Ginzawa Japanese Dining @ Palais Renaissance (Orchard Road)

The location of Ginzawa Japanese Dining at Palais Renaissance is lead by Chef Donny Tan, who has over 30 years of culinary experience under his belt. Ginzawa which means silver river, offers an unfussy traditional Japanese fare elevated with a modern twist.

Sake Kinuta Maki 3.5/5

Dinner at the new Ginzawa restaurant started with some like appetizers in the Sake Kinuta Maki ($12). The rings of daikon is stuffed with salmon and seaweed and interestingly dressed with a egg yolk sauce. The purple and green seaweeds not only provided colourings to the dish but an extra layer of crunchiness to the dish.

Sakura Ebi Salad 3.5/5

A light and refreshing dish is the Sakura Ebi Salad ($22) dressed in mirin, dashi and soy sauce. The addition of sakura ebi gives the mixed greens a boost in both flavours and textures.

Wagyu Tataki 4.5/5

The perfect dish for the night has to go to the lightly seared Wagyu Tataki ($30) with ponzu sauce. The flavour of the beautiful beef is further accentuated by the dipping ponzu sauce which literally melted in the mouth.

Tai Moto Yaki 4/5

The Tai Moto Yaki ($22) comes with a nice grilled coating of sweetness which is pretty pleasing to the palate. More interestingly that distracted us from the main, is the sliced egg or rather what looks like it. It is actually squid ring stuffed with shishamo roes. This is a popping good surprise for the dish.

Kurobuta Tsuke Soba 3.5/5

I actually have not really seen this combination been served on the menu elsewhere before. The Kurobuta Tsuke Soba ($20) felt like a set meal that comes with buckwheat noodles and sliced kurobuta with a yuzu perfumed dipping sauce.

Tempura Moriawase (Deluxe) 3/5

On the fried items, there is the Tempura Moriawase, Deluxe ($35) which consists of Anago Ippon Age, Amaebi Hotate Kakiage and Uni Tempura. I personally thought it is a waste of the uni as I could not really taste any trace of it in the seaweed pillow.

Wagyu Saikoro 4/5

The pan fried Wagyu Saikoro ($48) with garlic, mushroom and bean sprouts is quite straight forward it is execution allowing one to appreciate the quality of the tender and juicy beef.

Kurobuta Zaku Don 4/5

The Kurobuta Zaka Don ($35) is only available in the lunch set and comes with miso soup, chawanmushi and dessert.  The pork is braised for a good 8 hours to achieve that melted in the mouth texture. Together with the flavourful rice, customer will left the restaurant satisfied with the lunch.

Tokusen Hokkai Chirashi Don 4.8/5

Instead of offering affordable chirashi don for lunch, Ginzawa has gone premium with its Tokusen Hokkai Chirashi Don ($50) which is only available for lunch set that comes with miso soup, chawanmushi and dessert. Definitely the price justify for the freshness and quality of the sashimi. However I think it is too expensive for lunch. Customers may think twice before ordering it.


Ginzawa Japanese Dining
Palais Renaissance
390 Orchard Road
#01-06/07
Singapore 237781
Tel: +65 67360100
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ginzawa
Website: http://www.ginzawa.com/
Nearest MRT: Orchard (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 12pm - 3pm, 6pm - 1030pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit E. Walk towards Wheellock Place via ION. Exit Wheellock Place and turn left towards Liat Tower. Cross the road at the traffic light junction and turn left towards Royal Thai Embassy. Palais Renaissance is right after Royal Thai Embassy. Journey time about 10 minutes. [Map]

2) 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. Palais Renaissance is right after Royal Thai Embassy. Journey time about 10 minutes. [Map]

Ginza Lion Beer Hall @ Suntec City Mall

When I was told that Sapporo Lion Group has opened Ginza Lion Beer Hall in Suntec. I was rather surprise. It shows how long I have not stepped into Suntec City. The place has really changed with new F&B establishments moving into the refurnished tower 4 of the mall.

Sapporo Premium Beer, Boot (600ml)

Ginza Lion Beer Hall started in Ginza, Tokyo since 1899 originally as the sales division of Sapporo Beer. Hence it is not surprise to find sapporo beer on the menu. I thought the Sapporo Premium Beer served in a boot glass ($18) was rather interesting.

Tai Lemon Ponzu 4/5

So what do Japanese like to eat when they have a couple of drinks? The Tai Lemon Ponzu ($12) which is seabream  sashimi with sliced onion, fried garlic with lemon and shoyu sauce is not a surprise consisting Japanese loves their sashimi. The light and refreshing flavours made it a pleasant companion for the drinks.

Asazuke 4.5/5

The Asazuke ($5) which is homemade pickled radish and cucumber is very addictive with it sourness and some how help to neutralize that bitter aftertaste of alcohol on the palate.

Gobo Karaage 3/5

A new chapter in my food experience is the Gobo Karaage ($8). This is actually deep fried burdock, a type of root. It is actually pretty soft in texture.

Chicken Wings 4.5/5

Not to be missed is their Chicken Wings (4/8pc for $10/$18). The deep fried chicken wing with white pepper and soy sauce is well infused with the loving seasonings. Definitely one of the best wings I have eaten for a long while.

Prawn and Mushroom Ajillo 3/5

I like to call the Prawn and Mushroom Ajillo ($12), the Japanese interpretation of bruschetta. Two kinds of button mushrooms and prawn are cooked in garlic olive served in sliced breads. To eat, I placed the cooked mushroom and prawn on top of the bread and have them together.

Roasted Black Angus Beef 4.5/5

The beer hall not only serves bar food but it also offers a delectable selection of mains too. Not to be missed is their Roasted Black Angus Beef (200g/400g for $28/$50). Roasted to an inner pink with just salt and pepper, this is one beautiful and flavourful piece of steak cooked to perfection.

Grilled Chicken with Thyme 4.2/5

If you are not into beef, then the Grilled Chicken with Thyme ($18) is a good alternative. Grilled with thyme and served with rosemary potato, sauteed mushroom, broccoli and corn. Besides the juicy and tender chicken, the roasted rosemary potato caught my attention will its nice caramelized exterior.

Beer Batter Fish and Chips 4/5

From the land we moved to the sea. The Beer Batter Fish and Chips ($10/$18) served with french fries. The batter is thin and crisp but I could not really taste any trace of beer in the batter. For the fish itself, there were some mix reviews on the texture. The dory was really soft and melted in the mouth coated underneath the thin batter. However some prefers a bit of bites to it, suggesting maybe the use of red snapper maybe a better choice. Nevertheless, this is still a good plate of fish and chips to order.

Pancetta Carbonara 4/5

For something simple and quick especially for the working executive around the vicinity, the Pancetta Carbonara ($16) is worthy for a try. The creaminess coating around each strand of the pasta made it slurping good lifted by the saltiness from the Italian bacon.

Cumberland and Arabiki Sausages

The perfect choice to go with a glass of beer would be the Cumberland and Arabiki Sausages ($16). The plate comes with two pieces of in house recipe sausages as well as two pieces of Japanese herbed sausages served with mashed potato and sauerkraut. It can't really go wrong with these freshly made sausages.

Tiramisu 3/5

Creme Brulee 3/5

The menu also offers a couple of desserts but it definitely is not their forte. Both the Tiramisu  ($8) and Creme Brulee ($8) were decent but I probably would just spent the money on another round of beer.

Ginza Lion Beer Hall not only carries Sapporo beers but also alcohol from various countries such as Germany, Australia and Belgium. Together with a delectable selections of snacks and mains, this is a perfect place to chill out with a group of friends.


Ginza Lion Beer Hall
Suntec City Mall
3 Temasek Boulevard
#01-649/650
Tower 4
Singapore 038983
Tel: +65 68366053
Website: http://www.sapporolionsg.com.sg/ginza-lion/
Nearest MRT: Promenade (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 1130pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Promenade MRT station. Take Exit C. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]