using the search function for the very first time on my own blog (thank you google!), i realized that the last time i raved about tom ton was way back in april 2007! i must have gone back like a dozen more times and am constantly wowed by the quality and consistency of the japanese food served up there...so here is a quick short but sharp post nanba two for the fantastic tom ton!
yoshimaru ramen bar
this place is truly a gem. tucked away in a little corner on ann siang, one would really miss it as its subtle zen shop front is somewhat overwhelmed by the louder pubs and clubs around it. stepping in though, you will immediately feel transported to japan, with the outside noise suddenly driven out and replaced by the serenity of the clean decor lines. g and i were the first in the restaurant and were immediately greeted with an 'irashaimsu' by a kimono-clad lady and shown to our seats. dinner at goto is simple...its either then $180 kaiseki menu or the $280 kaiseki menu and since seats had to be reserved in advance, we were only shown the drinks menu....leaving g slightly puzzled as to what exactly we were going to have for dinner *grin*
the anticipation i guess, added to the extreme gastronomical experience. the moment we were served our first course, we both knew that dinner was going to be simply put...oishii! serving up the freshest greens and seafoods flown in from japan, every single dish of the ten course dinner was prepared with tremondous care, arranged exquisitely, and tasted phenomanal. from fresh melt-in-your-mouth tofu with grated wasabi and red pepper tofu topped with gold foil to first grade sashimi (we had lumberjack, pacific dory, scallops and toro!), chestnut tempura, grilled japanese barracuda, ikura on glutinous rice and oh-so creamy apple custard and muscato grapes, this girl wished dinner didn't have to end! 
to quote chubby hubby, goto is defintely 'worth saving up for and splurging on. ..and it is the closest dining experience to that in japan without flying there!' so fyi...this girl's goto fund is open and any donations to the fund are truly truly appreciated *wink* 
first up was lunch at ma maison. this time we headed to what i would think would be the main branch here in singapore, located at a little corner of the food extension side of bugis junction. the menu was a little bigger than the one at the central, with more variety in their hamburger steaks, gratin and appetizer lists.
ma maison 
partly driven by a slight craving for black pork and partly to get away from the madness of the crowd on christmas day in town, g and i headed to liang court to give tampopo, sister to tom ton, a try. the place was a buzz even at about 8 that evening, almost full with families of japanese expatriates. we were a little disappointed after going through the menu as we were subconsciously hoping for a larger black pork dish list...but it turned out all good, with me having the house specialty shabu shabu black pork ramen and g having the katsu curry. the ramen was very well done...cooked al dente in rich creamy pork bone broth (cooked over 2 days no less!) with slivers of black pork, tampopo will be one place this girl will head to again for authentic japanese ramen.
177 river valley road 
the menu was less extensive then i expected but i guess with all great places, that is usually the case, with chefs just concentrating on what is good. i decided on the chicken based ramen (i'm sorry i don't remember the name of the dish!) the one with just a slice of cha siew, spring onions and seaweed. actually all their ramen's chicken based, different from the other shio, miso and pork bone broths and i guess i was slightly disappointed. i love the pork bone version so marutama's chicken broth one didn't quite cut it for me. don't get me wrong, the stock was good, but it was somehow missing the somewhat milky, earthy flavour.
g and i have been wanting to get a table at ma maison ever since we discovered it in a little corner on the 3rd floor of central few months back...but due to the very small outfit, dinner on a friday night meant at least a thirty minute wait. but it was all good. kinda was a blessing in disguise that we accepted the invite to sit by the counter....gave us a bird's eye view of the kitchen so i was secretly glad *grin*
yon: saba shio its tough to get saba done right and thankfully sumi managed a hit with this one. the fish was very fresh, seasoned with just the right amount of salt, barbequed crisp and topped with minced radish. 
sashimi moriwase. outstanding cuts of hamachi, salmon (belly i suspect!) and toro...close to perfect slices of fish, extremely fresh and yes they ALL melt in your mouth! to top it all off, the wasabi was ground fresh off the root! it was truly a japan hour moment as g aptly pointed out, one bite and both of us were like....ahhh! oishii!
mains consisted of a katsudon set and a 'black pig' soba set with yuzu pepper. i was a little puzzled with the black pig bit but i guess its like the grade of pork similar to the black angus type for beef. the katsudon was breaded with yummy batter, covered with yummy sauce that didn't seem to soak through the fillet, allowing it to maintain its tenderness within its crispy outershell. the miso soup too was extraordinary, tasting like a blend of traditional miso and niku jaga.
tom ton central shop
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