Ootoya (大户屋) is in town

Once upon a time, when I was a poor student in Tokyo, Ootoya was one of my favourite restaurants.

Admittedly, I had lots of favourite restaurants in Tokyo. But Ootoya was a little different. It was a place I would go on my own for a good wholesome and homemade meal by myself. It doesn't have the nicest sashimi.. they don't serve sushi.. no fancy cuts of marbled beef.. No, Ootoya is a simple place that serves very home-styled type of Japanese food. Solid miso soup, good tasting gohan (rice) mixed with seaweed or fish flakes according to your preference and simple dishes that are freshly made.

I especially like the chicken and fish dishes in Ootoya. The fish dishes are usually the basic Japanese types that are served for breakfast at Onsen hotels or guest houses. The chicken dishes are usually more creative, usually cooked with some special sauces. Ootoya's menu can be found here. (Unfortunately, the website is in Japanese only.)

Ootoya is finally in Singapore now. I went on Thursday for lunch and it was such a "natsukashii" feeling...