I had been a little surprised the other day when my colleague suggested lunch at this cafe on Bencoolen Street near Sunshine Plaza where we had gone to get a couple of materials printed.
I hadn't known that there was such and such a cafe in NAFA.
All along I had thought there were a Toast Box and that be it.
But no, there was this cafe called SKOSH, my colleague said, it was on the ground floor facing the main road, and it served what they called Japanese fusion cuisine.
I'm no foodie enough to define what exactly Japanese fusion cuisine is.
But if it's anything like the menu here at SKOSH, well, I'm all for it.
There're not many places that offer food as clean-tasting as this one.
Then again, if there are, I'm not familiar where they be.
The menu here at SKOSH is predominantly brunch, and dinner, and offerings for both are not the same.
Which menu is better, I don't know, it depends on your appetite, but it is rather enticing to get to choose between, say, a Tsukune Don, a Beef Shabu Shabu Pizza, a Crab & Ikura Fettucine, or a Mentaiko Rosti- all on the dinner menu.
It does not make easy choice as well when on the brunch menu they have Chicken Katsu & Waffle, Truffled Cream Mushroom Linguine, Grilled Salmon Don and Big Breakfast, not to mention the selection of sandos and onigiris.
I considered having a Chicken Katsu Sando.
But, to tell the truth, the Big Breakfast sounded rather appetizing.
Who wouldn't like, for instance, a plate with Egg, Chicken Ham Steak, Yuzu Kombu Butter Toast, and Tater Tots along with Baked Beans and a salad of Cherry Tomatoes and Lettuce with Roasted Sesame Dressing?
The Yuzu Kombu Butter Toast and the Tater Tots were especially attractive.
But the appetite this afternoon wasn't quite there.
So, instead of the Big Breakfast, the Oyakodon, or the Chicken Katsu with Waffle, we shared a bowl of Chunky Mushroom Soup, then got an order of Mentaiko Rosti where we added on a Grilled Chicken Chop.
The Chunky Mushroom Soup was really good.
It had a hint of creaminess and a What charmed me most wasn't just how perfectly shredded the potatoes were, how well-fried the rosti was, or even the presence of bonito flakes and nori on top.
It were the bits of tempura crunch, tossed ever so casually all over the chop and the accompanying salad.
That feel, that bite, that gentle yet satisfying crunch, made for the best surprise when chewing through the delicious soft mush of the potato, the firm of the chicken chop, and the creamy melt of the mayonnaise sliding around with the Mentaiko sauce.
If the main of potato and chop and sauce felt savory and solid and reassuring, the salad was undoubtedly refreshing.
In the bowl was Romaine lettuce- one of my favorite vegetables of all time- sliced onions and a small but cute cherry tomato- plus the salad dressing (it felt like Yuzu) and then there were the little balls of tempura crunch which made this salad a coveted one.
So clean and refreshing the salad was that I felt like having it all on its own, but interestingly, for all its clean feels, save for a Small Bite Miso Caesar Salad, a plate of vegetables was something that SKOSH didn't provide.
Instead they had dessert, and drinks.
There'll be another time when I come back to try their Matcha Tiramisu, or their Houjicha Brownie with ice cream.
There'll be another time when I come back to have their Earl Grey Lavender Cheesecake (because, why not?)
And maybe their drinks.
They've a Taro Latte, a Coconut Latte, even a Biscoff Latte.
Biscoff should be an interesting drink to have.
And an sweet, stimulating drink to take on the road.