Yayoiken - Good Value for Money

Having been to Hai Di Lao and Saboten countless of times, I had always seen Yayoi's advertisement in the lift. Though its design cannot entice me to give this restaurant a try. It was by sheer coincidence that I went in to try out its set meals. The rational is: since it is cheap, ranging from $9.90 to $18.90, so why not. If the food there is meh, at least my wallet will bleed as much as my taste buds, not literally, of course.

The interior is modern zen where the place is partitioned into many sections. The good part is that there is a level of privacy, and the bad is there is no people watching.

The highlight of Yayoi are definitely the Teishoku meals. The huge variety of set lunches features stir-fried vegetables and meat, fried food, grilled food and even patties. The ingredients used taste pretty fresh, and the seasonings are done just right: tasty but not too salty. Surprisingly, there is free flow of quality rice, given how low the prices of the set meals are. The only drawback of the food is that the cooking standard varies slightly in different days. The first time I had the yasai itame, the meat and vegetables are well-soaked in the light sauce. On the second occasion, the ingredients seemed drier and plainer in taste.

Though I do not recommend the katsu meals because the deep fried breadcrumbs coating the meat really cut the tongue and palates, just like most CUTlets do. And avoid the sashimi also.

Still, for a wallet-friendly, quality meal around Orchard area, the place is one of the good choices. Not to mention that there are Japanese patronizing this place; goes to say how good the food here is.

My Thoughts: Not Bad

https://www.yayoi.sg/contact

Ginza Kuroson (Takeshimaya) - Quality Japanese Food at Good Prices

Closed

Kurosan is one of those Japanese restaurants that features an extensive menu of lunch sets, and in terms of variety and general quality of the food, I give thumbs-up to these.

At first sight, the interior looks impressive. The seats are spacious, so there is no elbow rubbing with one's neighbour. However, when seated at the counter, I was greeted with the sight of the Japanese produce and seafood. It is pretty tempting to order them.

The nagekomi here is filled with lots of different fishes, so much that the variety will dazzle one's tastebuds. I had the ama ebi, salmon, akami, hamachi, salmon roe, minced fish, tamago and a number of others packed onto the bowl of sublime tasting rice. Moist grains of rice are smooth and starchy in texture, each is imbued with fragrant sushi vinegar. They are soft yet not mushy—signs of rice wellcooked. The raw fishes are very fresh, and I like the addition of the minced fish, adding variety to this dish. But somehow, I didn't enjoy this chirashi entirely. After dining at Syun, I figured that I am not into chirashi. My companion did absolutely enjoy his bowls of nagekomi on our second time, third and fourth there.

My favourite got to be the negitoro rice bowl. Fresh minced tuna belly, topped with chopped spring onions and real wasabi, this dish is bursting with flavours. Spring onions can do wonders to the taste of food, and in this case, raw fatty fish meat. Not as sublime as the negitoro in Shinji, but good (and wallet-friendly) for me to indulge in.

The shrimp and avocado bowl is another good choice—the number of unique set lunch choices is so many that it is possible to patronize this place many times within a short span of time. The avocado introduces a creamy texture and neutral taste, saved for a slight bitterness of fresh vegetables, to the sushi rice, accentuating the taste of brine in the cooked shrimps. The sour-cream-like sauce adds the zing and tangy flavour, which stir up things, in a good way.

I give double thumbs-up to the grilled pork. The meat is super fresh, tender and grilled to perfection. The seasonings is simple, just some salt and a dash of sauce at the side to let the ingredients shine through and do their magic on the palates.

The appetizer changes according to availability of ingredients. The first time, it is pretty good, whetting the appetite, like the pickles I had in Nijumaru. The appetizer I had on the second visit is cooked tuna cubes, which taste very fishy, just like the one I had in Aoki. And just like that time, I had difficulty finishing it. There are other times where the appetizers are so good that they can be considered as dishes in their own. The salad is a huge meh—too generic to warrant any attention. Desserts are okay, coming in the form of pudding and custard. Yes, no watermelon! Though they are just those nice custard found in bakeries, instead of being unique in any way.

The service is good and professional though the staff was very down-to-business. Any casual chitchat with them will be met with smiles and a short reply, then full stop. I must be spoiled by the excellent service in other establishments, like Mad about Sucre, Holiday Inn Tandoori, to nitpick on this. The good part is that they are focused in attending to the needs of the patrons, which is all good.

During a recent visit, we were ushered into a hidden dining room. The vibe there is cosier, so I highly recommend opting to dine there. We were very impressed by the hospitality of chef Tommy stationed there since he took note of our preferences and dietary restrictions and chatted with us about the food—it is always good to know more to appreciate the food. The Japanese chef there is polite and goes the extra mile for the patrons. I definitely prefer to enjoy my meal in this room over the main area.

This is one restaurant I will always be going back due to the sheer variety of quality set lunches and the negitoro rice bowl, which is not easily available elsewhere.

Update: There is a branch at Robertson Quay now! And the food is as good.

Update as of Jul 2019: This restaurant had changed management and things are not what they were used to be. The fishes are not as fresh and the cuts are awful, yielding pieces of sashimi that are too thick and too big to be finished in a mouthful. Will not support them anymore.

My Thoughts: It is one of my Favourite Haunts!

This restaurant is no longer in operation.