Tenshin Tempura, The Regent Hotel, Singapore

I have only eaten at a specialist tempura restaurant once. This was a few years ago in Tokyo on a joint trip with D Guy. That little restaurant only catered for three rooms a night and was located close to Tsukiji where the chef handpicked the freshest seafood daily. It was this fact coupled with their secret flour mix and their special oil that made them so good.

I had heard of a local equivalent some years ago, told myself I had to go but was reminded only recently about it again. The place is Tenshin Tempura located at The Regent Singapore. It is known to be quite pricey but going there for lunch fit in nicely with my continuing quest for good-value set lunches.

Of course, I found a willing accomplice in D Guy.

The set lunches ranged from $30 to $85 with the choice of also ordering ala carte items from the daily vegetable and seafood boards.

There is a certain point at which my stomach hits a limit for oily food. On this day, that point took quite long to reach, meaning, the food was very finely prepared (not too much oil).

The first course of prawn tempura was a little tough, but I reserved my judgement and was rewarded with perfectly cooked pumpkin (not too raw and not too overcooked), wonderfully sweet corn which they take off the cob and formed into a round cake held together only by the batter, seasonal eel (sweet and still moist inside).

Overall, a very nice meal but probably 80% of the Tsukiji tempura place whose name escapes me now. Would I go again? Yes, their Tendon set lunch looked wonderful, served in a hot steaming bowl of rice with generous lashings of their own tempura sauce.

Nogawa Restaurant, Concorde Hotel, Singapore

Mr. Nogawa is known as the man that trained some of the most successful Japanese chefs in Singapore. Ronnie of Tatsuya fame, is one of them.

After many years of hearing of Nogawa, I finally, finally, made a reservation and had the omakase sushi menu. The meal had a promising start with fresh gingko nuts lightly salted and grilled. I was pleasantly surprised by how tender and succulent the octopus starte was. I am also a fan of well-prepared pickles and these were crisp and crunchy with a little sour kick. Just the thing to whet your appetite.

When I was served the first piece of sushi (we sat at the counter), I was looking forward to a burst of freshness and flavour but became completely distracted by the rice. Sushi rice is meant to be firm but soft enough to provide a nice base to the fish on top. However, either there was not enough vinegar and mirin or the rice was a tad undercooked but the rice started to crumble the minute I put it in my mouth. Unfortunately, this rice texture continued throughout the meal and detracted from the array of fish served. Very sad.

As you can see, we were treated to beautiful Toro, Otoro and Chu Toro (?) AND very nice uni. Perhaps my palate has gotten used to Tatsuya's but the seared sushi did not even come close to Ronnie's version. It could be a case of the student surpassing the master here or I could have become brainwashed by Tatsuya's. I had stopped going for a while as they had become incredibly expensive after winning the award from the World Gourmet Summit, but after paying about $200 per person at Nogawa, I may just be dining at Tatsuya's more often now.

Nogawa has another restaurant at the Sentosa Golf & Country Club. Perhaps I should go there for comparison. It's hard to believe that I was so disappointed with the master chef. One must note that Mr. Nogawa was not there and we were served by Chef Kevin. Unfortunately, Kevin did introduce each sushi as most chefs usually do when serving pieces individually but maybe he thought we were sushi connoisseurs or we were too deep in conversation.

2am Dessert Bar, Holland Village, Singapore

As the name reflects, this dessert place is open til 2 am. It is the place for very sinful desserts if that's what rings your bell.

2am is located at the end of Lorong Liput, the street which is home to great shops like Parisilk Store (the mother of all consumer electronics shops), Provence (fantastic Japanese-French Bakery) and of course, Pet Lovers Centre (your dog's one-stop wonderland).

Left : Amadei Chili Chocolate

Below Left : Warm Chocolate Tart

Below Right : Hot Chocolate with Churros

The Amadei Chili Chocolate is very unique and actually very suited to the Singapore palate. However, for those who can't take spicy food, stay away. It actually packs quite a punch. As for the Warm Chocolate Tart, it was beautifully presented with blood orange sorbet as an accompaniment. My favorite however, was the Hot Chocolate, the highlight being the cinnamon sugar coated churros. It comes with three but you can ask for an extra order of 5 for $4 more. The five churros are well worth the money if you are a churro fan. I made the mistake of not dipping the churros into the hot chocolate which meant that I did not finish my hot chocolate. It turned out to be too thick to finish on its own and not sweet enough as it did not have the benefit of the sugar from the churros.

The ambience was simple and chic. I particularly liked the Bed Supper Club type lounge seating meaning that you can recline while enjoying your decadent desserts. How good can life get? They currently have a one-for-one Mumm's Champagne offer if you use your UOB card. Chocolate and alcohol are lethal partners, but oh, the parties you will have.

2am is available for private parties as well. This is one place to visit if you have a midnight craving for rich desserts.

21A Lorong Liput
Holland Village
Tel: +65 6291 9727