And so the much longed-for lunch with a Japanese food Diva (I’m only a Jap food lover >.<) finally came into fruition.

There wasn’t really a need to muse about the menu coz moi has to exercise restraint to curb that tantalizing urge to go omakase lest The Purse go on strike. Moreover the set lunches here seemed too a pleasingly-agreeable value-for-money extravagance for a satisfying afternoon indulgence.

The Shokado set was given ephemeral attention because I didn’t have fond memories of “all-encompassing bentos”. The Maze(messy)chirashi set seemed like a demoted version of the chirashizushi bento, implying a hodgepodge *messy* of sashimi all hacked up and scattered haphazardly. Unconvinced that those fishes won’t be fishy, I chose the Nigiri Sushi Jyo-sen – 7-piece sushi and one sushi roll with salad, miso soup and dessert ($30).

Lunch kicked off with a complimentary/ compulsory :p otoshi ($3) O_O of some cubed gelatinous konnyaku. Albeit rubbery, it was such a dear pricey otoshi I had better eat it up all. Following quickly in succession a well-dressed portion of crisp salad greens was served. While the bubbly greens were healthy alright, they came almost as gratuitous. Sitting oddly among the rest of the traditional goodies to be had, the salad somewhat robs the Japónese in this whole context. But then…it was Sooooo…..So G-O-O-D with that puddle of fragrant sesame-infused soy dressing, I felt so peckish I was tempted to ask for a second serving. Even the bitter frisée was so palatable.

My poised group of 7 knights looked awfully sophisticated in their presentation, resplendently decked out in their shiny amours and lining up waiting to be devoured hehe. Akin to newly minted warriors, they were all gloriously glowing with appeal except for that one sore black sheep amongst them – a crude piece of gaudily cooked ebi. Eew. Though no fault of its own, I simply chafe at The Cooked Prawn coz it just doesn’t seem to register on my sushi. Nonetheless I didn’t want to request for a replacement lest I get scoffed at for that matter. …bor he hae mah hor… keke

Freshness of sashimi is the make or break for any Japanese restaurant and I was elated Aoki more than meets the grade. Impeccably fresh fish were deftly sliced to near precision. The hamachi (okie this one was fishy), chutoro, hon maguro, ika (eew) all had tasty vinegared rice recoiling under the thick canopy of neta. The ikura sacs were bursting full of oily healthy omega-3 oils; the tamago sandwich was the most endearing of the lot being so very pillow-y and sweet. The ½ and ½ kappa and tekka maki whilst allegedly, not exactly posh bonuses in this set, I assiduously savored every single piece. I can’t say no to chi-chi Tiffany-class sushi, can I? :)

The sushi maestros’ flamboyant show of their mastery was almost a spectacle by itself. Their adept brandishing of those treacherous looking sushi knives, the swift brushes of yuzu on the sashimi pieces, though astoundingly outlandish, hints almost at culinary bounty. Extravaganza aside, the sushi in this set lunch were beyond reasonable expectation, each piece was so oozing with life I submissively savored all unadulterated, neat without the standard shoyu. Nearly.

Dessert particularly was a welcoming change from the mandatory watermelon wedges. We were presented, much to our glee, dainty portions of mochi and 2 balls of ice cream, one being a very blah-blah yuzu sorbet, the other a very novel green one I thought to be matcha, but which turned out as wasabi. Phwah! First tiny spade I couldn’t detect any hint, subsequently the tang came through there was unquestionably no doubt it was wasabi. The spiciness dissipated within a few seconds into the sweet vegetal flavor, after all that’s how all desserts should be. Sweet. Noteworthy here was this wasabi ice cream. I mention it as Wasabi and not Wasabi-Flavor coz I could distinctly decipher the grated herb on my tongue after the cream (in the ice hehe) has melted. The third was a superb rendition of the ubiquitous mochi, so soft and nua I wished there was more. Threesome but definitely not a crowd, these little marvels sure did make us The Elegant Ladies squiggle with delight.

Service was ceremonial but exquisite, encapsulating all the rudiments of conventional Japanese dining etiquette. Though waitresses exude a definite crisp attention to detail (so finicky they didn’t allow That Careless Drop of salad dressing on my shoyu saucer, one of them proceeded to change a fresh saucer before my sushi plate arrive. Talk about being fastidious.=S), they were nonetheless not intrusive allowing a certain privacy for diners to enjoy their meal with optimal comfort. Besides Mr. Aoki who looked so very ominous, ever so ready to pounce on the 2 petite Miss Ixus (budden again he always has this morose look on the face >.<), what markedly impressed during this visit was the unreservedly absence of those appallingly turn-me-off conceits, those supercilious demeanors that can only determine the restaurant’s one gloomy fate: exiled to the Hall of Fame Shame -> Nary this thought. Coz I Like The Food Here.

All these aside, company was great alongside excited banter of chatty ladies at lunch. Thanks m. for your lovely time and sharing in my exuberance. And with many *scheming thoughts for more ladies’ lunches*!

ps: Oh! The Diva ordered the exact same lunch set too. Call us boring *yawn*. …yes…or cheapo. :p