If you’re a fan of mentaiko, here’s something for you.
Flavour Flings, a halal-certified cafe in Hougang has recently launched its special menu of mentaiko-themed dishes on Jan. 30.
The cafe is popular for serving trendy foods of the moment such as salted egg croissant, Milo-coated chicken pops and more recently, the Yakult cake.
Mentaiko madness
The mentaiko menu items range between S$8.50 to S$18.90, and comprise primarily of side dishes to complement their existing mains. Mentaiko is something you can easily get surfeited (jelak) on, so introducing them as sides is probably a good idea.
Here’s a look at some of the items available.
Mentaiko Cream Cheese Garlic Bun (S$8.50)
The quiet trendy food of 2020 gets a mentaiko makeover at Flavour Flings. Their version adds the Japanese salted fish roe into the mix, making the bun even more savoury and complex.
If you rather stick to the OG, the cafe also offers the classic Korean cream cheese garlic bun (S$6.50), also served piping hot from the oven.
Mentaiko Tako Yaki (8pcs, S$12.90) (*Editor’s pick!*)
The combination of two of Japan’s popular foods makes this dish not too unusual. The takoyaki is rich and sumptuously flavoured, coated generously with mentaiko sauce, and sprinkled with dancing bonito flakes and seaweed to top it all off.
We also appreciate the relatively small sized takoyaki which makes consuming it an easy, mess-free, one-bite affair.
Like the cream cheese garlic bun, regular takoyaki (S$9.90) is also available sans mentaiko sauce.
Mentaiko Fries (S$12.90)
Freshly deep-fried fries doused generously in mentaiko sauce. This sounds like a lip-smacking idea until we find ourselves struggling to finish the whole plate; carbs with mentaiko is a recipe for instant food coma.
As we let it sit for some time, the fries became soggy and less palatable after awhile. However, this might not be an issue if you’re sharing this with 3-4 pax as we can see it disappearing fast if it’s a communal dish.
Salmon Fillet Mentaiko (S$18.90)
The only entree on the mentaiko menu, this dish is perfect as it employs the same mentaiko sauce on another seafood item which is the roasted salmon.
The flavours work naturally here; the full-flavoured fish is complemented by the salty and creamy mentaiko. Mesclun salad and truffle fries are served as sides too.
Other sweet items launched
Aside from the mentaiko dishes, the special menu also introduced several sweet items like Fried Bananas with Parmesan (S$11.90), served with condensed milk, macadamia nuts and ice-cream and The F Toast (S$7.90) which is a honey butter brioche paired with fruits and ice-cream.
We had the former, and after assaulting our taste buds with heaps of salty mentaiko, the sweetness of the caramelised bananas was much appreciated.
Address: Blk 121 Hougang Ave 1 #01-1348, Singapore 530121
Halal status: MUIS Halal-Certified
Opening hours:
Thursday to Monday: 11:30am – 4pm, 5:30pm – 10pm
Wednesday: 5:30pm – 10pm
Friday & Saturday: 12:00pm – 1:00am
Closed on Tuesday
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