Chiharu

Ladies lunch is so pretty (and so are the ladies who lunch)

A delightful lunch at Chiharu last week left me in high spirits. Chiharu seems to fly slightly under the usual foodie radar, perhaps because of its somewhat out-of-the-way location at the old Corduroy & Finch premises (junction of Sixth Ave and Bukit Timah Road).

A visit to Chiharu had been on the cards for some time and it was wonderful that they were having a special Ladies Set Lunch ($38) on the day that I dropped by with L. We were already on a high enjoying our complimentary cocktails of plum wine, and got progressively more excited as the stunningly laid-out baby blue porcelain platter was placed in front of us. So frankly in such a great mood, we were already very much pre-disposed to find the food good.

side view of giant clam shell used as container for the mategai mentaiko!

There was a smorgasbord of things to try on that huge platter but the three I liked best were:

Temari sushi in the shape of adorable miniature balls. So very fresh and delectable, particularly that sweet sweet scallop sushi. The sushi rice was firmly packed and well seasoned, with the grains still retaining their texture and bite.

Handmade crab tofu and pidan tofu. So smooth and light and yet flavourful in a very subtle way. Clean-tasting and very understated! The bad part was the teensy servings so the enjoyment was over in two bites.

Both L and I agreed that our favourite was the Mategai Mentaiyaki – grilled bamboo clam with mayonnaise and spicy cod roe dressing. This came beautifully presented in a giant clam shell supported by a mound of baked salt. I love anything mentaiko (dig the spicy and salty flavours!) but this was really super addictive, with the succulent bamboo clam meat providing a good base for the taste explosion of the mentaiko.

After all that happiness and enjoyment, I am now making plans to return to Chiharu soon, in particular to check out their Monday yakitori buffet promotion (priced very reasonably at $28 per person). Bring on those chicken skin skewers!!

Chiharu
779 Bukit Timah Road, www.chiharu.com.sg