A GOOD deal is always welcome.

And a good deal is what you get at Minori Dining & Sake Bar, which opened at UE Square about a month ago.

Minori (Japanese for harvest) is an a la carte buffet restaurant where, for one price, you can order as much as you want from a menu of more than 100 Japanese dishes that range from sashimi and tempura to teppanyaki and noodles.

If that sounds similar to Hanabi, another Japanese a la carte buffet restaurant with two outlets in King's Arcade and Odeon Towers, that is because owner Thomas Loh, 31, was from that eatery.

Hanabi was opened in June 2004 by his wife Angeline with another partner. Mr Loh initially helped out with the operations while holding another job in the pharmaceutical trade. He left that a year later to work full-time at the restaurant as a director.

But last year, the partners sold the business to an Iranian investor. Now, with Minori, Mr Loh is back with a similar concept but this time as a sole owner.

There are some differences between the two eateries though, he points out.

For example, Minori boasts sumiyaki (grilled) dishes, which Hanabi does not have. These go well with spirits such as sake, which Minori also promotes as a sake bar.

The rest of the menu is rather similar to those of mid-range family-style Japanese restaurants here, which feature various styles of cooking rather than focus on a single style of cuisine.

The quality, too, is comparable - decent on the whole with some dishes standing out for being either better or worse.

The sashimi, comprising common fare such as tuna, yellow tail, salmon, snapper, black king fish, octopus and cuttlefish, falls into the decent category. What I like is that the fish is sliced thickly, which shows that the restaurant is not niggardly.

But, at the same time, I miss the satisfaction of biting into a premium cut of fish like a good, fatty tuna belly, which, of course, is too expensive to be included in this buffet.

The sumiyaki, listed in the menu under the yakimono items, are pretty decent too, with a selection of chicken parts ranging from wing to heart, skin and tail.

But the restaurant should provide a chilli powder or some other spice to dust on the grilled skewers. That will lift the taste and give the food a bit of zing.

Then there are the dishes which disappoint.

Among them are a chawan mushi (steamed egg custard) and agedashi tofu that are too bland, and a tempura platter with a batter that is a tad too heavy.

But there are also very good dishes.

The hand rolls, for example, are excellent. I tried two and both are better than what some even more expensive restaurants here serve.

The California roll is well-flavoured and packed with a mix of crunchy vegetables and a sweet crab stick.

And the spider hand roll boasts a marvellously crispy deep-fried soft shell crab. It is a pleasure chomping into it, and the rice and seaweed are perfect accompaniments to balance the oiliness.

Then there is the tori teppan, where marinated pieces of chicken fried on a teppanyaki griddle turn out tender and juicy.

The pan-fried beef with special sauce is also a delight though the salty sauce does call for a bowl of steaming white rice to go with it.

Even a simple dish like the kimchi fried rice is nicely done, with just enough of the pickled cabbage to perk up the flavours without being overpowering.

It also ended my dinner last week on a high note.

I did a count later and found I had tasted almost 20 dishes. That might have been only 15 per cent of what is on offer, but what a feast it was.

MINORI DINING & SAKE BAR
81 Clemenceau Avenue 03-15/15 UE Square
Tel: 6737-3353
Open: 11.30am to 2.30pm, 6 to 10.30pm
Food: ***
Service: ***
Ambience: *** 1/2
Price: The buffet is at $28 for adults and $18 for children during lunch, and $32 and $20 respectively during dinner. You can also order the dishes a la carte at prices from $3 to $40 an order.