The winning dish for me is the egg tofu in pumpkin sauce ($10++) cuz it’s everything I love in one big deep dish: painstakingly homemade tofu that’s so silky soft, sweet and fresh pumpkin puree, plus loads of bell peppers, ginkgo nuts and Japanese mushrooms.

What do you always order at Cze Char places? For me, it’s deep-fried yam ring! The Mask’s version ($15++) is filled with a mixture of stir-fried vegetables, cashew nuts and chicken. Though the ring is a tad too thin, I still like this cuz it’s not oily at all and the texture is smooth.

Though this looks fiery, the chili crab ($40++) was more sweet than spicy. The crab was rather skinny and not too meaty. Better versions can definitely be found elsewhere.

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My favourite is the Ai-Yu (愛玉) Iced Tea ($3.50), which wins lots of brownie points from me for being so refreshing, with a very light and palatable citrus aftertaste. Another good bet is KOI’s signature—Bubble Milk Green Tea ($2.40), which is very smooth and fragrant. Next time though, I’ll just ask for no pearls cuz the amount of black pearls is seriously too generous (almost half a cup)! I know there are many people who like those tapioca balls cuz they are chewy, starchy and nice to munch on—exactly the same reasons why I don’t like them.

And because it’s so popular that there are always long queues, KOI uses a numbering system that works very well. You order, pay, get a number and wait for your drinks, easy-peasy.

This restaurant seems to be always packed with both locals and Japanese so please remember to make a reservation before heading down.

I tried the unagi bento which had a large slab of grilled eel that's so tender and just melt in the mouth.

People who had the signature house bento swear by the fatty braised pork belly!

The egg omelette was decent, sweet and soft.

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Being an izakaya, Taira has a very large selection of appetisers on its menu, with quite a few funky starters like pig’s ears (!!) and I thought the uni shooter ($8++) sounded like a pretty interesting item to try. Not. A little spicy with a hint of choya, the combination was too weird for me. I wouldn’t say it tasted gross but it’s definitely not something I wanna gulp down again.

Stick to the usual suspects and I’ll be as happy as can be. Maguro with gooey natto beans ($5++, above), well-seasoned chuka wakame ($3++), deliciously addictive fugu mirin boshi ($8++), crispy and sweet pumpkin korokke ($3++) and my personal favourite is actually complementary from the chef: nicely seared tuna carpaccio ($8++ ala carte).

Not-so-good choices include pickled eggplant ($3++) that’s too salty and mouth-puckering; incredibly bland fried sweet potato ($3++), withered chamame ($3++); and unfresh-cum-oily shisamo($3.50++).

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The 1-Rochester Group has introduced a new dining concept, Roast, at its One Rochester establishment recently. The brainchild of Chef Christopher Millar, Roast’s main selling point is its new communal menu, which is based on the belief that a delicious meal is even more perfect when shared with loved ones. Remember: Sharing is Caring!

Here’s how the communal menu works ($65++ per person, min of 2 diners): In addition to a nibble platter and desserts, 2-3 persons can select 2 dishes from Pasta & Mains categories; 4-6 persons get 4 dishes; and if there’s 7 or more persons, it’s the full set of dishes on the menu.

The ‘Nibble’ Platter is such a clever idea to start the meal with. There’s herb crumbed stuffed olives, foie gras parfait, pork & rabbit terrine, prosciutto, and raw veg crudités with a thick and rich olive tapenade for dipping.

I personally vouch for those moreish little potato skins! Filled with sour cream and ocean trout caviar (which pops in the mouth, awesome), they have “eat me!” written all over them.

This is one of the chef’s recommendations for salads: Tiger prawn salad with cous cous, mint and Persian feta. I don’t really fancy lettuce but this is a nice combination, especially with gems of pomegranate adding a dash of colour and sweetness to liven it up.

We had differing views on the smoked sea urchin risotto. I thought it’s a tad undercooked; she thought it’s perfect and practically polished off the whole dish by herself. A matter of personal preference, I suppose. But the plump and succulent seared king scallops had us nodding in agreement.

My favourite tonight (after those killer potato skins) is the roasted cod fillet. Simple with no surprises, but not boring either as it’s so tender and juicy. I particularly like the fennel, blood orange and pistachio salad too, which goes very well with the fatty fish.

Consistent with the theme of communal dining, the ‘Grande Assiette‘ is a selection of 5 petite desserts meant for sharing.

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