Akashi Japanese Restaurant (VivoCity)

A Japanese restaurant that I frequent a lot! High quality/standard food but not overly costly.

1) Salmon teriyaki $16

Quite a big chunk of fish and the sauce is not overly sweet

2) Saba shioyaki $16

Fresh, tender meat. Quite a big piece but a tad too oily cos it's grilled

3) Gyoza and udon $13

The udon is worth mentioning because it is not the usual udon which we are used to eating at normal jap restaurants. This udon is thinner and flatter so not as jelat.

4) Tempura $18

Crispy! Remains cripsy even after soaking in the sauce

5) Edamame $4

Ask for them to heat it up- will taste much better! Served immediately after seating down which is good for starving customers!

6) Definitely worth a mention and a try: Japanese Sweet Potato Grilled with Salt Seasonal Price

Very sweet and soft! Superb! Thumbs up, totally love it!

 

and also, request for hot towel to wipe your hands! very shiok!

totally value for money! plus a homely japanese ambience!

the prices shown are for lunch. dinner prices will be slightly higher.

photos at http://apictorialofgluttony.blogspot.com

Decided to lunch there as my colleague is giving me a treat. We walked in during lunch hour at about 1230pm on a weekday and was met by their kimono clad service staff right upon entering, and was seated immediately. Menus were presented and we ordered green tea.

Ordered gyu teriyaki ala-carte, umi tsuki don set and sukiyaki set. Edamame is served to the table by default and is chargeable while the green tea is on the house. Food was served in timely manner, and the ambiance was pleasant. We were seated somewhere in the middle and I was able to see the sashimi chefs at work.

The gyu teriyaki looked nice with pinkish center. Some pieces were chewy due to the tough tendons. The meat seemed to be coated with something (flour?) and pan-fried to golden crispiness on the outside but still moist and juicy on its inside. After a while, the crispy part absorbs the sauces and it gives a pleasant tasty sensation when eaten, especially the mid portion of the steak where the meat is all tender.

Umi tsuki don (mixed seafood cubes on rice) was pretty to look at. Colourful dish and the seafood covered every surface of the rice. The salmon and maguro tasted fresh and firm. This set was served with miso soup and shredded cabbage salad.

The sukiyaki set was pleasantly filled with generous amount of sliced beef. By generous, I meant two pax (ladies) can share the beef and yet felt that each had eaten enough. I had thought the beef would be separated from the soup, but here, everything is already in the pot, simmered nicely except for the raw leafy vegetables which gave it a bit of colour amongst the brown. The soup was nicely sweet and tasty. It has loads of vegetables, tofu and japanese vermicelli. Very filling.

Service was efficient and our tea was refilled automatically and regularly on the day of visit.

For more pictures, you may wish to visit here.

I always liked visiting this outlet because it always offered such a welcome respite from the massive crowds at Vivo.

Having a craving for their Gyu Teriyaki one weekend, we decided to visit Akashi before their peak hour. We entered the restaurant at a quarter to 6. There was only one other table seated. There were no servers to be seen and we had to wait at the entrance for a few minutes.

An unsmiling waitress(her name was Winnie) brought us to a window seat, in full view of the shoppers outside. I declined the seat and chose another for a more relaxing experience. After taking our orders, she hurried off to the kitchen and pretty much walked as fast as she could in her kimono uniform after serving us our tea. Bear in mind that they had only one other table and it was well within their opening hours.  

We ordered Gyu Teriyaki, Gyu Don as our mains, Tamago and Fried Whitebait as an appetizer. I was really shocked when the same waitress rushed over and slammed the Gyu Don on the table. There was a reverbrating clatter on the table as she did that as I felt like making some sort of comment on the appalling attitude. Not only did she fail to be pleasant, no eye contact was ever maintained but to be rude was another thing! I decided to keep mum until my food was served.

My Gyu Teriyaki was presented in the same manner. However it was presented with other small dishes, but were still slammed on the table. At 6pm sharp, 4 other servers came and took up their positions behind the casher and at the drinks station. I felt uncomfortable as they standing directly opposite our table and staring at us. Perhaps it was a really bad idea to beat the crowd. It was obvious we interrupted Winnie in the middle of something, hence the treatment from her. I would like to highlight that everytime a dish was served or drinks were refilled (upon our request), servers were always thanked, but our courtesy was never acknowledged. Everyone is entitled to a bad day, but this takes the cake.

Watch out for the servers' nasty attitude. It can kill a good meal. I liked my food but not enough to subject myself to such bad service.

Compared to my last experience at the other Akashi branches, I felt that the quality here was just average at best.

It did not help that upon entering the premise the place smelled like a fish market.

Down to the food, I tried the Gyu Don Set ($15). The beef was a little tough but taste-wise it certainly met expectations and I must say that it gelled well with the half boiled egg.

I also tried the Umi Tsuki Don Set ($25). What was funny was that when I ordered this the waitress said " this has seafood you know?". Yes, but I would have trusted that AVA would have done their checks so I am not too fazed about having a little sashimi now and then. The quality of the swordfish, tuna, salmon belly, squid and egg were of average quality. The soup that came with the set was heartwarming and the salad refreshing so it certainly helped bring up the overall quality of the food.

Service was average, and this place can be quite busy during lunch so a booking in advance is advised.

I am surprised that this branch hasn't got decent reviews... I might have been lucky with my choice of bento set. But I seriously thought the food was quite good. I had a tempura set for dinner (can't remember what my husband ate..it was a few months back). But everything was just nice and simple and well done. the rice had some nice tea leaves-like stuff sprinkled on it which adds to the taste. Only complain was that they dished you this green peas starter without telling you that you are charged for it. The waitresses could have done a better job. they didn't look very interested in whether you would like to order or pay... the lunch sets might have been better value.

A bowl of edamame was served when the waitress handed the menu to us. Because I was so hungry, I didn’t bother asking whether it’s complimentary (like bread in european restaurants) or charged (think peanuts in chinese restaurants). Eat first, ask later. And no surprise, it turned out to be the latter. Not too expensive at $2++.

I’ve got a thing for soba lately. Especially chilled green tea soba, the star of my Nigiri Chasoba Set ($16++ for lunch/$20++ for dinner). I cracked the cute little raw quail egg into the dipping sauce and was slurping away before you can say “itadakimasu”!

Maguro, sake, ebi and tamago are the selected nigiri sushi which comes with the set. The tuna was so fishy that I had to heap lots of wasabi on it to mask its strong taste. Otherwise, the rest of the sushi was pretty good.

Nabeyaki Udon ($14++ for lunch/$18++ for dinner) has a very sweet broth that’s addictive.

I don’t understand why there’s a discrepancy between lunch and dinner prices since the food quality is essentially the same. It’s like blatantly taking advantage of the 9 to 5 office workers who can only afford the time for dinner. Lucky for me I haven’t fall into that category. Yet.

I’ll only go for lunch! Never dinner.

For photos/reviews, visit My Food Sirens =)

So there is a credit crisis. Many parts of the world are in a economic recession, technical or otherwise. This we all know but does it make it right for a Japanese restaurant not to serve proper Japanese rice?

I have been patronising Akashi for many years. Decent, pocket friendly food that allowed me to order on the phone, pop over to have the food ready at the table when I get there; eat while they swipe my credit card. It was wham-bam-thank you-madame kind of good. Those were the days when Akashi had a branch at Raffles Link. Their branch at Orchard Parade Hotel and Paragon were equally good. Hence the great disbelieve at Vivocity.

I was shocked when my guest informed me that the rice they served her wasn't the usual Japanese rice. I thought she was kidding. I couldn't help but notice that her Otsukuri Set also look a mighty poor cousin of the one pictured in the menu. Small poor cuts of sashimi, we could really do better at Cold Storage. When my Akashi Bento came, I tried the rice and had to agree. WTF?!

Next shocking event...my miniscule excuse of tuna sashimi that came with the Akashi Bento. Best part? They couldn't even be bothered to cut it properly. We are not talking about standards of Japanese chefs that take years to cultivate their craft here. I wouldn't expect it for a $20 bento but come on, the three thin slices were like discarded pieces of bad quality fish and get this... all three were joined together at the tip. Surely, they can afford decently sharp knives or at least put in some effort to make it presentable? So I bring it up to the waitress. Guess what she did? She brings the bento back to the chef at the bar, he cuts the same damned pieces and returns the bento to my table. Bravo.

Often in a family friendly Japanese restaurant, I hear shrieks in Japanese that I can't make out. Almost porno like...it's therapeutic. You start to believe you're in Japanese restaurant. Here, the waitresses bellow to each other in Cantonese. That should have been the cue to leave.

Set meals like gyu teriyaki or miso cod are good value for money and tastewise really not bad. Gyu teriyaki melts in your mouth! Had the saba set and the chicken cutlet set here and was impressed by the large portions and above average taste.

Sashimi is good quality too but not cheap at $20 for 5 pieces. But worth it for the quality I feel. the Ura Maki is a must-try, its really delicious. the flavours blend together so well and they are so generous with the roe on top.

Service pretty standard but I think could be better.

Will definitely be back again!

One of the better Jap restaurant around. Price is not cheap but food not bad. try the fried chicken, beef udon, sukiyaki, grilled prawns, all nice. sounds like normal jap food items but the taste is nice in comparison to other jap restuarant. cant say for the rest of the menu cos never try yet.

Service can be better. the china servers do not seem to understand what i say (even in mandarin). mayb its me who has a problem or the server has hearing probs.

My impression of Akashi is cold, uppitty and expensive thusfar. Could be due to its positioning all along..being located at Orchard Parade Hotel, Paragon, Tanglin Shopping Centre..mainly the higher end of eating districts.

Set dinners galore, it amused my companions how there's a different price for lunch and dinner. According to the Akashi regular, the portions are bigger for dinner. The menu isn't extensive but it leaves you spoilt for choice. Cha Soba, Sushi and Tempura were my cravings for the day and it's a pity they didn't have a set offering all three, at best two.

Complimentary endamame beans, lightly salted just the way I like it.

We gave fried white bait and grilled eggplant with miso a go. The fried white bait was crunchy and not salty but had more batter than required.

The eggplant was a wrong choice made. It arrived looking dowdy and dry, upon tasting..it's slightly raw and tasted more like banana than eggplant.

I ended up with a set with Cha Soba and Tempura ($20) and stole a piece of tuna sushi from the gf. The Cha Soba's smooth, runny and delicious!

Comparable with Shimbashi's. I avoided the quail egg though, after the gooey fishy combination I ended up with after experimenting it at Hanabi once. The tempura's lightly fried, no traces of oil...2 prawn tempuras, 1 sweet potato, 1 salmon, 1 brinjal. Impressive ebi tempura, the prawn was fresh, no hint of bicarbonate! My brinjal tempura tasted more like brinjal than the grilled one! The tuna sushi's very fresh, a rolled ball of rice with a thick slice of tuna sitting daintily atop. My first attempt at sushi with more ingredients than rice..yums!

Service is alright, food is not too bad..probably be back for sushi and sashimi. I'll remember it for the yummy ebi tempura, tuna sushi and cha soba. The dinner sets are value for money...I didn't find it outstanding. My prior impression of Akashi is partially accurate..it lacks some warmth about the place, not quite the friendly Waraku nor aloof Tonkichi..somewhere in between. Uppity and expensive it is not quite, prices are average.

http://thefoodchapter.blogspot.com/2009/03/akashi-restaurant-vivocity.html