alight at Esplanade MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to Marina Square Link. The restaurant is at the end of the link near the escalator exiting to Marina Square. Journey time 3 minutes.