Celebrity Diet is a monthly roundup where we feature food places approved by your favourite stars.
We may not all be able to afford a getaway to Japan, but we can certainly still get a taste of their vibrant food scene right here in Singapore. This month, savour the best of Japanese cuisine and join The Muttons at Japan’s most popular soba noodle chain, or be like Xinlin Khaw and #treatyoself to the indulgent tendon bowl from Kogane Yama.
1) Xinlin Khaw @ Kogane Yama
Rest assured that the tempura items served at this new tendon eatery will be gloriously addictive. After all, Kogane Yama is opened by the same team behind Chir Chir (famous for their crispy korean fried chicken), so you know you’re in good hands. Picky eaters will be glad to know that the bowls here are customisable. Choose from four different options: vegetable bowl ($11.80), chicken bowl ($13.80), prawn bowl ($13.80), and the mixed bowl ($15.80) for a little of everything. Choose from rice, soba, or udon, as the base to accompany that crunchy tempura. Lastly, select your desired spice level for the sauce that will be drizzled over. We’re not sure about you, but we’re putting our diet plans on hold for this drool-worthy bowl.
Kogane Yama
200 Victoria Street, Bugis Junction
www.facebook.com/koganeyamasingapore
2) Nicole Chang Min @ Hokkaido IceCream Puff
Quite frankly, there’s nothing Japanese-y about this dessert shop. Save for its name, this store actually has its roots in a small town of Malaysia. Even the ice cream selection borders on international, with flavours that include mint chocolate, cookies and cream, and mango. But we’re not complaining, as these Instagram-friendly desserts come stuffed with a generous serving of ice cream. The puffs are also baked fresh every hour. At $3.90 a pop, they make for a great guest appearance on your social media feed.
Hokkaido IceCream Puff
35 Haji Lane
hicp.singapore@gmail.com
3) The Muttons @ Nadai Fujisoba Ni-Hachi
Many call Nadai Fujisoba Ni-Hachi a soba specialist, and it’s a title they don’t take lightly. Their menu features their famous soba noodles served up in various ways, like the hot mentai cream soba ($18++), or the dry sukiyaki maze soba ($15++). But none can compare to the deep-fried soba with sizzling seafood spicy sauce ($18.50++) – a novel creation of epic proportions. It includes a hearty portion of fried noodles, doused with a gooey sauce that comes swimming with prawn, squid, kamaboko fishcake, pork, shiitake mushroom, bean sprouts, and cabbage.
Nadai Fujisoba Ni-Hachi
100 Tras Street, 100 AM
6443 8827
4) Francesca Tan @ Boru Boru
Even food establishments are hopping on the co-sharing trend. Boru Boru is a pop-up that shares the same space as Candour Coffee at Beach Road, serving up affordable donburis. You can’t go wrong with the Boru Chirashi ($13.90) that comes topped with chunks of salmon, tuna, prawn, and octopus tossed in their special dashi-shoyu marinade. Or try the 48° Salmon Boru With Triple Egg ($16.90) that comes with an onsen egg, tobiko (fish roe), and your choice of caviar or mentaiko. Drinks come at a discount too, when you pair your bowl with a cuppa from Candour Coffee.
Boru Boru
41 Beach Road
www.facebook.com/BoruBoruSG
These are the few places that got our influencers’ tummies (and ours too) satisfied in the month of July. Let us know if you give these places a shot by tagging us at #ZyrupEats on Instagram. Who knows, apart from the good food, you might just catch your favourite stars at these places!