Ootoya Japanese Restaurant (The Clementi Mall)

If you are craving for some yummy home cooked japanese food, OOTOYA is the place to go. The restaurant looked simple with earthly coloured interior and i must say really low chairs and dining table. It gives me a feeling of dining in a small restaurant in the outskirts of tokyo. Very simple decorations and cutlery designs yet homely, warm and welcoming for me.

Food is delicious and simple... Choose from stirred fried meat and veg dishes to special appetizers like my favourite HIJIKINI.. which is a mixture of seaweed, toufoo skin and black soya bean. The soya bean is caramalized making the entire dish sweetish and the toufoo skin juicy. Not to mention the excellent health benefits of this low calories dish; how do i know of its calories??? Well they are all stated on the food menu. I am very surprised to see the estimated calories for each dish on the menu for all the selections in the menu including desserts, both for single dish order or complete with set. Also when you order the set, you get to choose a few types of rice combinations in a bowl, which included the Gokoku low calories, high fiber rice which is tediously chosen and carefully cooked, only exclusive to the restaurant. You can also choose 3 other types of flavours such as seaweed.

The service at this outlet is pretty good during my time of visit, however I am not sure of peak hours but... I love the open concept kitchen and the huge square table for mass shared sitting that faces the kitchen. Its extremely old jap feel however when you are here, you don't have to seat on your knees... Tables are pretty limited and they only admit customers with groups that have completely arrived. Reservations are also limited, so be early and on a weekend, prepare to queue for a little while.

I find having a meal here is pretty of a good value as the portion is not tiny and the price not gigantic. A rough ball park.. appetizers (S$3 - 6) drinks (S$1 - 5), Mains (S$18 - 35), Desserts (S$5 - 9).

They also do run some fantastic lunch time, high-tea and weekday dinner promos. So do watch out for the small little signs on the restaurant. And while you are there... don't miss the entrance as its small and so square... and low... you might mistaken it as being CLOSED.... if you can pop your head in.....