Ever since opening, I had been keen to check out Honto, the Japanese sibling restaurant of well established favourite Longtime, which has since relocated and rebranded as sAme sAme. A short while ago we decided to finally check it out at the end of the week just because we couldn't come up with an excuse and wanted to anyway. Extremely well hidden in the small alleyway that is Alden Street in the Valley, it is definitely easy to miss if you didn't know what you were looking for.
Turns out we made the extremely costly mistake of trying to get a table for two at 6.30pm without a reservation. We were told that at the earliest it would take us until 9.30pm for us to be seated, so we ended up walking back to the city and grabbing a bubble tea before walking back. Although we were a bit tempted to get a raincheck on Honto, turns out the wait only made us more determined to try it out for once and for all.
Returning at 9.30pm, our table was still not yet ready so we grabbed a seat at the bar and tried out two cocktails, the Codename:Cottonmouth with Beefeater 24 Gin, Sakura and Champagne Reduction as well as the Three Inch Punch with Roku Gin, Cold Brew Jasmine Tea, Sugar and Citric Solution. Both were beautiful, crisp and sweet I liked the Codename cottonmouth more as the flavours were a bit more complex.
When we finally got a table in the main dining area, we weren't overly surprised to see that it was still a full house. By that time we were completely famished so didn't take our time to peruse the menu too much. We settled on the chef's selection.
First to arrive was the signature Hôntô drumstick with tuna, avocado and kombu. Having seen so many photos online, we were super excited. With minced fresh tuna sashimi imbued with the delicate flavours of avocado and kombu. The crunch of the drumstick was an interesting contrast to our usual hand rolls. It made for a really tasty appetizer.
Our Wagyu tartare with preserved lime and kimchi crisps were also extremely crunchy with its puffed rice taco shell. The wagyu was well seasoned with a tinge of garlic and chilli which overpowered the taste of beef quite a bit, but I did enjoy the texture of the smooth wagyu tartare.
One of my favourite dishes of the night was the Seared tuna with fennel, daikon and yuzu kosho ponzu. The tuna had a nice contrast in texture between the cooked and uncooked sections, the fennel was tender but packed a crunch like noodles. Coupled with the popping tobiko, it was refreshing, delicate but still complex in taste and depth.
Another sashimi dish was the Yellowtail with avocado cream and yuzu nahm jim. The portion was quite small, comprising of two small pieces each and whatever freshness there was of yellowtail was completely overpowered by the sour and spicy yuzu nahm jim. I would definitely have preferred something lighter to go with sashimi.
Another signature dish, this was the Lobster katsu sando with salted cabbage and dill slaw. Thoroughly minced, the lobster had a texture akin to fish cake with a light springy and spongey feel to it. The bread was soft and de-crusted which is the best and the slaw creamy and zingy too.
After the light starter dishes, we began with the heavier meaty dishes. This was the Smoked chicken with soybean and cultured cream puree, burnt butter and black garlic. It was one of the most intense flavoured dishes of the night with a charred caramelilsed miso taste to the chicken which was lightly bitter. The cream puree softened the harshness of the dish whilst the added lime gave it some tang. I would have appreciated this dish with some rice.
Next up was the Pork & vegetable shumai dumplings, ramen broth, onion. Although they were called shumai, in actuality it tasted more like wanton with shredded dumpling skins outside, especially given the soothing ramen broth, and the strong egg flavours on the wrappers. Filling wise, the pork and vegetable were dense and mincey which was quite satisfying. I would have liked a bit more broth with the dish though.
Interluding with a lighter vegetable dish, this was the Corn tempura with salted ricotta and teriyaki mayo. The coarse texture of corn was tempered by the crispy coating and smooth ricotta. The flavours were rich and strong, but I would have liked it more if the corn were pureed or smoother.
Our main meat dish of the night was the Slow cooked beef short rib with soured onion and miso sauce. The rib was huge and unbelievably tender with meat that fell straight off the bone. Even though it was just one rib for the two of us to share, it was more than enough to satisfy us. I especially loved the sweet umami flavours of the miso sauce. Definitely a winner.
To go with the beef rib, we had a side serve of Goma-ae cabbage salad. This was almost identical to the slaw that we had in earlier dishes, crisp and light, it balanced out the heavy beef dish quite well.
Dessert for the night was Sushi rice gelato with ginger, mirin syrup and puffed wild rice. Compared to other gelato I've had, this tasted like a mix between creamy gelato and refreshing sorbet. The rice flavours were light and delicate but also comforting. The puffed rice added to the flavour and gave it some extra crunch. I really enjoyed it.
Value: 7/10
Service: 8/10
Environment: 8/10
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