Waraku Japanese Restaurant
(*was trying out a sample article for http://www.funkygrad.com/lifestyle/displayarticle.php?artID=911&subcat=eat, that's y this post is so long)
where: WARAKU JAPANESE RESTAURANT
who: my cell group
occasion: my birthday ;)
The first impression that hit me about the east coast branch of probably the most authentic Japanese restaurant chain in Singapore was its crowded waiting area. Especially on a rainy, Saturday night and 10 minutes of trying to get my car into the tiny parallel lot, it just served to make the experience more memorable. One piece of advice – place a booking at least one day before, or resort to asking for a menu while sitting in a small waiting room with Japanese magazines that you probably cannot comprehend, just so you can save time later thinking of what you should eat. As luck would have it, we got a place in the restaurant after 40 minutes of waiting (yes, we had to pick a weekend to come in a big group of 7).
There was a lot of shouting going on, which is a rather common phenomenon in local Japanese eateries. This is very different from Japan, where I got to enjoy my meals in a much valued quiet environment, with Japanese waitresses asking politely if you needed more tea. In the midst of all the loud Japanese versions of ‘welcomes’ and ‘bill please’, we managed to get down to ordering. The menu is a grand sight – there are over 200 choices of authentic Japanese dons, hot pots, sobas and sushi. It would be a tough mission to come only once and hope to try most of the favorites on the menu. One of the must-haves, recommended by yours truly, is the Beef Kaminabe ($12.80, beef and vegetables cooked over fire in a paper pot). You can choose from 3 kinds of kaminabe soup bases – “Wafu”, “Miso” or “Chige”. Translated to English, it means with soy sauce, with misoshiru or spicy. We had the spicy soup, an excellent choice in my opinion. It went well with the medium rare beef and cabbage. The portion is small, but surprisingly filling. Guys, however, should probably opt for the Kaminabe Wazen set ($19.80). For an additional $7, you get the Beef Kaminabe, rice, sweet radish, salmon sushi and an array of tempura.
Waraku boasts authenticity. This is extremely obvious from the Sukiyaki ($16.80) it serves. Sukiyaki is thinly sliced beef and vegetables cooked in a mixture of soy sauce, dashi, sugar, and sake. Participants cook at the table then dip food into their individual bowls of raw egg before eating it. At Waraku, you get your personal ‘furnace’, whereas in Japan, it is more commonly eaten in groups of four, buffet style. The Shōyu used by the restaurant is not too strong, and a little sweet, which makes the soup delightful to taste. It is an exact replica of the Sukiyaki in Tokyo, only one would have more fun eating in Japan during the winter since the meat, eggs and vegetables come in a free-flow fashion. We also had the Niku (beef) Curry, one of our favorites. Definitely go for the regular size ($12) instead of the medium ($10). At just $2 more, the regular Niku Curry Noodles is 3 times the size of its medium counterpart. Talk about value for money. The noodles are thick and spongy, and the flavorful curry blends everything wonderfully. The generous amount of beef was an added bonus, since we only had 3 slices of beef for the Kaminabe and Sukiyaki.
To top off the beef section, we had the Gyu-Yanagawa ($12, sliced beef topped with egg in a sizzling pan). Do not be fooled by the gargantuan picture in the menu, which will probably leave you salivating. The miserable portion was barely enough for one person, and they do not serve rice (available at $2/bowl) along with it. To give the restaurant due credit, however, the dish is handled with a unique touch relatively differently from other Japanese restaurants, where sauteed gobo root and sweet sauce are added. Here, the egg is mixed with the fresh beef in the pan, unlike the way Sukiyaki is eaten.
After 4 beef dishes, the Una Tama Don that came along was a pleasurable treat. Once again, go for regular ($12.80). Unagi with egg, on top of traditional Japanese rice, the don is worth every dollar. It is said that to differentiate Japanese rice from other types, stick your chopsticks into the rice and when you lift them up, rice will stick to every part of the chopsticks. Try it at Waraku. Another don to attack would be the Kanimi Ankake Don ($12.80) – crabmeat in thick gravy on rice. Other dons that you have tried in food courts or other Japanese restaurants will pale in comparison. The famous Japanese crabmeat is surprisingly substantial in portion, despite its known extravagant cost. The restaurant had a promotion for crab legs once. At $52++, one is allowed to have free flow of the crab meat for 90min. Interesting. Makes me wonder how many crab legs you have to eat to satisfy the ‘kiasu’ Singaporean mentality.
Why go for anything else when you can get reasonably priced and most importantly, AUTHENTIC Japanese cuisine at Waraku? Thumbs-up for the food, but do bear with the noise, stuffy atmosphere and average service.
WARAKU JAPANESE RESTAURANT
1020 EAST COAST PARK WAY SINGAPORE 449878(Located next to Tennis Centre in East Coast)
where: WARAKU JAPANESE RESTAURANT
who: my cell group
occasion: my birthday ;)
The first impression that hit me about the east coast branch of probably the most authentic Japanese restaurant chain in Singapore was its crowded waiting area. Especially on a rainy, Saturday night and 10 minutes of trying to get my car into the tiny parallel lot, it just served to make the experience more memorable. One piece of advice – place a booking at least one day before, or resort to asking for a menu while sitting in a small waiting room with Japanese magazines that you probably cannot comprehend, just so you can save time later thinking of what you should eat. As luck would have it, we got a place in the restaurant after 40 minutes of waiting (yes, we had to pick a weekend to come in a big group of 7).
There was a lot of shouting going on, which is a rather common phenomenon in local Japanese eateries. This is very different from Japan, where I got to enjoy my meals in a much valued quiet environment, with Japanese waitresses asking politely if you needed more tea. In the midst of all the loud Japanese versions of ‘welcomes’ and ‘bill please’, we managed to get down to ordering. The menu is a grand sight – there are over 200 choices of authentic Japanese dons, hot pots, sobas and sushi. It would be a tough mission to come only once and hope to try most of the favorites on the menu. One of the must-haves, recommended by yours truly, is the Beef Kaminabe ($12.80, beef and vegetables cooked over fire in a paper pot). You can choose from 3 kinds of kaminabe soup bases – “Wafu”, “Miso” or “Chige”. Translated to English, it means with soy sauce, with misoshiru or spicy. We had the spicy soup, an excellent choice in my opinion. It went well with the medium rare beef and cabbage. The portion is small, but surprisingly filling. Guys, however, should probably opt for the Kaminabe Wazen set ($19.80). For an additional $7, you get the Beef Kaminabe, rice, sweet radish, salmon sushi and an array of tempura.
Waraku boasts authenticity. This is extremely obvious from the Sukiyaki ($16.80) it serves. Sukiyaki is thinly sliced beef and vegetables cooked in a mixture of soy sauce, dashi, sugar, and sake. Participants cook at the table then dip food into their individual bowls of raw egg before eating it. At Waraku, you get your personal ‘furnace’, whereas in Japan, it is more commonly eaten in groups of four, buffet style. The Shōyu used by the restaurant is not too strong, and a little sweet, which makes the soup delightful to taste. It is an exact replica of the Sukiyaki in Tokyo, only one would have more fun eating in Japan during the winter since the meat, eggs and vegetables come in a free-flow fashion. We also had the Niku (beef) Curry, one of our favorites. Definitely go for the regular size ($12) instead of the medium ($10). At just $2 more, the regular Niku Curry Noodles is 3 times the size of its medium counterpart. Talk about value for money. The noodles are thick and spongy, and the flavorful curry blends everything wonderfully. The generous amount of beef was an added bonus, since we only had 3 slices of beef for the Kaminabe and Sukiyaki.
To top off the beef section, we had the Gyu-Yanagawa ($12, sliced beef topped with egg in a sizzling pan). Do not be fooled by the gargantuan picture in the menu, which will probably leave you salivating. The miserable portion was barely enough for one person, and they do not serve rice (available at $2/bowl) along with it. To give the restaurant due credit, however, the dish is handled with a unique touch relatively differently from other Japanese restaurants, where sauteed gobo root and sweet sauce are added. Here, the egg is mixed with the fresh beef in the pan, unlike the way Sukiyaki is eaten.
After 4 beef dishes, the Una Tama Don that came along was a pleasurable treat. Once again, go for regular ($12.80). Unagi with egg, on top of traditional Japanese rice, the don is worth every dollar. It is said that to differentiate Japanese rice from other types, stick your chopsticks into the rice and when you lift them up, rice will stick to every part of the chopsticks. Try it at Waraku. Another don to attack would be the Kanimi Ankake Don ($12.80) – crabmeat in thick gravy on rice. Other dons that you have tried in food courts or other Japanese restaurants will pale in comparison. The famous Japanese crabmeat is surprisingly substantial in portion, despite its known extravagant cost. The restaurant had a promotion for crab legs once. At $52++, one is allowed to have free flow of the crab meat for 90min. Interesting. Makes me wonder how many crab legs you have to eat to satisfy the ‘kiasu’ Singaporean mentality.
Why go for anything else when you can get reasonably priced and most importantly, AUTHENTIC Japanese cuisine at Waraku? Thumbs-up for the food, but do bear with the noise, stuffy atmosphere and average service.
WARAKU JAPANESE RESTAURANT
1020 EAST COAST PARK WAY SINGAPORE 449878(Located next to Tennis Centre in East Coast)
posted by foodiesteps_here @ 10:37 AM
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