Review of Taki Kyoto Grill at Wisma Atria
Another good deal that we want to share here. We do not get paid by the way. Not famous enough for people to pay us, though if you want to, we do not mind. LOL…
Good Deal Info
Anyway, a friend told us recently of this J Passport thing and it is basically a platform that notifies you via weekly e-newsletters on great Japanese food deals. They tie up with Japanese restaurants all over Singapore and offer exclusive deals to members and you can make your reservations through their platform too.
So on Friday night, we made a reservation for a 9 course lunch at $35++, usual price $50++, for the next day. Received an email confirmation and all we have to do is show up!
Where
Taki Kyoto Grill is located on Level 4 of Wisma Atria, being part of the Japan Town that has popped up there with a whole slew of little and medium sized Japanese restaurants. Taki is located at the side that faces Food Republic.
Experience
When we arrived more than 10 minutes late, we are happy that they held our reservations (although it may also be that the restaurant was not crowded). We were greeted by a polite Japanese waitress who brought us to our seats cutely reserved with an origami of a fish with Ed’s name written on.
We were then introduced to the courses and asked to make our choice of meat for some of the courses. It turns out the set does not include beverages, so we ordered green tea to go with the meals.
Service was generally good although one of the waitress was pretty green making little lapses in service but no major issues, in fact, she was sweet and polite. Despite being seated on the “outside” area of the restaurant, it still feels pretty private and quiet. Basically a good experience and we will be back to try other dishes.
Food
Our first course was the assorted appetiser. The platter came in a cute basket on a pretty pink ceramic plate and 4 little dishes within. Not as many as what was featured on the page, but I am not complaining because it was so pretty anyway plus I am sure we have enough food with 9 courses. There was a cold chicken in sesame sauce, raw octopus legs in soy sauce marinade, cold stewed mixed vegetables and a cold tofu in yuzu and soya sauce. Our unanimous favourite was the tofu as it was very silky and the yuzu was light and refreshing. Next was the octopus legs as I always enjoyed a fresh octopus. Our least favourite was the chicken as it was a tad too salty to be eaten without any rice.
Next was the the chawanmushi. I am usually not a fan of chawanmushi as I feel most places serve chawanmushi with a certain ‘chemical’ like taste. But I am sure this is just me because everyone I know loves chawanmushi. But this one, I LOVE. It has a very nice umami flavour from the stock that they topped the chawanmushi with. Plus it is a good balance of eggs and stock and other ingredients like fake crabmeat (usually a point reducer for me, but I was too distracted with the smooth and light chawanmushi to actually notice), chicken and fresh shiitake mushroom.
Third course was a maguro (tuna) sushi with grilled tofu. Maguro was fresh and generous whilst the grilled tofu was very silky with tasty with a touch of soft melted cheese. The fourth course was a yakitori styled grilled chicken and leek. I was initially sceptical if the leek will taste too strong, but it was actually pretty sweet! The chicken was nicely seasoned and tender. Loved the presentation and the use of limes instead of the usual lemons too! A rustic touch, I thought. By this fourth course I was no longer starving. =p
For the fifth course, we got a bowl of clams in sake sauce. I only wish there were more clams!!! I love clams and these are so sweet, big and juicy!!! Love this dish! It is summer now, so it is the clam season. However, I was disappointed that the clams I got from Cold Storage recently were small and tasteless. Thus, imagine how happy I was to enjoy these clams. More please!!!
For the next course, we had to choose between grilled chicken or salmon. We decided to have one of each. I preferred the salmon as this time, the chicken was not well seasoned and I could taste that it was frozen chicken. A disappointment after the generally good dishes earlier.
For the next course, we also got to choose between salmon sashimi or ungai with rice. Again, we decided to have one of each. The salmon sashimi was fresh, though I was disappointed the rice was not sushi rice but just plain. It made the whole dish rather plain and tasteless. I had to ask for soy sauce to flavour the dish. In contrast, the unagi rice was flavourful and the unagi thick and tender. Sorry, Ed tucked in before I could take pictures. The course was served with saikyo miso soup (8th course) and the soup was good and well seasoned. Not the “instant miso” taste you get at some places. Apparently saikyo miso is an imperial staple and it is less salty but sweeter than the normal miso variety thanks to the rice malt and low sodium content.
The last course was a refreshing yuzu sorbet that we forgot to take pictures of. It was a tad sweet for Ed (but he has a very low tolerance for sugar) but I found it just nice. Strong and flavourful.
Conclusion
A good meal equals a happy wife. LOL… And I am happy. Generally this was a good experience and I will be back to try other dishes. If you intend to drop by, do check out J Passport and see if you can get a deal from there. ;-p
