We stepped into the sunny courtyard of CHIJMES with our hearts in our stomach. Admittedly we were a little skeptical, having been to too many Japanese restaurants where the portions are small and the prices exorbitant. A friendly waitress greeted us very politely. We were led through a corridor that separated the main dining area from the reception. On the right, rows of shelves displayed a wide array of Japanese grape wine as well as sake. The concept was open with a show kitchen dominating the space. The air was filled with French music and the chatter of Japanese diners, an uncanny combination but one that exuded sophistication and elegance. When given the beautifully illustrated menu, we had a little difficulty deciding what to have as the menu was extensive and everything looked delicious. We kindly asked for assistance from one of the waiters, who was glad to recommend the restaurant’s best. We were introduced to the house specialty, kamameshi, a dish that mirrors local clay pot dishes where rice, meat and vegetables are steamed together. We also had the hassai sashimi bento, the most popular lunchtime dish that consisted of an assortment of Japanese delicacies such as sashimi, unagi, sushi and egg roll. We ordered the velvety chawanmushi, which is steamed tofu topped with a side of mushroom and Japanese wine broth. The desserts looked mouth watering, so on top of the green tea ice cream that came with our bento, we couldn’t help but order a slice of their house special—tofu cheesecake. Our companion wasn’t a fan of cheesecake, but it only took one bite of this cheesecake to convert her, and only a teeny tiny piece was left for the rest of us to share. The lovely cheesecake wasn’t overly cheesy, and melted in our mouths. Even before the bill came, we decided SUN was definitely worth coming back to.
