Dragon Sushi Roll
Seafood Woon Sen Salad
Before I can digest off my last Japanese meal, I’m seeing myself in yet another new Japanese restaurant. Just this week alone, I have been hearing news of five newly opened Japanese restaurants from different sources. It seems like the weak economy climate didn’t slow down the rapid expansion of Japanese restaurant scene here at all. The latest one that I had the chance to try was A971 Café.
A971 Café is a contemporary café hailed from Roppongi, Tokyo. Just from the name – Roppongi tells you that the café won’t fail to impress you with its trendy modern décor, just like any other restaurants in the Roppongi district. The décor has a very stylish MTV-feel, and the causal ambience with cool music and an extensive cocktail list makes it a good place to chill out and unwind with friends. The menu blends well with its ambience. It is very close to what I’m used to during my days in California; it is very American style Japanese food, and especially so when it comes to the portion of the food. Unlike the traditional Izakaya joints, the food came in huge portion and I guess more ideal for sharing among a of group friends. But last night, I went with Sinma, so the two of us managed only to try three dishes. One of which was from their fancy list of sushi rolls with an equally fancy name called The Dragon Roll which is basically a cucumber sushi roll, with chunks of Deep-fried Mochi-ko Chicken on top, very close to what you can expect to get in one of those Japanese restaurants lining the shores of California. We also tried their spicy Thai-inspired Seafood Woon Sen Salad perfumed with a yuzu-flavored Japanese dressing and Mentaiko Pasta, the largest portion of pasta I have ever seen serving out at a restaurant. It could have been good enough for 4 people or more.
You can tell more or less, the food at A971 Cafe is Japanese fused with bits of Thai, Vietnamese, Italian, etc. Even though Japanese fusion is not really my cup of tea, I still believe that following their huge success in Tokyo, they will do pretty well in Singapore as well.
A971 Cafe
#01-04 Riverside Point
Tel: 65-6221-9711
