Botan: For the Ravenous

There are generally two kinds of restaurants.

One, the fine-dining where you pay hefty prices for a tasteful experience. Two, the unpretentious who renders hearty homey food and send you leaving like a happy kid. Botan belongs to the second.

Familiar to the office crowd, Botan is most notorious for dishing out overly generous portions. Their Chirashi Don ($25) is arguably the most liberally filled chirashi in town and sure to fill even the hungriest diner.

Never underestimate how far this bowl can take you.

Uncovering the sashimi garden, some fresh some not so, i found morsels of hamachi, maguro, ebi, kani and fat-gleaming salmon (orange-to-white ratio hovering around 2:3?) over a crazily compact bed of rice. Oily fish is love and i rarely dismiss excessive fats. A spoonful of tobikko (flying fish roe) and some sweet pink cod floss contributes to enliven the dish.

But before you proceed into your rice, i suggest you have the chawanmushi first. Their silky, clean-tasting steamed egg custard with shiitake, fishcake & chicken met expectations and felt strikingly homey.

While nearing chirashi-completion, a realization struck me... Where was my tamagoyaki? If memory didn't fail me i recall having some tamago during my previous visit. After prodding the waitress, she returned with 2 omelette rectangles & then directed my attention towards the sushi chef... who gave two apologetic nods for his busy lunch-hour negligence. How mannerly.

Omg this was superb stuff. The meticulously layered sponge was baby soft like never before & finished off with a tiny smack of savouriness... nice!

The Botan Set ($25) consisted of sashimi, tempura, fried tofu, chicken and a compartment of random items. For those who like a variety.

Although Botan clearly lacks the poise & finesse of top-players like Aoki & Tatsuya, this is one place i would head for the heartiest honest japanese fare, or whenever a massive yen calls.

The comfort derived here is one of a kind.

P.S. It is really easy to miss Botan's obscure signboard so do look out!

Botan Japanese Restaurant

36 Pekin Street

#01-01 Far East Square

6536 4404

Aoki: My Sushi Haven

Aoki is perfection. Aoki is love.

Lunch at Aoki was sooooo good that i almost refused to leave my seat. Fine excellence aptly defines Chef Aoki's masterly finesse and it would be a total misdeed not to extol their virtues.

"tofu" otoshi

Superb sashimi and sushi wasn't the only coup; all that little thoughtful notches and details made them a clear cut above the rest. How nice to have individually unique tea cups and shoyu jars!

Lunch kick-started with a dainty gelatinous otoshi bearing a starchy aftertaste, subsequently washed off by salad greens.

salad with soy vinaigrette

Mazechirashi ($35)

If there is one dish a fervent japfoodie would eat and instantaneously nail as his prospective last meal, this stupendous Mazechirashi could be it. Sushi rice entirely buried under hordes of fresh toppings simply too many to count. There's an assortment of cubed raw fish, delicious castella tamago, lots of ikura, nibs of sweet uni (YUM) and miscellaneous minuscules scented with endearing yuzu touches. At the end of it, you've flown to Chirashi heaven~

Nigiri Sushi Jyo-sen ($30)

Nigiri execution was equally pristine. My eyes lit upon first bite... Soft supple sashimi draped over a clump of sweet vinegared rice. Precisely sliced. Meticulously molded. Ideal rice-to-fish ratio. Utterly complying. Pop one in & you're yearning for another.

I enjoyed chutoro & hamachi and doubly loved the lustrous hon maguro along with rubs of wasabi heat. Also swooped on those tamagoyaki darlings so neatly stuffed & strapped up in seaweed belts. Everyone should know by now tamagoyaki is a testament to the kitchen's skills and i dare say Aoki's sweet delicate omelette reigns over all the countless reels i've consumed. Simply top-notch!

One amazement level down was ikura gunkan, classic tekka & kappa makis which can't go wrong at Aoki-standard; followed by ika and one unduly cooked shrimp both too tough to chew.

my 2 favorites from the platter, tamago so loved.

Pair those premiums with a briney prawnhead-bobbing miso soup, especially crunchy pickles and Aoki-san's freshly grated wasabi and you completely win me over. You just did.

Dessert Trio

Dessert trio shows how an ardent kitchen would travel the extra mile to impress. No watermelons! My lovely tray comprised of a tiny sakura icecream, crystal clear ume wine jelly and a pleasing milk pudding laced with brown sugar syrup. Nothing too huge to feel queasy about.

Off food, i was engaged in Chef Aoki's dexterous slicing and assembling performance a mere armlength away. Highly captivating.

I'm convinced i just had my best japanese meal ever.

Aoki Restaurant

1 Scotts Road

#02-17 Shaw Centre

6333 8015

Rakuzen

Sometime before the exams, i joined Sistafood, myfoodsirens & J2k3 for a lunch at Rakuzen. Its always nice meeting new faces (:

welcome a new Canon EOS user!

Rakuzen is another middling japanese restaurant under the Sushi Tei group. The menu embraced full Sushi Tei aura, except slightly more inventive and pricey.

Salmon Sashimi ($10)

The first salmon sashimi slice i hoisted was especially thick, more like a wedge than slice. Beautiful radiant color, lacklustre substance.. it just fell short of the creamy content i yearned.

Atsuyaki Tamago ($6)

Without qualms i called for Atsuyaki Tamago as though Cupid was lurking... am falling prey to his flirtatious winks all the time! Mr. Rakuzen Tamagoyaki bore a likable puffy body but was desperately in need of a flavor boost.

Stamina Roll ($8)

Spider Roll ($8)

From a list of hilariously-named sushi rolls (think Dai-Dai), the sisters picked the Stamina Roll (eel & avocado maki) and Spider Roll (soft-shell crab maki) as our mains. Both were prosaic but if you ask me, i'll say go for Unagi.

Renkon Natto ($8)

Once acridly bitten at Hokkaido, twice shy, i thought i would shun natto permanently. It's characteristic smell and stringy spiderweb consistency is love-it-or-hate-it.... Until surprisingly, Rakuzen's Renkon Natto ($8) got me shovelling once more! The fermented soybeans are piled over simmered lotus root and conducively mild in taste.

Wanna try natto? Start here.

Maguro Yukke ($18)

Maguro Yukke clinched the heartthrob title that afternoon. The stack begins with creamy avocado, chopped tuna sashimi and bits of black beans topped with demi-glace and sesame seeds. A raw quail egg obediently binds the assemble together. They loved it. Value wise, i found $18++ too much to ask for those unfresh tuna.

It's been a hectic exam week and my congested CompactFlash is waiting to be emptied. Freedom is drawing near.. 9 more days to go woohoo!

Rakuzen

9 Raffles Boulevard

#02-14/19 Millenia Walk

Cha Soba at Shimbashi

I'll never refuse a good plate of Soba, not when it is amalgamated with matcha and painstakingly crafted by human hands.

The everything-from-scratch Shimbashi masters are dabbling with matcha powder this October (just for a fortnight) & i jumped at the idea. These guys are so particular about their Cha Soba, they serve them strictly cold either plain or with tempura. Limited quantities each day.

Don't expect your usual slick & varnished noodles here. Shimbashi's soba is real stuff made from freshly-milled soba flour, rigorously kneaded, rolled, then cut into individual strands. Lusterless unless dipped in Tsuyu but there's a whole load of amazing nutrients to reap from it... ever heard of Vitamin P?

I paired my greenies with a side Dashi Maki Tamago ($6) prepared 'soba restaurant style', essentially to mean seasoning the omelette with soba broth & kaeshi. Trust me this egg completely outshone its hideous appearance. The creased layers absorbed like taupok, locking in all the umami bonito liquids into an unbelievably flavorsome roll... almost ambrosial to me.

After a soba meal, pour some Soba-Yu into the remaining Tsuyu, mix well and drink up. Soba-eating is more than just enjoying health benefits... it is about recognizing the exhaustive steps behind each plate, & appreciating the goodness of soba's refined art.

Slurp up!

Shimbashi Soba

290 Orchard Road

#B1-41 The Paragon

6735 9882

Umami: Nouvelle Japanese Cuisine

You put something in your mouth & it disintegrates into mystical air. The flavor is extremely palatable, magical & out of your senses. Nothing like bitter, sweet, salty or sour. Definitely more obscure than that. It hovers around pungent, savoury, meaty.... But when you rummage your wordbank for a word, you realize it is empty.

Umami.

That elusive "fifth taste" undefined.

*

Word aside, on birthday eve a friend took me to Liang Court for nouvelle Japanese cuisine opened by the Social House.

Stepping into Umami was like entering a posh bar lounge by mistake. It takes time before anyone can register the lavishly dressed environment with Japanese food. Intimidating at first, but you'll soon warm up in their swanky plush booths & affordable lunch sets ranging from $12 to $25++.

ika, maguro & salmon sashimi

Both of us picked the Assorted Sashimi Umami Style to start off our $25 Premium sets. Out of three seasonal varieties i particularly fancied the tender Maguro for its well-defined grains & fluently gliding layers.

Tamagoyaki, truffle oil & black truffle pieces ($8)



We couldn't resist ordering the Rolled Omelette with Truffle Oil from dinner menu cos i.so.love.tamagoyaki & i.so.love.truffle.oil, so how can the two not unite haha.

The idea was brilliant. I mean, if drizzling truffle oil on scrambled egg can be so agreeable, why not on tamagoyaki? Although Umami's loosely conforming layers were not traits of my ideal TMGY (i loooove sweet fluffy spongy ones), the earthy essences of truffle made it extremely bewitching. It lingered on for a few good hours...

I had Grilled Sanma for main. Check out the lovely presentation... beautiful streaks of fish protruding from an encircled deepfried body. The flesh mushy and oh so fatty~ Comes with rice & a teacup of miso soup.

If you're pining to be filled, go for the Umami Chicken Ramen & Negi Don set. Noodles+rice is the solution for any hungry man. Anyhow this ain't any plain & boring carbs- the ramen broth was milky (porkbone-effect) and rice nicely flavored.

I liked their homemade custard pudding! A dainty pot of caramelly-glazed cream as dreamy light & smooth as you would desire it to be.

Then came thunder-vs-cloud comparison when my impression of Cheese Mousse turned out unexpected yucky. Or maybe Mousse was a misleading word to use... Pudding sounds a whole world closer.

Ta-dah! Here's the elaborate dessert platter Chef Mizushima prepared for my birthday, with 2 extra scoops of icecream & 2 lovely ladies surrounding me with a zealous birthday song... really nice of them! Rum Raisin & Mango icecream icy mediocre if you ask me, but THANK YOU chef for the surprise!

Their personable service made my exit a smiling one (=

Umami Dining Lounge

177 River Valley Road

#01-26 Liang Court Shopping Centre

6333 1166

Tatsu Sushi

I call this real sushi.

Almost periodically, i dine out with a good friend of mine & we seem to possess this undetachable affinity with Japanese food. This time because Capella was closed for lunch, we made two rounds at Chijmes until.... we found TATSU.



I give up defying that spell.

Tatsu falls in the smallish japanese restaurant category- cosy interiors and ungimmicky food. Just the type i love to linger in. Bonusing that was warm and attentive service (since there are so few tables to attend to), from both the restaurant manager and waitresses. I was so close to the sushi bar i had chefs observing my every move and after-swallowing expressions. gasps.

Chawanmushi

The Chawanmushi (inclusive in set lunches) was far from silky or smooth to deliver a perfect kickstart, but nonetheless homey dovey. Not adeptly mastered in texture just like your homemade steamed tofu.

Tatsu Bento

A Tatsu Bento ($28.80) best suits the in-the-mood-for-anything easygoers. Worthy quintessentials of sushi, sashimi, tempura and salad all under one roof. Their salmon sashimi was so unreservingly lubricated with fats, the whole piece just slides sexily down your throat. gorgeous feeeeling.

Chef's selection of Sushi

And real sushi is what they render. Sushi is best like Tweety- big head, small body. Being generous with rice is clearly a backfiring idea. When i say real, i mean decent cuts of fish/seafood blanketed over finger-wide rice clumps. Plump and not overly sticky clumps of vinegared rice. That is Tatsu's sushi. Comes with a pretty name-marked tamagoyaki, which would be better sweet than savoury.

Miso Codfish

The main lead of my Gintara & Sushi Set ($22.80) was of course, the reason why i ordered it. Best is not the word but this is one evenly glazed miso codfish i won't waste a flake of.

Seasonal Fruits

Yuzu Sorbet

Knowing me, i'll always summon something sweet (and sweeter than fruits) to conclude my meal. Their Yuzu Sorbet ($5) is citrusy refreshing and the perfect implement to wash away those traces of loitering fatty oils.

For the unadventurous japanese foodies, or the adventurous but bafflingly craving for some down-to-earth fare... Tatsu has the type of package to feed.

Tatsu Sushi

30 Victoria Street

#01-16/18 Chijmes
6332 5868

Nanbantei, Far East Plaza

Wasabi Tei's the reason. Dejected by Wasabi Tei's restday on a wednesday, i found myself stepping into the doors of NBT in hope of a satisfying Japanese dinner... Yakitori is never a bad alternative.

Being my second time here (the first for lunch) naturally halved the suspense of what to expect. Watching the conscientious chefs' constant stick-flipping, sprinkling of salt, careful fire control... was attention-seizing enough to keep our minds off the lunch-dinner price disparity.

A starter memorable from first visit was the Dashi Maki Tamago ($6), served middling between chilled and lukewarm. Good maki tamagos are rare in Singapore, and ever since a trip to Hokkaido, i held even lesser faith in mediocre versions. It was nice to see this come beautifully composed of clearly distinct layers, which speaks so much of the chef's masterful egg-rolling technique.

Yakitori fans would probably figure ala carte wasn't the best route to hitch, especially when they had well-assembled set dinners to save wallets . The mixed sashimi platter, part of the Sashimi Set dinner ($32), is one of raw fish slices so generous in thickness. Salmon, tuna, yellowtail...you've got it all.

Paid minimal attention to the details of Chef's choice of 8 yakitori sticks. Grab, bite, pull, savour was all i did, with my eyes closely fixed on the live action ahead. Things like the grilled okra, bacon-wrapped tomatoes (that bursts) & beef skewers clamoured much adoration from my partner.

Thinking 8 skewers would suffice, i diverted my orders back to ala carte selections. The Teriyaki Cod fish ($12) departed from the same trusty grill, forced with the same charred imprints but a tad dismissable in size.

Nanbantei's Cha Soba ($9) insists on authenticity when it comes to presentation and condiments. Nothing fell short in accompanying the bamboo tray and dipping sauce... noodles reflected perfect blanching, while that raw quail egg kept the dish at its most traditional.

Our food proved it. Nanbantei should be a reason on its own to come for, not a substitute for anywhere else's closure. I'm sure the Japanese expats around us would agree. Now if only their waitresses could look into their service... treat customers as equals regardless of age or nationality AND dutifully respond to tea-refilling requests, this meal would have been very much more enjoyable.

Nanbantei
14 Scotts Road
#05-132 Far East Plaza