Hanabi, King's Arcade

When you google "Best Japanese Sashimi Buffet Singapore", chances are you will come across 'Ikoi' and 'Hanabi' supporters trashing it out over more than a dozen chatrooms and forums. Who is cheaper? Who delivers fresher fish? Which restaurant has a btter atmosphere? Who has better service?



Disclaimer: When we visited Ikoi during lunch hour on Friday, the restaurant was just over half filled. On Saturday evening, it was full-house at Hanabi (in fact, you wouldn't be able to get a table reservation if you called at 5pm). That is why I'm going give Hanababi some leeway over the promptness and accuracy of service.

Turning our attention to the restaurant layout and atmosphere, Hanabi was more spacious that Ikoi's Salary-man campspace, though it was just as casual. Point to note: Both places had semi-comforatble chairs that don't encourage long periods of butt-grazing. Tricky.

After last week's trip to Ikoi, anticipation was thick in the air as Hanabi seemed to enjoy a better reputation amongst buffet buffs and floggers. I do admit I was a wee-bit-teeny-weensy-nicole-richie harsh on my Ikoi review and I have since retracted my "never return" pledge.

So the 30++-dollar question remains: Who is better? Hanabi or Ikoi?

Round 1: FIGHT.

Sashimi: Both outlets offered reasonably fresh sashimi but the quarter-inch thick slices from Ikoi dwarfed Hanabi’s narrow smidgens. Tipping the balance in favour of Ikoi, I was very much taken with their mekajiki- one item sorely missed on Hanabi’s menu.





The grilled: Both restaurant went head-to-head with Hanabi’s Saba Shioyaki and Ikoi’s Salmon Shioyaki. The only two criteria- crisp salt-grilled skin and firm texture- were met with resounding success. Hanabi’s Saba Shioyaki had a charateristic aroma which wasn't overly fishy.



The tempura: At Hanabi, despite the dozen different types of tempura offerings, they will give you a mix plate of prawn and vegetable tempura for WHATEVER you order. Case in point: Second round, we ordered Yasai Tempura and we received a mix plate. Subsequently, we ordered another plate of ebi-only tempura and to our unmistakable surprise we received YET ANOTHER a mix plate.

The tempura shrouded in thick-limp batter was passable upon arrival, but sitting around for a few minutes, it possessed a texture I reckon packing companies would find most suitable when they need a protective gear for fragile objects.



What the heck-?? Talk about rocky road ahead: the chicken karaage felt, looked and tasted like they had been fished out of a dryer room. To give you an idea of how ludicrious the Tonkatsu was, take a good hard look at the size of your namecard. It was THAT big! Since it was further chopped into five slices, all we each had was a Twiggy of the Tonkatsu world.



Luckily, the ‘katsu’ scene was somewhat redeemed by the Salmon Katsu (breaded salmon).. I 'm just trying my darnest not to pick fault with.



Above: Lacklustre garlic fried rice. Period.



The sushi: There is no basis for comparison since we didn’t order any at Ikoi’s. The maki above contain peakboo bits of soft shell crab, surrounded by a vinegar rice edifice while the Unagi nigiri and Inari were not too bad, although the vinegar rice could have been sweeter though.



Just in case the picture below has you scratching your head, wondering what in the world.. Let me cut the suspense by saying it's suppose to be a Soft Shell Crab Hand roll. Man, is this the Sorriest Soft Shell Crab Hand roll I have ever seen! I must have order a Mayo Temaki by mistake, no?


Err, chef I think my crab crawled away.

This is the Soft Shell Crab Hand Roll that no other Soft Shell Crab Hand Rolls would wanna be seen with.



The entrees: The Oyako (mother & child; chicken & egg stir-fry) below came with its own water bath and tasted ‘ok’. When pit against mediocrity, the Yaki Niku (beef and onion stir-fry) above s-h-o-n-e. Can you tell I’m getting desperate here? Maybe I'm a little jaded... Alright, the Yaki Niku is AN ABSOLUTE 'MUST-ORDER' at Hanbi!



The sides: Potato salad had a strong onion aftertaste ('yay' for some, 'nay' for the rest). We didn’t think the spaghetti salad would be taken quite so literally. It Really IS Just Spaghetti of horrible almost uncooked texture and some soury dressing. I wouldn't blame you for being underwhlemed... In fact, I would be surprised if you felt any other way.

On the other hand, what seemed to be positively revolting cheese chawanmushi actually turned out more than palatable- check out the stretch-mile-high chewy mozzarella. Another cause for praise is the Pork Belly Miso Soup, which had a well-liked sweet flavor. The eggplant with miso below was something I would order again if I find the will to return.



Apart from a few highlights -borne out of relief, rather than real satisfaction- Hanabi is good for those who want a little of everything and isn't the slightest bit particular about quality. I will stick to Ichiban Boshi or Sushi Tei, thankyouverymuch. If truth be told, Ivan from Recent Runes loves Hanabi at Odeon Towers and I'm willing to bet things taste better over there.

Yet ultimately, it was the delibrate slow service and not the food that let me down. They were obviously short-handed on a Saturday night, orders were mixed up and took ages to arrive... but heck! not like the management will add to their staff headcount anytime soon as that would mean higher costs AND an increase in efficiency, orders and customers' satisfaction. I will stick to Ichiban Boshi or Sushi Tei, thankyouverymuch. Hanabi works reverse psycology on their customers and some actually take the bite.

Now I understand why even though Japanese women Don't Get Fat and Live Longer, sumo wrestling remains one of Japan's most embraced sports. However, as far as Japanese buffets go, my job is pretty much done here. Having had it twice in a week, I am all the wiser (and heavier). I'm done with quantity, though not quite ready for Inagiku or Nadaman , so I will stick to Ichiban Boshi or Sushi Tei, thankyouverymuch.

But if I really really had to choose (meaning I'm strapped to a chair and forced to make a chice before they play Mariah Carey's grestest hits on Repeat mode), I would visit Ikoi for my 'Salariman' experience.