Bino

Entering the space occupied by Yue Bai in Duxton Road, one would be forgiven for mistaking the establishment as a spa. The beautiful wooden lattices and use of neutral colors exude a calming vibe to the space.

Yue Bai opened in December 2022 offering Chinese cuisine prepared using the principles of traditional Chinese dietary therapy (shi liao) so one can expect a number of highly nourishing dishes here. The kitchen is helmed by Chef Lee Hongwei, who previously came from Telok Ayer Arts Club.

Diners can choose from a variety of seating options at Yue Bai, from booth seats near the entrance to traditional round tables or even a private room for bigger groups. 

I had a quartet of light bites for appetizers. This included the Crispy Burdock, Sesame, Spice Powder (S$14),  Roselle Flower-infused Winter Melon (S$12), Australian Lamb Jelly, Black Bean, Passionfruit-infused Pumpkin (S$22) and Deep-fried Organic Purple Rice Cake, XO Sauce, Rice Puff, Spring Onion (S$16). Among these starters, I found the Deep-fried Organic Purple Rice Cake and Roselle Flower-infused Winter Melon to be the most notable, the former possessing a glutinous texture not too dissimilar to mochi and the latter delightfully crunchy with a sour note.

As mentioned previously, there is no shortage of nourishing dishes at Yue Bai and one highlight is the Double-boiled Silkie Chicken Soup, Jasmine Flower, Dried Longan, Wolfberries (S$22). The chicken broth notably includes actual jasmine flower buds which gives a perceptible floral dimension to the soup. 

Departing from the sequence of healthy and nourishing dishes, the Crisp-fried Pork Cartilage, Xin Hui Orange Sauce, Crispy Tofu Ring (S$38) comes with an almost glutinous textured pork cartilage coupled with smaller layers of lean meat and glazed skin. The tofu ring that it sits on can easily be mistaken for a yam ring, especially as the texture is similar to one rather than the soft and wobbly bean curd that one would come to expect.

 Nestled in a ball that I mistook for a pinata, the Braised Duck, Sea Cucumber, Hawthorn, Korean Snow Pear (S$58) can easily be mistaken for braised pork once it enters the mouth. One can expect all the good stuff here, including spiky sea cucumber that’s been prepared for 3 days as well as Korean snow pear.

My favorite dish at Yue Bai has got to be the Deep-fried Granola Prawn, Beetroot (S$36). Instead of the usual cereal, the plump ball-shaped prawns were coated in granola consisting of rolled oats, pecans and wolfberries. The result was something highly crunchy and more reminiscent of a whole grain taste, reminding one of actual breakfast fare as compared to the typical cereal in the prawn.

The Herbal Poached Rice, Atlantic Cod, Black Fungus (S$38) is Yue Bai’s take on the poached rice craze sans the ubiquitous rice crisps. The soup here is more herbal than in other places that serve poached rice, as ingredients such as dang shen, angelica sinensis root and wolfberry are thrown into the mix. The highlight for me was the relatively large portion of slippery and smooth cod, a departure from the usual thinly sliced fish that comes with the poached rice.

For desserts, we had the House-made Beancurd with Hashima (S$38) and Crispy Black Sesame Mochi (S$12). While the former was notable for using diluted “pi pa gao” syrup (yes, the type used for coughs), I thought S$38 for an individual beancurd dish was extremely steep. In contrast, I found the mochi more to my liking (although still quite pricey for a small piece) with its chewy texture. It is served with osmanthus syrup on the side.

With the exception of the pork cartilage and perhaps the granola prawns, most dishes I had at Yue Bai were of a lighter profile. Price-wise, it’s close to what Chinese restaurants in hotels are charging but what I like about Yue Bai is that they’re doling out Chinese food with a healthier slant while still being tasty.

Yue Bai 
33 Duxton Road 
Singapore 089497 
Tel: +65 9721 8055 

Opening Hours 
Tuesdays to Sundays 
Lunch: 11.45am to 3.00pm (last order 2.15pm) 
Dinner: 5.45pm to 10.00pm (last order 9.15pm) 

Nestled in a quiet spot in the middle of Ngee Ann City’s 5th floor is Mizuki, a Japanese restaurant that has been known among its regulars for its excellent tempura since it opened in 2017. 

While sushi and sashimi has been part of Mizuki’s repertoire since opening as well, it is perhaps their tempura that got more attention over the years. That is set to change however, as the restaurant brought in Chef Kawakami Hiroaki in early 2022. The Osaka-born chef has had a career in a number of fine-dining Japanese restaurants including the Bulgari Resort in Dubai prior to moving to Singapore.

Entering the restaurant, one sees the clear divide between the tempura and sushi sections – separated through wooden Japanese wooden lattice screens featuring cloud-like motifs. To the left, the darke marble counters are where tempura dishes are served. To the right, the oak-colored counters are where the sushi dishes are prepared.

While Mizuki still offers their standalone tempura and sashimi course menus, their new combined sushi and tempura (S$268++) gives diners the best of both worlds. The combined menu requires a balancing act from both chefs as the fried items need to be freshly cooked to be delivered to the table hot and crispy while the sushi needs to be cut and pressed exactly when needed. 

Appetizer

We had a trio of ark shell with miso and mustard, gingko nuts and yellowtail that’s lightly torched for appetizers. I enjoyed the miso and mustard combo. This humble prelude was rather unrepresentative of the decadent courses that were to follow later that evening.

Sashimi (3 kinds)

The sashimi course consisted of a nicely plated assortment of golden eye snapper (kinmedai), bluefin tuna (otoro) and prawn (botan ebi). The prawn was notable for its unparalleled sweetness while the tuna possessed a wonderful slippery and melt-in-your-mouth texture. 

Tempura (5 kinds) 

The tempura course was perhaps the longest course for the evening. Timing plays a big factor here as each piece needs to be served hot and crispy. The wait time between pieces was a bit long here but well worth it! 

We were served 5 pieces of tempura, with the highlight undeniably being the seaweed tempura topped with a glorious serving of fresh and creamy Hokkaido bafun uni and caviar. I absolutely loved the juxtaposition of the creamy and crispy textures here. 

The other pieces that came in the tempura course were conger eel (anago), shark fin, prawn (ebi) and mushrooms. Each piece was served piping hot with crispy breading on the outside. The conger eel was especially meaty while the shark fin possessed a texture similar to crackers with its thin strands fried to a crisp.

Seasonal Cooked Dish – Seiko Kani

As I visited in December, we had the snow crab for the cooked dish. The Seiko kani comprises of a steamed and deshelled Hokkaido female snow crab with roe, eggs as well as meat that’s already separated from the bones. The flesh was sweet and was naturally savory even without any condiments.

Premium Nigiri Sushi (4 kinds)

The nigiri course consisted of 4 types of sushi including bluefin tuna (toro), sea perch (nodoguro), sea bream (shiromi) and sea urchin (uni). The sea urchin was served as a gunkan and placed atop a bed of sushi rice wrapped with seaweed. Chef Hiroaki used short-spined sea urchin for the roll which rendered it creamy and smooth in terms of taste profile.

Carbohydrate Course – Kakiage Don / Soba OR Mini Negitoro Uni Don

For the carbohydrate course, diners have the option of having the standard dish which is Kakiage Don or Soba. They could also opt to upgrade to a Mini Negitoro Uni Don for a supplement of S$40. 

While the Mini Negitoro Uni Don is the undeniable choice for sushi and sea urchin lovers, I felt the Kakiage Don was the more flavorful option and held pretty well on its own. The seafood came with thinly coated batter so it wasn’t cloying at all. It felt like something one could have as an every day type of meal – delicious and comforting.  

For the Mini Negitoro Uni Don, Chef Hiroaki used two types of uni as topping. The first is the short-spined sea urchin which was similarly used in the preceding courses while the other type of uni consisted of long-spined sea urchin. The long-spined one was duller in color and brinier in terms of taste profile. It was explained to me that the long-spined sea urchin is actually more premium especially now that it’s off-season. 

Dessert

We ended the meal with a selection of fruits from Japan. For this round, it consisted of a sliced pear, strawberry and persimmons. 

I personally feel that Mizuki’s new combined tempura and sushi course menus suits those who are not particularly inclined to either. Both are equally good with the sequence giving diners enough of an introduction to the restaurant’s expertise and capabilities to fit either styles. 

Mizuki
391 Orchard Rd
Ngee Ann City
#05 – 32
Singapore 238872

+65 6734 6308

Opening Hours:

Daily except Monday, 11:30AM to 3PM, 6PM to 10:30PM

La D’Oro is a new Japanese-Italian restaurant in Mandarin Gallery, an area that has traditionally been occupied by retail. The venue was opened by chef-owner Yohhei Sasaki who was classically trained in Italian cuisine in top restaurants in Japan as well as in Tuscany and Lombardy in Italy. In Singapore, he previously helmed the kitchens at Forlino and Il Cielo – the latter which I absolutely loved. When I heard that he set up his own restaurant, I knew I had to try it out!

La D’Oro offers a number of dining formats, from seasonal omakase sets to dishes that can be ordered at any time of the day. One of my fond memories about Chef Sasaki’s time at Il Cielo was how perfectly executed the pasta dishes always were so for this particular occasion, it was just apt that I check out their all-day dining menu.

The all-day dining menu can be segregated into three parts. The small plates are tapas-sized light bites designed to whet the appetite. Sharing plates consist of Chef Sasaki’s pasta and pizza dishes while desserts are those who would like to end their meal on a sweet note.

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Sushi Sei is a new intimate Japanese restaurant located at the grounds of the Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre. With its name alluding to a bright light, Sushi Sei brings Japan’s haute cuisine to Singapore in the form of a kaiseki meal. The restaurant is helmed by Master Kaiseki Chef Manabu Saitoh who has over 30+ years of culinary experience.

The space is quite a refined one, with an elegant wooden counter, textured satin walls and minimalistic decor such as a bonsai tree and an alluring and darkly lit private space near the entrance. The counter seats can fit up to 10 persons and the private room up to 6 persons. 

Chef Saitoh regularly flies in ingredients from various parts of Japan, mostly from Toyosu Market in Tokyo and Hokkaido. 

The restaurant serves omakase sushi kaiseki for dinner, priced at $400, $500 and $600 and comprising of up to six dishes followed by nigiri (sushi), dessert and freshly whisked matcha (green tea) to end. Lunch courses are available from $200 with a different set of dishes. At the time of launch, the restaurant is open for lunch and dinner with just one seating per session. Currently, the restaurant is offering a 30% discount for all Citibank and UOB cardholders.

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