ON-YASAI (温野菜) @ Chijmes

The biggest Shabu Shabu chain in Japan, ON-YASAI (温野菜) with over 300 outlets have landed on our shore with its flagship outlet at Chijmes. ON-YASAI (温野菜) which means boiled vegetables hopes to provide not only meat but also various vegetables together to create a complete dining experience. Targeting women and those who are conscientious about their health, ON-YASAI offerings meets the current needs of healthy eating.

Jagakara 4/5

Before starting our Shabu Shabu meal, we began with some appertizers. Have you heard of Jagakara ($8.90)? It is my first time too. This is an interesting or rather unexpected combination of baked potato topped with picked squid. The combination can be acquire for some but I enjoyed it.

Italian Style Tomato 4.2/5 and Quail Egg Marinated with Special Sauce 4.5/5

It may seems strange that a Japanese Shabu Shabu is serving the Italian Style Tomato ($8.90) and Quail Egg Marinated with Special Sauce ($5.90) but I am not complaining as they were really very good. The sweetness of the tomato paired with goat cheese and peso sauce worked for me. The quail eggs marinated with the special sauce were simply popping goodness.

Brown Sugared Broad Beans 4/5

Broad Beans my favourite snack and I was delighted to see this on the menu. The Brown Sugared Broad Beans (3.90) gave it the nutty broad beans a nice coat of caramelized sweetness that is perfect to go with a glass of beer.

Golden Soup Truffled Flavoured and Citron Soup with Collagen

Seaweed and Soya Milk

Moving on to the Shabu Shabu, at ON-YASAI there are 8 different types of soup base. They are Sichuan Spicy, Secret Sukiyaki, Tomato, Citron Soup with Collagen, Japanese Style Spicy Soup, Golden Soup Truffled Flavoured, Seaweed and Soya Milk. We tried four different soup bases during our visit. It is very interesting to know how the different soup brought out the flavours of the meat. For beef it goes well with the seaweed if you like to enjoy the natural flavour of the beef to the fullest while the golden soup and citron soup enhanced the beef flavour. To my surprise, the soya milk was the best combination for the pork

Vegetable Platter

Oyster Mushroom, Brown Shimeji Mushroom, King Oyster Mushroom

Part of the whole ON-YASAI brand is about their offering of the different vegetables on their menu. They have more than 20 types of fresh produce.

Japanese Momoiro Pork Collar 4.5/5

Australia Wagyu Chuck Roll 4.5/5

Japanese Wagyu Chuck Roll 4.5/5

Of course not forgetting the main stars for Shabu Shabu is thinly sliced meats. We tried a couple  of the meat in the Japanese Momoiro Pork Collar ($18.90), Australia Wagyu Chuck Roll ($23.90) and Japanese Wagyu Chuck Roll ($34.90). The quality can be ensured as ON-YASAI has strict controls of breeding place, feed and rearing process of the meats they used. Among the meats I tried, I could not decide which is my favourite as they were all as good with their own characteristic.

Chicken Tsumire 4.2/5

Another popular items on the  menu is these Chicken Tsumire ($6.90) a type of Japanese chicken meatballs. Different type of tastes is available.

Soya Milk Cheese Risotto 4.2/5

I have never know that there is another way of enjoying Shabu Shabu until my visit to ON-YASHI. One can complete their meal by cooking rice in the flavoured soup after absorbing all the essence from the different ingredients. Add Soya Milk Cheese Risotto Set ($5.90) which comes with the condiments, cheese, rice and egg to fully enjoy the shabu shabu experience at ON-YASHI.

Golden Soup Truffled Flavoured Risotto 4.2/5

Besides the creamy soya milk cheese risotto, we also cooked the rice in the golden soup which gave us a very earthy Golden Soup Truffled Flavoured Risotto. Thumbs up for this method of appreciating hot pot to the fullest at ON-YASAI.

Season Sherbet, Peach 4/5

ON-YASAI Ice Cream 4/5

Complete the meal with a selection of desserts. For ice cream lovers, one can choose between the Season Sherbet ($6.90) and ON-YASAI Ice Cream ($7.90). The season sherbet during my visit was peach flavour that was light and refreshing. The ON-YASAI ice cream itself was sweet and creaming but the star is the fragrant of the brown sugar and kinako spreads that lifted the enjoyment.

Vanilla Warabimochi Ice 3.5/5

The Vanilla Warabimochi Ice ($7.90) is a classic Japanese dessert with mochi, red beans and ice cream. One gets a bit of everything in this dessert to wrap up the meal on a sweet note.

Homemade Pumpkin Pudding 4.2/5

Mango pudding has been too common but what about Homemade Pumpkin Pudding ($8.90)? If you have not the tried this before, then it is a must try here. The lovely pumpkin and wobbly pudding combined with the brown sugar was an excellent idea and combination that will be well received by many.

I tried the ala carte menu but if you are that is indecisive then I would suggest going for the buffet (Per adult $49.90 weekday / $54.90 weekend and Children under 12, $29.90) which comes with 40 different types of vegetables and appetizers. Each customer also has a selection of a tray of meat, a minced chicken in bamboo stick and a dessert. However do take note that there is a time limit of one and half hour per table for buffet.


ON-YASAI (温野菜)
Chimjes
30 Victoria Street
#01-03/04
Singapore 187996
Tel: +65 63364002
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Onyasai.Singapore
Website: http://on-yasai.com.sg/
Nearest MRT: City Hall (EW Line, NS Line), Bras Basah (CC Line)

Opening Hours
Daily: 12pm - 11pm

Direction
1) Alight at City Hall MRT station. Take Exit A. Cut across Raffles City Shopping Centre to Bras Basah Road. At the junction of Bras Basah Road and North Bridge Road, cross the road to Chijmes. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Bras Basah MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk southwards towards Victoria Road. At the junction of Bras Basah Road and Victoria Road, cross the junction to Chijmes. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

Chang Thai @ Bishan Street 11

I have always like to seek out neighbourhood eateries in the heartland as I find a charm in them offering comfort home cooked food while not burning a hole in the wallet. One such new eatery servicing up authentic Thai cuisine is Chang Thai at Bishan Street 11. The eatery is founded by 3 buddies in their 20s to 30, with a native Thai chef who has been cooking since the age of 12.

Lemon Grass Drink and Thai Milk Green Tea 4/5

Dinner started with some drinks. We tried the Lemon Grass Drink ($2.50) and Thai Milk Green Tea ($2.50). The Thai Milk Green Tea is a good change from the staple Thai Ice Tea. Like its counterpart, this is a sweet and milky beverage which will come in handy for fire fighting if the food is too fiery.

Pandan Chicken 4/5

Before the mains were served, we started with some light appetizers. I am not a big fan of Pandan Chicken ($2.50/pc) because usually it turned out to be too oily for my liking. I have to applaud the execution here. The chicken was not overly oily, tender and still came with a hint of the pandan fragrant.

Prawn Cake 4/5

Moving on we tried the Prawn Cake ($5.80 for 3pc). Made from scratch the prawn cake has a crispy thin batter that is well complemented with the prawn paste inside. Most places the prawn paste are mixed with a lot of flour and you can't even taste any prawn inside but this is not the case at Chang Thai.

Fish Cake 4/5

Another look easy but painstaking preparation is the Fish Cake ($5.80 for 3pc). Fish meat is removed from the whole fish, seasoned with Thai herbs and spices before shaping them into shape. Slightly crispy on the exterior with bouncy fish meat inside, an enjoyable appetiser to kick start the meal.

Mango Salad 3.5/5

I like Thai salad because it encompasses all the staple flavours of Thai cuisine in one dish with its rich and robust flavours. The Mango Salad ($6) while I appreciate the thought of being different, giving it a more fruity note, I missed that sharpness in flavour I was seeking out in Thai cuisine.

Beef Noodle Soup 4/5

The Beef Noodle Soup ($7) reminded me of those street hawker stalls I visited in Bangkok. We have skipped the noodles as we are saving our stomach for more delicious food. I am not sure what cut of beef they used but it has a nice layer of fat and it literally melted in the mouth. What stood out for me is the robustness of the soup that is packed with slurping goodness.

Pad Thai 3.8/5

A staple Thai dish is the Pad Thai ($6/$9). For the price, the portion is definitely value for money. It seems like the rest of the group enjoyed the noodle but I thought it was lacking the wok hei aroma.

Steamed Seabass with Lemongrass 4.5/5

I will usually order the steamed fish in spicy and sour sauce but with the recommendation I decided to try the Steamed Seabass with Lemongrass ($25). I was a great recommendation. The lemongrass seems to accentuate the flavour of the fish instead of overpowering it.

Garlic Honey Chicken 4.2/5

Probably a signature dish or soon to be at Chang Thai is the Garlic Honey Chicken ($6/$8). This may looked simple but its actually pretty good with many different components coming together as one. The tender and juicy chicken, the light crispy batter, the aroma from the garlic and the honey glaze all working harmoniously as one.

Tapioca with Coconut Milk 4/5

The Tapioca with Coconut Milk ($4) was nicely steamed to a soft texture but yet still retaining a bite. The coconut milk further enhanced the enjoyment.

Red Ruby with Jackfruit 4.2/5

If you are a fan of red ruby, then you got to try Red Ruby with Jackfruit ($5) from Chang Thai. The red ruby is homemade and hence it was not overly starchy with a nice crunchy bite. The jackfruit gave the dessert an additional fruity finishing.

Mango Sticky Rice 4/5

One of my favourite Thai desserts is the Mango Sticky Rice ($6). The choice of mango is very important and the glutinous rice must be sticky and moist. I think Chang Thai has got this right.

Overall I felt that the food at Chang Thai is hearty and family oriented. I actually left the place wondering if I just had Thai food? I realized I did not get the fiery rush of spiciness throughout the meal. I regret not ordering the more spicy item on the menu which somehow made my review incomplete. I look forward to my next visit to check out the other spicier items.


Chang Thai
Blk 151 Bishan Street 11
#01-195
Singapore 570151
Tel: +65 85566899
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chang-Thai-at-151/607131619335422
Website: http://changthaisg.com/
Nearest MRT: Bishan (CC Line, NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Sun-Thu: 11am - 230pm, 530pm - 10pm
Fri - Sat: 11am - 230pm, 530pm - 1030pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at Bishan MRT station. Take Exit D. Walk to Bishan Bus Interchange (Stop ID 53009). Take bus number 54, 56 or 410. Alight 2 stops later. Walk straight to the traffic junction of Bishan Street 13 and Bishan Street 11. Cross the road and turn left onto Bishan Street 11. Walk to destination. Journey time about 10 minutes. [Map]