Wasabi Tei – A hidden Japanese gem of Far East Plaza
PUBLISHED August 7th, 2013 02:49 am | UPDATED April 14th, 2016 04:49 pm
5 years ago….before I’d even moved to Singpore… I was just visiting some Singaporean friends from University. They decided to take me to Wasabi Tei, a hidden gem of a Japanese restaurant on the 5th floor of Far East Plaza with only 15 seats and an owner that was renowned for never smiling.
Fast foward 5 years…. 4 of which I’ve been living in Singapore, 2 of which have been involved in the creation of City Nomads. It’s time for a revisit, will we still have to wait outside in a queue just to get a precious lunchtime seat? Is the owner still just as grumpy? And most importantly, is the food still as good as it once was?
Stepping through the blue cloth hanging at the door, I immediately felt a wave of nostalgia come over me. Not a thing had changed…except of course that there was no queue from the lunch-crowd.
Sadly, in Singapore, with new dining options opening up every day, it’s a pretty harsh reality for small restaurants like this to stay in business…yet here they are, 5 years later. Looking at the menu I was pleasantly surprised to see that the prices had hardly changed. Still affordable, intimate dining in a casual setting reminiscent to some tiny eatery in the Asakusabashi district of Tokyo.
Going with the $22 lunch set of sushi and udon soup, the Chef immediately got to work on preparing me a well crafted wooden block of sushi as my soup was served up. My lunch buddy opted for the Unagi set (also $22)
Service was efficient, though expectedly not smiley. The soup itself was decent..nothing to write home about, but then that’s all I want from an udon soup…Simplicity….
As for the sushi platter, I was more than pleasantly surprised to find a full block of thick, cold cuts of my favourite fish lined up waiting to be demolished. And indeed they soon were.
The Unagi was a juicy fat piece full of flavour, and served with a side of rice also made for a great option.
It seems that Far East Square is full of little hidden gems, and Wasabi Tei, while not being one of the freshest faces in the block, still delivers a very satisfying meal at an even more satisfying price.
Written by The City Nomad
