Tanuki Raw @ Orchard Central — Restaurant in Singapore

Tanuki Raw honestly needs no introduction... Happy Hour from 5-8PM daily; their drinks aren't anything to shout about, & I only order them because they are a prerequisite to get the happy hour bites.

Oysters at $2++ a pop (which is half off the usual price of $4++ a piece) if you order a drink (max 6 oysters per drink); these were well-shucked & delightfully creamy to my preference.

5 slices of salmon sashimi for $7++ (limited to 5 slices aka 1 set per drink); I can't eat raw fish so I can't say much, only that they look fairly thick - but my dining partner said these were okay.

Lobster Salad & Salmon Bao at $5++ a piece. Again, didn't try this but here's a pic for reference.

The Truffle Yakiniku ($19++) hasn't changed much over the years - decently delicious, an average sized portion. However, quite disappointing to see that our request to serve the onsen egg (of another bowl, not in picture) separately was not taken seriously. It was indeed in a separate bowl, but had egg white remnants on the beef slices. If the diner requested for this & had an actual egg allergy, y'all would be in trouble...

But wait, there's more! That wasn't the ultimate turn off during this particular visit. Get this - we were reminded FIVE times from 20:53 - 21:12hrs that we had to leave by 21:15hrs, as that was when they were closing.

We had already been informed of this upon arrival at 19:53hrs. Reminding us once would be acceptable but 5 times in 20 mins? Especially when you can clearly see we were in very intense conversation throughout dinner? How rude.

However, let me try to make the most out of this occurrence. I interpret this ferverent frequency of reminders as a reflection of how important this is to them.. So here's me doing my part & making a public service announcement: To all who dine here, GTFO by 9:15PM, alright?

Our waiter was in suuuuuch a hurry to clear our table that he spilled food back on the table in his haste to do so, & didn't clear it up properly. Omg, punctuality is really so important at this outlet.

"You all are the last ones here already," our waiter barked at us, & even rapped on our table with his knuckles to bring his point across. Ok... Can.

What a way to make your customers feel so welcomed. Not sure if any other diners had experienced this before, but I certainly hope not.

💳 Accepts credit cards 🌬 Air-conditioned seats available ☀ Al fresco seats available 📱 Accepts GrabPay 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Only seats the group when all are present 💦 Water is...

This being my third visit to this branch and the first since the pandemic started, it was refreshing seeing an online menu complete with pictures to go along with each menu item, as well as more items and options, for example yuzu udon to replace donburi rice, less rice, add on yakiniku and so on.

The cocktails are also revised from time to time, and though missing on the menu are unique offerings like old-fashioned tea with pearl and watermelon yuzu, it’s interesting that some semblance of those drinks are still kept, for example now the watermelon yuzu has taken a mock tail form and the old-fashioned tea is now in an iteration named Old Fashioned ($16.00) - a simple bourbon with orange peel, even in the same cocktail glass. The bitter notes are not too pronounced, suitable for a casual alcoholic, and the orange peel leaves a fragrance and bright visual to an otherwise dull looking drink. It is advised to take slow sips to give a little dilution from the huge ice block that takes up over half the volume of the cup.

As for the mains, having tried the Salmon bowl before, it was only a rite of passage to try the most expensive sashimi bowl on the page: Tanuki Kaisen Chirashi Don ($26.90). Using the e-menu, a variety of customisations can be done to the dish. One option that stood out and truly worth a try is the yuzu udon replacement (+$1.00) for the rice. To be frank, the rice bowls can feel gelak too quickly and one too many Japanese restaurants have similar offerings. But with this customisation, this elevates the dish not just in name and look, but in its flavour as well. The sour kick within the doughy noodles supplements the dish even as a carb. As compared to the typical rice combination, these noodle strands absorb the seafood flavour from the shoyu sauce and traps with every bite fresh ikura. Not to mention the expected top notch quality of sashimi that Tanuki Raw has always been known for, which gives some justification to the relatively high costs of their dishes. Hope that such customisations only spell more room for creativity with the existing menu and more mains with...

Affordable Japanese rice bowls 🇯🇵

This place shouldn’t come as a surprise to donburi lovers ‼️ Started back in 2012, the eatery now serves a variety of rice bowl, udon, maki and sashimi options with the longest daily-running oyster happy hour in Singapore 🦪

We had…

🌟 Foie Gras Truffle Yakiniku ($23.90) Topped with an onsen egg, the truffle yakiniku bowl comes with US Black Angus short rib and pan seared foei gras 🐄 The tender truffle beef paired with the flavourful signature mixed rice. You can also top up (+$7.10) for fresh truffle shavings! 🫶

🌟 Salmon Kaisen Don ($14.90) A mix of salmon sashimi, aburi salmon belly, cubed spicy salmon and mentaiko seared salmon sashimi, this ikura-topped recommend item is definitely value for money 💰

🌟 Chirashi Don ($20.90) Alternatively, get their chirashi don that comes with thick cuts of sashimi. Featuring tuna, salmon belly, scallop, swordfish, white tuna, yellow tail 🐠 and tamago.

🌟 Garlic Butter Chicken ($14.90) One of the rare times I eat chicken at Tanuki Raw 🫠 Drizzled with garlic brown butter teriyaki sauce, the pan-fried chicken cutlet is served atop flavourful rice and complete with an onsen egg 🥚

Also decided to order the maki rolls 🍣 Superstar Roll ($15.90) Salmon with mentaiko sauce and mozzarella cheese 🧀 🍣 Tanuki Aburi Maki ($18.90) Snow crab and unagi wrapped in salmon and scallop 🦀

It’s been a while since I revisited Tanuki Raw and this place definitely brings back memories 🥹

For those who are visiting the Orchard Central outlet for an early lunch, place your orders before 12pm and enjoy a 15% discount on your donburi or noodle bowl. Also upgrade to set meals with salad, miso soup, green tea 🍵 for only $3

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