Ootoya, Orchard Central

 Ootoya can be found (with a bit of difficulty) on the higher floors of the confuddling Orchard Central (is it just me or is the mall layout quite bad?).

There are outlets in Clementi and Suntec as well.

 Pretty lucky to have spotted the 15% off the bill for UOB cardholders!

 I've been wanting to come here ever since hearing that their tonkatsu was pretty good, but I didn't realize they do a lot more than that, and many interesting dons to choose from. I settled for the Rosu set of course!

 Hurray for grinding sesame! Grinding it comes as a second nature by now.

{ Rosu set ($23.50) - 1007 kCal }

Tasty Japan pork loin cutlet coated with fresh bread crumbs

(set includes rice, salad, soup) 

 The complete set looks rather impressive at just $23.50, you get a decent size tonkatsu, along with pickles, green leafy veg (definitely non Japanese but good nonetheless), and your free flow of lettuce, miso soup and rice. While the salad sauce was definitely not as good as Tonkichi or Katsukura, was still nice, citrusy and ponzu-y I think.



 Pork comes from a Japanese breed of pig called Sangen Pig (if you read Japanese you can read it here) but it's basically a cross-breed of 3 breeds to produce a pig which tastes awesome. Well the difference is not that sharp - the meat definitely is more flavourful than regular white pork, but not as distinct as e.g. kurobuta. Crumb crust was pretty nice, but definitely a lot oilier than it should be, which was my only gripe! But for the price, this was really great stuff.

{ Gokoku Mai }

Brown Rice, Barley, White Sesame, Black Sesame, Corn

 It's nice to have the option to have the mixed grain rice instead of white rice within the set, and so we both went for this. I was expecting a lot more fragrance, given the barley and sesame. Could be a bit less mushy as well. Still a good change though, and somewhat healthier!

{ Sumitoridon Set ($14.50) - 820 kCal }

Char grilled chicken thigh marinated with special sauce goes well with fresh, crisp vegetables and seaweed

 Took me a while to decide on this - there is plenty on the menu, and I wish they didn't put down the calorie count (820kCal? D:) I'd say this was pretty good value and tasty too. You get nicely charred chicken and fresh salad on a heaped pile of rice with the special (teriyaki?) sauce all over - plus small side dishes of pickles, cold braised veg and mushrooms and crispy dried seaweed. Not too enthused about the miso soup though - I'd prefer tofu over potatoes in it anyday!



 While I appreciate the charred ness of the chicken, there was a thoroughly blackened/carcinogenic piece that I feared to consume.

 The char-grill Teriyaki style was done really well, nice charred bits for that crispy flavour along the edges, and for the price this too was value for money!

Definitely a good stop for don / soba / udon style of Japanese food, don't go expecting much in the ways of sushi or sashimi though (pretty sure they don't serve it anyway). Great value for money and food's pretty good too! Though the seating and location at this particular branch is definitely strange.

Ootoya

Orchard Central, #08-12

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HGW Link (77% recommended at time of writing) : http://www.hungrygowhere.com/singapore/ootoya_orchard_central/
Rating (out of 4) :