IS it possible to go a week without discovering yet another new restaurant opening in the F&B goldmine that is Dempsey Hill? Probably not, considering how a new place seems to be opening every other day. But so far, the prognosis has been good - while some restaurants have been too inundated with eager diners to produce anything memorable, there hasn't been a complete dud there yet.
Rakuichi certainly isn't one, although it's easy to miss this smallish eatery with its discreet entrance which seems overshadowed by bigger neighbours like Prime Society and Vintage Society.
Enter the restaurant and it's unlikely you'll hear cries of greeting in Japanese. In fact, what's rather curious about this place is that none of the staff seems to speak, or is, Japanese. The chefs at the counter speak to you in Mandarin, and so do the staff, such that you almost mistake the piped-in Japanese muzak for some kind of Chinese-inflected jazz.
But that's just a minor distraction in this tastefully done up restaurant where the staff - particularly the efficient and knowledgeable Jasmine - quickly get down to the business of serving you from a comprehensive menu that runs the gamut from sushi and sashimi to kushiyaki (Japanese satay) and shabu-shabu.
While the restaurant lacks an authentic Japanese vibe, it makes up for it with a sushi counter that looks like a fancy fish market. Maybe it reflects the Chinese owners' aesthetic sensibilities - where the sight of glistening, whole fresh fish peeping out of their beds of ice is bound to attract greedy Chinese customers. They could be right, because it was the sight of the fish that drew us away from the cramped dining area to plonk ourselves right in front of the sushi chef, oohing and ahhing at the smorgasbord in front of us.
From the seafood display, the head chef withdrew a shiny red fish he said was a Japanese sea robin or Houbou, in Japanese. He would serve it to us three ways - first as a platter of paper thin slices of sashimi fanned out like a portrait, then as tempura and finally, its head in a steaming bowl of miso soup.
The sashimi was just-caught fresh - clean tasting if a little bland. The flavours perked up somewhat with an accompanying ponzu dip, but what impressed was when the chef produced the fish skin deep-fried like a crispy cracker with a dab of spicy sauce that gave it a good kick - a stroke of creativity that went down very well.
Still, sashimi-wise we preferred the mixed platter that included slices of alfonsino fish or kinmedai which had this lovely crunchy and sweet texture. The Japanese flounder was even crunchier, which may not appeal to everybody but it was good.
Rakuichi's kushiyaki more than passes muster - we had a stick of nicely chewy beef tongue, fragrant grilled gingko nuts, tasty mushrooms stuffed with minced chicken and lovely char-grilled sweet potato.
Later, sea robin slices were served as crunchy tempura with accompanying vegetables and more of our favourite sweet potato. A simple Japanese peach acted as a palate cleanser and a delicate end to the meal.
With its warm, dark wood interiors and refined touches like freshly grated wasabi, Rakuichi is one Japanese restaurant that may not epitomise the haute cuisine of its upper crust cousins here, but there's an honesty to the food that says, 'we may not be the best but we certainly try to be the best we can'. And that's saying a fair bit.
From the seafood display, the head chef withdrew a shiny red fish he said was a Japanese sea robin or Houbou, in Japanese. He would serve it to us three ways - first as a platter of paper thin slices of sashimi fanned out like a portrait, then as tempura and finally, its head in a steaming bowl of miso soup.
