Great Izakaya: Tsubohachi @ Iluma つぼハチ＠イルマ

Thumbs up to this sashimi. One doesn't need to spend a bomb at Sushi Yoshida anymore for fresh and delicious fish. And sashimi comes with grated honwasabi (real wasabi) here:

The sashimi lunch set costs S$14.90 ++! Incroyable! The same set is available for dinner now at S$19.80++:

There's no sign of cost-cutting on the detail; the salt used is sea salt and seasoning such as shichimi toogarashi is made-in-Japan:

So I don't have to travel to Japan for the real stuff.

Mmmm...I am impressed with this place- both by its interior and exterior. It's an exciting fusion of the sturdy old and sprightly modern:

One can't say it boasts of a group of posh Japanese restaurants- that doesn't seem to be its concept. It's made up of several outlets for casual, yet impressive izakaya dining:

At izakaya, staples such as edamame and beer taste almost the same as elsewhere everywhere. The Japanese always demand that their beer be served at the right temperature. I've seen a Japanese man roaring at a waitress and almost driving her to tears at Hong Kong Street (Bukit Timah) for serving his beer 'warmer' than usual. So here, these can be expected to be perfectly served:

The indispensable sake:

Yummm... chijimi is superb as well:

The apparent strengths of this place are: first, it does not have a 'low-cost' izakaya feel.

There was certainly meticulous planning -in the embellishment of what should go to which niche and corner and so forth.

Yet, it's spacious, very appealing to the senses:

There's even a rock garden to look at and attain peace:

Second, the price line is the same as that of Sakae - big shock! - as well as that Tampopo and all those outlets outside Meidi-ya in Liang Court. What a shame to those who cheat on authencity and try to cream the undiscerning average consumers off! Can I say, at least for now, the Japanese restaurant scene here has shown some maturity with the arrival of this group of restaurants? Authentic food, relaxing ambience.

Attentive service as well- I found the Japanese waiters super-friendly and vigilant.
There is an array of favorites for the locals who indulge only in salmon (see Vegetarian Roll below) and kushi-ryori (kebabs):


Sushi is prepared at the counter next door to Tsubohachi:

The grilled fish is as scrumptious as the raw. See nishin grilled to a heavenly crisp:

Although desserts are limited in choice, I love this soft green tea ice garnished with warm cubes of sweet potato with a soft outer crunch. Wunderbar! Slurp.

I'll go there many times more before the authencity wears off, when the chefs and waiters all pack and go home to Japan...

Food quality: 4.0/5.0; service:4.0/5.0; ambience:4.0/5.0; value-for-money: 4.5/5.0

A web link on this restaurant.

Undiplomatic Diplomats

11 Aug 2009: It is not rare to meet unfriendly and arrogant diplomats of this country overseas. I recall many in Japan and Vietnam whom I wished I'd not come face to face with at all.

Today K. wanted to introduce me to another 'His Highness', Ambassador... This encounter in Singapore turned out to be just another which I wish did not happen. The exchange with His Highness today went like this:

My friend to 'His Highness': ..., meet Grace. She's helping us with...

Me to 'His Highness': Hello Ambassador. (Shook hands; presented my business card).

My friend to 'His Highness' again: Oh by the way, Grace speaks ...languages.

'His Highness' looking at my friend said: Oh, we can use her in our functions since she speaks ...languages. (He pointed his thumb a few times towards my direction before turning abruptly and strutting away WITHOUT excusing himself).

A faux pas from another diplomat? Perhaps not an etiquette problem but a reflection of his true character - what's deep down. K. said she was embarassed and apologised to me after the incident. And S., K's colleague, told me earlier that His Highness has NEVER remembered the names of any of them (staff); when he needed them, he gestured with his fingers beckoning them to come over in a condescending way - the kind of gestures (palm turned upwards, moving curved fingers)that we would use for animals or roguish children.

In my decade of living overseas, the MoFA staff who had rendered me kind assistance in many small ways were ironically, those from countries like Thailand, Germany and America. I recall an outstanding Cambridge-educated diplomat from this country who behaved 'so young' that he thought he was always in front of teachers, showing off his knowledge and putting others down frequently. There were also some of the first few questions that a lady diplomat put across to me (out of 'concern' for me?) was 'Where do you live in Singapore?'...'I live in Siglap' (Siglap is an expensive residential area in the East of this isle, you see). And another diplomat's wife to whom I wanted to bid a proper farewell just sounded over the phone as if I was trying to visit her to give her 'trouble' when all I had wanted to do was delivering a small bag of Japanese candies that my family had sent me.

Mutual avoidance with these people gave me better memories of home when I was abroad. Why would I want to look for associations of this country overseas to stay connected?