Chako @ Hong Leong Garden

Our colleague 'pirate' has been asking us to have lunch at Chako, one of his favourite places for Japanese food. We have been saying no because we have been very busy at work, it's one of those places that will guarantee a long lunch because of the wait while the lady chef prepares our food with the utmost care and dedication.

We are a bit free yesterday, so we thought why not? Half our lunch gang away on leave, childcare MC, etc. So there's only 3 of us today.

Here's the tea that you might drink 2 or 3 cups before lunch is served. Remember we have to wait. :-)



It's one of the places that you have to wait, yet will be satisfied when the food's served. The home cooked style Japanese food just makes you happy.

Pirate and I had the sets that had the following beautifully crafted side dishes. The pickles.



The tofu. (you got to pour the soy sauce over it)



And the clam miso soup.



Pirate had the Beef Oyako. The beef that is really tender. We took some from pirate's because we wanted to try it.



I had the Unatamaju. I ordered this because it's the broiled version that's really nice. I remember having some of it when pirate ordered it last time and I said to myself the next time I am going to order it when I come again.

The egg layer below somehow reminds me of how my mum makes the eggs on some occasions. The egg's semi-soft with a little peppery taste. The combi with the melt in your mouth unagi really makes it lovely.



For Almondjelly, this is her first time here with us. She had the Chicken Katsu Curry Rice. The curry looks different from what you usually see because it's Chako's proprietress' version. She mixes her own curry mixture from a mixture of local and Japanese curry powder etc. The difference we tasted was it is has a bit of ume / plum like taste that gives it a hint of tanginess. We wonder what she puts in it!



A different salad side dish that goes with the Katsu Curry.



It was a quiet afternoon, so the proprietress Mdm Hisako Okugawa came and sat and talked with us. She asked how we like the food, etc. We said it was lovely. We were chatting and the conversation led her to tell us about Japan, the places she goes to when she visits her other family there. It does make us wanna visit Japan too! She originates from Okayama. Hmm next time if I do visit Japan, I should visit Okayama eh? :-)


Approx of an average of $19 per person incl of taxes etc.


Restaurant Chako
134 West Coast Way
Hong Leong Garden Shopping Centre
Singapore 127064

Tel: 6776 3919 / 6776 4613

Oriole cafe & bar @ Pan Pacific Serviced Suites

Momo and I had dinner here in this hidden somewhere in Orchard Road, yet feels Dempsey-ish place. Modern & chic place, dim lights, peaceful and calm place.

When we entered, we could see people at the bar drinking, we were seated at the sides where there are people having meals. One of our friends, Sue recommended this place. So, here we are having dinner.

If you wonder how it looks like, click here for a photo I took in April last year.

We had dinner at Oriole Cafe & Bar. The little bird on the logo, looks very 'twitter-ish' right?



The place is really dimly lit, so my photos are a little off colour. I did not really bother to adjust the white balance, we were more interested in eating ;-)

The appetizer we had was Unagi Salad. Shoyu dressing which both of us liked.



Momo had the beef cheeks taglitalle. She likes beef cooked with red wine, so this was her dish. Tender and melty as Momo said.



I can't decide what to eat, so I took the Chef's Choice. Chef's choice tonight happens to be Braised Veal, named Osso Bucco in the bill.

I like the mushroom combi and the mash potato. It goes so well with the veal. I thought they were quite generous with the veal. I give it a thumbs up.



Thanks iPhoneGirl for the recommendation. It's a nice place indeed and the food's as you said, quite rustic, simple and satisfying.

Approx: $30 per person incl of taxes etc.

Oriole Cafe & Bar
Pan Pacific Serviced Suites
96 Somerset Road, #01-01
Singapore 238163

Tel: 6238 8348

Hans @ Buona Vista Community Club

We were going to have some Indian food at the Holland Drive market. Our office attendant said his uncle has a stall there and the food's not bad, and ask us to patronize lah.... (No, she does not know we go around eating and take photos) When we reach there, we can't seem to find the stall. We were told, the stall beside the vegetarian stall. Alamak! Don't have! We spotted no new stalls.

Anyway, those in Singapore know that it has been so so so hot. The food centre is even hotter! 'Old cat' suggested, can we just go to Han's next door? With thoughts of air-conditioning, our feet automatically brought us there!

So we are back at Han's again. But this time to have proper meals and not cakes :-)

Dpuk has the Hainanese Pork Chop. Not too bad, a tomato-ish and yet a little spicy. We wallop it all, not leaving even a single pea behind. LOL...



'Old Cat' had the chicken stew. The stew is very home cooked taste. Dpuk and I said, this is the same taste on how we cook chicken dish at home. 'Old Cat' loves food that has this home cooked food taste, so he happily ate it.



Both of the above came with rice with a tiny bit of sambal.



Just like McDonalds, they are offering the 'would you like to upgrade?' options. So both of them did. Soup of the day which was pumpkin soup.



A slice of chocolate cake, and garlic bread plus a drink.
(We must state, the upgrade option's cake is not like those we tasted the other day. LOL! Get the hint ah!)



I was thinking of grandma's mei cai kou rou suddenly. She used to make like this huge pot that we will eat for days! Sigh. When she was alive long ago, and cooked so much of this, so frequently, we were kids and did not appreciate it. Now, when you want to eat it, no more chances :-(

Anyway, I ordered the Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Vegetables.



I never remember eating it with Acar, but it does go well together. (for me. hehe)



Mine's only plain rice. ;-)



Approx of an average of $10 per person incl of taxes etc.

Han's
Buona Vista Community Club
Blk 36 Holland Drive #01-02
Tel: 6779-0180
Open 24 hrs