Ajisen Ramen
21 Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4
#04-11/12 Lot 1

Ajisen Ramen, a familiar friend. I'm sure most of us would be acquainted with its endearing pasta-like ramen, tea+side+ramen set meals and fuss-free atmosphere.

This time, I decided to skip my usual boring spicy miso ramen and venture into a set meal with my sister (:


Spicy Cha Shu Ramen. The soup, noodles and ingredients were as per their normal standard - slurpable and utterly addictive. But the cha shu is a different story. To begin with, I'm not a big fan of meat. It was chewy and I'd say deflates the good name of Japanese Cha Shu.

Ton Toro Ramen. My sister had this, the soup was gorgeous (: I love the fact that they have lots and lots of cabbage in it.

Crab Cream Croquette. I watched this Japanese drama (Hotman) where this incredibly adorable girl offered a poor man her crab cream croquette. She told him "oishii yo. taberu yo." (its yummy. eat.) So i decided to order this as a side. To tell the truth, I really hope this is not how it's supposed to taste like. It was seductively creamy, but also had a distinct fishy smell to it.

(I went quite a while ago, lost the receipt and stuff)

Lerk Thai
900 South Woodlands Drive
#01-07 Woodlands Civic Centre (beside Macs)
http://lerkthai.com.sg

Went there today for a quick lunch.

Tom Yum Seafood Soup ($1.99, u.p. $4.50) Current promotion: for any main course or purchase, diners are entitled to order tom yum seafood soup at just $1.99! In each little adorable white pot lies at least one prawn, slice of fish, squid and loads of juicy mushrooms that burst with the goodness of tom yum when you bite into it. Yum scrum (:

Sambal belachan kang kong ($6.90) We ordered it "not too oily". And not too oily it was. My only grouse about this dish was that the style of cooking and resultant taste was more chinese and thai. And that since the restaurant was in the central atrium, the belachan attracted a fly. One is enough to annoy.

Stewed thai beef noodle soup ($7.50). The soup was rather weak-tasting, siam kitchen does a better rendition. I'd describe this dish as hygenic - clean-tasting, with lots of crunchy beansprouts and lean beef. Waitress says the beef is American. I give her the benefit of the doubt.

Oh yes there's the beef. I'm not a big fan of flesh. Though I make exceptions for processed meats - luncheon, subway turkey breast, hotdogs, seaweed chicken, kfc popcorn chicken..hello ajinomoto!

Thai seafood hor fun ($7.90). Gobbled up the veggies - luscious and crunchy when eaten with the hot gravy before i took this picture. Oops. The seafood (one prawn, fish slices, sotong rings) is generous enough and hor fun is passable, but what killed the dish was seeing the thick luscious gravy "liquidize" when the cornstarch threw the towel in.

SMU students get 10% off, just show your matric card or student pass (with smu logo)!

All in all, a homely, albeit chinese affair with genial service and reasonable prices. Love the chilli sauce, though it's also not exactly very thai. They have this cute counter out front where you can pick greasy little bites and they'll put it in a handy takeaway box and douse it in thai chilli sauce. Probably my first and last visit here.

Shin Tokyo
21 Choa Chu Kang North 6, YewTee Point, #01-28

Promotion: 99cent white plate sushi (2 pcs) (:

Service is inconsistent - unbelievably slow the first and third visits, reasonably fast the second time. No tap water served though.

To me, Shin Tokyo has good quality food, full-stop. Their food standards seem to be unfazed by the 99cent price tag.


Tori chicken wafu cream baked rice ($9.80). I think. Or some combination of the words.
Creamy rice, fried chicken chunks with carrots and a little green tree of broccoli as an afterthought. What's not to like?

Zooming out..

Agedashi tofu ($4.50). Wasn't well done this time, I think it was undercooked cos the skin had a glutinous and chewy texture to it.

Ebi fry sushi (99cent). Die-die must try!! Crispy mini-prawn fritter topped with tangy mayo on rice, its carb&fat heaven!

Spicy Ebiko Roe (99cent). Another die-die must try! How to eat: slowly mix the spicy sauce with the ebiko roe (very carefully), then eat it one half at a time. The taste is undescribable..in a definitely good way.

Salmon maki (99cent for 6pcs) and salmon sushi (99cent). Good enough..

Inari kani salad (99cent) Another one of my favourites - sweetness of the beancurd skin paired with the creamy kani salad..oishii!

Amaebi (99cent) (amai=sweet). Didn't try, but my sister loved this.

Also ordered a few plates of cooked prawn sashimi and can't remember what else, but we paid $33 split four ways for a very satisfying meal (: