O-AN Japanese Restaurant

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Now Closed

Located at the basement area of Hong Leong Building in bustling CBD area, this enigmatic and quaint little Japanese restaurant holds its own rather well, especially during lunchtime. It offers bento sets, assortment of ramen and rice bowls, as well as delivery of party sets. the sets are very reasonably priced as well, ranging from SGD$13.90 to SGD$35++.The first was the Chirashi Don set (SGD$20.00) , comprising of a bowl of Japanese filled generously with small pieces of raw fish (sashimi), a cold tofu starter, pickled vegetables, Miso soup, and two slices of water-melon.The. Sashimi dices were quite fresh, with buoyancy that bounced with every bite. We spotted salmon sashimi, tuba sashimi, swordfish sashimi and salmon roe etc. It was delicately delicious, a satisfying set for lunch a la an adult's version of "happy meal".Next, there Gyu Don set (SGD$13.90) and we turned it into Gyu Tama Don (beef with egg and rice) by adding egg at an extra cost of SGD$2.00. There were sweet onion strips, lightly flavoured, as well as tender beef pieces that melted in the mouth readily after a few chewy bites. The addition of eggs gave it a smoothness as well as hint of sweetness and more moistenedFor full review and more detailed information, please feel free to refer to: http://thearcticstar.blogspot.sg/2015/05/lunch-at-o-japanese-restaurant-raffles.html continue reading

I've heard a lot about this place and read reviews that the soup was too sweet and the service was very slow. But I didn't experience any of that. In fact, the food came out so quickly we were surprised! We did however make a reservation for which I had to SMS and only 2 days later did I get a confirmation.The sashimi is fresh. The fried chicken was good. I like the salad, shabu shabu was a little sweet , I dumped the egg in there and enjoyed eating the steamed egg. The Saba fish was the BEST! by the time the ramen came, we were quite full. Would def come back here again for the 10 course meal! continue reading

It was an unforgettable dining experience at O-An. It was too unpleasant to forget. I visited the place after buying a Groupon voucher for a meal there. And it was a nightmare.It might sound exaggerated but truthfully I did feel so. The food was all below standard. The Sukiyaki was far too sweet while the Ramen was tasteless. Worst of all, it took altogether 2 hours for the food to arrive even though it was not really packed. There were some customers who left without bothering to wait on further for their food. Food quality was bad, waiting time for food was horrendously long, service was slow. The place was seriously understaffed as the empty tables were mostly uncleared. In conclusion, the unpleasantness was just beyond description. continue reading

I was at O-AN Japanese Restaurant located at the basement of Hong Leong Building, for a Wednesday dinner. The nearest MRT is Raffles Place (Exit I), about a ten minutes walk from the MRT gantries. You know how huge Raffles Place MRT is. First thing - a very blur OOTD + weirdo-selfie-in-the-reflection + the restaurant's exterior all rolled into one photo. I'm efficient (and lazy), I know.Arriving at this restaurant with a Deal.com.sg voucher - it's $29.90/2pax for a 10-course meal (ie. $15/pax). Always read the fine print of restaurant vouchers... and for this, the clause that you might miss out is: Voucher does not include GST & service charges, payable to merchant (ie. desk counter of restaurant). What is not said: Drinks not included. After some consideration, the price is still very worth it - around $17.50/pax (excluding drinks). The interior is very huge. It's often packed to the brim during lunch time as the restaurant draws its crowd from the office-goers around Raffles Place, but it's only almost a quarter filled during dinner time (Trivia: Observed from a Wednesday night) - not much reservations needed, but you can always call to feel more settled.In O-AN restaurant - a general contemporary atmosphere with a hint of Japan here and there - with printed pictures of Mount Fuji and traditional Japanese portraits hanging on the walls. There are semi-private partitions (with see-through black fringe curtains). The interior is generally classy and quiet.House Sake - 180ml ($15, but it was having 1-for-1)Not included in the package but it really sets the tone for the meal. I like the fragrance of it coupled with the warmth in the stomach - really sets a good base for the food that is about to arrive. There is an option of serving it hot or cold, but even when served warm, it reaches room temperature pretty quickly because the sake flask is not heat-insulated.Salmon SashimiI liked this a lot. The sashimi flesh is thick, juicy and smooth - giving a melt in your mouth and instant gratification. Sadly there are only three pieces for two pax, so I'm not sure how the two fight over the remaining sinfully glorious piece. Recommended if you're ordering ala carte. EdamameNot a fan of this crunchy vegetable, but this edamame is surprisingly not tasteless like the usual ones I eat but has a subtle hint of soy and saltish taste. Fun for popping while waiting for the dishes (which were served quickly). Potato SaladThe table was raving over the potato salad, which was above average in my opinion because I liked how it is made of unevenly-blended real potato mash (I'm tired of eating factory-made mashed potato), and the freshness of the cucumber, carrot and the veggies on the side complement it well, as it might get a little dry on its own. I'm complimenting the vegetables. Yes, it's that good. Recommended if you're ordering ala carte.Grilled Saba MackerelThe fish skin was slightly crispy but the fish meat was tender and easy to bite... there might be a bit of edible bones in there though, safe to swallow whole. Quite good as well but then again, the portion is a little bit too small. Agedashi TofuThis tastes very normal to me, a little lacking of surprise or layering in taste. TempuraAmazingly, this is one of the rare fried food items that I actually enjoyed (not in this meal, but in general). This tempura leaves a sweet and lingering prawn aftertaste, and the oil used is definitely fresh. I liked this a lot. Recommended if you're ordering ala carte.Tori KarrageWhile paling in comparison to the tempura, the tori karrage can still hold its own fort with its crispy chicken skin and quite-tender chicken meat. No bones inside, which made me very happy as I ate this. Better than the usual chicken wings, but still a passable dish for me.Yasai Itame HandrollQuite a disappointing dish for this, while the prawn roe and cucumbers were enjoyable, somehow the seaweed was super difficult to tear and it made eating this very messy. The crabstick also tasted store-bought. Not a good idea to order this ala carte.Sukiyaki HotpotI liked the soup base a lot! It is savoury and tasty with the egg we poured in (okay, the raw egg mixture was supposed to be a dip)! The beef slices were already tucked in the almost-spilling sukiyaki hotpot and mixing requires quite a bit of skill. It is also packed with mushrooms. Great fun and delicious. Recommended if you're ordering ala carte.Tonkotsu RamenThe soup base is not too salty even with the seaweed and the ramen noodles is quite a bit tougher to the bite than the ramen offered at other places. It turned out to be quite good anyway, but no egg inside. T_T This was the last dish so maybe they thought you'll be full by now - I was at about 90% full by this time.Overall: A good deal voucher to try out many Japanese dishes at a go. If you were to skip the drinks and just try out the food, it's around $17.50 per pax for so much food, definitely worth it. It is currently SOLD OUT, but these deals rotate sometimes - so keep a lookout! ;)For more photos and menu, please visit: http://spherepiece.blogspot.sg/2013/11/food-o-japanese-restaurant.html continue reading