Saturday 28 August 2010

Dinner at Orita's

I don't usually write about food on this blog - even though I love love LOVE to eat it - usually because I'm too lazy but this time I thought I would take a leaf out of Pooey/Frannie's and Mally's book and give it a bash. Also it was an 'occasion' dinner so all the more reason to blog I say!

Excuse the shoddy dark photos - my iPhone 3GS needs an upgrade methinks.

I've been on a bit of an eating plan recently in an effort to learn portion control, but I made an exception today so I could enjoy dinner at Orita's. Orita's came highly recommended by a workmate and I'm always a fan of Japanese food so I was ready and raring to go.

Unfortunately for me, I think my portion control diet has really worked, because the 2 arancini balls and mushroom tapas I had at a housewarming earlier in the day had me absolutely stuffed! Nevertheless, yummy Jap food was calling to me and I wasn't about to ignore it!

After making our choices and ordering from their fusion menu, we were given a complimentary starter of Japanese potato salad on a prawn cracker. Doesn't look like much but who doesn't love potato salad - and the addition of the crispy base sure didn't hurt. Yums!

FREEBIE STARTER: Potato salad on a prawn cracker

Next up was the Appetizer platter for 2 that I had eyed on another table as we walked it. I hadn't had raw fish for over 4 weeks so that was definitely on my list of things to eat. The dish came not only with a few slices of sashimi but also lobster sushi rolls, tempura prawns and the most tender beef cubes that melted in your mouth. Highly recommended but I wanted more raw fish!

ENTREE: Assorted Appetizer Platter (Share for two)

I was pretty full by then but mains were to come. We decided to share the 2 so we could enjoy both the lobster tail and wagyu steak - and this is where I have to say I was a bit disappointed. I thought perhaps it was just my full tummy tricking me into thinking the steak could be tastier but no, it was agreed that although the meat was nice and tender (which was to be expected since it was pretty much the most expensive dish on the menu!) it just wasn't that tasty. I think there should have been a bit more sauce provided. Boo. The lobster was decent - it tasted like lobster so no complaints there.

MAINS: Wagyu Steak and Grilled Lobster Tail

After the slightly underwhelming mains, I wasn't sure that dessert would be up to scratch, but then again I figured I probably wouldn't notice since I hadn't had anything overly chocolate-y for awhile.

I was right - the Chocolate Mousse Cake was very well received by my tummy!

DESSERT: Tempura Ice Cream with Fruits Sauce and Chocolate Mousse Cake

I must admit I had some reservations about the Tempura Ice Cream - I figured it was just glorified fried ice cream that could be purchased in any Asian restaurant for dessert but I was pleasantly surprised. The batter was light and almost fluffy - nothing like the heavy crusty batter on standard fried ice cream.

Overall dinner was good - great company and conversation - and great appetizers and desserts. I think we both agreed the mains were average for the price so if I did go back there again I think I would either order a larger appetizer platter or go for more sushi - the quality of the fish on the platter was fantastic *slurp*

Dinner was followed up with a viewing of the romantic classic The Expendables.

All in all a great night out.

3 comments:

Pooey said...

Nums... I've never heard of this restaurant but I will keep it in mind.. num nums

KH said...

I've been there, it wasn't amazing, but it wasn't bad!

SuBoo said...

Yeah - like I said it was good - but I did expect a bit more. It is after all in the Gold section of the Entertainment Book lol