Yakiniku Heijoen @ 100AM - All You Can Eat Wagyu Beef

For my age, buffet is no longer my thing. However when I heard of Yakiniku Heijoen that serves unlimited wagyu beef, I have been wanting to visit the place which is known to serve good quality beef for the BBQ buffet. Yakiniku Heijoen is established in 1976 in Japan, and it has over 24 outlets in Tokyo alone. Currently it has 2 outlets in Singapore, one at Wisma Japan Food Town and the other at 100AM Itadakimasu by PARCO.

Japanese Wagyu Kalbi and Harami in Sweet BBQ Sauce 4.2/5

If you are going for the All You Can Eat Buffet, basically there are 3 pricing - Beef ($35.90/pax - 35 items, 70min), Rich ($48.90/pax - 46 items, 90min) and Premium - ($59.90/pax - 56 items, 90min). I decided to go for the Premium which has more items. Do not that there is a time limit for the buffet.

Japanese Wagyu Kalbi and Harami in Garlic Salt 4.2/5

As it is my first time dining at the restaurant, I asked the staff for recommendation. She is nice and helpful, suggested we tried the four different cuts and marination of the wagyu beef. Hence we ordered the Japanese Wagyu Kalbi and Harami in Sweet BBQ Sauce and Japanese Wagyu Kalbi and Harami in Garlic Salt. I prefer the harami cut more for its richer flavour with the garlic salt marination. The sweet bbq sauce is slightly too sweet for me, masking the natural flavour of the beef.

Beef Tongue Garlic Salt 4/5

If you are adventurous, you can try the Beef Tongue in Garlic Salt. It is not as fatty as the kalbi or harami cuts but it has an enjoyable crunchy texture once cooked.

Scallop, Prawn, Mackerel in Foil 3.5/5

Besides the wagyu beef, there are many more items on the menu. For the seafood, I had the scallop, prawn, mackerel and squid.

Pork 4/5

On top of the different beef selections available on the menu, there are other meat selections such as Pork and Chicken. If you are a carnivorous, you can eat to your fill.

Assorted Namul 4.2/5

It can be quite boring if the bbq buffet is still all about meat. Lucky it offers other side dishes such as beansprouts, spinach, zenmai, radish and kimchi. Actually you can order a plate of lettuce, have it together with the grilled meats.

Egg Soup 4/5

Akaoni Spicy Soup 4/5

There are even soups on the menu. I tried both the Egg Soup and Akaoni Spicy Soup. The Egg Soup is light, flavourful and comforting. The Akaoni Spicy Soup is a beef stock base soup which is packed with a spicy robustness, whetting up the appetite.

If you are a big eater and you love our meat, I really think the buffet is worth it. The quality of the meat served for the buffet is not the top graded one but it is still quality premium cuts. A little small tip here, just whack the wagyu beef and don't get distracted by the other items on the menu.

Yakiniku Heijoen
100AM
100 Tras Street
#03-11
Singapore 079027
Tel: +65 65382981
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Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 3pm, 5pm - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Tanjong Pagar MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk towards Gopeng Street and turn into Tras Street. Walk to Amara Hotel. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

Chef’s Table @ Capella Singapore - Wellness Tea Time

If you are a wholly believer of a plant-based diet or about to step into the realm of raw food, veganism etc, but finds it really hard to give up your sweets, Capella Tea Experience – Wellness Tea Time may be able to ease that yearning, every Friday. At Chef’s Table, this special menu is put together with great effort by Sandra Lim of Live Fruitfully, a certified Raw Food Chef from The Matthew Kenney Culinary Institute and Chef David Senia, the Culinary Director of Capella Singapore. Presented in the form of a five-course menu, the Wellness Tea Time offers not just gluten-free and dairy-free savouries but also sweet creations!

Caffaine takes a back seat. Get in tune with yourself and choose from Ronnefeldt Ayurvedic teas instead, according to your mood – a cocoa-rich taste with light floral notes Stay in Balance; an invigorating herbal Light My Flame or the smooth green tea blend Let It Go.

Hummus is quite common in a vegan diet but I really love this Crispy Charcoal Tuile with Root Vegetables Hummus. Its exuberant colours, textures and most of all, the taste. The hummus is made with sweet potato, yet it has a savoury depth and a tangy note. It is designed to eat with your hands, hence spoon the hummus with the gluten-free Crispy Charcoal Tuile and sweet potato chips.

Tempeh Portobello Slider with Green Goddess Cream is a herbivore's slider that delivers a level of satisfaction no less than a regular slider. Not so much of the Goddess cream but that layer of sweet caramelised onions at the bottom and the pickled cucumber on top, that have successful trick my mind.

The preparation works for Cauliflower Crust Pizza with Shiitake ‘Bacon’ is painstaking but the final product is worth it. The curst is made with cauliflower and teff, a grain grown in Ethiopia and said to have huge health benefits. The sweet corn mash gives the pizza a sweet flavour and body, and if you think that the quintessential cheese is missing, just open up the pizza and you will find a slice of almond cheese in it.

The Sprouted Whole Grain Bread with Tomato Tapenade is made with 5 different grains such as brown rice, quinoa etc. It may comes across a bit dry but the tangy sweet tomato spread makes up for it. The bread is super crusty on the outside, with a slight chewiness to the body.

The Special House Scones are served with homemade raspberry jam and coconut cream. To give the jam a jammy texture, chia seeds are used as the 'gelatin'. I like the jam which is pulpy and not too sweet, the coconut cream also imparts a different flavour to the scones. However, the sweetness of the scones doesn't sit well with me at all, although technically, there isn't any 'real sugar' in it.

Finally the sweets. If the savouries are tough to make, the sweets are multiple times of that. Without cream or dairy, it might take 10 more ingredients just to achieve similar consistency and texture. For example, Chocolate Hazelnut Dome went through multiple trials for the layer of chocolate coating, which is made using aquafaba (chickpea water). The Quinoa and Zucchini Chocolate Tea Cake has a brownie-like texture and the Cacao Avocado Mousse delivers an expected creamy consistency. However, i would prefer more varieties as they start to get cloying after a while. Cultivated ‘Cheesecake’ with Blueberry and Beetroot Glaze offers a brighter taste.

Ending the lazy afternoon is a refreshing Tomato Consomme Jelly with Basil Granita and I really like it, simply because it tastes very natural, compared to the plate of sweet creations prior to it.

Knowing that you ain't consuming anything artificial is certainly assuring. It is intriguing to see how different ingredients are being orchestrated into our well-loved items using methods much less known. Wellness Tea Time is available on Friday from 3pm to 5pm, priced at $59 per person.

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.


Chef’s Table 
Capella Singapore
Sentosa Island
1 The Knolls
Singapore 098297
Tel: +65 65915045
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Website
Nearest MRT: Harbourfront (CC Line, NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Fri: 3pm - 5pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Harbour Front MRT station. Take Exit C or E. Walk to pick up point at exit of Lobby F in Vivocity (near JPot and Nyonya & Baba Restaurants). Wait for the complimentary shuttle bus service. Journey time about 15 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Harbour Front MRT station. Take Exit C or E. Walk to Vivocity Shopping Mall. Go to Sentosa Express Station at Level 3 of Vivocity. Take Sentosa Express Train to Imbiah station. Alight at Imbiah station. Proceed to Artillery Ave. Walk along Artillery Ave until you came to a road (slope) to Capella Hotel. Turn right onto the road and walk up the slope to destination. Journey time about 25 mins. [Map]