http://www.yayoiken.sg/index.html
Beautiful website. I just googled it because I didn't bring my camera to the restaurant.
Grand opening was on 1 Dec.
Today (3 Dec), is their 3rd day of business. The flower arrangements are all outside the restaurant, just across from Meidi-ya supermarket.
And what a lovely restaurant it is.
Quite a big area for the place, cosy ambience, very attentive and friendly staff with at least 3 Japanese waiters.
Bro and I were supposed to try this restaurant on opening day, but didn't go. Been planning to try soon.
Tonight, wasn't cooking, and it was decided last night that we would be dropping by.
So, at 6.38 p.m. tonight (Sat), we sat in a nice, romantic two-seater in a corner, near the cashier.
The lady who led us sounded Singaporean, very polite, very on the ball with her Japanese service training. Always smiling and attentive.
When we arrived, there wasn't a queue at all. So we were led to our seat immediately.
Every since they had flyers of their menu at supermarket cashier counters, I've been wanting to try.
When they started setting up shop a week ago, with the menu and prices already outside on the menu stand, even before opening, I have been waiting.
The very first photo in their website is the one I ordered from the menu. It is the Shima hokke set--Grilled Atka Mackerel--at $12.90.
Comes with the most delicious and authentic miso soup I have ever drank. Beautifully thick and solid miso soup. Plus, a small crucible of sweet white grated raddish, a small square of tofu and a small bowl of rice.
The pickled vegetable is in a container at the tableside that goes very well with the plain rice.
#1 - the rice is authentic Japanese rice from Japan, confirmed by the nice lady who led us to our seat. It is not California rice. You can taste it. I was telling bro that for the first time, this rice has superceded Don's rice counter-top just across it.
However, Don's rice is has more flavor and sweeter, probably because of the sake they put inside (that's the secret ingredient).
Yayoiken's rice is plain, bland, but 100% high grade Japanese rice. That's what it tastes like. Beats all other Japanese restaurants we have tried hands down.
The staff will inform you that the rice is free flow and you can help yourself to the rice cooker at the center of the restaurant. That's the most unique thing I've ever heard for a Japanese restaurant. Free flow authentic Japanese rice!
Although it was stated in the flyer, I didn't see it the "free flow" part that's circled at the side.
When the Japanese man served me the set while leaning forward, I glanced at his name tag hanging from him--Taro...something.
I couldn't read the rest of it because it was swinging. (Bro demonstrated how he must have purposely swung his body back and forth so that I can't read his tag.).
As Taro looked closely at me while gently explaining in a thickly Japanese-accented English regarding the free flow, I had to look up from his name tag to his face to be polite.
Handsome man. :)
When he finished, I said "thanks".
Then when he went away, I said to bro, "Did you get what he said?".
Bro said, "No, I thought you did? Then you said 'thanks' when you didn't understand?".
"Haha...Well, I kinda got what he meant... something to do with free rice at the center...". But "free rice" didn't seem possible. Maybe I misunderstood.
Nevermind, I called the Singaporean lady to come and explain to me what it was about.
Instantly, she knew what I was talking about and repeated that there was free flow rice at the center of the restaurant.
I said, "Wow, how nice.".
#2 - the miso soup, already mentioned is the best ever. Strong, solid, authentic.
#3 - the fish, has a lot of bones. Be aware that if you don't like bones, don't order this. Very dangerous meal. Every piece of meat has bones. But the flesh has no smell, soft, perfectly grilled, bland but nice taste.
#4 - Bro ordered Tekka don--rice topped with raw tuna--at $13.90. According to bro, it was nice fish when dipped in their soy sauce. Without the sauce, it tastes a little siap siap (whatever that means). I don't know what's the English equivalent of "siap siap".
I gave him half of my Mackerel and he liked the fish, but not the bones. Said next time don't order this.
I was actually supposed to order the Oyako don (chicken rice egg), but decided to try fish.
#5 - For dessert, ordered the Milo pudding--milo pudding with vanilla ice-cream and glutinous rice balls at $6.90. Did not taste at all of Milo. And came with only 1 rice ball (don't know if bro ate one).
The rice ball was bland flour. The ice-cream was...where's the vanilla?
Whipped cream and crushed nuts topped the pudding, but that's about it.
Japanese desserts like these are never nice. Somehow, Japanese people don't like sweet things. Ironic that desserts are not sweet.
#6 - I miss Calpis water in a plastic bottle for $2.50 at the Meidi-ya supermarket. Waiting for them to ship in again. It's sold out.
So, lack of it, I ordered a glass of iced Calpis water for $2.40. Somehow, this Calpis tastes a little more sour than those I buy from the supermarket.
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So, Grand Total for tonight's dinner for 2 persons: $42.45, and I topped my rice bowl once.
I left my seat to ask a waitress in her counter whether I needed to take my bowl with me, or were there bowls already there? She said she would do it.
So we went back to my table, I gave her my empty bowl and I was about to follow her, when she said she'll bring it.
How nice. I said, "thanks.".
At the end, bro asked for the bill, the local lady came to us and settled it at the cashier. I took the chance to ask whether the Taro man was a supervisor.
She didn't know which one, thought it was the plump one and mentioned his surname. I said, "no" and pointed to him walking around.
She said he was one of the kitchen staff.
Kitchen?? Such a nice serving waiter, a kitchen staff? Seemed a little hard to believe. Usually kitchen staff don't come out to serve.
Earlier, I had asked and she had said the rice is 100% from Japan. Now, we started talking, and she said the boss in Japan wants the restaurant to be as authentic as possible.
Right now, they are gathering customers' feedback regarding the food to adapt a little to local tastes, but the boss wants to retain much of the authentic taste.
I was impressed. :)
It also means they will have quite many Japanese people eating there. Already, as bro and I ate there, the Japanese were there.
She said the Japanese staff are on rotational basis, and will return in 1 month's time, so the next batch will come from Japan to take over. Kinda like a training course.
Meaning, there goes the handsome Japanese man named Taro.
I asked whether the kitchen staff are all Japanese. She said 4 are not, 6 are Japanese.
Wow. I am impressed.
I said the food is really authentic and nice, and we'll be back.
She was happy, smiling with rosy cheeks and wished us goodbye.
On a side note, a Thai man in a dark khaki polo, sat beside us and when presented with the menu, flipped through a page or two, before asking the nice local lady which one she personally thought was nice.
I was surprised by this because this gesture gives the impression of a cultured, civilized, generous world-view type of person with no class distinction. He, as a customer and a man, is asking an opinion from a waitress. I never thought a Thai man would do that.
(In fact, I was thinking he had money to eat here meh. I can be such a snob.).
Even the lady was surprised and shyly pointed out an item. "This", she said.
When the item arrived, it turned out to be what I had ordered--the Shima hokke Mackerel set.
But unlike me, he ate it with gusto, with a bit of noise, easily peeling aside the surface layer, seemingly without having any problems with bones.
With that nose sound he made... I began to doubt the "cultured, civilized" part.
He had a Thai friend in a red shirt, who sat with him at the start, but kept getting up and standing beside the seat. The friend didn't order anything, and I was wondering if perhaps they have money only for 1 man.
I said to bro that he should just sit down instead of blocking the path.
Bro said that friend is an employee of the restaurant.
An employee?!
I see. But...his Thai is so good, he doesn't seem to speak English to incoming and outgoing customers. How would I know he's an employee?
So, perhaps, they are friends and the employee recommended his friend to come try. As an employee, he looked very worn out as he stood there near the cashier. I wondered what the Japanese hired him for...to make him do so much work?
At one point, the guy eating the set left his seat to fetch more rice and that was when he experienced backache. I thought he had hit against the table corner or something, but I saw him just get up and cringe with pain as he rose.
His friend gave him a slight smile.
At the end, after he finished, he got up, holding onto the left side of his back. The poor man.
I think he had backache and the soft seat made it worse.
I watched to see if he needed to pay since his friend is an employee... yes, he opened his wallet. Had a rounded face, a little plump.
He seemed very satisfied with his meal.
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Update 6 Oct Sat 2012:
We stopped going to Liang Court Yayoiken because their standard and service dropped some months ago. Many of their older staff quit. The last time we went there, the items I ordered were poorly done and I had to request for a discount. The local senior staff there at the time, knew me well enough to give a complete waiver of an item. He has since quit as well.
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Also check out = http://therevolutioner.blogspot.sg/2013/10/meidi-ya-supermarket-disappointment.html
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