I am quite picky on Japanese food. At the risk of sounding arrogant, I find the local Japanese food of inferior standard as compared to the Japanese food in Japan (where else?). However, there are a few places which I have had real good authentic Japanese food.
Like today, I had the best Japanese food in ages! We went to Ikoi Japanese Restaurant at the second level of Miramar Hotel. The setting itself was quite Japanese-like, you can choose to sit on tatamis with your legs crossed on the floor, or you can sit on normal tables and chairs.
Outside the restaurant hangs two round lanterns and a sliding door that opens into the restaurant. The whole restaurant gives a modern Japanese feel to it. I was impressed! This is as authentic as it can get.
We had fresh raw sashimi served authentic Japanese style (not the type you find on the Sakae Sushi conveyor belt), soup served in the little Japanese teapot poured into little Japanese teacups to drink from, and steamboat out of paper-thin aluminium foils which for some reason did not have a single burnt mark despite the strong fire (I think they call this nabe).
There were lots of fresh raw salmon, sword fish, and the cooked dishes consisted of mackerel, more salmon, roast chicken, agedeshi tofu, chawamushi (that egg dish, wonder if I got the spelling right), fish soup, miso, California rolls (the Japanese version of a taco, wrapped in seaweed), lots and lots of tempura and fish roe. There were even raw chilled celery and carrot sticks dipped in ice! A real gourmet feast!
Do drop by if you are ever in the River Valley vicinity, this place is not to be missed!
Food : 4.5 out of 5
Ambience : 4.5 out of 5
Price : Erh... no comments since I was not the one who paid. :-p
