Hardly is it that I have a purpose to go to Cuppage Plaza- except maybe for the grilled eggplant at one of the Mexican restaurants- and even less seldom is it that I have a reason to go to the other side.
Okay, so I did hang out at the Starbucks besides OG Orchard a couple of times, but I'd never ventured into the strata shopping centre behind, and truth be told, had it not been for the one evening that we ventured over for this nook-in-a-wall eatery, I wouldn't even have known of such a shopping centre there.
We happened to be looking for something else other than the usual to have for dinner and since the online search turned up this little café, off we went, and found ourselves perched on two stools right by the .door of one of the side entrances into the mall.
Now, this little café is no izakaya, nor is it a Japanese restaurant, but on its menu are offerings of ramen, gyozas and this huge platter you see above. The ramen comes in two sizes, and there're both the spicy and non spicy types in soups of shio, shoyu and tonkatsu. I've tried the shio (or is it shoyu...) and I think I'll have the tonkatsu if I want to have ramen there next time.
Either that, or I'll go for this platter.
I don't know the name- I don't even think there is one- but just point to the picture at the back to the server. You won't miss it. It is a huge portion, mind, but great for sharing and totally worth the price. Think of it as Japanese cai fan, and you get the idea. There's really good fried rice on one side, very eggy and smooth, with a range of other dishes on the other.
The selection of those dishes vary from time to time, so you don't really know what it is you're going to get. On one occasion we had a combination of chicken and pork. On another we had fish and fried chicken pieces. But there is always the shredded lettuce and the cherry tomato right smack in the centre- the addition of fresh vegetables makes the whole dish feel healthier.
But no matter what it is you order, don't miss out on the gyozas. Served either steamed or fried, they come in portions of five, have lots of delicious filling inside them, and are made with skin so chewy that they make munching on them an absolute delight.