Hanare by Takayama @ Takashimaya S.C.

Hanare by Takayama is a new Japanese restaurant at Takashimaya Shopping Centre, Ngee Ann City. We tried their lunch featuring Kamameshi, a rice dish cooked in a traditional iron pot, topped with various ingredients.

Hanare by Takayama

Located on level 3 of Ngee Ann City, Hanare by Takayama is a new concept by Chef Taro Takayama. His impressive CV includes stints at three-star Michelin restaurants in Osaka and an appointment as Master Chef at the residence of the Japanese Ambassador to Singapore. His main restaurant is Takayama at Shenton Way. Hanare by Takayama is a more casual restaurant where he pays homage to Japanese comfort cooking. The star here is Kamameshi, a Japanese rice dish with an assortment of ingredients, cooked in a traditional iron pot.

The restaurant is pleasantly furnished with two dining areas, the outer zone (picture above) and an inner section (pictures below). In addition, there are a few private rooms. We like the way the tables are arranged – well spaced out and uncluttered.

Hanare by Takayama Lunch Set Menu

The a la carte menu is not very extensive but contains sufficient classic Japanese restaurant favourites such as sushi, tempura and grilled items. For the lunch, the easiest way to order is to go for the kamemashi set menu. This entails a choice of a kamameshi main course that comes with a standard combination of seasonal sashimi, chawanmushi, grilled fish, miso soup and dessert. Here are pictures of the Hanare by Takayama lunch menu and a few sample pages from the a la carte menu.

Six choices of toppings for the kamameshi rice were available, with corresponding prices, starting from the Today’s Special with seasonal price to the most affordable sweet corn with a price of $37++. We picked two types that were in between. The Salmon and Ikura ($48) and Unagi ($52).

Appetizers

Soon after we placed our order, the appetisers arrived. A small cup of chawanmushi and a small bento box containing grilled fish, two types of sashimi and some small bites that I cannot identify. The quality of the appetisers was good, better than the usual set lunch varieties. The chawanmushi in particular was very good, quite comparable to those serve at high end Japanese restaurants.

Kamemashi Rice Pots

Next to arrive was the main course. The kamemashi rice pots are metal pots cooked over a solid fuel flame. For lunch, we understand that the rice had been cooked in the kitchen and so the pots were served without any fire underneath. Which was fine with us as we did not have to wait till the cooking was done.

Both the unagi and salmon kamemashi sets were good. For the latter the fish eggs were added just before eating. The unagi has a stronger flavour but we were just as happy with either. We should also mention that the rice was lovely. They were springy in texture and nice to chew on.

Finally our Hanare by Takayama kamemashi set lunch ended with a simple dessert – a scoop of ice cream. We were satisfied with this lunch at Takashimaya Shopping Centre.

Ratings:
Food: 4
Service: 3
Value: 4
Atmosphere: 3
Overall Rating: 4 TOPs 

Hanare by Takayama
391 Orchard Road
#03-07
Takashimaya Shopping Centre 
Singapore 238872

Open: Mon-Sun: 12 noon – 8:30 pm

Nearby MRT Stations: Somerset, Orchard

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The Ordinary Patrons | Real Dining Experience of Ordinary People
an independent Singapore food blog