If you can hear me now, I'm sucking the air thru my teeth like some Japanese going "Eto ...". But I'm going to go with fatpig's review and agree with his ratings.

First off, I like the homey unpretentious atmosphere - kitschy jap dolls and motifs, hawaiian music wafting thru the air, and manga aplenty to keep you occupied because it's true - the legendary long wait took 3 hours from 7 pm. In fairness, the mother was holding down the fort, didn't see the daughter.

Food goes like this
1) Maguro with whitish yam paste - $9 - rather ex

2) Chako teishoku - $19 - fish and grill chicken, with rice and sides. O.K.

3) Oden - $22 - jap yong tau fu, served with rice. Tasty, only heightened by my extreme hunger at 9 pm.

4) Chako yakiniku - was the letdown of the lot. A plate of stir fried beef with mixed veg, rice and sides, should NOT arrive at 9 15 pm and cost $19.

5) Dessert ice cream - $6.50. One scoop garnished with some fruit. Cappucino and black sesame was on the thin side, but mango was creamy enough

By 9 pm, jokes were abounding whether we should ask for beer - in case our delightful and charming hostess / chef had to go and ferment hops ... so ok, without being unfair to a small establishment, go if you like comfort food and maternal pampering.

I read abt Chako from this site plus my friends mentioned Hong Leong has good (authentic) Jap food so for my birthday dinner with my two good pals, we thought to give Chako a try.

Firstly, we were surprised that there was only ONE person in the kitchen. Hell, there was total of only TWO staff. ONE Chako and the other a man (her husband?)

We had difficulty with the menu (jap names, no description, no pics) but the man was nice enuff to explain what is wat but that took a while. Good thing 3 of us knew what we wanted (the usual sashimi, chawamushi, saba, etc)

Our next surprise was the next table had a bento set and before the lady dipped her food into a sauce, Chako came out almost immediately going in her broken english "NO, NO, cannot, Jap no eat like that, I want you to taste it first before mixing" WOW...

Then we found out that we almost could not have sashimi as usually it is pre-ordered (talk abt fresh!) but we were fortunate to have some extras...phew!

Next surprise was how loooooong the food took to arrive on our table BUT when the first dish came, BOY was the wait worth it. It was one of the freshest sashimi my teeth ever sank into. I usually dun like tuna but her tuna was the best I ever eaten

All in all...we came in at 730 and left at 10pm (the longest non-wedding dinner ever!)

But the food was really good and I recommend those who wanna go try...PLEASE ORDER BEFORE arriving!

Next...Sakuraya!

In the western region of Singapore lies a gem that is Restaurant Chako. Established in 1978 by Chako, the lady boss cum chef, the eatery boasts home cooked food that is cooked when you place your order and at prices that won't burst your pocket.

Located at a rather prominent row of shops along the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE), Chako is ironically hidden from sight and totally devoid of human traffic on a Tuesday evening. Not that I'm complaining though. The interior was tiny and oozed a homely feel made complete by a shelf full of Japanese comics and the motherly figure of Chako, who fussed over us and explained to us in detail the items on the menu (which happens to be in Japanese by the way).

The Occha deserves a mention on its own. Unlike the usual Occha served at most other Japanese eateries, the Occha here was particularly fragrant and carried a whiff of coffee aroma. It had a tinge of coffee taste as well which was delightful.

The sides of Miso Soup and Cold Tofu came with every order of a main course. What I liked about the Miso soup was that there were cockles in it, which was something different. However the soup did come across as a tad too salty for my liking. The tofu was soft and silky but nothing out of the ordinary.

My Hanburg steak was nice and thick but a little too soft for my liking. Meat was pan fried till well done instead of the usual medium/medium rare which would have been tastier and juicier. Simply done without the frills and very decent.

Served up with various vegetables like lettuce, carrots, egg plants etc, the Yakiniku Chicken was relatively well done. Crispy on the outside and not too heavy on the BBQ sauce. Add the fact that it was topped with a generous amount of crushed peanuts and you have a nice yet simple dish.

The vanilla soya bean ice cream came across as light, tasting of soya with a tinge of vanilla. It came with cut fruits which had been carefully prepared, ie. the grapes had the head cut off and the pear has its skin removed.

I'm not exactly a fan of yoghurt but the mango yoghurt wasn't half as bad as I made it out to be. Slightly sourish with a dash of mango. I understand that both desserts are hand made by Chako herself.

We were the only 2 customers in the restaurant that evening and it was a long dinner, standing at 2.5hrs and costing $55. Expensive? A little. Food quality? Decent. Satisfaction from a home cooked dinner? Priceless. On a side note, please be prepared to wait for your food as it is a one man show. If you can't understand Japanese, please bring along something to read to while away the long waiting times.

See all my pictures here

Finding this place is a bit of a hunt, and it's tricky enough without grouchy panda stabbing me with her frequent "are you lost?" looks.

Hong Leong Gardens is an older complex right beside the Clementi Ave 6 exit from AYE. I thought that once I have found Hong Leong Gardens, I am home safe, but actually there are FOUR Japanese restaurants in this little complex. All of them look like they have started business during the hey-days of Japanese industry in Jurong. Well, Toyotas are now made in Thailand and the biggest Japanese presence in this area is Diaso. But judging by the number of Lexus's packing the lot outside, you know that these 4 small restaurants still command the loyalty of their customers after all these years.

Restaurant Chako happens to be the most unassuming of the 4, and standing outside I wonder for a second if my safety is in jeopardy having dragged a dangerously grouchy panda all the way here. But once I slide open the faux-paper-curtain door, I know that it's all worthwhile. Stepping into Restaurant Chako is like stepping out of Singapore for an hour or two, and being invited into the home kitchen of a very nice Japanese lady whose nickname is the name of the restaurant. She is helped by one of her daughters on this evening, and other than grouchy panda and me, there's only 1 other table with a small family.

Rumi, the daughter, has a warm smile and patiently worked with us to decide our meals for the evening. This is home cooking, and mother Chako says she prefers to cook only after she has taken a look at the person so that she is really preparing a personalized meal. We've been warned about the waiting time and we came mentally prepared. However, the waiting process is as much a part of the whole experience as enjoying the food. You can hear the sounds of preparation in the kitchen, which is only partially shielded from view by the bamboo curtains that also serve as the menu, and the soft conversations between mom and daughter makes you realize that this is no ordinary restaurant and as such, no ordinary benchmark will apply. Best to just sit back, read a book or manga, and enjoy the experience of having someone prepare a customized home-cooked meal for you.

The food is very deserving of the wait. panda's grilled saba is sweet and the unagi don for me is layered with egg that is still a bit runny, mixing well with the rice. The portions are as generous as your grandmother. There are many more bento sets on the menu and after this first experience we are tempted to try them all, one at a time.

Rumi recommends a home-made ice cream and we are glad we followed her advice. The macha flavour is out (Chako-san apologizes profusely), but the sesame one is fantastic; grouchy panda tried the cappuchino ice cream but found it a bit too concentrated. Nonetheless, a superb effort with a resulting texture that is different from what you will find in the supermarkets and chains.

We were the last to leave and mother and daughter momentarily put aside the cleaning-up to chat with us, telling us how Chako-san has done this since 1978, and also sharing with us a little story behind the picture of President Nathan and First Lady posing with their whole family. Apparently bentos are still occasionally prepared for delivery to the long-time fan...

I suggest you give this place a try. It may not turn out to be as fantastic for you, but hack, you'll still get to meet some wonderful people. At least grouchy panda left happy and strangely calm.

You want Home Cooked Japanese Food? You will want Home Cooked Japanese Food.
This establishment was first introduced to me by my mother-in-law (Japanese) when my-in-laws were in Singapore.
It looks rather humble both inside and outside.
One caution for people wanting to visit this place, you need to wait for your food......
Why????
Because the food is only prepared when you order it. (Can you imagine if you made the meal yourself)
Okay back to the food.....
I would recommend the Hamburger Teisoku.
The beef pattie used is soft and tender, even a 2 year old kid would enjoy it(well mine did when he was two.)
The set comes with potato salad, spagetti, miso soup and rice and costs about 17.00.
Highly recommended. (I usually order this)
Like I said perviously, The wait will be long but worth it.
Best also to bring something to read ( although there are some japanese manga available.)

I emphasise again.....order before you reach.