Ichiban Boshi Wisma Atria

When an old friend, Mr Eleven suggested Din Tai Fung for dinner, I winced. I was reluctant but after reading today's headlines, I thought the world could do with one less despot. With Din Tai Fung's poor track record, I was ready to strap on my panning cap, grit my teeth and expose myself to a less-than-stellar experience. We decided to meet at 7:18pm -don't ask- but with no news of his impeding arrival at 7:15pm, a sms was sent to 'kindly inform' him that if he were late, dinner was not going to take place at Din Tai Fung. At 7:19pm, a grin broke across on my face and for the very first time in my life, I was glad someone was late for an appointment.

Peace reigns once again.

Writer's note: Then again it isn't as if I dragged Mr Eleven by the collar to Ichiban Boshi at Wisma Atria, since he was an Ichiban enthusist himself.

Tucked away in an obscure corner, Ichiban Boshi at Wisma Atria was easy to miss. We sat away from the conveyor belt- clear sign for me that it was time to order from their main menu. Once seated, the Summer Menu immediately caught my attention. This was perfect for me because I was in a splurgy mood for something more than sushi and I chose the Unatame Set: Mini unagi omelette don, tempura don, chawanmushi, miso soup and watermelon.



With two rice dons competing for my attention, it was a close call but I would have to say the tempura don was more satisfying. The tempura spread includes a couple of plump prawns, okra and sweet potato, muffled in stumpy batter, drizzled with sweet suace; beneath it lay a lily-pad of omelette and vinegar rice.



Traditionally eaten during summer "to provide strength and vitality", the process of preparing unagi is a long-drawn out process, which includes grilling (twice, in fact), steaming and seasoning. Unfortunately, it was hard to appreciate the scrabble-size unagi pieces as it felt overwhelmed by the omelette and onions. But I love how they prepare their omelette and would have been satisfied with just sweet-sauce, omelette and onions vinegar rice.



I think it was a mistake to have the chawanmushi after the entrees. The steamed egg was undeniably smooth but it tasted anemic after the entrees.

Much as I love Japanese food, teriyaki anything doesn't rank highly with me. In fact, I NEVER order teriyaki when I'm dining out. Reason being that I MYSELF have SUCCESSFULLY cooked teriyaki chicken before -without burning a hole in the pan- thus anything that I am capable of whipping up isn't worth any consideration when dining out.

That being said, the teriyaki don at Ichiban Boshi was looked teri-bly* appealing: glossy chunks of tender chicken marinated in sweet teriyaki sauce, snuggled within the poofy lettuce. Though it is my first encounter with orange teriyaki sauce, it was pretty good.. just not something I would order again.


*'teri' means 'lustre' in Japanese.

It pains me to say this but I think the folks at Ichiban Boshi tried too hard to do too much. In their favour, the food was good (for lack of a better word) and portions will gurantee a belly good time. Yet ultimately, the quality of dishes suffered, albeit ever-so-slightly. For most parts, it was good enough but not smash hit, which is a real pity since they were forerunners in the price and variety department.