Singapore - Kookaburra Restaurant & Gastrobar

It's all day breakfast with a twist.  With a name like Kookaburra, it's gotta be Aussie, Aussie, Aussie.  But they don't serve the bird.  They do however, have kangaroo on its menu.  The menu is a little eclectic with Aussie offerings with local twist.  And when one picks up the menu, it is quite a piece of work.  It's busy to say the least, and takes a while to pore through.  For people who have mental blocks about "fusion", things like Kurobuta Rendang and Kangaroo satay might be worrisome.  But the good news is they do manage to pull it off.

Fluffy Pancake Stack

But this was the winner for me.  Yes, the pancakes are fluffy, but it was the crispy pork belly combined with caramelized apples and cinnamon rhubarb ice cream which made this quite astounding.  If you try nothing else here, try this.

Tasting Platter - Kangaroo satay, baked scallops with mayonaise, popcorn shrimp, salmon wraps

Kangaroo is not a wow, but it is a pretty good meat to have on a satay.  Or a guilt free satay since it is good meat for you.  Very little fat and not too gamey.  A fairly decent combo platter of deep fried, baked, grilled and chilled.

Caesar Salad

Ironically the breads stole the show on the salad.  I'm told they bake their own and these walnut slices had the right consistency with enough chew on them to release the fragrance of the flour and walnuts.  I would definitely order bread based stuff next time I go.

Grape juice

Juices are fresh and they have wonderful concoctions.  Critical to a breakfast joint like this one.

A good place to chill and eat brekkie anytime of day.  Service was attentive (maybe because it was a slow night) but they were all very accommodating since we changed tables 3 times.  All smiles and great recommendations from the staff.  That in itself is already a huge plus.

180 Albert Court
#01-09 Albert Court Village Hotel
Tel: 65-85222365

Singapore - Hinoki

The Japanese restaurant community in Singapore is small.  Almost every sushi chef hails from Master Nogawa, who's recently made a comeback to Singapore after a difficult venture back in Japan.  The 2 lead characters who helm Hinoki are no different, having apprenticed under the master some 2 decades ago.  Lawrence, who is the Laurel of the 2, recently came from the failed Japanese venture at the Keppel club, and whose brother Ronnie is the brains behind the famous Tatsuya, now at the Goodwood Park Hotel.  Gary, who is the Hardy, also worked at Keppel before partnering with Lawrence at Hinoki.

Steamed egg custard - sea urchin and fish liver

Sake accompaniments - grilled Fugu and grilled dried baby sardines

The atmosphere is boisterous, and different from most other Japanese restaurants where the ambience is almost sombre, in reverence of the artistry at the counter.  The only separation here is noisy or noisier, with drinkers tending to be herded towards the Lawrence end.  While a little rowdy, it's all in good fun, with a lot of local Hokkien humor peppered throughout your meal.

Sashimi - salmon, yellow tail, botan shrimp, scallop and swordfish

Grilled geoduck

The style of food is not dissimilar to a meal at Tatsuya although the overall experience (food wise) is not as spectacular.  But prices are about half of that at Tatsuya so one can't really complain.  For a casual night out, it's not bad at all.  And since it was our first time, it was difficult for them to gauge what we like or didn't like so I thought Gary played it overly cautious (almost boring).

Grilled yellowtail collar

Seared foie gras and botan shrimp sushi

But the sushis were the highlight and like Tatsuya, they do specialise in Aburi (blowtorched) pieces for that smoky finish.  If you don't enjoy that, best to tell them upfront.  I do like a combination of fresh and Aburi so this worked for me.  Next time perhaps, I would just have a sushi meal and skip the others.

Mentaiko and Scallop sushi

Anago sushi

Green tea ice cream with red beans and Yuzu sorbet

My only complaint food wise is that my ice cream came melted (and the servers didn't know better than to not serve it).  Not the end of the world but there is sometimes a fine line between fun and professionalism.  Oh well.

Still worthy of a repeat if you're in the neighbourhood.  Word of caution though: don't mention Tatsuya, Ronnie or Keppel.  Any of these 3 words sets Lawrence off and that means listening to a very long story of brotherly feuds and business troubles.  My advice, just stick with the food and drinks.

Hinoki Japanese Restaurant
22 Cross Street
#01-50/53 China Square Central
South Bridge Court
Tel: +65 6536 7746