Wagyu Jin at Shaw Centre is a new prefecture-focused Wagyu omakase restaurant by the Les Amis Group.

Helmed by Executive Chef Makoto Saito, Wagyu Jin specialises in a selection of premium A5 Wagyu beef dishes from various Japanese prefectures like Gifu, Shiga, Miyazaki, Iwate and Tochigi. The wagyu lunch omakase is only S$118++ while the wagyu dinner omakase starts from S$238++.

Wagyu Jin’s seasonal Wagyu omakase menu will have 7-9 courses.

Wagyu Jin’s lunch omaksae is priced at S$118 per pax and it comes with the following dishes:

• Somen with sea urchin & Hokkaido hairy crab
• Yakiniku – A5 Mizayaki Beef
• Sushi – A5 Hida Beef
• Awabi (abalone)
• Sukiyaki – A5 Tochigi Beef
• Dessert – Yuzu Sorbet

There are two options for the dinner omakase and they are priced at S$238 and S$318.

The S$238 dinner omakase menu features the following dishes:

• Appetiser – Langoustine, sea urchin, caviar and jelly
• Yakiniku – A5 Mizayaki Beef
• Chateaubriand Sando with A5 Ohmi Beef
• Somen with caviar and truffle
• Sukiyaki
• Sushi – A5 Hida Beef
• A5 Tochigi Beef rice bowl
• Dessert – Yuzu Sorbet

If you are still hungry after having the wagyu omakase, you can also add on a la carte dishes including Uni Rice (S$38), Scampi (S$38), Yakiniku A5 Mizayaki Beef (S$27) and Hokkaido Hairy Crab (S$48).

Wagyu Jin
1, #02-12 Scotts Rd, Shaw Centre, 228208
Tel: +65 8940 0741

I Want My Noodle is a hidden eatery in Shaw Centre that specialises in noodles. Known for their egg noodles that are handmade every morning, they contain no preservatives and colouring, and there is this amazing springiness in every strand that we love.

The highlights include their Bak Chor Mee, Asian Duck Confit, Roast Meat Noodle, and Lor Bak Noodle. Most of the dishes are affordably priced under S$10, making it a great spot for a casual meal the next time you are in town.

What you must try at I Want My Noodle is the signature Bak Chor Mee. Quite unlike your usual minced pork noodles, their version is spicy and generously tossed in black vinegar.

The handmade noodles are shaped to be slightly curly, and this allows the noodles to be more evenly coated with the seasoning. Every mouthful is hence robust in flavour with a nice, spicy aftertaste.

We also enjoyed the Asian Duck Confit. Seasoned with herbs, it reminds us of the Balinese-style dirty duck—crispy skin, tender meat.

The owner of I Want My Noodle, Derrick Kuah, has an Indonesian mother-in-law, and many of their recipes come from her. It is safe to say this is a place for some simple and comforting Indonesian food.

I Want My Noodle is also offering islandwide delivery (free delivery for orders S$80 and above and you can order it through their website.

I Want My Noodle
1 Scotts Road
Shaw Centre
#03-14/15
Singapore 228208

There are some restaurants that we frequent because of one particular dish. For instance, I can never imagine myself going to Yan Ting without ordering the heavenly char siew sou. Or La Cantina without getting the lovely crabmeat linguine. Or Antoinette Patisserie without tasting its signature Antoinette earl gray cake. You get the idea.

One of those must-have dishes that I am going to add to my list is the Chirashi – a bowl of sushi rice topped with sashimi – from Aoki Japanese Restaurant by the Les Amis Group.

If you’ve had Aoki’s Chirashi ($35) before, I am sure you will agree with me that it is happiness in a bowl. I’d come back again and again just for this.

Given that this is a restaurant by the Les Amis Group, we had high hopes, and I’m glad to tell you that our lunch at Aoki did not disappoint – if anything, only exceeded expectations.

Besides the chirashi, we also had the Nigri Sushi Jyo-Sen ($30), a beautiful platter of seven types of sushi and one sushi roll served with salad, miso soup and dessert.

Aoki Restaurant at Shaw Centre is definitely not cheap. But I feel that the prices of set lunches are acceptable ($35-50) as it serves top quality Japanese food in a nice environment. Dinner sets are available from $40-80. And if you feel like indulging, omakase during lunch is $100, while dinner is $165.

Given that there are many mediocre Japanese restaurants that tend to overcharge, I’d gladly pay a little more to enjoy a meal at Aoki.

While some people like to dine at the bar counter (which can only accommodate 15 guests) and witness the chefs in action, I like the table seats (there are only three tables) which offers an intimate and cosy experience. Remember to specify your preference when calling to make a reservation.

Aoki Restaurant
1 Scotts Road
Shaw Centre #02-17
Tel: +65 6333 8015
Mon to Sat: 12noon – 3pm, 6.30pm – 11pm
Nearest Station: Orchard

For more recommendations, please read my Guide to Best Japanese Restaurants in Singapore.

East Ocean Teochew Restaurant at Shaw Centre has always been known as one of the top restaurants in Singapore serving Hong Kong style Teochew cuisine. It is the place that most people mention when you ask them what their favourite Teochew restaurant is.

Besides serving traditional Teochew favourites, they are also very popular for their dim sum. For several months, friends have been telling me that I simply have to go there during weekend for dim sum.

I finally made a trip there recently, and the nostalgic atmosphere really reminded me of Red Star Chinese restaurant. If you are still thinking of where to go for dim sum brunch this weekend, why not check out East Ocean?

Weekends are meant for dim sum.

On weekdays, East Ocean restaurant has an ala carte menu to order from. But come weekends, staff will bring out trays of dim sum to every table for customers to choose from.

They have a good variety of dim sum, and prices range from $4.8 for a basket of siew mai, to $5.8 for the baked BBQ pork pie.

The Po Luo Bun was very good. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that it is one of the best Po Luo Buns in Singapore.

Like many dim sum restaurants, East Ocean has three different kinds of Cheong Fun – char siew, prawn, and scallop. We had the char siew one; it was decent but not something that I’d stop to notice.

And of course, the famous Custard bun ($4.8) that everyone is talking about. East Ocean’s rendition was pretty good, but I don’t think that it is the best custard bun that I’ve had.

The other dim sum that we had include: Mini Crispy Egg Tarts ($5.8), Scallop Tofu ($5.8), Pan-fried carrot cake ($4.8), Steamed BBQ Pork Bun ($3.5) and Deep-fried Crispy Prawn Dumping ($5.8).

The dim sum at East Ocean Teochew Restaurant is not particularly outstanding. Moreover, prices are about the same as some of my favourite dim sum restaurants like Royal China, Paradise Pavilion and Yan Ting.

Having said that, East Ocean has a nostalgic feel, and this probably explains why it is so popular. It is quite fun to order directly from the dim sum trays going around. But like Red Star restaurant, the queue is really long during weekends. I won’t go back just for the dim sum, but I think it is a nice place to bring your friends for the dim sum trolley experience.

Singapore Food Blog Review
East Ocean Teochew Restaurant
391 Orchard Road
#05-08/09 Ngee Ann City
Tel: +65 6235 9088
Mon to Fri: 11.30am – 3pm, 6pm – 11pm
Sat, Sun & PH: 10am – 3pm, 6pm – 11pm
Nearest Station: Orchard

For more recommendations, read my list of the best dim sum restaurants in Singapore

One of the French Restaurants that I’ve always wanted to try, but have not gotten the chance to visit until recently is Bistro Du Vin at Shaw Centre.

Bistro Du Vin by the Les Amis Group has been making a name for itself since opening in 2009. My friends have always raved about the classical French Food that they serve. I went there for lunch a while back and I have to say that the set lunch is absolutely a steal at $30++/pax.

What I like about the three-course set lunch at Bistro Du Vin is the variety that they offer. It has six items each for appetisers, main courses and desserts.

I am still saving up for the air ticket to Paris, so for now I can only satisfy my French food craving by eating at a French Bistro in Orchard road.

After taking a glance at the menu, I immediately knew that there was no way I could resist the Pan-fried Foie Gras with prune compote (supplement of $6). I took a bite and I could feel happiness entering my body. The Foie Gras was good, but the scrambled eggs were even better.

There is only one word to describe the Scrambled Eggs with mushroom & chorizo – scrumptious! I’d come back just for this (hopefully they don’t take it off the set lunch menu).

Other appetisers include: Tuna and Lemon Pasta, Duck Rillette, Foie Gras Terrine, Escargot, and Tomato Soup.

When we were there for lunch, the six main courses on the set menu were Chicken Leg, Roasted Pork Chop, French Duck Confit, Pan-fried fish of the day, Braised Oxtail, and Char-grilled US Angus Ribeye. There was also “blackboard specials” like the Roasted Spring Chicken, Braised Duck Leg, and Char-grilled Striploin.

My dining companions had the Roasted Spring Chicken wrapped with ham and Fish of the day. Both were not too bad, but it was the French Fries ($3 side order) which stole the show. There was no truffle oil, or any secret ingredients – just really good French Fries.

I had a hard time trying to decide between Char-grilled US Angus Ribeye (supplement of $10) and the French Duck Leg Confit. I eventually went for the latter. It was one of the better Duck Confits that I’ve had, and the portion was just right for a not-so-heavy lunch.

For desserts, there was Creme Caramel, Dark Chocolate Mousse, Coconut and Passionfruit Sorbet, Warm Pear Tart, Profiteroles and selected cheese on the set lunch menu. We used the elimination method and chose three desserts.

My favourite was the lovely Pear Tart with vanilla ice cream, while my friends found the pairing of Coconut and Passionfruit sorbet intriguing.

All in all, Bistro du vin by the Les Amis group serves a value for money 3-course set lunch at $30++. I will definitely come back again to try some of the classical French food like the Coq Au Vin and Pot Au Feu on the ala carte menu.

Singapore Food Blog Review
Bistro du vin
1 Scotts Road
#02-12 Shaw Centre
Tel: +65 6733 7763
Daily: 11.30am – 2.30pm, 6.30pm – 10pm

For more recommendations, read my list of best French Restaurants in Singapore

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