We had lunch at Osomatsu Japanese Kitchen & Bar today as the birthday boy had picked out this place himself. He found a 50% discount slot via Eatigo, effectively helping me save lots of money on his birthday lunch. LOL! He even let me pick the dishes to order. So sweet hor! Or maybe it’s because I usually have better luck choosing tasty items to order at places we’ve not been to before. Ahaha! Today, we had the Bara Chirashi ($30), Pirikara Cha Shu Ramen ($18), Sriracha Home Grown Prawns ($23) and the Soft-Shell Crab Salmon Maki ($18). And two cups of ocha as the place was freezing cold when we entered and found there were no other diners yet. *They’ll refill your cup of ocha w/o your asking so that’s great. Worth spending the $2.50++ per cup. <- Not eligible for the Eatigo discount.
So the Bara Chirashi don’s featured in the first picture above. The ingredients are really fresh and that pretty riot of color serves to whet one’s appetite. Good thing that there’s not much rice too. I love that there’s just a small portion of rice and an overwhelming portion of the good stuff on top. Ha! My darling says he wishes there’s more uni but hey, it’s just $30 (with a further 50% discount via Eatigo) so we really cannot ask for much ya? XD
I’d say this is a must-order dish! The menu doesn’t tell you much about these so-called home grown prawns. Grown where ah? But they are really LARGE. So for $23 (before taxes and any discount), you get 5 large, succulent prawns deep-fried then drizzled with sinful sriracha mayo and topped with ebiko. SO… yummy! Eat it while it’s still hot!
Luckily, he did not insist on having two bowls of ramen. At first, I said I’ll have the cha shu ramen and my darling said he wanted to follow suit and get ramen too. And I decided I’ll take over the ordering… Ha! At a new place, don’t order two of the same thing unless you’re REALLY sure it’s good (maybe a friend told you or it’s raved about on social media or something). Well, I have to say that the cha shu is tender, you get a whole ramen egg (OMG so good!) and the broth is not too salty. BUT… perhaps I prefer a saltier (*ahem* more flavorful) broth. And the noodles are alright but not fantastic. I do think Takagi Ramen’s might have an edge. So erm… unless you are REALLY craving for ramen, I think you can skip this and order more of the raw stuff – you know, the sashimi???
As for the Soft-shell Crab Salmon Maki, it would be good if there’s more salmon roe on top so there’s a more delightful burst of saltiness. But size-wise, this is worth ordering as you get more bang for your buck than with maki purchased elsewhere. These are thick pieces you need to deftly manoeuvre to get into your mouth. XD And it’s $18++ before the Eatigo discount of 50% so…
We were seated at one of the tables but for those who prefer a somewhat more Japanese setting… you might like to sit on the floor under fake sakura trees. XD
OK.. the reason why I stated “Pay in cash” in the title of this blogpost was because I was a bit erm… concerned when making payment for the meal. The cashier took my credit card and spent many seconds staring at it. In that time, I could probably have memorised someone’s card number, name and card expiry date. Elsewhere, cashiers are usually more preoccupied with checking that the paper for the receipt’s coming out, or doing some stapling of papers here and there, or looking at the other diners in the restaurant to see if anyone needs assistance, etc. So I was definitely concerned when the guy just stared at my card. It’s your usual POSB Everyday card – nothing special about it. No photo to ogle. So… why ah? *I’m definitely paying in cash next time. (@_@) You can stare at the image of our first President. 
Other stuff:
*At the start of our meal, Osomatsu was playing some techno music… it sure gets your heart beating faster and makes you want to eat a little quicker. LOL! Why not play something more soothing?
**Also, funnily enough, my darling saw fit to announce to one of the waitresses after we got ourselves seated at a table that it’s his birthday today. Anything special for him? Her reply was that if it’s your birthday, you should eat some noodles. 
Ahahahaha! So don’t bother ah… even if it’s your birthday, there’s no free dessert or drink. Just book your Eatigo discount slot and be content with 50% off. Better than some insurance companies offering us 30% discount off our next policy because it’s our birthday. Yup, I’m talking about you: FWD.