Skye Soon : May 2022

Hey friends!

I visited a Japanese restaurant called sen-ryo with my sister recently. It's on the 3rd floor of ION Orchard. We rarely have sister dates because we usually eat as a family, so we decided to try something special.

We reached at about 8.15p.m. and waited 15 minutes for a table. We were lucky - another couple was turned away because they were full and no longer accepting new guests. Come early!!

We were seated promptly - the staff were very friendly and helpful. You will be asked if you want hot or cold green tea (apparently complimentary, not in our bill). We were told that some of the dishes like uni and foie gras was sold out for the day.

We wanted to try a range of stuff so we ordered more variety and less rice dishes like sushi/don.

The Australian Wagyu Sukiyaki ($25) arrived first! Wait for 3-5 minutes for the soup to boil.

The set comes with a cold poached egg! We ate some and later dipped the beef slices into it.

Dangg premium meat really makes a difference - everything is so smooth and tender. There are 2 mushrooms, carrots, leek and some glass noodles in the sweet sukiyaki broth too.

Negitoro Handroll $7.80
This was ok, nothing very special.

Next, this beautiful Deluxe Sashimi Platter ($39.80). This is for 2pax and they also have another option for 4pax.

Man... everything was so smooth and fresh! This was such a treat and definitely the star of the meal!

They also have a beverage menu but we didn't feel like drinking alcohol so we didn't peruse it!

The skewers (yakitori) came last! We got the Assorted Skewer Platter ($20.80).

Have I eaten such a shiok chicken on stick before? XD

The skewers were yum especially with the Yuzu pepper paste.

The total bill came up to $109.93 after GST and service charge. It's pricey but the quality was great! I mean I'm not going to dine here super often, but I think it's a nice classy place to celebrate family birthdays or special occasions*!

*We were dining in a little 'cave' with 4 other tables and could hear every other table very clearly so if you're looking for something quiet and romantic, this ain't it. It's way more lively here! The tables in this 'cave' also come with huge bean-bag looking cushions. It was fun!

Bookings are available. If you prefer to walk-in, the staff suggest you head down early.

Extra note: ION Orchard is a Capitaland Mall but apparently not a participating mall for the CapitaStar App where you can clock points.

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sen-ryo

ION Orchard

#03-14

Singapore 238801

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Love,

Skye

Hey friends!

Sorry, I have been utterly rubbish at keeping to my blogging schedule lately due to busking 😓 I tend to take quite a lot of time preparing songs. In view of that, I think I'll have to abandon my regular schedule for now! Really sorry about that.

Here's my latest cooking adventure though!

When I'm in Taiwan, one of my favourite food to eat is 鱿鱼羹面线 (Cuttlefish noodles). It usually comes with a mix of cuttlefish slices and also cuttlefish sticks or balls. The soup is of a thicker, starchy consistency with a 沙茶 (sha cha) base. Have you tried sha cha before? It's a very popular sauce in Taiwan. It's commonly served and available, just like how we have chilli padi and sauce in Singapore. People also term it as 'satay sauce' and it's one of the common dipping sauces used when eating hotpot. It's made from soybean oil, shallots, dried shrimp, garlic and more.

So anyway, I was really craving this dish and decided to recreate it!

First, you need some mian xian, or thin noodles. You can also use mee sua or whatever noodle you like, really. I like my noodles thin when there's a thick, starchy soup, because it kinds of soaks it up.At the back, you can see the 沙茶 sauce in a can! I think we got ours from Sheng Siong?

My mum pre-sliced some fresh cuttlefish for me and left them in convenient bags for me in the freezer so I can use them as needed.

Since I have no cuttlefish sticks, I use these cuttlefish balls instead. They're not bad! I like tighter, chewy ones - some of these cuttlefish balls or hotpot staples tend to be rather large but have no chewy texture. These cuttlefish balls tend to be on the smaller side though.

Now, the soup base! You'll need 沙茶, bonito flakes (got ours from Donki) and also some basil! For a better, richer taste, you should also use chicken broth and saute minced garlic before adding the above. I forgot to do so 😂, and used minimal water for more flavour.

Taiwanese dishes also tend to use a lot of basil. Not the commonly used Western Sweet Basil, but probably Thai or Taiwanese basil. It's called 九層塔! You can find this in dishes like 三杯鸡 (3 Cup Chicken). It really elevates and completes the dish in my opinion! But like any edible herb, things can be very divisive - so skip the basil if you hate it!

Here's my completed dish! Verdict: The soup can definitely be richer and starchier, but for quick fix this was fine!

For best results, check out this video by a Taiwanese chef!

Love,

Skye

Hey guys!

Sorry for the very late Sunday post today. The week has been really hectic! And today was extra fulfilling because... I managed to busk for the first time since 2020! 🥺

I collected my Busking License on Saturday! The validity date starts on 1 May which is today. At 2a.m. I suddenly remembered that the portal might be open, so I signed in with my Singpass! (Buskers now have to book venues and slots via an e-portal.)

To my surprise I could log in!!! So I started to try booking slots at Paya Lebar, which is where I usually busk. However, all nice evening time slots were pretty much booked so I broadened my search and decided to try out new venues like Wisma Atrium and Suntec City.

5 bookings later at 3a.m... it dawned upon me that I could also book slots for the day itself. There were two last slots 4-6pm for PL! So I bit the bullet and booked them! Subsequently I made some 'marketing' materials.

Hours later I woke up naturally at 8am and started to practice.

In the afternoon, we made it to Paya Lebar! I haven't really tried this open area so I did so because footfall seemed higher here. Luckily for me, the skies held up too and it didn't pour. It was also quite breezy and the sun wasn't scorching so that was a big plus too.

Ah, it was pretty amazing to be back on the streets. It's also interesting to see what people respond to - songs that used to be popular may not elicit the same response anymore! Gotta keep adapting and learning new songs and presentation styles.

Sharing this picture because it was a moment that really made my day! Firstly, there's this cute little girl who was really curious about my guitar. Secondly, this enthusiastic person really hyped me up LOL thank you I appreciate it!

There were lots of nice moments - people were so warm and friendly! Thank you very much.

If you want to see my upcoming schedule, please check out my profile on the NAC Busking e-portal! Everything will be posted on Instagram and Facebook too, so you can choose whatever platform you like!

I'm going to end this blogpost here because I'm pretty bushed! I'm really looking forward to my next show though I also wish I could magically learn maybe 10 new songs. Wish me luck! It's my first time at Orchard and I can't say I'm not intimidated.

Every venue has its pros and cons, as well as unique features. For example, I think Orchard road has a lot of trees (and birds), as well as loud traffic. Wisma has steps that basically double as seats! Big airy venues also mean different acoustics, as well as a wild rush for shelter should it rain. There are a lot of things to consider!

But in every space I hope to connect with the audiences and hope they enjoy the show! More updates soon!

Love,

Skye