Lunch @ Edogawa Teppanyaki, Central

I needed to escape from the madding lunchtime crowd on a particularly demanding Monday. I sought refuge in a quiet restaurant called Edogawa Japanese Teppanyaki at The Central, a shopping mall that is packed with little Harajuku-like shops and Japanese restaurants.

I was lucky to get a booth next to the window. It was such a warm afternoon that I could feel the heat radiating from the glass windows. Nonetheless, it didn't stop me from taking in the view across the river. It was a nice change to see Clarke Quay in the day as it belied the form that it takes on at night. This is a complex that is jam-packed with restaurants and nightspots like Ministry of Sound, The Pump Room, Attica, Fashion Bar, Bar Cocoon and Barfly amongst many others.

If you're a thrill-seeker, try out the G-Max Reverse Bungy (picture on the right). One evening in a moment of pure insanity, FW and I decided to try it out as a pre-dinner thrill. I'm deathly afraid of heights and have problems with stairs too but I figured, "Why not? Let's go for it!" The capsule seats 3 people but DS refused to join us no matter what we said. I guess she's much more afraid of heights than I am!

While the dude was strapping us into our seats in the open-air steel capsule, FW & I started having "lunatic's remorse" (think of buyer's remorse but tie it to an act of insanity) but having come this far so we decided to go through with it. "It's now or never!"

This is definitely not for the faint-hearted or weak-of-stomach (don't do this on a full tummy). The cords were tightened and we were poised for release. When released, the G-force of being catapulted 60 metres up into the air at about 200 km/hour, was quite a rush. We were silent for those few seconds, till the capsule started twirling at the top and we found ourselves rotating BUT mostly hanging face down to the ground (at about 55 metres up in the air). Yikes!!! We started squealing "Omigawd!" however, realising we were going to be stuck there for a while as the ride takes about 5 minutes, we started giggling incessantly and enjoying the view from above. This is IMHO worth a try (unless you have health conditions that forbid such activities).

Curry Rice Set @ S$9.80
(served with appetizers, miso soup & fruits)

My Curry Rice Set Lunch was a pretty generous portion for S$9.80. I love spicy food and chili but occasionally, I crave a Japanese Curry fix despite its sweeter flavour. I like the buttery flavour that Japanese curry usually has (from sauteeing sliced onions in butter) and how it goes perfectly with steamed Japanese short-grain rice. The curry here is not too bad tasting but I would have preferred a stronger tasting curry like the one served in Waraku.

Australian Beef Teppanyaki (100g portion) @ S$9.40
A la Carte (200g portion) @ S$18.80

I wanted to try the Beef Teppanyaki as it was this restaurant's specialty but since I was craving curry, I ordered the set and requested to have a half-serving of the a la carte portion of Australian Beef Teppanyaki. They were willing to accede to my request. It was delicious as the beef chunks were juicy and slightly bloody on the inside (just how I like beef done)! I'm going to have the Teppanyaki set the next time I visit.

Here's the sesame dipping sauce that was served with the beef but as I prefer my beef without any sauce, I chose to do without the sauce.

PS: This place plays traditional Japanese music (Kabuki from the Edo period), which can take a little getting used to. Whilst its true to its name in turns of music, the staff are mostly PRC so you would have to order mostly in Mandarin (or point to the menu).

Edogawa Japanese Teppanyaki
6 Eu Tong Sen Street,
#04-85 The Central,
Singapore 059817
Tel: +65 6410-7610