Chijmes was the atmospheric setting for our Valentine’s Day dinner.

Having undergone a stunning facelift as a national heritage site, Chijmes is now a trendy dining and leisure spot.

Having dined at its sister outlet – Sun with Moon Japanese Dining and Café, at Wheelock Place, I was pretty positive that the standard of the food served at Japanese Dining Sun @ Chijmes would pleased both our taste buds.

Without a doubt, we ordered Sashimi – Hamachi, or yellowtail, and Salmon Belly for the appetiser. I have to commend that it was one of the best sashimi I have ever tasted.

Not only was the chef generous in the thick slicing of the fish, each serving of sashimi was thoughtfully packed with ice at the bottom, to keep the fish chilled and fresh for consumption. The manager also recommended the Grilled Anchovies with Japanese Mayonnaise, which is pretty tasty when, go along with Hot Sake.

Speaking of which it was pretty interesting as the waitress brought out a basket of ceramic sake cups in different shapes and sizes, and ask us to pick one each.

For our starter, I opted for the Tuna Belly Sushi, or Otoro. Part of the Tuna’s lower belly which contains high fat content, Otoro is a highly prized fish in Japanese dining that is rich in taste and silky in texture.

And it is said the best time for consuming Otoro is during peak winter period (Nov – Feb), where the fish accumulates the most fats. For mains, we went with their signature Kamameshi (traditional steamed seasoned rice pot) of Beef and Foie Gras. They came served in traditional Japanese wooden pots.

Atop each pot stood an hourglass to indicate the end of one minute — the time required for the piping hot steam to permeate the rice casserole within. This method of cooking, apparantly dates back to the 19th century.

The beef slices was tender and marinated to taste, and the Foie Gras was sinfully excellent. Added to the fact that the rice is cooked just nicely as compared to my 1st experience at Sun with Moon, the Kamameshi was excellent this time round.

To round up the wonderful night, I went for piece of delightful Tofu Cheesecake that I have been carving for ever since I tried it, and she decided on the Kyodango & Warabi Mochi platter that comes with opaque yellow bean squares.

I am not a big fan of flour but I have to say that the mochi were delightfully smooth and soft, but however the sweetened thick soy sauce that goes over it is a bit of an acquired taste.

You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.