Lively Japanese fish market atmosphere at Hana Restaurant
It was a Monday yet the restaurant was bustling, like a lively Japanese seafood market, since it opened for dinner at 6pm.
I made the difficult choice of settling for the Premium 12 Plate ($58) – a great way to try a bit of everything.
The presentation was reminiscent of Korean style, with 12 dishes elegantly arranged on a wooden tray. It included sashimi, sushi, chirashi, somen, tempura, and grilled lobster in house-made mentaiko sauce. My favourites were the sashimi, lobster and a unique shishamo roe mixed with wasabi mayo.
There is also a cheaper option at $38 for 12 plates.
My daughter Sarah ordered the Jumbo Sushi Platter ($58), featuring five regular-sized sushi pieces paired and their jumbo counterparts. The selection included salmon, maguro with a light shoyu glaze, pink swordfish, tamago and unagi.
The regular-sized sushi were more enjoyable but the jumbo versions injected some fun into the meal.
We ordered the "flying noodles" when we saw it served at the table next to ours.
We opted for the clean and sharp flavours of the Flying Truffle Somen With Ikura And Sakura Ebi ($20). The delicate somen noodles soaked up the dashi broth superbly, enhanced by a noticeable truffle essence.
Pro tip: Put portions of somen into the sauce bowl and top it with the condiments.
We both relished the Lobster Mayo Sushi Taco ($15 for 2 pieces).
The crunchy taco shell was filled generously with lettuce and chunks of lobster coated in mayo and topped with tobiko. If not for the sushi rice, this could easily be mistaken for Mexican cuisine. I will gladly return to the restaurant just for the tacos.
Resistance was futile with the popular Jiggly ($7.90), a cute cat-shaped, wobbly pudding available in strawberry, coconut or chocolate flavours.
The strawberry variant had a strong aroma reminiscent of a strawberry milkshake, and the coconut one was a little light on the flavour. The chocolate Jiggly was our favourite.
We were offered a choice of strawberry, chocolate or coconut sauce to drizzle over the Jiggly for added sweetness. If you opt for the coconut pudding, I recommend pairing it with chocolate sauce.
Daddy and daughter approved!
Hana Restaurant
01-17, 583 Orchard Road, Forum The Shopping Mall, Singapore 238884
Open noon to 2.30pm and 6pm to 9pm daily
Website: infobenjaminbrowns.wixsite.com/my-site/hana-restaurant
Instagram: @hanarestaurantsg
CULINARY EXPLORER ON A JOURNEY OF FLAVOURS
Embarking on a delectable adventure that spans continents, Ray Tan joins our news outlet as an avid food reviewer. Recognised by his digital alter ego, @beyondtheisland, Ray has carved a niche for himself as a distinguished foodie, and is often accompanied by his daughter to local dining.
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