Finally, a public holiday! A day to go for lunch buffets which are always priced cheaper! Was looking for a Japanese buffet place at Tiong Bahru for lunch with a friend, when i came across Akira Japanese Restuarant located at Link Hotel. With a pretty moderate pricing and no proior reviews done, we went there without much expectations and was just hoping it doesnt disappoint.

Their ala-carte buffet consists of the usual sections like appetisers/side dishes, sashimi, sushi, teppanyaki, tempura, yakimono (grilled items), fried items, noodles, rice and soup. For $25++, the number of selections are pretty reasonable.

Chawanmushi - egg was silky smooth, but there isnt much ingredients inside. Good for egg-lovers.

Fried Beancurd - didnt try this

Chilled tomato - dressing was pretty nice, tastes like ceasar dressing+mustard+sesame seeds+honey/mirin, but it would be much better if they were to use momotaro tomatoes from Japan (but given the price they charge, oh well)

Vinegar-seasoned octopus - quite nice too, imagine the usual seasoned octopus you get in sushi places + a slightly tangy tomato sauce, not too bad as an appetiser

Smoked duck salad - dressing is the same as that in the chilled tomato, but duck slices were a little too tough

Chilled spinach - didnt try this

Sashimi (tuna+yellowtail+salmon+swordfish+small prawns) - standard was pretty acceptable, but can be better. Ordered many rounds of this.

California maki - didnt try this

Mushroom & eggplant tempura - batter was rather light and it came piping hot, a sign that it was freshly prepared. Worth a try.

Teppanyaki scallops - looked very different from the pic on the menu, but tasted not too bad.

Pork katsu - didnt try this

Fried oysters, scallops & prawns - fried items were not too oily and portions were pretty sizeable, just that it would be better if the seafood had more sweetness of their own

Chilled soba - noodles were done just the way i like it, springy and chewy, sauce was not too salty too

Beancurd skin soba - didnt try this

Kami Nabe - soup was flavourful, but abit too salty. Vegetables could have been blanched before serving, as by the time the fire blown out, some of the vegetables were still not cooked.

Of course, there were many more items on the menu which we didnt try, as we were too occupied going for rounds of sashimi. Overall, it is a reasonable place to go for a lunch buffet, as most of the items are pretty acceptable in terms of standard. I also lliked that they serve the items according to the number of people dining, so each person can taste each dish and have more room for ordering more dishes.

Akira Japanese Restaurant

1st floor, Link Hotel

Restaurant Week - Fremantle Seafood market

This is the 2nd time i am visiting Fremantle, the 1st time being an experimental visit when they first opened. However, as the prices were a little high and the food isnt exactly phenomenal, i didnt bother coming back again. This session of Restaurant Week was so popular, especially with the higher end restaurants, that even having the privilege of 2 days priority booking before the general public, i still couldnt manage to get a place in the restaurants i was aiming for. However, not wanting to miss out on this event, ended up giving Fremantle 1 more chance, as the menu they were offering is pretty worth it for the price they were charging. 

Restaurant Week dinner menu at $35++

Sashimi platter (salmon, hamachi, tuna) - pretty fresh and thickness of the portion is just nice

Crab cakes - quite a disappointment, crab taste wasn't evident, it just tasted like fried begedil without the potato

Dry Aged Beef steak - Nicely done medium-rare, the meat was pretty tender and there wasn't much fat or veins in this cut. Went quite well with the capers on the side, but the stone salt was abit too salty for the meat. Asparagus mushroom ragout was creamy and a nice compliment to the meat. Bone marrow was forgettable.

Teriyaki Salmon Trout - fish was very nicely done, retaining its moisture in the meat. Even for a person that avoids cooked salmon like me, it is really good, even without the teriyaki sauce. Didnt try the fried oyster on the side, so cant comment. Just for information, the little brown pastry next to the fish is called Gougeres, which is a french cheese pastry, not too bad tasting.

Almond paraline cheesecake with caramel sauce and almond ice cream - not too bad too, the cheesecake was not cloying-ly sweet or rich, and goes well with the cold almond ice cream which is something special (imagine almond cream dessert frozen into an ice cream). The caramel sauce kinda pales in comparison.

Overall, not too bad for the price we pay, comparing to their usual menu prices. One glitch is that we got "cheated" into ordering a drink because i remember the waitress telling me that drinks are included in the set (which i dun remember so for other restuarants which i tried in the past), and so we ordered a drink each and end up having to pay for it. Oh well, a lesson learnt.

Stay tuned for the next Restaurant week a few months later!