There is no lack of Japanese eateries in Singapore but none of them left me feeling as impressed as Misato. From the cosy ambience to unique tablewear, the owner of Misato seems to have an eye for details. Most importantly, besides serving excellent Japanese cuisine, the price tags of the dishes are easy to the pocket.
One of my favourites is the Seafood Kaminabe set ($20.80) with home made niboshi broth, fresh water prawns, Norwegian salmon, chicken, assorted Japanese mushrooms, toufu and vegetables.
The broth was very well balanced and I like how fresh each and every one of the ingredient was.
For those who like soba ($13.80), be sure to check out their Cha Soba. The soba was cooked to a perfect al dente texture and accompanied with a dip that was specially made by the chef.
One of the highlights was the Okonomiyaki ($14.90) which was made using the cabbage and yam that were imported from Japan. The Japanese pancake was cooked in such a manner that the cabbage remained crunchy and juicy at the same time!
For lovers of deep fried food, don’t miss Misato’s Mixed Fried Set ($18.80)!!! Besides those deep fried to perfection golden shells of fried chicken and tiger prawn, the cheese korokke won my heart. Coated with fresh panko (bread crumbs) and filled with mozarella cheese, not only did this cheese korokke tasted great, it had this lovely stretching cheese effect as well. What a feast visually.
Another favourite around the table was the crispy Handmade Gyoza [$6.90 for (6 pieces)]. The chicken and vegetable dumplings were prepared upon order to ensure the freshness. Highly recommended as it had this crispy “wings” at the side which gave a some textural bite as we bite into the juicy dumpling.
After the hearty meal, don’t forget to check out Misato’s dessert offerings. Their Bouncing Matcha Pudding ($7.80) is definitely a must try. Not only did it have a strong matcha taste, it was smooth and super wobbly. Be sure to order these babies as there is only a limited quantity produced everyday.
Do not be deceived by Kuzukiri ($8.80), an arrowroot dessert, for any noodle dish. You can either have these slippery arrowroot on its own or have it with the kuromitsu dipping sauce, a dark sugar syrup made from Japanese unrefined black sugar.
Last but not least, the Shanshoku Warabi Mochi ($8.80) is definitely a must have. Made in house with high quality ingredients sourced by the owner from Japan, the warabi mochi had a very smooth texture and melt literally in your mouth. Best of all, the 3 different flavours were equally good. It is definitely hard to decide which is better, Goma, Matcha or the kinako one.
Besides having delicious food that were visually pleasing, I really appreciate the effort of Tony Young (the founder of Misato). Not only did he put in effort to the presentation, he had an eye for details for the food quality that was served in the restaurant. I overheard one of the staff commenting that even the process of cooking simple item such as rice was closely monitored. Kudos to such dedication and I really hope that in the face of fierce competition in the F&B scene, Misato could excel and make a name of its own.
Written by Kelvin Dao @kd.food, Engineer by Day, Photographer by Night. For pictorial opportunities please contact him at daokelvin@gmail.com
MISATO
176 Orchard Road, The Centrepoint, #01-33E Singapore 238843 (within Gastro +Level 1)
Tel: +65 6235 2822
Email: misato_cuisine@yahoo.com.sg
Operating Hours: 12noon to 10pm Daily
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