Date: 14 Apr 2006
Venue: Wahiro Japanese Restaurant, East Coast Road, Katong Mall
Menu: Yakitori Set - Kushiyaki ($20), Mixed Oden - Oden Mori ($15), Tempura Mori ($12), Kakiage ($12), California Maki ($9.8), Morisoba ($9.8), Salmon Shio ($9.8), Teapot Soup - Dobin Mushi ($8.8), Hot Sake ($7.8), Rice Set - Gohan Set ($5), Rice Ball - Onigiri ($3.8)
The Experience:
We decided to step into Wahiro after eyeing the place for quite sometime during our frequent visits to Cold Storage at Katong Mall. Wahiro apparently serves haute cuisine with a seasonal kaiseki meal at $100 per person. We opted for the ala-carte that day.
Seating
The ambience of Wahiro was typically Japanese. It was like entering a yakitori restaurant along a cobble-lined street of old Nippon. The restaurant was dim and quiet, and smell of yakitori wafting through.
Kushiyaki Set
The food at Wahiro is worth a mention. Despite being a yakitori restaurant, we did find the yakitori in the Kushiyaki set a bit dry for our liking. The minced chicken and the gingko nut yakitori though, was quite pleasant. The Oden and Tempura were probably the highlight of the night. The former was simmered in a fragrant dashi broth and was very much, comfort food. The latter was crisp and light as the ingredients bursts with natural flavours.
While it is easy to serve a Salmon Shio, its difficult to get it right. The salt is intended to protect the fish but too much would render it far too salty and unpalatable. Wahiro does an excellent job, while maintaining the moisture of the fish. Delicious with rice.
If there was any fault with Wahiro, it had to be the Dobin Mushi. Firstly, it was served with lemon and secondly, the stock was far too delicate to handle the ingredients.
Total bill for 4: $131.45
Wahiro was a cool experience and I'll probably be back. It definitely brought back memories of Japanese dining, sans the commercialism.
