A gamble it most certainly feels like when I am in this area of Tanjong Pagar on the weekend and want to come here for Japanese.
Because even though it is in Tanjong Pagar, this little nook actually sits on Enggor Street behind 100AM right next to the building where Cold Storage is, and which can be considered so near to Shenton Way and Anson Road that (like how Shenton Way is) it can be devoid of foot traffic on the weekends.
But the food is really, really good, so I take the chance anyway.
We've tried several items off their menu- and I know I took pictures of our food during our previous visit- but I think they're stored elsewhere and so there aren't any pictures of the yakitori or the tamago that we had the last time.
The yakitori comes recommended. We've tried the shitake mushrooms- they're dry with a slightly smoky burnt aftertaste. We've had the grilled scallops. We've also had the chicken and the beef and something that comes nicely wrapped in bacon but what I can't remember.
We've also had the tamago, and can I say that I really like the way they do it here? The size is just right, the egg is delicately sweet and has none of the standards that you have at the fast-food types.
One thing we always go for is the salmon sashimi, and the salmon sashimi belly. They serve it really, really cold, and really, really fresh, and it is so smooth and soft that I almost feel like it melts easily away.
This time we ordered the beef cubes- the fat was delicious, I tell you, and yes, I ate it. The cubes were cut in such a way that made it easy to pick with our chopsticks and were perfectly done on all sides. The meat was tender, it was all skilfully salted, soft to the palate and with just a gentle hint of smoky grill in each bite.
We also had something with cheese and mentaiko. The something was scallops, and yes it was good- this I am sure- they do serve up good tasting food, but because we had in fact ordered the dish purely for the cheese and the mentaiko (my companion likes the latter) it is these two savory elements that I particularly remember.
Also the fact that we picked up every crumblet of grilled cheese with effective chopstick skills and made streaks across the mentaiko in an attempt to finish as much as possible.
We also had something with cheese and mentaiko. The something was scallops, and yes it was good- this I am sure- they do serve up good tasting food, but because we had in fact ordered the dish purely for the cheese and the mentaiko (my companion likes the latter) it is these two savory elements that I particularly remember.
Also the fact that we picked up every crumblet of grilled cheese with effective chopstick skills and made streaks across the mentaiko in an attempt to finish as much as possible.