Ootoya

It was Monday of week 5 revision, with a morning lecture of hemopty and t hc's quick tut, and afternoon k thia's excellent tut - scurried off to meet Carol at Somerset.

We wanted to try Kaiho Sushi, or Ooi Sushi at Cuppage (cos of it being featured in the BT and as pointed out by Mich) but the former was closed and we decided to go to Ootoya (Orchard Central), also highly recommended by Mich. There was a 35 minute wait (on a Monday night!!) and we decided against eating at a Korean place opposite (cos I just had Korean on Sat) so we decided to kill time by us walking back to 313 (meeting my family otw) to draw money - in the end I had to walk all the way to Somerset MRT cos 313 AND central has NO POSB ATM whilst Carol went to pick up her vest (and I forgoed my dress=P)

We were very lucky cos by the time we finished all our errands, 34 got us a seat at the common seating area, from which we shifted to a corner when the couple left. Carol sat at the tatami area, which is rather huge to trudge around.. but otherwise, the common area is really very communal dining, you sitting rather close to other diners.

Grated yam with tuna ($6) - when we first tucked into this - we really liked how raw it was - it was a mildly cooked soft boiled egg over grated yam, beans, lady's fingers and tuna, and it was a great symphony of the most simple ingredients.

Anyway, the great surprise came later.

Soy milk porridge with mixed grains ($12.50)- a soup that we shared, in addition to the first dish. This is homecooked, wholesome food at its best, and it feels like a Japanese oatmeal, with some chunks of chicken. This comes as a set but honestly its extremely unfilling as there is very little grains, and plenty of soup.

Does this look familiar??

Part of my Ootoya Mixed Rice set - it was rather incredulous that I only discovered at the end of the meal that its components are EXACTLY THE SAME as the first appetiser!!!! Tuna, check. Beans, check. Grated Yam, check. Lady's fingers, check. except that all the above lies flat above rice....can you believe i was so blur as to only realise this right at the end???

That said, I should have ordered the appetiser x 3 and the rice and I think i might have much much more ingredients....nonetheless I liked the mix and so wasnt so chez off

Carol's Mackerel set - this is their recommended fish and I must agree I liked how soft and oily it was.

I STILL CANT BELIEVE I ORDERED THE MINI AND BIG TOGETHER!

Was quite full after a mains each, and sharing appetiser and another mains so we skipped dessert but would love to try them when I'm here again (and its not so crowded)

Post dinner, the shops at 313 opened till really late (past 1030pm) and we browsed at Uniqlo, HMV (tempting cheap S M's CDs) and Zara (bling big bag and cuter small one).

Carol was due to fly off the next day to India, and it was great catching up - her ending school a week ago and prepping for India, looking for those mysterious altitude pills (and the co-relation to those impossible gorgeous heels). It was most enjoyable hearing her stories, and her joke on the mural painting at the village...All the best for your climb babe, and may you stay safe and diarrhoea free!