Waraku (East Coast)

Ever since the previous visit to Waraku, i've been pining for the next outing to reconfirm my impressions of the place. This time, i brought my entire family there for dinner since its my sister's birthday and was hoping for the same treatment of good Japanese cuisine as my first visit. You can view my first impressions here.

Parking space was abundant when we arrived at approximately 6pm but was soon taken up as the dinner crowd came in. The same goes for space within the restaurant as there were plenty of space which was quickly filled up within minutes after we arrived. The place looks decidedly grander since it occupies a themed building all by itself and is finished with wooden furniture for an authentic Japanese feel. However, it was also more cramped then the cuppage branch and somehow did not project an image of being a relaxing venue.

Iced Coffee ($3.80) - I've said it before and i'll say it again. Never order drinks in a restaurant unless you want to order wine or feel as though you have too much money. The coffee was tasteless at best and is a wonderful example of wasting money.

Tonkatsu Set ($15.50) - My father and sister had this set but he said it wasn't anything special. The Japanese curry and sticky rice did not appeal to him as he prefers his curry spicy. The katsu was juicy, lightly battered and tender but otherwise a tad too oily. My sister enjoyed it but said it could have been better.

Yasai Curry Udon ($10.80) - My mother's a vegetarian and so this suited her perfectly. The Udon came in a huge bowl and was filled with mushrooms, carrots, tomatoes and assorted greens to go with the slightly thin udon. I found it quite sour and mildly spicy which makes for an appetizing meal. My mom was quite taken with it as well.

Gyu Yanagawa Wazen with Cold Soba ($16 2) - This is the reason why i returned to this restaurant and this time, the experience is somewhat muted due to the fact that the table was packed with food but they still kept adding our orders when they should have waited. That aside, the beef was as tasty as ever and the stock is still sweet. The cold soba however, was an unworthy introduction as it just doesn't taste authentic enough. I still prefer Cha Soba instead.

Ebi Cheese Curry Udon ($10.80) - My gf took a surprise turn this time around and chose to have udon instead of Katsu. I must say she makes interesting and good choices as the Ebi Cheese curry udon turned out pretty good. The ebi (or prawns/shrimps) were big, crunchy, fresh and sweet which complemented the cheese curry well. The curry was thick and tasted of garlic and cheese with a little sour vinegar taste to add variety. Nicely done but portion could be bigger.

Potato Mentai ($8.80) - This item drew lots of heat on me as nobody seemed to liked it. Everyone felt that the fish eggs (the pink little dots you see) gave the cheese and potatoes a fishy and revolting smell and taste. It is indeed so after the first few bites and the smell lingers long after the dish is finished. Its basically just potatoes heated in a pan with oil, fish eggs and cheese. Not worth the money nor agony involved in finishing it.

Salmon Teriyaki ($8.80) - This was ridiculous when it was served. The serving was terribly small and felt like a rip off from the start. Upon the taste test, it did have the usual teriyaki trappings but i felt the meat was too dry. Overall, my money is better off ordering other stuff.

Soft Shell Crab ($6.80) - I can sum up the soft shell crab in two words: Overly Fried. It was so crunchy i couldn't make out the taste of crab at all. Not something i will try again here, the Ichiban Boshi rendition is a little better since it comes in bigger portions.

Salmon Cheese with Tartar Sauce ($6.80) - Thin, crisp bread batter with 2 slice of salmon and cheese in the middle. Deep fry it and serve with lemon and tartar sauce. This is hardly worth the money to eat given that its such a simple dish. Nonetheless, its tastes like fishy Mcnuggets and wasn't too bad. Just not worth an order.

Agedashi Tofu ($6.80) - I guess you just can't go wrong with tofu. Soft, silky and hot. The tofu was as good as the cuppage branch as well. Portion size is still a problem though as this works out to be close to $1.75 a tofu which is darn expensive.

Renkon Chips ($4.80) - Lotus root in thin slices deep fried in oil. Somehow, deep frying seems like a popular way of cooking these days. Anyway, this was surprisingly nice and light. The chips literally melt and disappear the moment you chew or bite on it, leaving a taste of lotus on your tongue. However, you really can do this on your own at home, so save the money and just get on with it yourself.

Surprisingly, after all those orders and food, the bill only came to $139. I wouldn't call it a fulfilling meal but it got the job done.

Though it goes by the same name and cuisine, the experience i had here was much less pleasurable due in part to the constantly shouting serving staff and the really small table we had. The food was still decent but i did realise that if you are not a beef lover, do stay away as the value drops considerably when you order the non beef items. The only items i found decent this time round was the ebi cheese and the yasai curry udon, obviously my beef dish was still good but everything else was mediocre. The serving staff also needs to learn that when the table is full, stop bringing orders out. I would say the place is still good but i'm not returning to this branch ever again. It was a much better experience at cuppage.