Osaka Ohsho @ Raffles City Shopping Centre

Opened at Raffles City on 29 Novemeber 2012, Osaka Ohsho which translates to 'The King of Gyoza in Osaka' is Japan Foods Holding latest franchise in Singapore. Established in 1969 as a gyoza specialist, Osaka Ohsho is a household name in Japan synonymous with top notch gyoza and Chuka cuisine. The word chuka means Chinese in Japan. As of today, Osaka Ohsho has over 300 outlets in Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Korea and now Singapore.

Ban Ban Chicken 4/5

An unique variations of Chinese favourite drunken chicken, Ban Ban Chicken ($5.90) is a cold appetiser of thinly sliced steamed chicken drizzled with homemade goma (sesame) sauce. The sesame sauce complemented the steamed chicken, a light but yet flavourful appetiser stimulating the appetite.

Fuwatoro Tenshin Han 4/5

Served in a bowl of velvety gravy, the fluffy omelette upon slicing into, revealed steaming Japanese rice. The Fuwatoro Tenshin Han ($9.90) used Koshihikari rice from Toyoma region in Japan. The rice is grown with melted snow and fertile soil. It is extremely rich in flavour and its texture is a balance of sticky and fluffy.

Fried Chicken with Negi Sauce 4/5

The Fried Chicken with Negi Sauce ($5.90) coated with a light spring onion sauce was fried to a golden brown crisp, tender and juicy inside.

Black Vinegar Fried Chicken Set 4/5

The ala carte items in the menu also are available in sets. I had the Black Vinegar Fried Chicken Set ($15.90) which comes with the main, 3 pieces of gyoza, a bowl of soup and rice. Stir fried with lotus roots, capsicum and eggplant in Japanese black vinegar sauce, the chicken was tender and flavourful.

Gyoza 4.2/5

The star definitely is the Gyoza ($3.90 for 6pc, $7.80 for 12pc) at Osaka Ohsho. The gyoza is pan fried to a deliciously crisp on one side yet tantalisingly moist within. The nice balanced filling is made with a combination of tender pork shoulder and leg cuts as well as cabbage, garlic and ginger. The skin freshly made daily with Japanese flour was also delicately thinner than others I have tried.


Osaka Ohsho
Raffles City Shopping Centre
252 North Bridge Road
#B1-75
Singapore 179103
Tel: +65 63385584
Website: http://www.osakaohsho.com.sg
Nearest MRT: City Hall (EW Line, NS Line), Esplanade (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 1130am - 0945pm (last order)

Direction:
1) Alight at City Hall MRT station. Take Exit A. Take escalator beside Starbucks to the basement. Walked to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes.

2) Alight at Esplanade. Take Exit G. Follow the underground walkway to Raffles City Shopping Centre basement. Journey time about 8 minutes.

Amuse @ Orchard Hotel

Never do we expect renowned Chef Armin Leitgeb to be back at Singapore F&B scene as a consultant for the latest dining concept, Amuse a casual eatery and bar that serves an array of international small bites and drinks by the Esmirada Group after he left Les Amis and went back to France.

Chef Armin creates the eclectic cosmopolitan menu of affordable small plates drawing inspiration from his experiences with food in his 20 years of travelling and working around the world, childhood memories and his understanding of Asian appetite in his 6 years stint in Singapore. Amuse is helmed by Chef Lee Chee Keong, the trusted righ hand man who has worked closely with Chef Armin in the past three years.

Amber Bowl 4/5

The great food at Amuse is matched by a great bar front by young Austrian whiz kid, Klaus Leopoid. I tried the Amber Bowl ($18) which is an elegant balance of Rhum Vieux du Pere Labat, apple juice, homemade vanilla syrup, Fee Brothers Orange Bitters and chilled with a classy ice ball that is moulded in house.

Beef Tartare Cone 4.2/5

What an innovative creation to serve beef tartare in a ice cream cone. The Beef Tartare Cone ($14) with horsedish mousse encased in filo pastry was fun, playful and exquisite.

Ciabatta Wrapped Crispy Egg 4.2/5

Putting a quirky spin to the local soft boiled egg and toast breakfast, the Ciabatta Wrapped Crispy Egg ($15) with prosciutto, spinach and mushroom ragout blown my mind with its tsunami of flavours and textures.

Crispy Pork Crouton with Lightly Smoked Eel 4.5/5

A signature item which Chef Armin brought over to Amuse is the Crispy Pork Crouton with Lightly Smoked Eel ($21). The pork croutons comprise a thin layer of homemade pork terrine spread deftly over a slim piece of ciabatta and toasted over the plancha. Complex but yet subtle.

Grilled Spanish Octopus 4.5/5

The Grilled Spanish Octopus ($19) is like a multi nation on a plate. The octopus is imported from Spain, the tomatoes from France and pumpkin seed oil from Austrian. This is my first encounter with Austrian pumpkin seed oil. It has an aromatic peanut/sesame similarity flavours that paired very well with the ingredients on the plate.

Tomato 'Bouchot' Mussel Risotto 4.2/5

The Tomato 'Bouchot' Mussel Risotto ($19) was packed with robust flavours. The rice grains which was aged for a year was beautifully cooked absorbing the flavours and had a slight crunchy bite to it.

Grilled Hamachi 'Kama' 4.5/5

Simply love the fatness of the Grilled Hamachi 'Kama' ($25) that had a nice grilled crisp to the skin and a moist interior. Dipping the fish meat with the lime salt lifted the flavour to a new dimension.

Spicy Lamb Burger 4.2/5

The Middle East influenced Spicy Lamb Burger ($16) with its special harissa spice blend, fennel pollen aioli and eggplant was juicy and tangy. Messy to eat but finger licking good.

Char Grilled Wagyu 'Cubes' Cooked in Hay 4.8/5

The Char Grilled Wagyu 'Cubes' Cooked in Hay ($39) is reminiscent of Chef Armin's childhood in Austria when he grew up on his grandparents' farm and hay was aplenty in the barn. The beef served with mushrooms, lettuce and Mignonette sauce was cooked perfectly, tender and succulent.

Amuse which replaced the Spanish tapas bar Bodega Y Tapas instead of just Spanish tapas, offers diners with an eclectic fusion of global small bites that uses quality ingredients prepared deftly with high end culinary techniques. Coupled with relaxing and vibrant ambience, Amuse will be a convivial and fun place. Price wise it can be quite sensitive to the wallet but it comes with full spectrum of global tastes of quality fare.


[CLOSED]
Amuse
Orchard Hotel
442 Ochard Road
#01-29
Singapore 238879
Website: http://www.esmirada.com
Nearest MRT: Orchard (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 5pm - 1am
Sat: 12pm - 1am
Sun: 12pm - 11pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit E. Walk towards Wheelock Place via ION. Exit Wheelock Place and turn left towards Liat Tower. Continue onwards to Forum Shopping Mall. Cross the road at the traffic light junction at Forum Shopping Mall and turn left to Orchard Hotel. Journey time about 15 minutes.

1) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk towards Shaw House via underpass. At the road level, walk along Orchard Road towards Royal Thai Embassy direction. Continue onwards to Orchard Towers. Cross the road at the traffic light junction at Orchard Towers and continue onwards to Orchard Hotel. Journey time about 15 minutes.