Torikin (鶏金) @ Crown Centre (Bukit Timah Road)

Torikin (鶏金) at Upper Bukit Timah is actually the first venture of the Ishida Kikaku Group outside Japan. Torikin opens its door in November 2014 and has been serving up collagen-enriched chicken hotpots, known as Hakata Mizutaki.

Daikon Salad 3/5

Dinner at Torikin started on a healthy note with the Daikon Salad ($9.80) which comes with a refreshing crunchy texture.

Oden 4.5/5

One of my favourite dishes at Torikin is their Oden ($14 for 5pc). There are items such as Fish Cake, Konjac, Boiled Egg, Radish etc. The light, soy-flavoured dashi broth completes the whole enjoyment.

Hitokuchi Gyoza 3/5

I was not quite impress with Hitokuchi Gyoza ($8). The gyoza was too small for my liking and appreciate the stuffing due to the ration of the gyoza skin to the filling inside. Saying that the yuzu pepper blown us off, which seems to go well with everything on the table.

Hakata Tonpeiyaki 4/5

Cooked on a sizzling hot plate, the Hakata Tonpeiyaki ($22.80) is made up of cabbage, sliced pork, egg and topped with mayonnaise, tonkatsu sauce and spring onion. Lesser batter, more eggy, this is surprisingly good.

Mizutaki Hotpot 4.2/5

Last but not least the signature Mizutaki Hotpot ($70/$100/$135). We first sample the light, refined taste of the stock that is made daily from Sakura chickens and boiled for more than 6 hours.

Next we get to try the tender chicken parts from the hotpot. For a more robust taste, the tangy homemade ponzu sauce can be added. And not forget, you can also have it with the yuzu pepper.

The third way of enjoying the hotpot is to cook the other ingredients such as the minced chicken balls, mushroom, cabbage and tofu in the hotpot.

The final way to enjoy the hotpot is to crack an egg into the broth to thicken it and rice is added for a rich concoctin of nutritious porridge. You can also choose to add noodles instead of rice. Definitely a wholesome and comforting ending to the dinner.

Karintou Manju 4.5 and Ice Cream 3/5

For dessert, we have the Matcha and Yuzu ice cream as well as the Karintou Manju ($5 served with ice cream). The Karintou made from flour, black sugar and azuki tasted a bit like the Chinese butterfly fritter. It is so popular that we are left with the only piece by the time we ordered our dessert.


Torikin (鶏金)
Crown Centre
557 Bukit Timah Road
#01-14/16
Singapore 269694
Tel: +65 64655908
Facebook
Nearest MRT: Botanic Gardens (CC Line, DT Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 6pm - 11pm
Sat-Sun: 12pm - 3pm, 6pm - 11pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Botanic Gardens MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to Bukit Timah Road. Turn left and continue on Bukit Timah Road. Continue walking until destination. Journey time about 10 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Botanic Gardens MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to bus stop at Botanic Gardens (Stop ID 41021). Take bus number 66, 67, 151, 154, 156, 170 or 171. Alight one stop later. Walk to destination. Journey time 5 minutes. [Map]

Aloha Poke @ Amoy Street

The foodscape of Amoy Street just got even more dynamic with the addition of Aloha Poké – a salad bar borne out of the founders' affinity for traditional Hawaiian Poké bowl, which was developed during their trip to Hawaii. Poké, originally served in Hawaii as a raw appetizer, is a Hawaiian staple and the choice food of surfers.

The original Poké usually comprises of just seasoned Ahi Tuna, tossed with toasted sesame seeds, sweet onions and scallions. However, over here at Aloha, fret not if you are not a fan of Tuna, as Salmon, Seasonal Fish and even Tofu, are also available. To spice up things a little, they come in a variety of eclectic flavours such as Wasabi Mayo, Spicy Sauce, Nutty Sesame and Original Sauce. Together with the greens and crunchs, what you will get is a notch up from your regular salads.

 3 sizes are available - Lil’ Swell (1 Scoop: 75g of Poké) at S$11.90, Standard Nalu (2 Scoops: 150g of Poké) at S$ 15.90 and Big Kahuna (3 Scoops: 225g of Poké) at S$19.90.

They have interesting add-on available such as the Flying Fish Roe, Pomegrante, Quail’s Egg etc. When I saw the Flying Fish Roe, what came to my mind is Bara Chirashi, as I had rice in my salad as well. So that was definitely my choice.

I chose the standard Nalu, and one of their Cold Press juices. Kona Beer, from a craft brewery in Hawaii, is also available if you want to make your meal more ‘fun’. Another great option is their Cocoloco, coconut juice from daily-cracked fresh Thai coconuts, and Cold Press Juices.

Nalu 4/5

For the first time, I had more proteins than the greens for my salad. Although the Poke were seasoned, but from the texture and juiciness of the fish, I could tell that the ingredients were really fresh. Though every mouthful was the same thing, but it was never boring, with the flavourful Poke mingling with the different textures of the avocado, nuts, roes, greens and rice. It is definitely not easy for a salad bar to draw crowd on a Saturday at CBD area. However, Aloha manages to do it, with its dynamic version of Bara Chirashi. Just one thing, as the sauces used can be a little on the salty side, I feel more greens to compliment the Poke. If not, I would prefer the Poke to be less ‘saucy’.

Aloha Poké has had pretty good feedback so far since its opening in October. With such a strong and well-crafted identity, I’m quite certain that it will get its fair share of the pie in this competitive market.

Photograph and written by Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food.


Aloha Poké
92 Amoy Street
Singapore 069911
Tel: +65 62216165
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Telok Ayer (DT Line), Tanjong Pagar (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 1130am - 230pm, 530pm - 11pm
Sat: 1130am - 230pm
(Closed on Sun)

Direction:
1) Alight at Tanjong Pagar MRT station. Take Exit G. Turn left and walk down Telok Ayer Road. At the cross junction of Telok Ayer Road, Mccallum Street and Amoy Street, turn left onto Amoy Street. Walk to destination. Journey time about 8 minutes.[Map]

2) Alight at Telok Ayer MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to Amoy Street. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]