Sansai restaurant

(1) Menu (2) Uni / Surf clams / Ark clams (3) Butternut squash with Botan ebi / Sakura ebi tart (4) Scallops from Hokkaido, cuttlefish (5) Corn fritter / Lamb tartare with purple potatoes (6) Trout from Nagano, sansai, fermented coconut cream (7) Octopus from Toyama, firefly squid (8) Bamboo shoot from Kyoto / Short rib (9) Acai / Fried dough with caramel made from an Amazonian fruit (10) Cacao family desserts ++ Seeing the highly critical review of Central posted this week, I have been inspired to share my thoughts on sister restaurant MAZ, which I dined at two weeks ago.
Overall, I thought it was a very good meal, but with a few quirks: - Food was generally excellent across the board, with no real misses. The Butternut squash with Botan ebi (pic #3), Corn fritter with dehydrated lamb heart shavings (pic #5), Short rib (pic #8), and Flan (left hand side of pic #10) were especially phenomenal - Felt less ‘Peruvian’ than I expected. Most of the produce is sourced domestically, with the ingredients imported from Peru primarily comprising of spices. But perhaps this is a blessing in disguise, as the top-notch quality of Japanese produce (especially the seafood) really stands out - While on paper the concept is cool, it ultimately falls flat and I struggled to identify a distinct theme. The moment you step into the restaurant, you are led to a display where they introduce a selection of unique produce found across Peru. Yet, to my surprise most of these ingredients weren’t even present in any of the courses… - Service was great, as expected from a fine dining establishment in Tokyo. Didn’t catch his name, but special shout-out goes to the one Japanese server who was also fluent in English, you made my evening especially enjoyable!
Total cost: JPY43,500 (c.US$290), including tax/service and non-alcoholic pairing – pretty decent value, if you ask me. Was this the best meal I ever had? Nope. But it was a very enjoyable meal and would highly recommend if you are in Tokyo and considering non Japanese or French fine dining options.

Preface: Just finished a 5 week food trip in Japan revisiting old favorites and trying out some new restaurants. Trip was heavily kasiseki focused as that is my preferred cuisine. At the beginning of the trip, weather is still on the cold side and meals were more gibiegame meat focused. Towards the latter part, sansai and takenoko started appearing on all the menus. Meals covered the whole range from no star to 3 stars and also Tabelog Bronze to Gold. My most enjoyable experiences, however, aren’t necessary at the highest ranked restaurants or the toughest ones to book. I value quality of ingredients, skills and exectution by the chef and also the service provided. Will try to share some of my meals here starting with one of my favorite:
Ebitei Bekkan is located in Toyama City on the Sea of Japan side near Kanazawa. Lying right in front of the city is Toyama Bay, the 3rd deepest in Japan, which is well known for hotaru ika (firefly squid) and shiro ebi (baby white shrimp) since this is the only location where they can be caught in large numbers. In the winter, Toyama is also know for kan buri (winter Japanese Amberjack) as these large and fatty fish migrate south in the Sea of Japan
Current chef owner Mura-san is the fourth generation in the family to run and operate the restaurant. He trained at Tokushima Aoyagi similar to many of the early Michelin Kaiseki 3 Star chefs trained like Kanda, Ryugin and Ginza Kojyu. Ebitei was awarded 2 Stars in 2016 but it was then shut down for a few years before reopening in its current new location. During this down time, Mura-san worked at Matsukawa which consistently ranks as one of the top 3 kaiseki in all of Japan
This was my 5th visit and I won’t comment on each of the dishes. This meal was right at the begining of Takenoko (bamboo shoot) season and over the course of my trip, must have had over 15+ dishes of various preparations. The takenoko here was the most delicious and memorable piece! Just amazed at the quality of the ingredients, the techniques to pull out flavor and change texture and to push the envelope to just be a bit better than everyone else. Needless to say, I love visiting Ebitei and will be back

Ann Bruno is still, in September 2023, starting the meetings by saying it’s so good to see people live and in person. I guess the Zoom meetings of the early pandemic days really got her down.
Reps for various government officials and organizations announced themselves. This was followed by an announcement of a street renaming, in honor of EMT Captain Alison Russo who was tragically killed last year, on 10/4 at 9 am on 42nd St and 20th Ave, which will be presided over by Tiffany Caban. The public is welcome to attend.
We got the return of Deputy Inspector Kenneth Gorman, precinct commander of the 114th, who gave lengthy crime and arrest statistics: domestic violence is sadly up, grand larcenies are up, but on the plus side no murders in the last 28 days and Gorman claims more major crimes have been resulting in arrests. Then he asked for questions.
u/Miser was once again first out of the gate. He noted that car chases were up throughout NYC by something like 600% since Eric Adams took office, and observed that there had been a major high-speed car chase that went viral in Astoria on 21st St this weekend [https://astoriapost.com/see-it-video-of-high-octane-police-car-chase-through-astoria-goes-viral-online\]. He observed how dangerous this is to pedestrians, and asked if Gorman was giving his officers instructions about how it has to be extremely justified to chase cars going 100 mph through a residential neighborhood. Gorman emphatically agreed, and stated that car chases are always a matter of balancing risk and reward. He asserted that cops have the legal right to pursue, but also said that while sometimes a car chase might be necessary for public safety, usually it’s too dangerous to chase people through highly populated areas at high speeds. He promised that officers who engage in car chases when they shouldn’t will at the least be reinstructed and perhaps disciplined. u/Miser urged Gorman to go over this issue again with those under his command.
u/Miser then switched gears, brought up Gorman’s earlier support for bike-only streets, and asked if he’d endorse DOT’s plans for a bike boulevard on 31st Ave that the community has overwhelmingly supported. Gorman said he didn’t know enough about it to endorse, but said he supported anything that would improve public safety and thought it was good for cyclists to have safe spaces to ride.
u/VanillaSkittlez came in armed with data in support of his question. He asked why commercial noise complaints on 311 took on average 9 hours to respond to, which is much longer than other categories of 311 complaints, like graffiti. He also asked how Gorman prioritizes the various 311 complaints the NYPD gets. Gorman said that officers get sent to repeat offenders frequently. He pointed out that there’s a big difference between a complaint and an actual violation, thanks to people making frivolous complaints. He said that sometimes officers would be sent with noise meters to problem locations. Some areas, like the nightlife strip of Steinway, get faster responses because there are always patrols there. Gorman also said that on every “tour” (which I guess means shift?) there’s a vehicle dedicated to 311 calls. In an 8-9 hour period, Gorman said the most 311 calls he had seen was 50, and it’s hard to get to 50 calls in 8-9 hours. He said he prioritizes the calls regarding situations that might get violent or involve a potential crime.
Then an elderly man asked if the cops were still doing “surveillance” on shelters for migrants. From his tone, it seemed like he thought this “surveillance” was a good thing. Gorman backed away from the term “surveillance” so fast you could see his tracks like a cartoon character. He said he wasn’t doing any surveillance, the police had been there to manage traffic and any problems that resulted from a large number of new people in one space, and they still go there occasionally to make sure the people in and around the shelters are safe.
A woman in a flowered shirt said she had to call the cops twice for incidents outside the clubs on Steinway. She asked what is the protocol for cops arriving in response to a report, because in her experience, the cops just drive up and don’t get out of their cars. Gorman said that if there’s a violent incident like a street fight, and if the cops aren’t just trying to get people to move along, then they should always get out of their cars.
Gorman also claimed they’re already posting officers outside clubs that have repeat incidents. He said he was working to build a relationship and trust with clubs that are trying to do what they should about managing patrons. Regarding the clubs that aren’t responsible, Gorman said he didn’t want to blame other agencies and then turned around and implied the State Liquor Authority was to blame for just fining clubs repeatedly instead of doing something more permanent like yanking their license.
A bald man announced that UPS and Amazon sometimes drop off packages without ringing the doorbell. It was unclear what he expected Gorman to do about this.
A community council member brought up the threat of people dressing up like postal workers and breaking into green relay mailboxes. Gorman basically said “look, that happened ONCE.”
A guy in a jean jacket complained about traffic enforcement agents in much of the neighborhood, but especially on Ditmars between 35th and 27th, having a totally lax attitude to people using bus lanes as parking spots and also blocking the whole road with their double parking. He pointed out that traffic agents are most active during the weekday but there are a lot of problems on weekend nights when people go to restaurants. He says he’s pointed out instances where there’s a row of six or seven cars parked in a bus lane to the traffic agents, and the agents just say “oh, they’re just running in.” Sgt. Sansai Hongthong, who is the official damage control/public relations officer for car-related issues for the precinct, told Jean Jacket to come speak with him after the meeting and he’d give Jean Jacket his number and email address. I’ve posted that address before but here it is again: sansai.hongthong@nypd.org.
Ann closed the meeting by saying, to Gorman, “they really got you this time,” which I think was unfair. We were all pretty nice to him this time.
The next meeting is October 24th.

The president, Ann Bruno, asked everyone to stand for the pledge of allegiance. As usual, some people exercised their constitutional rights either by standing and not saying the pledge, or by not standing. But this time, a guy with a yellow stylized American flag on his too-small muscle shirt, who I will call Aggro, got upset about that and yelled ineffectually at someone to stand up.
Because of how much attention we’ve drawn to these meetings, there were a lot of new organizations who felt the need to send their people. The Queens Borough President’s office sent their guy in charge of parks and transportation. Queens Community Board 1 sent someone. Even the NYC Ferry sent someone. The FERRY. Queens DA Melinda Katz and State Sen. Kristen Gonzales also sent reps.
The Cops of the Month were announced and then Deputy Inspector Kenneth Gorman, commander of the precinct, presented the crime statistics. (The usual).
Gorman proactively introduced the issue of street safety, which I take as a sign of our effectiveness. He said that Sgt. Sansai Hongthong had been setting up meetings to discuss the issue with concerned residents and had already held two of them. I went to one of them and was not super impressed.
The Community Board rep got the question ball rolling by asking what the precinct was doing about the commercial and truck parking under the Triboro Bridge and on Astoria Blvd at 82nd Street, which she said affected quality of life.
u/Miser asked if Gorman knew or could estimate how many officers of the 114th precinct lived in Astoria. Gorman knew the exact answer: zero. This was by department policy. u/Miser asked if Gorman thought this policy was a good thing. He said maybe some of the disconnect between the precinct and the residents on issues related to car parking and car driving is the result of the officers mostly driving into the neighborhood as opposed to living here. Gorman said it wasn’t his place to decide whether it was good or bad and there were pros and cons to the policy. He conceded that the people who live on a street experience it differently than officers who patrol it. But he also asserted that lots of his officers had connections to Astoria and had the same concerns.
An elderly lady brought up a long list of complaints, some valid, some hilarious. She complained about how her street used to be a no-truck zone but someone painted over the sign and now trucks are constantly terrorizing her street with their noise and speed and size. Hongthong responded by saying he had connections to DOT (a thing he had previously denied having…) and would see about fixing the sign issues. The same lady also chose to complain about Astoria businesses going out of business, how pot shops should be required to display grades like restaurants do about their health inspections, how she didn’t like “toughs” coming into the neighborhood from elsewhere pushing people around and changing the “vibe”, and ambulances recently driving in her neighborhood blasting their sirens for “no reason.” Gorman said the pot shops were mostly unregulated because they were mostly illegal, everyone was welcome in Astoria unless they were actually doing something illegal, and he thought the ambulances were probably responding to a call.
A few people complained about groups of teenagers engaging in assaulting/threatening or else simply dangerous behavior, specifically on 31st between 23rd and Ditmars: attacking someone, surrounding someone else, and riding on sidewalks at high speeds with little kids sitting in the baskets. A lady asked if the precinct recommended carrying mace to spray these teens. Gorman came out strongly against carrying weapons and said people should call the cops or travel in groups. He also said he would put more police in problem areas.
Several people raised concerns about the individual who has apparently committed hate crimes, specifically riding up to people on a standing scooter, punching them and yelling racist and homophobic slurs, and riding away. A man in a jean jacket also brought up two other incidents which he suggested might be related: a guy rolling around a shopping cart full of glass bottles to throw, and a guy riding on a scooter with a metal bat. Gorman said that there were about 4 crimes believed to be committed by the same individual, and said in particular that the May 19 attacks on a teacher and another individual were committed by the same person. Gorman also said that, due to the slurs, the crimes were being handled by the hate crimes task force. In response to people asking about public awareness, WANTED posters, and camera footage, Gorman said he was waiting for a WANTED flier to be produced and said that people could send any evidence they had, including videos and pictures, to Crimestoppers or by email to the precinct.
u/VanillaSkittlez asked if there was anything the precinct could do about Shore Towers illegally closing off a section of the greenway. The Community Board lady chimed in to say that the Board is having Shore Towers summonsed through the Department of Buildings. She said it was illegal, it had been opened and was now closed again because the building management was uncooperative, and they would be made to open it but would have to be taken to court first. A man said Shore Towers’s excuse was that it had to be closed by order of the Department of Buildings to allow for inspections, but the Community Board lady said that excuse was false.
Aggro spoke up, saying the people attacked by the hate-crimer should know how to fight, because apparently we should all be ready for a no-holds-barred street-fight whenever we’re out walking our dogs or getting coffee.
u/marvonyc suggested that cops patrolling on bicycles and on foot would be good for police-community relations because cops could see more and observe more and interact more with the community than they could from inside a car. u/Miser had made the same suggestion in the smaller meeting with Hongthong, which Hongthong had rejected, for a litany of reasons including that cops are scared to ride bikes, bikes are too slow, and they’d need special training to learn how to do it. But Gorman was a bit more open to it. He said there used to be a bicycle program which was successful, and it ended, but he could “look into” bringing it back and would “love to” have cops on bicycles, especially in the park—if he had the personnel. Gorman also claimed that on any given night there might be as many as 40 officers on foot and insisted that cops in cars were working “very hard.”
u/yippee1999 made the most impactful statement of the night in my opinion, after raising her hand and being ignored for about an hour. She identified herself as a “full-time pedestrian” who feels under unprecedented threat in Astoria because of illegal parking, idling, and reckless driving. She also raised the issues of fake plates or no plates and tinted windows, and pointed out that all of this was happening openly because the NYPD was leading the way in breaking all these laws, so everyone knows they can get away with it. She got a round of applause from the room. Gorman acknowledged the problem, claimed the precinct was issuing hundreds of tickets and making many arrests, and asserted that he wanted to focus on specific problem areas.
Someone who works at the Health Department asked if the precinct was doing any enforcement or outreach about illegal parking by autobody shops at 22nd St and 38th Ave by the library. They said it was really hard to walk to the library because of that sidewalk parking and felt that people should be able to walk to the library.
A guy in a Magic Cycles t-shirt asked if the precinct could do anything about keeping the Northern Boulevard bike lane clear, especially eastbound between the Queensboro Bridge and Steinway. When asked to clarify where the “problem spot” was, the guy had to list basically every intersection because that bike lane is a next-level shitshow.
The next meeting will be June 27th.

Good day moonlads and ladies! I present to you a method for converting your tendies into tendies.
The source for this list is Menufy.com, an online ordering company that services all of these restaurants. I am not affiliated with Menufy, but I have used their services multiple times and can confirm that if you send them crypto, you will receive food.
Menufy operates all across the USA + American territories and are accumulating new restaurants all the time. If you are in the states, check their site to see where around you accepts crypto!
If you would like to see a map, head to Menufy.com, though they unfortunately do not have a crypto-accepted filter, or a "search this area of the map" feature, so you will have to click each interesting spot and check the right side of their page to see accepted payments. I have attempted to be that filter for you.
Without further ado, here is a list of 111 restaurants that accept crypto in the Los Angeles metro area! I hope some of your existing favorites are already here :)

A note: technically, these restaurants only accept crypto online for delivery or pickup. I would be surprised if any of these restaurants have the POS system or training to handle crypto on the spot, but in my experience you can simply order from your phone while at the restaurant and then ask the staff to please make your order for here, not to go. Most people who work at these restaurants do not even know they accept crypto, but I always make a point of saying thanks for doing so, that is why I am here!
Please let me know if I have missed any restaurants, regardless of whether they use Menufy. If this post gets some traction, I will put together lists for other metro areas as well. I hope you support and enjoy these wonderful businesses!

This is a compilation of all the great fav places mentioned in the 200+ comments of this post in singapore. Let me know if you have any other suggestions and I'll add them to this list!

Fav Japanese Restaurants in Singapore by singapore

Bari Uma

Thick broth and you can choose noodle doneness.

Donpachi

Izakaya
Cuppage basement B1

En Sushi at Middle Road
Fat Cow

Fine-dining
Good for special occasions unless you're very rich 😅

Gyosen @ fortune centre
Gyoza Bar at Boat Quay

hands-down the best gyoza and mazemen I've had here.

Hamburg Keisuke

their hamburg steak with cheese is to die for

Hajime Tonkatsu

I think they have outlets in my village and Thomson Plaza. If I recall correctly, the Chef trained in Japan. The Tonkatsu is well fried and not greasy!

Hakumai

Omakase spot
the chef is super friendly and goes into detail of each fish, its taste and habitat etc. portion sizes of each nigiri are generous too. but on the days we feel less chatty he totally reads the vibe well too haha.

Hana at Forum

They have a nice salted egg yolk flying udon.
I thought it was... OK at best. Maybe shouldn't have ordered omakase?

Hana Hana @ Tanjong Pagar

delicious!

Himonoya

for seafood and sake.

Hokkaido sushi

Buffet restaurant

Hakumai at international plaza

pretty value for money as well

Ikkousha

another ramen shop that i feel deserves a listing up there

Ippudo
Izakaya Nijumaru in cuppage plaza second floor

It's stuck in time, but delicious yakitori and some dishes that it's hard to find in SG like Sansai Soba.

Kaijiken

Mazesoba (dry ramen)
Very filling to just buy the original bowl with free upsize
Tried it before and after going to Japan, honestly tonkotsu and shoyu here doesn't hit the same as Japan but it's really hard to screw up mazesoba apparently because I've never had a bad bowl

Kanda Ramen in Clarke Quay Donki food court

has amazing mazesoba.

Katsudon Hanakatsu

Slightly pricier and still decent restaurants

Kazu in Cuppage Plaza

Serves sumiyaki (charcoal-grilled) fare

Kotobuki @ Jurong SuperBowl

frequently patronise by Japanese too :)

Little Bowl

Slightly pricier and still decent restaurants

Lunar

Slightly pricier and still decent restaurants

Maguro Brothers at 100 AM

i've found to be much less crowded and serves the same yummy dishes as Maguro Donya (see place below)

Maguro-Donya at suntec

They serve really really good tuna sashimi and sushi. Imo not on the same level but kinda close to the tuna served at Shinji when I had their omakase lunch.
Slightly pricier and still decent restaurants

Menbaka

Slightly pricier and still decent restaurants

Misato

Slightly pricier and still decent restaurants

Miss G's

Slightly pricier and still decent restaurants

Mitsuba at Central, Clark Quay

buffet restaurant
It's a-La-Carte Buffet. Do i need to say more

Miura Misakikou at Suntec

For value for money sushi but they replaced the honmaguro in some of their sets with mebachi and I haven't been back since.

Miz Japanese Restaurant

Food is reasonably priced (dare I say cheap as it tastes soooooooooooo good) and the owner, who is Japanese, is super nice and friendly too!

Mr Samurai

Slightly pricier and still decent restaurants

Nakajima Suisan

My personal favorite is their teriyaki Cod
Serves grilled fish

Nanbantei at Far East Plaza
Okinawan Diner Nirai Kanai

Used to be in Liang Court but moved to Great World City. It's a little different from the usual Japanese fare that you might be used to though
I like their pork belly. Heard bitter gourd is good too but don't eat bitter gourd myself so I don't order it. The fried rice and soba are pretty good too. You can't really go wrong with their tofu and pork dishes.
Their Chinese insipired dishes are actually all authentic Okinawan food. Okinawan food are very similar to Chinese food. Also very pork heavy.

Raku raku near Amoy street
Ramen Keisuke at Tg Pagar
Ramen Matsuri

Slightly pricier and still decent restaurants

Ryo Sushi

Very reasonable sushi omakase

Sanpoutei at Shaw Centre

Tsukemen (dipping ramen)
If you like ramen, I'd recommend it

Seiwaa Okonomiyaki in Little India
Shinji at St Regis

Although quite pricey, but I think the quality of the sushi is one of the best here, amongst those that I have tried.

Shinjuku Restaurant at Cuppage Plaza

The lunch sets have never gone wrong and the numerous times i went there with friends and family, the quality has always been consistent and good.

Shima at Good Wood Park Hotel
Shisen Hanten

Fine dining

Suju

amazing. Mandarin Gallery and Jewel.
Was recommended by a Japanese friend and the teishoku there is really great.

Sunkingryoriya near boat quay
Sushi Kanazawa

Slightly pricier and still decent restaurants

Sushi Kimura at Palais Renaissance
Sushiro

Best conveyor belt sushi

Tatsuya at Goodwood Park

Delicate and authentic omakase. They have photos of LKY's patronage too haha

Tatsuya

Foods really great!

Tempura Makino (Suntec City)

love their tempura

Tanuki Raw at Orchard Central

They also have other outlets but I've only been to the Orchard Central one. Good price point and fresh ingredients. I've went back countless of times.

Tendon itsuki

Budget pricing and modest portions but ingredients are fresh, with a nice frying oil blend that is used and generally better frying / temp control.
Dont expect it to be a michelin level experience like those atas tokyo restaurants but i think its CP value is pretty high compared to competitors.

Tomi Sushi at Millennia Walk
Tonkichi on level 4 of Ngee Ann City

Great service and delicious tonkatsu in a quiet, yet accessible part of Orchard.

Tonkotsu Kazan

for their unique Volcano ramen.

Tonkatsu by Ma Maison

best tonkatsu I've tasted in SG

Torasho (ramen)

Slightly pricier and still decent restaurants

Unagi Tei

Fine dining

Waa Cow

Slightly pricier and still decent restaurants

Wasabi Tei @ far east plaza

Almost everything is great there, from sashimis to bentos. If you've been to Japan, Wasabi Tei is just like that.
Small place, chairs are arrange like that of a Japanese resto, the ambience is so Japanese, you can see the itamae making the dishes, etc. It's a must try.

WOLF

Slightly pricier and still decent restaurants

Yakiniku Yazawa at Robertson Quay.
Yayoi-ken

Their yasai itame is super addictive. Macan got drugs like that
the "wok hei" is really strong even though it looks pale. their brinjal is really good as well. can easily go through 3 or 4 bowls of rice there, thank god for the free refills!

Yuzu at Holland Village (temporary closed)

extremely good value IMO.
Both my wife and I were very impressed by the sushi.

From the comments of this post:
Here's a blog compiling most of the Ramen places in Singapore. Pretty accurate https://ahboylikeramen.com/best-ramen-in-singapo

Permanently closed:
Kushikatsu Tanaka @ Clarke Quay

I ate it before AND after going to Japan twice (two separate strips). It's the real deal. Even the indoors atmosphere is really nice, particularly if you have Japanese office-workers there at the same time.

Ramen Nagi at suntec City

Singapore's best ramen

Tengawa Hokkaido White Curry at Millenia Walk

It's good. Unlimited servings of rice and soup.

This is a compilation of all the great fav places mentioned in the 200+ comments of this post in singapore. Let me know if you have any other suggestions and I'll add them to this list!

En Sushi at Middle Road
Gyoza Bar at Boat Quay

hands-down the best gyoza and mazemen I've had here.

Hamburg Keisuke

their hamburg steak with cheese is to die for

Hajime Tonkatsu

I think they have outlets in my village and Thomson Plaza. If I recall correctly, the Chef trained in Japan. The Tonkatsu is well fried and not greasy!

Hana at Forum

They have a nice salted egg yolk flying udon. If you like ramen, I'd recommend Sanpoutei at Shaw Centre.

Himonoya

for seafood and sake.

Hokkaido sushi

Buffet restaurant

Izakaya Nijumaru in cuppage plaza second floor

It's stuck in time, but delicious yakitori and some dishes that it's hard to find in SG like Sansai Soba.

Kaijiken

Mazesoba (dry ramen)
Very filling to just buy the original bowl with free upsize
Tried it before and after going to Japan, honestly tonkotsu and shoyu here doesn't hit the same as Japan but it's really hard to screw up mazesoba apparently because I've never had a bad bowl

Kazu in Cuppage Plaza

Serves sumiyaki (charcoal-grilled) fare

Kotobuki @ Jurong SuperBowl

frequently patronise by Japanese too :)

Kushikatsu Tanaka @ Clarke Quay

I ate it before AND after going to Japan twice (two separate strips). It's the real deal. Even the indoors atmosphere is really nice, particularly if you have Japanese office-workers there at the same time.

Maguro-Donya at suntec

They serve really really good tuna sashimi and sushi. Imo not on the same level but kinda close to the tuna served at Shinji when I had their omakase lunch.

Mitsuba at Central, Clark Quay

buffet restaurant
It's a-La-Carte Buffet. Do i need to say more

Miura Misakikou at Suntec

For value for money sushi but they replaced the honmaguro in some of their sets with mebachi and I haven't been back since.

Miz Japanese Restaurant

Food is reasonably priced (dare I say cheap as it tastes soooooooooooo good) and the owner, who is Japanese, is super nice and friendly too!

Nanbantei at Far East Plaza
Okinawan Diner Nirai Kanai

Used to be in Liang Court but moved to Great World City. It's a little different from the usual Japanese fare that you might be used to though
I like their pork belly. Heard bitter gourd is good too but don't eat bitter gourd myself so I don't order it. The fried rice and soba are pretty good too. You can't really go wrong with their tofu and pork dishes.
Their Chinese insipired dishes are actually all authentic Okinawan food. Okinawan food are very similar to Chinese food. Also very pork heavy.

Ramen Keisuke at Tg Pagar
Ramen Nagi at suntec City

Singapore's best ramen

Ryo Sushi

Very reasonable sushi omakase

Sanpoutei

Tsukemen (dipping ramen)

Shinji at St Regis

Although quite pricey, but I think the quality of the sushi is one of the best here, amongst those that I have tried.

Shinjuku Restaurant at Cuppage Plaza

The lunch sets have never gone wrong and the numerous times i went there with friends and family, the quality has always been consistent and good.

Shima at Good Wood Park Hotel
Suju

amazing. Mandarin Gallery and Jewel.
Was recommended by a Japanese friend and the teishoku there is really great.

Sushiro

Best conveyor belt sushi

Tengawa Hokkaido White Curry at Millenia Walk

It's good. Unlimited servings of rice and soup.

Tatsuya at Goodwood Park

Delicate and authentic omakase. They have photos of LKY's patronage too haha

Tatsuya

Foods really great!

Tomi Sushi at Millenia Walk

Good quality Japanese food that is almost on par with the top Japanese restaurants at a relatively wallet friendly price.
Some of the staff are Japanese and you get Japanese expats coming here to eat.

Tonkotsu Kazan

for their unique Volcano ramen.

Tonkatsu by Ma Maison

best tonkatsu I've tasted in SG

Wasabi Tei @ far east plaza

Almost everything is great there, from sashimis to bentos. If you've been to Japan, Wasabi Tei is just like that.
Small place, chairs are arrange like that of a Japanese resto, the ambience is so Japanese, you can see the itamae making the dishes, etc. It's a must try.

Yakiniku Yazawa at Robertson Quay.
Yayoi-ken

Their yasai itame is super addictive. Macan got drugs like that
the "wok hei" is really strong even though it looks pale. their brinjal is really good as well. can easily go through 3 or 4 bowls of rice there, thank god for the free refills!

Yuzu at Holland Village

extremely good value IMO.
Both my wife and I were very impressed by the sushi.

I was thinking this over earlier this morning while running errands. A lot of the people and places which made Pasadena so charming are all now long gone.
Some of the people and places I miss:
The row of used bookstores on Colorado Blvd.
Opus, Moby Disc, Pennylane, and Liquid Music.
The State Theatre.
Rick’s Burgers at the original location.
The little old guy who’d walk up and down Colorado Blvd. wearing nothing but a turban and a fundoshi or some kind of diaper.
The endearingly and wonderfully unhip atmosphere at the Hamburger Hamlet.
The mom and pop Italian restaurant that used to be in the Colonnade on South Lake, where the Sansai is now.
Speaking of the Colonnade—Interact!
Bungalow News (by far the best magazine stand in the Los Angeles area).
Would love to hear other longtime residents chime in with the things they miss.

I recently posted my first reddit comment on this subreddit and was so happy with the fact that people gave me great ideas to think about. CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. :) Its really gotten me excited about my world and im on a roll.
Ask me stuff about my world so i can better develop it? Its not for a game or book anymore. its just. for me. and maybe the world if reddit likes it. haha Ive written about 48 something pages of data on Nusai. it feels like im writing a textbook. But a textbook i love. An encyclopedia of a fictional world.
ANYWAY here is some context: A Brief day in the life of a sansai person.
Nusai is a desert. akin to the Sahara or the Gobi. but it does have a fertile river valley that extends up the western coast towards the middle of the continent. This whole area is very based on the Nile. (working on the good copy of the map, but pictures of my rough copy are available upon request)
The People who live in the cities along the river are called Sansai. Meaning desert person. They have a grand empire that stretches the length of the river, and most of coast Ruled by a Sultan. There are multiple branches of government i can go into if people are interested in that sort of thing, but i was more getting towards the middle class, average Sansai person.
she would live in a Hali (a house) made of Denusain. (a combination of clay, sandstone, fibrous plants that when shaped and dried makes a very strong form of brick good for average construction.) When completed, it will look almost like sandstone. it will be built low, and strong as to survive earthquakes, which are common, but not too destructive. It will have a thatch roof, topped with soil for a rooftop garden. a common method used to keep stray animals from eating ones herbs.
Her nearest neighbor would be close, but far enough that she would have a small yard in front of the house, and they would live in a district not too far from the river, but far enough. as the higher class and richer people get to live closer to the water.
Her day would begin with prayer, as the Sansai have a strong spiritual tradition. believing the one God Hzan is the one reason all life exists. So thanking him at the beginning of each day is proper behavior. washing of ones hands and face would follow and paying respects to any local spirits. (which are like ghost meets saint, feel free to probe me on the details for that one as the majority of what ive written is on the spiritual culture of nusai and mythos of their spirits) Then perhaps a meal? she would go out to get food, as dining is a public experience for people of her class. a local restaurant serves a spiced goat dish that would be perfect. The city is advanced for her time. Aqueducts move water around the city and she enjoys all the modern convinces, such as a running water system in her home for washing up, a toilet with a sewage system beneath the city, and the local bathhouse has everything one might need for any other detailed self care. She might enjoy such things as going to the local theater for music or a play. Local gaming houses welcome anyone with good money if she wished to pit her skills and her wit to the test. perhaps a game of Kajung? (much like majong or dominoes) But that is more of an 'old mans game.'
she might go to the local market and buy a Hish cloth dress. if her family is wealthy she may be able to afford a dyed one, color and dye are the trademark of Sansai culture, and the Ink produced here in her home city of Hzanunja is the finest found anywhere. its recipe is a closely guarded secret kept by the sultan . Making it very hard to get ahold of as it is VERY expensive nowadays. but it is priced by color, so maybe a blue one could be in her price range. 30 silver for a Blue dress. Better hope dad likes it or he might be mad she spent so much.
as it gets dark she may feel a little scared, as troublesome people may roam the streets in the dark. Drunks and junkies returning from their respective dens, wandering down the road finding their way home. So she asks the shopkeeper to send a messenger bird to her home. she sends for her fathers slave Hu-Ij, who is a burly man, but kind, and helped raise her alongside her parents. He can walk her home.
she would likely share a room with her siblings, however if her father owns 1 slave it is possible they are wealthy enough to have a room she could call hers. with a calendar hung up on the wall displaying thee 9 months of the year, and she will cross out the 32nd day of this month and go to sleep in her bed. Read, and Fire away. There may be inconsistencies or maybe things i missed but I have about 48 or so pages of material written on Nusai. and it'd be nice to keep that ball rolling.
A Fellow Builder of Worlds, -DifficultTest

Are there any restaurants in the US that serve authentic Washoku style Japanese food, particularly along the East coast? When I travel I always look for good Japanese food, which seems to be quite difficult in the US outside of CA.
I have explored a number of cafe-style Japanese restaurants that serve Yoshoku (western style) dishes, like a few places in NY, but I've yet to stumble upon anywhere that showcases the seasonal-inspired menu of traditional Japanese food. I mean like Ichiju Sansai type meals. I imagine if anything exists they'd be very hole-in-the-wall type places. Any ideas?

In SD, I know there are many restaurants that don't require you to pay with your PEX card or with cash. I find these places are quicker to pick up from.
I was thinking a thread listing the various prepaid options in people's respective markets could be useful, particularly if you are without your PEX card (sheepish look). I'll start with a few know in my market: SAN DIEGO: Tender Greens The Kebab Shop Spitz Tajima Ramen Denny's (via Semper_c) Veggie Grill (via Semper_c) Fat Sal's (via Semper_c) Bayside Landind Thanks to KCintheOC I can add: Underbelly Ike's Place The Smok'd Hog SanSai Japanese Grill Stacked Streetcar Merchants Gordon Biersch Pick up Stix Broken Yolk Cafe

MAZ (**), Tokyo - April 2024