Our dear friend, Fatin was craving for sushi and since her birthday was coming, Varsha, Glenn and I decided to give her a treat at Irodori Japanese Restaurant! Irodori has received quite a fair bit of positive blog reviews so it has been sitting on my to-go-list for some time as well. Haha.
Irodori serves ala carte Japanese buffet so the only concern we had was that we might have to wait awhile for our food. Also, remember to make a reservation if you are planning to go there!
Fatin is the one in blue!
Glenn called the restaurant to make a reservation 4 days in advance and was told that the restaurant was only left with 4 counter seats! Woah, got that popular ah?! But we went ahead with the reservation, so imagine our surprised faces that day when they showed us to our table in the private room! Upgrade from economy to first class! :>
Here are some of the items that we ordered before I got too caught up eating and forgot to take pictures. Heh. :p
Can't go wrong with Ebi Tempura and mayo!
Everyone agreed that their Chawanmushi was gooooooood.
Super thick slices of sashimi so fresh that Fatin polished off plates and plates of 'em. Goodness.
Ebi Mentai Mayo
This was their complimentary grilled prawns and we were only allowed to order once. Very fresh!
Irodori Maki
The tinge of wasabi in the Irodori Maki came as a surprise and it was like heaven in our mouths. We totally fell in love with this maki except Glenn, who doesn't like wasabi at all. This is a must order!
We were taken aback by the sight of the ugly Tamago Sushi (holes and what-not) and were doubting the taste of it. The thing about this sushi is that it looked too ugly to be true. Lesson learnt, never judge a something by how it is presented. You might just be surprised. Definitely one of the best sushi we have ever eaten.
On the other hand, their Mackerel Sushi (strong fishy smell eew) and Inari Sushi tasted horrible. Period.
Yakitori
Glenn and Varsha are big fans of yakitori and Glenn went ahead to order 20 sticks, much to the amazement of the wait staff. I should have captured her (epic) expression at that moment! Sad to say, the 20 sticks never came because our orders got lost. The case of our missing orders. Oh come on!
When we (finally) managed to get the attention of one of the wait staff and complained told her about our missing orders, Glenn was too disappointed to order 20. Instead, he ordered only 5 to try. Their yakitori was a little tough though and there wasn't enough sauce to go with it.
Complimentary hot green tea to warm ourselves.
Look at the crowd. So glad that we got the private room!
We must emphasize that their service was not tip top as you would have expected for a restaurant in a hotel. Our orders got lost twice, meaning that the kitchen did not receive our orders and we were waiting and waiting and waiting for our food that never came.
It was also difficult to get the wait staff's attention, partly because we were in the private room (but that's not an excuse, is it?) and there was another event that they had to cater to in the next room. The cashier did apologize and explained that they were shorthanded that day.
Such a disappointment, especially since I was the one who suggested the place to celebrate Fatin's birthday. But the awesome food and company made it all worth it!
Irodori Japanese Restaurant
382 Havelock Road, River View Hotel
#03-01
Singapore 169629
Lunch: 11.30am to 2.30pm
Dinner: 6pm to 10.30pm
Adult: $35 ++ Child: $22 ++
67372002
