Hidden away from the main street, occupying the corner space of the white shophouse along Blair Street is Chotto Matte, a new Japanese restaurant offering quality yakitori specialties, sushi and sashimi. Chotto Matte, which means wait a moment in Japanese came about because the owners believe that good food is definitely worth a moment's wait.
Sashimi Platter 4.2/5
Starting on a light note is the Sashimi Platter ( 5 for $48, 7 for $68). The sushi bar features a fresh selection of seafood imported around the world. Portion may be small but they were all thickly cut to delight your sensitives. Chotto Matte also offers an omakase experience for just $100 per person with 10 courses of cooked and raw dishes.
Aburi Salmon Maki 3.8/5
Foagura Unagi Maki 3/5
Moving on we tried the Aburi Salmon Maki ($19) and Foagura Unagi Maki ($28). The flavours were rich and bold. However I did not quite enjoy the sushi rice, I thought it was way too wet. Maybe it was just my personal preference. I like the aburi salmon maki more than the foagura unagi maki. The aburi salmon maki was done two ways with raw salmon inside the roll while the exterior was torched. For the foagura unagi maki, the foie gras was missing in the whole execution among the sweetness which I find it hard to justify for the price point.
Shiro Maguro Carpaccio 3.8/5
I find the Shiro Maguro Carpaccio ($29) or marinated American white tuna very interesting. It tickles my taste buds with its marination and unique texture. If I am to have this under a blind taste, I probably would pass it off as a meat rather than a fish.
Dobin Mushi 4/5
The Dobinmushi ($16) or seafood consomme served in a teapot is also a welcome offering on the menu. The rich but yet refreshing seafood broth not only cleanse the palate but help to wash down those greasiness.
Buta Kakuni 4/5
The Buta Kakuni ($29) is pan fried and then braised in mirin, ginger and leeks. The collagen rich skin fats literally melted my heart as I sunk my teeth into them. The pork belly was a bit tough but overall it is a good dish that will be well received by many who loves pork belly.
Salmon Yuzu Mayo Yaki 3/5
The Salmon Yuzu Mayo Yaki ($25) was quite pedestrian except for the yuzu mayonnaise which added some citrus fruitiness to the taste instead of the usual sauce.
Yakitori 4.2/5
Boasting a selection of 28 yakitori items on the menu, I tried the Tebasaki ($3), Wagyu and Kagoshima Toro Belly ($5). Perfectly grilled and salted, these generously cut servicing calls for a bottle of beer to go with it. The pork belly was my favourite among the three while the chicken was expertly split for easy consumption.
Chotto Matte 4/5
With a good collection of Japanese whiskey, Chotto Matte also conjured a compact list of 9 whiskey or sake based cocktails that pair impeccably with the yakitori. The Chotto Matte, a concoction of citrus flavoured sake Umenoyado Yuzu Shu, Yamazaki 12 and egg white may be a disgusted in its smooth sweetness taste but it is quite potent if you can't hold your liquor well.
Kagoshima Pork Belly Don 4.8/5
The star item at Chotto Matte has to be their Kagoshima Pork Belly Don ($35). The chargrilled Kagoshima thin sliced pork belly over garlic fried rice will blown you off your seat. The garlic fried rice is one of its kind. Most of the garlic fried rice out there comes in the form of deep fried garlic aroma, the version here still has that raw garlicy sweetness on top of that aroma. You just got to try it. I guarantee you can't stop eating it until the last grain unless you are not a garlic lover.
Kuro Goma Yam 3/5
We ended the night with the Kuro Goma Yam ($15), deep fried yam with black sesame ice cream.
While I enjoyed the light batter coat of the yam and the sesame ice cream, I did not find the two coming together as a dish.
If you are planning to check out Chotto Matte, I will recommend trying the Kagoshima Pork Belly Don and Yakitori.
Chotto Matte
54 Blair Road
#01-01
Singapore 089954
Tel: +65 62228846
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chottomattesg
Website: http://chottomatte.com.sg/
Nearest MRT: Outram Park (EW Line, NE Line)
Opening Hours:
Daily: 1130am - 230pm, 6pm - 12midnight
Direction:
1) Alight at Outram Park MRT station. Take Exit F. Cross the road. Walk down Eu Tong Sen street towards Kampong Bahru Road. Continue onwards on Kampong Bahru Road along the row of shophouses. Turn left onto Blair Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 12 minutes.
2) Alight at Outram Park MRT station. Take Exit H. Walk to bus stop at Outram Park MRT station (Stop ID 05069). Take bus number 124, 143 or 147. Alight 2 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 6 minutes. [Map]
