-David Mitchell

Despite being a cosmopolitan city, getting quality yet affordable Japanese food is not as easy as you think; either it costs you an arm and a leg, or it feels like a monkey with a spoon can do a better job.

Ming San (鳴 San) Casual Japanese Dining

Ming San, after their eponymous owner, sits just about at the edge of the Chinatown area. To get there, one way is to take a short walk through Pearl’s Hill City Park, and it’s not a uphill task at all! Geddit? <Insert corny punchline here>

(From here on, I will interchangeably refer to both the restaurant and the owner as “Ming San”)

The restaurant was the brain-child of Ming San, and was realised just in September 2015. Serving food in a casual, modern style, the interior does look proper with natural light flooding in from the full length windows and no-nonsense wooden furniture. Generally, the crowd consist of OLs and very often he also gets Japanese customers working in the area coming for dinner!

Ming San serves up a plethora of Japanese cuisine from his humble kitchen (just behind the wall of mouth-watering photos). From bento sets to sushi platters,  you definitely will be spoilt for choice.

Speaking of which, when he first started the restaurant, the bento sets were initially a fixed selection of less than a dozen choices. However, this often lead to much confusion for Ming San as he has to entertain countless requests to customise the sets to suit each customer’s palate. So, to make sure everyone leaves Ming San a happy pup, he introduced the mix & match concept menu for his bento sets which are now a hit with his customers:

So instead of just under 10 sets, you can have different permutations of dishes to make up your bento with the 20 (wow!) items available. All for just $10! Ming San also told me that more selections will be added soon, and the menu will be updated from time to time to keep his customers interested.

Although Ming San says that Sushi is not his forte, he does serve up some respectable hand-kneaded goodness, like his signature  salmon aburi available as a nigiri sushi or in a maki roll. The nigiri sushi, topped generously with crystal seaweed and roe, has a full-bodied flavor, where the freshness of the fish is locked in by the aburi sear.

However, I felt that the ramen broth was too complex for me, as it is heavily loaded with tastes of shrimp and tonkotsu all jumbled up together. Personally, I prefer lighter and clearer broths, but you can see if this adaptation floats your boat. As the broth is now prepared by Ming San’s eldest daughter, it’s definitely worth encouraging her as she continues to experiment and find that signature Ming San ramen taste! がんばって!

The Verdict

hole-in-the-wall-ness: [star rating=”4.5″]
Tucked in the corner unit of a office building right at the edge of chinatown, it’s definitely off the beaten track. If not for me knowing that it is near a popular dimsum restaurant nearby, I would have much more trouble locating it the first time around!

Price: [star rating=”4″]
Ming San prides himself for being able to give decent, quality food at affordable prices. You pay for what you get, but what you pay is worth the buck!

Quality: [star rating=”4″]
The sushi, salad (not pictured) and bento sets especially were freshly made and flavourful, making the food a good hearty lunch for one, or a cosy dinner with your friends after a long day of salaryman work. However, I personally feel the ramen broth could use more fine-tuning.

Overall: [star rating=”4″]
To Ming San, his restaurant is more than just a place of sustenance. To him, eating should be casual, enjoyable and most importantly, in good company of your family and closest friends!

More Information

Ming San Casual Japanese Dining
171 Chin Swee Road
#01-03
CES Centre
Singapore 169877
Opening Hours:  Mondays to Saturdays, 12:00pm to 3:00pm & 6:00pm to 10:00pm
Open for lunch ONLY on Wednesdays
Tel: 6386 9311
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/mingsan0103/
Note: Call in advance and check their facebook page to avoid disappointment, as they are occasionally closed for private bookings/events. Catering menu is also available on request!

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The post Ming San Casual Japanese Dining Review appeared first on You Otter Go There.

Except, we did.

Restaurant Bar Jazz @ The Southbridge Hotel

What started as one of my colleague’s misadventure turned out to be one of the bigger finds in my time there. Situated just a stone throw away from Chinatown MRT, it is the place to be if you are looking for a short reprieve from whatever your workday may present you.

When you enter the restaurant you can choose if you’d like the ‘outdoor’ or indoors seating. Attractive and reasonably priced lunch sets are laid out for your pleasure, from chicken cutlets to juicy ribeye steaks. As we have been patronizing them for some time already, we’ve also been given ‘premium’ membership cards which give us 50% off main courses from 11:00am-3:00pm.

Still hungry and want more after your meal? You can order some Mövenpick ice cream for some dessert. The place is also known as a decent whisky bar with an array of whiskies to choose from, and they serve archipelago beer for good measure. Of course, who can resist the lunch-time drink once in a while?

If you’re more inclined to come at night however, you get to hear their resident band, The Malt Trio, croon your post-work depression away:

 The Verdict

hole-in-the-wall-ness: [star rating=”2″]
It’s a hotel restaurant that’s pretty sizey, so not that much of a hole there.

Price: [star rating=”3.5″]
It’s a bit dear (set lunches start at $14.80+ with soup and a soft drink/coffee/tea) which is expected of a restaurant, but with plenty of lunch + tea time promotions, no one’s complaining!

Quality: [star rating=”4″]
Despite the heavy promotion, food is well-prepared and generous.

Overall; [star rating=”3.5″]
Need a place to hide from the hustle and bustle? Try this out if you want to.

More Information

Restaurant Bar Jazz @ The Southbridge Hotel
210 South Bridge Road
Singapore 058759
Restaurant open from 7:00am to 2:00am daily
Website: http://www.thesouthbridgehotel.com/
Email (for reservation): reservation@thesouthbridgehotel.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/thesouthbridgehotel
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesouthbridgehotel/

p.s. you can book a hotel room there on their website and various hotel booking websites if you’re travelling to Singapore!

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Some images embedded from The Southbridge Hotel’s Facebook and Instagram pages

The post Restaurant Bar Jazz @ The Southbridge Hotel Review – Whisky Makes Me Frisky appeared first on You Otter Go There.