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Review: Minori Dining and Sake Bar
By daniel | August 20, 2007
Esther and I do love our Japanese food, and we’ve been hungering for a la carte sashimi buffet ever since Osahime removed their Saturday buffet option when they moved to Golden Shoe carpark. We went to Ikoi before, but weren’t quite so impressed. When we heard that Minori also offered a la carte buffet, we immediately placed reservations…
Located on the third floor at UE Square, Minori was extremely crowded on the night we went (it was a Friday). We like the dark wood furniture, and the lighting was just right for a cosy and comfortable ambience. Right. Any thoughts of a quite romantic night were rather spoiled by loud chatter from large groups seated all over the restaurant.We were extremely hungry when we arrived, so we got right into the thick of things. However the menu is extensive, and spoilt for choice we had to spend some time trolling through the many choices. Esther read somewhere that the portions here were shockingly small so we were quite liberal with our orders. We asked for the usual suspects, such as tempura, handrolls, lots of sashimi, although we also ventured in trying some other dishes not readily available in other Japanese buffet restaurants.
The salmon sushi was only average, but we did like the spider (soft-shell crab) handrolls.
The sashimi at Minori, on the other hand, was worthy of note. Thick slices of salmon, kingfish, squid, octopus and tuna simply glistened with freshness. We must also make mention of the excellent quality shoyu provided here at Minori. Most Japanese restaurants skimp on their shoyu, but Minori’s shoyu was full of flavour and burst with a caramel sweetness that enhanced the freshness of the fish.
Our second order of sashimi came with a miserable 5 slices of salmon, despite us asking for a big order. Esther’s face darkened with a feral look of utter disgust. Hell hath no fury like a woman denied her favourite sake sashimi. The shocked manager caught the look and hurried over, quickly telling us that another order was on its way. I reckon her speed was hastened by the suitably large and prominent Canon 350D DSLR camera placed on the table.
When the new order arrived, I swear they sacrificed half a salmon to make up for the boo boo. Pacified, Esther tore into it with new-found savagery.
We were sorely disappointed, however, with the quality of the tempura. Tempura batter should be light, fluffy and crispy, but the one here was soggy and heavy with oil. I’m fairly certain that the oil used to deep-fry the tempura had been so overused that it wasn’t hot enough to reach the perfect frying temperature. We’ll pass on this one.
I liked the pumpkin simmered in shoyu, but Esther was surprised that it was a cold dish. Of all, the dish that earned top reviews from picky Esther was the grilled chicken in teriyaki sauce. The tender chicken came with perfectly grilled, crispy skin, and the sauce was simply shiok. We’d order some rice to go along with that, but we wanted to reserve space for more dishes instead. In fact, the grilled dishes were top-notch, including the meatballs, and would have been excellent with perfectly cold beer or sake. If I were allowed any alcohol, that is. Perhaps you can try and let me know instead. ><
Buffet restaurants are hard to review simply because dishes are regularly hit-or-miss, depending on the quality of the chefs and their expertise. It’s quite the same here at Minori, but we think the standard here is higher than at Ikoi. The service, for sure, is more impressive. Ikoi’s grudging service is better suited to a hawker environment, while Minori’s is suitably attentive - in fact, any overt gesture was likely to summon a waiter instantly to your side enquiring politely to your well-being. The manager’s quick reaction to Esther’s displeasure over the sashimi was also commendable.
The bill came up to less than $80 for the 2 of us ($32++ per person). We’ll certainly be back, next time with my family in tow. And I’ll bring my trusty camera again. ^^
PS: Pick up a Minori flyer at the information counter on the 1st floor of UE Square. They give a complimentary seasonal dish that isn’t on the menu for every 2 diners so make sure you take advantage of the offer (which they failed to offer us since we didn’t show them one).
You can find Minori at 81 Clemenceau Ave, #03-15/16 UE Square Singapore 239917. Tel: 6737-3353. Reservations are recommended.
Topics: Japanese, Restaurant, Reviews |