Where I ate in Singapore: IZA
Having been away from home for almost a year, all I wanted to do during my 3-week trip back home was to eat all the local hawker fare that I missed and yearned. Unquestionably, my trip was fulfilling and enriching. Not only have I managed to satisfy all my food cravings, I also amassed plenty of cooking inspirations.
One of the highlights of my trip was catching up an old friend, Alvin, who recently teamed up with his long-time high school soccer mates to open IZA, Japanese-style restaurant and bar —“your local izakaya bar” as they call it. Alvin and his high-school soccer mates are no chefs by trade. They have different backgrounds: events, PR/marketing, and banking. IZA was born out of a big passion in F&B, hard work, and a penchant to deliver good food and good vibes. As promised, IZA pleases local taste buds with Japanese dishes incorporated with local touches, among other affordable snacks and skewers. Compatible libations include Japanese draft and craft beers, Japanese gin, and sake.
Amongst the tempting array of grilled skewers, this unassuming lychee wrapped with bacon skewer blew me away. The sweetness of the fruit juxtaposes beautifully with the salty bacon -it is a combination that made me go, ‘why didn’t I think of this before?’.
Tamago is a classic Japanese omelette dish made of layers of egg. IZA plays things up by incorporating a Singapore favourite, Otah, in the tamago. This creation gets a stamp of approval from Homesick Singaporean.
By the way, the grilled pineapples were a great palate cleanser!
The Four-ton Chawanmushi is an irresistible item featuring four different eggs —chicken, century, salted, and quail eggs.
Hae Bee Hiam Spaghetti ($11.90)
The Hae Bee Hiam Spaghetti is another dish that galvanised my homesick taste buds. The rich flavour of the spicy dried shrimp sambal is dominant and adheres well to the spaghetti. Yet another nod of approval from Homesick Singaporean.
In between plates, I could not resist sipping on the Roku gin and tonic.
One of the highlights of my trip was catching up an old friend, Alvin, who recently teamed up with his long-time high school soccer mates to open IZA, Japanese-style restaurant and bar —“your local izakaya bar” as they call it. Alvin and his high-school soccer mates are no chefs by trade. They have different backgrounds: events, PR/marketing, and banking. IZA was born out of a big passion in F&B, hard work, and a penchant to deliver good food and good vibes. As promised, IZA pleases local taste buds with Japanese dishes incorporated with local touches, among other affordable snacks and skewers. Compatible libations include Japanese draft and craft beers, Japanese gin, and sake.
Amongst the tempting array of grilled skewers, this unassuming lychee wrapped with bacon skewer blew me away. The sweetness of the fruit juxtaposes beautifully with the salty bacon -it is a combination that made me go, ‘why didn’t I think of this before?’.
Otah Tamago ($6.90)
Tamago is a classic Japanese omelette dish made of layers of egg. IZA plays things up by incorporating a Singapore favourite, Otah, in the tamago. This creation gets a stamp of approval from Homesick Singaporean.
By the way, the grilled pineapples were a great palate cleanser!
Four-ton Chawanmushi ($4.50)
The Four-ton Chawanmushi is an irresistible item featuring four different eggs —chicken, century, salted, and quail eggs.
Hae Bee Hiam Spaghetti ($11.90)
The Hae Bee Hiam Spaghetti is another dish that galvanised my homesick taste buds. The rich flavour of the spicy dried shrimp sambal is dominant and adheres well to the spaghetti. Yet another nod of approval from Homesick Singaporean.
In between plates, I could not resist sipping on the Roku gin and tonic.
Special thanks to Alvin for the hospitality and the IZA team for the warm service.
Comments
Post a Comment