I chanced upon this Japanese eatery Ontama Don located at Shaw Plaza (Balestier), and saw its Ichiran-style booth seating. Interesting, I thought.
But I forgot to check its Google rating. Anyway…
If you are keen to explore the revamped Shaw Plaza, there are a number of F&Bs such as Mui Kee, Two Bake Boys, Collin’s, Picolino, Black & White, Koo Kee, Menya Aoi, Inochi, King Grouper Fish Soup, and Xi Men Jie for you to check out.
Ontama Don is a new Japanese restaurant which focuses on Japanese rice bowls aka Donburi. It is located right next to Collin’s, so probably the same parent company.
On the menu are Japanese rice bowls such as Bara Chirashi Don ($24), Chirashi Don ($22), Tendon ($19), A5 Wagyu Don ($59), Gyu Don ($21), Katsu Don ($17), Salmon Teriyaki Don ($19), Unagi Don ($22), and Salmon Mentai Don ($22).
There are also other food items such as Sashimi Plates, Sushi, and Ala Carte items of Tonkatsu ($12), A5 Wagyu ($39), Tori Karaage ($9), and Tempura Mori ($15).
First things first, the “Ichiran” style booth seating could provide a sense of privacy for individuals to enjoy their meals.
While Ontama Don is definitely not the first to introduce solo booth seatings in Singapore, I noticed these mini window blinds which allowed food to be served directly to each booth.
Fun, right?
BUT, after ordering, diners would notice these are ‘for show’ probably, as the food was still served first the ‘normal’ way.
And the windows behind are blocked by kitchen goods and supplies anyway.
For my main course, I decided to try the Gyudon ($21) which was made with USA Beef Short Plate that has been slow-cooked in a savoury broth.
It did sound promising, but the bowl was decent at best.
While the slices were moderately tender, the meats could have been better marinated. And the taste itself had little to differentiate with say the average shop out there.
At least there was a side salad, some pickles, and onsen egg.
Speaking of which, customers also get the egg with an order of Bara Chirashi Don ($24). So where does this egg go again in a bowl of raw fish?
The Bara Chirashi Don was a promising and colourful rice bowl topped with a variety of fresh sashimi.
There were servings of salmon, salmon belly, maguro, hamachi, megajiki, tako, hotate, tamagoyaki, and ikura arranged on top of the rice.
Between the two, I preferred the Bara Chirashi with buttery salmon pieces and sweet-savoury sauce.
The ikura, or salmon roe, added a burst of saltiness and a pleasing pop of texture. Again, diners may be expecting more considering its price.
To accompany my meal, there was a side of crispy Chicken Karaage ($9), deep-fried to a golden brown.
Though with four dry pieces to an order, the chunks needed to be juicier for customers to want to order this again.
It would be nice for the individual booths and blinds to actually work to be honest; and I think a restaurant still needs to order on the flavours rather than just promotions to attract customers in for the long-term.
Ontama Don
Shaw Plaza #01-23, 360 Balestier Road, Singapore 329783
Opening Hours: 11am – 10:30pm (Mon – Sun)
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Omote (Upper Thomson)
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