Onaka @ Alexandra Retail Center

Onaka stands for Optimum Nutrition Kitchen Art and means "stomach" in Japanese. Previously located at Rochestor Park, I deemed it too far to venture and then it shifted to Alexandra Retail Center, I just had to give it a try! Especially when it is packed during lunch. At $18++ for a 2 course set lunch, sounds like a great deal already!

watermelon sashimi

Watermelon Sashimi 
Sous vide watermelon, kambu, agar wasabi "tobiko", daikon 'tamari' dip

This probably got me all interested first. Modelled just like tuna sashimi down to its limpness, the only thing that would give its fruity origins away are the seeds.

sashimi

Fair enough, it was a magical dish - looks and texture but failed in the taste test unfortunately. If this were a fairytale, it became just a chilled watermelon when I chewed it. If anything, the wicked use of daikon tamari dip was appetizing! Loved the hint of vinaigrette.

carrot cake

Carrot Cake
Savory pancake with shredded carrot cake, fried scrambled free range egg, daikon confit, kizami nori, chilli jelly

A healthier take on an otherwise unhealthy char tow kuay. Found the carrot cake a tad mushy in texture but the brilliant use of daikon confit and chilli jelly made it taste like the real stuff.

soba mushroom

Roasted Mushroom Soba
Roasted mushroom ragu, organic, buckwheat soba, mushroom dashi, truffle aroma, kizami nori, daikon cress

I like smelling my food before it appears - fragrance test, I term it. Naturally a truffle infused dish smells awesome and so was this. A clean tasting noodle dish with a simple display of mushrooms. Like mee sua in fact, soba was. Our main grouse was it being too salty.

soba

Slurp!

char siew burger

Char Siew Burger
Souvis vide sakura chicken char siew, multigrain bun, fried 63 degrees free range egg, pickled cucumber, butter lettuce, top secret sauce, baked sweet potato fries

I give them credit for the top secret sauce that was tangy and somewhat like mustard. The char siew looked the part but was not as addictive as the real deal.

sweet potato fries

The baked sweet potato fries lacked in crisp too. Sin food without the desired sin, unfortunately.

tea

Coffee or tea to end the meal, unfortunately both were hardly memorable. 

Decently priced lunch sets for a different kind of dining experience.

Onaka 
Alexandra Retail Center

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