It's always risky to walk into a highly raved restaurant with extremely high expectations. You either get the flow and rave as much or you get incredibly underwhelmed.
That was what happened to me at Hanare Restaurant. I've been reading a truckload of stellar reviews on Hanare's Bara Chirashi Set and I was so looking forward to having an amazing meal there.
Perhaps it's because of this unrealistic expectation that the whole dinner experience just fell flat for me.
Don't get me wrong; The Bara Chirashi Set was way worth the price. You have a bowl of fluffy rice topped with a lavish amount of assorted raw seafood, complete with 4 free-flow side dishes and a drink - all for S$17.60.
The only problem is how heavy-flavoured most of the food items were, including the Bara Chirashi Set. By the end of the meal, I was desperate for water.
If I ignore how over-generous they were with salt, the Bara Chirashi Set was excellent. Extremely fresh seafood with no hint of fishiness. Their miso soup was also unique; they added sweet potato into the soup and this brought a whole new dimension to the boring miso soup. But of course, the miso soup was also very salty, so after a few mouthfuls, I couldn't finish it.
Perhaps it was just a bad day when we visited Hanare? Perhaps salt was mistaken as sugar? There are so many perhaps in my mind because I really want to rhapsodise over Hanare - just like the others. But my first dining experience there was stained with the over-saltiness of most of the food items. That does not mean that I'm not going to make another visit though. I will go again just to make sure that the first time was just an unlucky thing.
Hanare Restaurant
99B Tanjong Pagar Road
Singapore 088520
Tel: +65 62221976
Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 12pm - 230pm, 630pm - 10pm (Closed on Sun)
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