Hokkaido-Ya @ Vivocity - New Fast Casual Japanese Restaurant At Wallet Friendly Prices

A brand new fast casual, self-service restaurant concept - Hokkaido-Ya has opened at Vivocity on 14 June 2018,  offering Hokkaido-inspired dishes using premium ingredients at wallet friendly prices. The new restaurant is the brand child of the Sushi Tei.

Edamame 4/5

For the sides, dines can start with the Edamame ($3.50), Chawanmushi ($3) and Ebi Cream Croquette ($3.50). The Edamame is a delightful snack to much on before starting on the mains.

Chawanmushi 3.5/5

The Chawanmushi was flavourful and smooth. In the steamed egg custard, one can find crab stick, mushroom and chicken.

Ebi Cream Croquette 4/5

Creamy in the inside and crispy on the exterior is the Ebi Cream Croquette ($3.50). This is pretty addictive, it may be hard to just stop at one.

Bara Chirashi Salad 4/5

Diners are getting more health conscious nowadays and many have cut down on the consumption of carbo. At Hokkaido-Ya, you can go for the Bara Chirashi Salad ($14.90) replacing the rice with salad. It can still be a delicious and filling meal.

Truffle Salmon Don 3.5/5

Hokkaido-Ya prides itself for using best catch air-flown salmon from Norway that is chilled, not frozen for freshness. I tried the Truffle Salmon Don ($10.90) that come with a cubed salmon, tobiko, refreshing cucumber atop a bed of Japanese rice, drizzled with fragrant truffle oil. Other variations such as normal salmon don, aburi salmon don and aburi salmon mentai don are also available on the menu.

Aburi Mentai Bara Chirashi Don 4/5

One of the crowd favourite is the Aburi Mentai Bara Chirashi Don ($14.90). The housemade mentaiko simply elevated the whole dimension, complementing the various raw ingredients in the bowl. The refreshing and crunchy cucumbers also help to balance the richness of the mentaiko.

Shirobuta Pork Katsu Hokkaido White Curry Rice 3.5/5

A specialty in Hokkaido is the Hokkaido White Curry, which is a variation of the ubiquitous Japanese curry in white. The mild curry consists of  a mix of cumin cinnamon, cardamon, onion and garlic powder, cooked with milk. It is understand that the white curry is inspired from the snow-covered landscape of Hokkaido in the winter.

Ebi Fried Hokkaido White Curry Udon 3.8/5

For the white curry dishes, diners can opt for rice or udon (additional $1) to go with the fried ingredients. I tried the Shirobuta Pork Katsu Hokkaido White Curry Rice ($12.90) and Ebi Fried Hokkaido White Curry Udon ($12.90). What I missed out is the tori karaage chicken. I personally prefer the white curry with udon, it seems to go better with the thick noodles for a slurping good time.

Hokkaido Butter Corn Hotate Ramen

If you are looking for a bowl of hot pipping ramen, there is the Hokkaido Butter Corn Hotate Ramen ($12.90) and Hokkaido Beef Ramen ($15.90). Diners can have a choice of 3 broths - Paitan, Miso and Spicy Miso. For the Hokkaido Butter Corn, Hotate Ramen, butter is added to the broth for fragrant and creaminess while the sweet corns lends a crunchy textural contrast

Hokkaido Beef Ramen

As for the Hokkaido Beef Ramen, we picked the miso broth. It comes with thinly sliced Hokkaido beef, pan fried to medium rare doneness to retain flavour and texture. The flavour is more robust compare to the hokkaido butter corn hotate ramen.

Hokkaido Milk Monaka and Chocolate Monaka 4/5

Ending the meal on a sweet note, I tried the Hokkaido Milk Monaka ($3.90) and Chocolate Monaka ($3.90) which is full cream Hokkaido milk ice cream sandwiched in biscuity wafer.

Yawamochi Matcha Monaka 4.5/5

If you like enjoy the Hokkaido milk monaka, then you will like the Yawamochi Matcha Monaka ($3.50). Besides the creamy green tea ice cream and sweet red bean encased in the wafer shells, you also get the delightful combination of chewy mochi. This is level up compare to the milk monaka.

Note: This is an invited tasting.


Hokkaido-Ya
Vivocity
1 Harbour Front Walk
#02-153
Singapore 098585
Tel: +65 63768387
Facebook
Nearest MRT: Harbourfront (CC Line, NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 1130am - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Harbourfront MRT Station. Take Exit C or E. Walk to Vivocity. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

Le Meridien Singapore @ Sentosa - Du-licious Discovery Durian Buffet

It's the season for durian again! For this harvest, why not enjoy these rich and creamy seeds a little offshore? From now till 1 September, Le Méridien Singapore at Sentosa is going to dazzle you with a range of durian-inspired delights and classics on their Du-licious Discovery Durian Buffet.

For the first time, Le Meridien opens up the alfresco patio of Latest Recipe and set up a durian pop-up stall for that one-of-a-kind one and only duo durian buffet experience on Sentosa Island. Against the backdrop of the iconic Sea Merlion, enjoy an unlimited servings of three to four premium and delicious durian varieties like Mao Shan Wang, Red Prawn, D24 and XO for 1.5 hours. Please note that this durian pop-up will only be up until 28 July.

Durian Prata

Durian Doughsticks

Within Latest Recipe, durian-centric dishes await you. Although the concept of durian pastries is not new but there are some rather creative items worth nothing here, such as the Durian Doughsticks, Durian Prata and Durian Pizza. The Durian You Tiao definitely worth the extra calories. Just a suggestion - There is Durian Pengat at the dessert counter, so you might want to use that as a dip perhaps, for the extra oomph?

The dessert counters are filled with chef's inspirations such as Durian Mousse, Durian Choux Puffs, Durian Swiss Roll and Durian Crème Brulee. The Durian Cupcakes tower just makes everyone wants to reach out and grab one!

Durian Green Bean Soup

What took us by surprise is this Durian Green Bean Soup. The durian taste is quite subtle but the durian fragrance somehow blends really well with the green beans and enlivens the taste of this classic dessert.

Indian Delights

Western Barbecue Live Station

The quintessential buffet items include Fresh Seafood on ice, local dishes such as Laksa Live station, Salted Egg Yolk Prawns and Indian delights, in which I find the Fish Curry quite memorable. For meat lovers, there are always the Roasted Meats from the Barbecue Live station to fill your stomach before the durian feast starts.

I really enjoyed savoring the durians in the alfresco area. For a better-value-for-money durian indulgence, it is recommended that you opt for both the buffet which features durian desserts and unlimited servings of fresh durian from the alfresco durian pop-up stall.

Du-licious Discovery Buffet (Fri & Sat Dinner Only)
Buffet Only (06 Jul to 01 Sep 2018 - Fri & Sat Only)
Time: 6pm - 10pm
Price: $80 per adult, $40 per child (07 to 11 years old)

Durian Pop-Up Stall Only (06 to 28 JUL 2018 – Fri & Sat Only)
Time: 6pm – 730pm / 8pm – 930pm (1.5hrs)
Price: $88 per adult, $44 per child (07 to 11 years old)

Both Buffet & Durian Pop-Up Stall Only (06 to 28 JUL 2018 – Fri & Sat Only)
Time: 6pm – 730pm / 8pm – 930pm (1.5hrs)
Price: $128 per adult, $64 per child (07 to 11 years old)

Photos and 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.


Le Meridien Singapore, Sentosa
Latest Recipe
23 Beach View
Singapore 098679
Tel: +65 68183305
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Harbourfront (CC Line, NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 7am - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Harbourfront MRT station. Take Exit C or E. Go to Sentosa Express Station at Level 3 of Vivocity. Take Sentosa Express Train to Imbiah station. Walk to destination. Journey time about 15 minutes. [Map]