whine & dine

Having recently moved out of Club Street (surrounded by masses of awesome food – Senso, Ikukan, Maxwell Food Centre, Telok Ayer Market, Ka Soh, the little kopitiam in the car park, fries at Union… and more), bunny and I have been itching to go back. The plan was to avoid Holland Village on Saturdays when it’s at its most stifling, and run away to former haven Club Street and all it’s Chinatowny glory. The only problem with the plan was that we didn’t forsee ourselves being booked up for over 3 consecutive months of entertaining on Saturday evenings (and/or Sunday afternoons).

Last Friday, we finally got a chance to go back and revisit our old haunt. One of the reasons why we’d been so eager to return was a little Japanese shop-and-restaurant called wacha, that we’d spotted on the day we were handing the key over. Through the windows, we spotted delicately crafted lacquerware, miniature bonsai, and a tiny counter dining area. The entire restaurant couldn’t have seated more than 20 people or so. We were intrigued.

In actual fact, the restaurant could hold about 25 – two four-seater tables each in the front and back dining areas, 5 counter seats, and an extra four-seater table in the basement. But it’s a good thing I remembered to make reservations, as a number of people strolled in only to be turned away.

wacha has a rather tiny food menu in comparison to their extensive ocha, sake and sochu offerings. A handful of items are offered ala carte, and they only have two non-descript set menus, each containing a basket of appetizers, a simmered dish, a grilled or pan-fried dish, and rice, priced at S$30 and S$38 respectively. The only difference between the sets lies in the way the rice is prepared, and ours (we both had the S$38 menu) came with green tea fried rice which was served with a clear soup with mushrooms.

All of the food was impeccably prepared, and it was especially rewarding to be seated at the counter and be able to watch one of the staff whisking the matcha for us. My highlights from the dinner were probably the egg salad and tamago in the basket of appetizers, and the green tea fried rice.

This cosy, little enclave is definitely going to become one of our regular haunts. I’ve already told a whole bunch of people about it and can’t wait to go back! Now, if only I could afford the delectable lacquerware sold there too. :\

(The rest of my photos from the evening can be seen here.)

wacha
14 Ann Siang Road
#01-01
Singapore 069694
Tel: +65 6438 1553