Satowa

We celebrated Saresha's birthday at this gem of a place in China Square. The restaurant's recommended on this site and TimeOut. We found it with little difficulty, but it was a rather terrible walk from Chinatown MRT because of the sweltering heat. Usually we would order warm water when we go to restaurants but it was so bloody freaking hot that day, we both ordered iced water, which was a very welcome respite!

Anyway, the restaurant had set lunches for only $20++! All set lunches started with 3 types of appetisers & a salad:

From left: Seaweed with slices of mushroom delicately seasoned in some (I-don't-know-what) sauce, chawanmushi and battered Japanese fish cake. The chawanmushi was so silky smooth, it was almost creamy. I liked that they put edamame in the egg too. It was a really great way to start the meal. The fish cake was very delicious too,  I liked the soft texture and the light taste.

The salad was good too, I always rather enjoy Japanese salads - well, those that don't use Thousand Island as dressing anyway. The mashed potato was yummy, as was the dressing they used - very nice!

We ordered different main courses. I decided to go for Saba Shioyaki:

The mackerel was grilled to perfection. The skin was very lightly crisped and melted in my mouth while the meat was still juicy and tender. It must be the first time I've ever eaten such a fabulously prepared mackerel. I liked that the husband-wife team were thoughtful enough not to give patrons too much rice in the set meal. :)

Saresha had Saba Misoni, or better known as mackerel in miso sauce:

Perhaps she can comment on her meal later. :)

Anyway, besides our set lunches, we ordered Yaki-Gyoza  and Hotate Guratan (scallop gratin) as sides.

While the gyoza was nothing really out of the ordinary, it was still well prepared. We were impressed with the size of the scallops and that they gave us 4 whole ones - so, so, so yummy! *slurp*

And to round up the meal, they gave us homemade Peach Sorbet. While it was quite nice, I rather felt as if I was eating crushed peach-flavoured ice. Heh!

And we weren't totally satisfied with just that, so we also ordered Daigaku Imo (sweet potato in sweet sauce). It was really a highlight of the meal and the best way to end it.

Of course, to end off the post, I'd usually declare that I must go back to the restaurant because of such a wonderful first experience and such delicious food. Unfortunately, the day we went was also the last day of busins for the restaurant. It was with a tinge of regret when we stepped out, knowing there'd never be a chance for us to return. But I guess, some of the best things is life can only be experienced once, so that we can savour that experience over and over again in our memories. So, through my little blog, I jot down these little details for posterity. I wish the owners all the best for their future endeavours.