A food writer raved about Katanashi, an izakaya, which serves Japanese food in small portions. We went and while we didn’t think it was worth raving over, it was overall a good experience.

Tuna cutlet

Stewed pork belly with mashed

The food, for example, was so-so. We ordered 10 items, such tako wasabi ($4.30), a super tiny bowl of octopus in wasabi-soy sauce (give it a miss); unagi meshi ($22), grilled eel with rice in hot stone bowl; kakuni ($10), simmered pork belly in soy sauce with mashed potato; tuna cutlet ($8.80), raw tuna seared in bread crumbs; and hanpen cheese ($6.20, picture above), deep-fried fishcake stuffed with cheese, with cod roe mayo dip. All the items tasted as they were described, nothing more, nothing less.

The only dish that made an impression was KFC (Katanashi fried chicken). At $2.20 a piece of tiny drumlet, it was costly but very delicious, tasting like seaweed and (was it) sweet milk powder?

The flaw was in its desserts, limited options. The daigaku imo ($4.50) was roasted sweet potato with ice cream. Nice but nothing extraordinary.

What we found exceptional was the heart put into the service. Each paper towel was hand drawn. And the beachboy Japanese server was eye candy. Service was prompt and polite if we could get their attention as we were sitting outside.

From the service to food to reasonable pricing, everything was fine but nothing was outstanding. Perhaps for the food writer, the absence of bad qualities means the restaurant is outstanding. We have a different definition. Including a beer each, 5 of us paid $155.

Katanashi Singapore

77 Boat Quay Singapore 049865
T: 6533 0490
M-Sat: 11.45am-11.30pm
Rating: 3.219/5 stars

Written by A. Nathanael Ho.