Wrap & Roll @ ION Orchard - First in Singapore Vietnamese Skewer Buffet

In Vietnamese cuisine, grilling forms a huge part of it, though it is not that pronounced over here in Singapore. However, you will get to experience that at Wrap & Roll latest offering at its Ion Orchard outlet - the very first Vietnamese Skewer Buffet in Singapore. The buffet is ala carte format. You get to choose from starters, deep fried & bites, meat & seafood, as well as vegetables. Drinks will be free flow at $2.90, beer at $5 a bottle.

After ordering our items, we were given some starters first while waiting - Butter corn with pork floss, brinjal with spring onion, spicy cucumber cubes and pickled carrot. The brinjal that comes with sweet sauce was quite likeable and my favourite is the pickled carrot. Repeated orders were made for that as it went really well with all the meat skewers.

It took a while for our food to come as all will be served at one go. There is a hot plate to keep the food warm but do be careful not to put your skewers on it for too long and it may burn your food. I would highly recommend the fried Spring Rolls with Pork & Seafood as they are really made of the Vienamese rice paper instead of our local popiah skin. Do eat it as soon as it is served. The stir fried noodles and fried rice are passable.

There are 4 signature meat and seafood skewers - Lemongrass Chicken, Hanoi Pork Skewer, Hanoi Tumeric Fish and Beef Wrapped with Cheese & Onion. The Hanoi Pork Skewer brought back fond memories of my trip to Vietnam. Pork slices held together by 2 charred sticks was how it is done back in Vietnam but with a much longer and thicker sticks. I enjoy the process of removing the meat, placing it onto the vegetables and in it goes into my mouth! Every grilled skewer has it own unique individual marinate. However, you may still spice up your skewers by dipping them into either of the 4 specialty Wrap & Roll sauces given. Among the beef skewers available, the recommended beef with cheese & onion is indeed a better one as it is much more tender and juicer. The Chicken with Lime Leaves is just as good as the Lemongrass Chicken. The meats were tender and the hint of the lemongrass and lime leaves elevates the flavours.

Don't neglect the vegetables skewers! They complement the meat and balance up the meal. It's so rare to find grilled pineapples on the menu but it is offered here. It goes so well with any grilled meat, just like that of burgers! Grilled shiitake mushrooms is of course always welcome, and the grilled capsicums is great with chicken.

The waiting time for the food can be quite long, perhaps the team has yet gotten the hang of the new launch. So do pace your ordering well, especially when the buffet is limited to 90 minutes. $22.90 on weekdays, $24.90 on weekends.

Words and photos 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. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Wrap & Roll
ION Orchard
2 Orchard Turn
#B3-19
Singapore 238801
Tel: +65 65091555
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Orchard (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 10am - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit E. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 mins. [Map]

Ramen Champion @ Clarke Quay Central - Ramen Champion First Full Service Restaurant

Ramen Champion has just opened its latest outlet at Clarke Quay Central. Like its other outlets, over here you will get to pick your favourite ramen among the popular Japanese ramen brands curated under one roof. On top of that, you will be enjoying a full-service, alongside with a more extensive menu which includes a wide variety of Japanese food choices such as rice bowls, sashimi, sushi, maki tools, grills, etc. And my favourite, is the addition of a free flow salad bar that cost only $4 when you order any main course.

I really appreciate the Salad Bar. I love Yasai Ramen and at times I do order additional vegetable topping for my ramen which can be rather expensive for a tiny portion. The salad bar offered over 20 dishes and even come with desserts!

Mentai Gyoza 3/5

Gyoza is always a popular add-on to ramen and over here we had Mentai Gyoza ($6.80). The pork filling is moist, wrapped within a thin, crisp skin. The mentaiko sauce is pretty solid with roe, unlike those that has been mixed with mayonnaise.

Special Tonkotsu Pink Ramen 4.5/5

There are two new ramen so on the menu - Special Tonkotsu Pink Ramen ($15.80) and Magma Ramen ($14.80). What gives the pink ramen its pink broth is the infusion of fresh beetroot and blueberries into the rich tonkotsu broth. I thought it may be too sweet for my liking but it turned out that the infusion neutralises the saltiness, resulting in a broth with a even more balanced flavour. There are still people on the table who prefer the usual White Tonkotsu but this works for me really well, not to forget the extra nourishment from the beetroot and blueberries!

Magma Ramen 4.2/5

The latter is a spicy ramen served in a hot stone bowl. We tried spicy level 5 which wasn't too much for me. Daring eaters may try up to level 20. Concocted using 6 different kind of spices- capsicum peppers, Japanese black pepper, chilli padi, chilli oil, Korean as well as Japanese chilli flakes, there's a tinge of sweetness to it which I like. There's also a heap of mixed vegetables to balance this spicy chicken broth. I like the idea of using minced meat in this ramen, they seem to soak up the broth really well.

Salmon Tower Maki 3.5/5

We also tried 2 of the rice varietals- Salmon Tower Maki ($21.80) and Fisherman Don ($21.80). The presentation of the Salmon Tower Maki is visually enticing, though the taste may fall a little flat. The slice salmon sashimi is fresh but I find the California roll slightly too sticky.

Fisherman Don 3.8/5

The latter is akin to your chirashi Don with fresh sashimi cubes atop of Japanese rice. What's different is that you will enjoy this in a Ishikawa-ken style, by adding the blended sauce of miso, sasame, wasabi and soy sauce to the bowl. Upon half way into the bowl, in goes the hot dashi soup made of bonito and kombu. The soup is quite light which is kind of palate cleansing after the savoury first half. However, I find the sashimi cubes too tiny for me to savour the fatty sweetness of sashimi.

For me, the ramens remains as the stars of Ramen Champion, perhaps together with its gyozas. Some may appreciate the spaciousness of this 110-seater restaurant and the convenience and comfort of ordering through one system but I very much prefer its original style in which each clan get to showcases its identity with its individual little stall and signage. It is a joy to walk around and check out individual stalls to see what they have got to offer. Such browsing and choosing show-how heightens the taste of the bowl of ramen that I had picked. That is almost like a smaller setting of what I had experienced in Hakata where an entire floor of a shopping mall is dedicated to ramen restaurants. Still, it is a place to go for a good bowl of ramens!

Grand opening promotion: 1-for-1 Ramen from Tonkotsu Ikkyu when you order its signature White Orignial Tonkotsu Ramen, Red, Green, Black or Pink from $14.80.

Words 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. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Ramen Champion
Clarke Quay Central
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#03-89
Singapore 059817
Tel: +65 62212156
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Clarke Quay (NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 11pm

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