JIN HO MIA
This 1,400 sq ft, 80-seat restaurant in Alexandra Retail Centre is the latest restaurant by SimYee Holdings, which owns and manages Atmosphere Bistro, Soi Thai Soi Nice and Shin-Sapporo Ramen.
Jin Ho Mia - which means a really good life in Hokkien - serves rice and salad bowls for lunch and hotpots for dinner.
There are two rice sets - the Pao Fan ($14.80++) and Bee Tang set ($13.80++) - and one salad set, Giam Pui Bowl ($11.80++), to choose from.
Each set comes with different rice or salad bowl options. Pao Fan has two rice bowl options, Tom Yum Pao Fan and Tomato Pao Fan. For the Giam Pui Bowl, there are four salad options such as Salad Bibimbap and Salmon Poke Bowl (add $3++ for this). Both of these sets come with a drink and side salad.
There are nine rice bowl options - such as Beef Bulgogi Bowl and Smoked Duck Bowl - for the Bee Tang set, which comes with a salad and soup.
Hotpot highlights include the Tok Kong Pot ($48.80++, above) which comes with Alaskan crab legs, flower clams, tiger prawns snow crab sticks and more; and Ah Boy Pot ($33.80++), which has Jin Ho Mia pork balls, lobster balls, bacon, roasted pork, luncheon meat, chicken chipolata and vegetables.
There are five flavours of hotpot broths: tom yum, chicken, cheese, tomato and the signature fish.
Where: 02-20 Alexandra Retail Centre, 460 Alexandra Road
Open: 11.30am to 3.30pm and 5.30 to 10pm on weekdays; 11.30am to 10pm on weekends and public holidays
Info: Call 6352-7725 or go to www.facebook.com/JinHoMia.sg
SUMO BAR HAPPY
The Empire Eats Group, which owns and runs restaurants such as Standing Sushi Bar and Tanuki Raw, is behind this 818 sq ft modern ramen eatery and sake tachinomi (standing bar) in Bras Basah.
The ramen broth is made from pork that has been simmered for 48 hours to make it creamy and stand out from the toppings.
The signature Sumo Ramen ($23++, right) offers toppings including slow-roast oxtail, braised beef tendon, boneless short rib slow roasted in red wine, Nagano pork belly char siew and sauteed house-cured US beef slices.
There is also a Bone-in Short Rib US Beef Ramen ($42++, recommended for two), where 600g of bone-in prime rib is slow-roasted for eight hours in red wine tare and yakiniku sauce.
Each bowl of ramen comes with free flow of ajitsuke tamago (marinated soft-boiled ramen eggs).
The bar offers one-cup sakes - customers who want to try a variety of sakes without spending or drinking too much can order small cups. The sake selection includes the one-cup mini Daiginjio ($12++ or $140++ for a 720ml bottle), where the rice grains are polished down to half their size before brewing to get a cleaner, purer taste.
Where: 01-24 Waterloo Centre, 261 Waterloo Street
Open: 5pm to midnight (Mondays to Saturdays), noon to 5pm (Sundays)
Info: E-mail fun@sumobarhappy.com or go to www.sumobarhappy.com
BUTCHER BOY
This Asian-inspired bar and grill is the latest to join the Keong Saik dining enclave.
It is run by chef-owner Andrew Walsh, who also owns modern European restaurant Cure located along the same stretch. He named the restaurant after his favourite novel by Patrick McCabe and movieThe Butcher Boy (1997).
The main menu offers an array of meat options, including United States Grain Beef Short Rib ($33++ for 180g), which is charred in the Josper grill (an open-flame grill) for a smoky flavour; and Japanese Tender Valley Rib Eye ($42++ for 250g, above), which is served with the house XO sauce.
Other highlights include Butcher Boy Bacon & Cheese Burger, Fries ($28++) and Crispy Pork Belly ($32++ for 200g).
For drinks, award-winning head bartender Knut Randhem has created Asian-inspired cocktails such as Smoking Carriage Cocktail ($22++), a mixture of Dictador 20 rum, salted caramel syrup, bitters and orange; and Butcher Boy Negroni ($22++), which comprises barrel-aged rum, white whisky and plum grenadine.
Where: 31 Keong Saik Road
Open: 5 to 11pm (Mondays to Thursdays), noon to 3pm and 5 to 11pm (Fridays and Saturdays), noon to 4pm and 5 to 9.30pm (Sundays)
Info: Call 6221-6883 or go to www.facebook.com/butcherboysg
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