Ichigo - Yakitori

I've been to the eaterys along River Valley Road (near to Zion Road Hawker Center) so many times, but I never noticed this little Japanese restaurant, maybe cos the doors are made of wood and there isn't really any windows, so I've been walking past it without knowing it existed all the time.
Anyway, I only noticed it today cos it was their 1st Annivesary and they had bouquets of flowers outside. It's actually a yakitori place (all the grilled stuff on sticks) and they specialise in chicken.
The menu is a bit confusing at first, but the waitresses are patient and will take the time to recommend you their specialities. And they were good recommendations too.

We had a selection of various dishes, including appetisers, salads, yakitori (of course) and rice dishes. For some of the grilled dishes, there was a minimum order of 2 sticks.

Yakitori:

Yakitori Negimaki - Leek rolled with chicken fillet ($3 each) The chicken was tender, and the leeks crunchy. We specifically told them to use less salt (since all the other yakitori places we went to had such salty food) and the food was flavourful and of course, not too salty.
Next up, we tried 2 types of chicken from the Tsukune (Chargrilled chicken ball) section. The base for the chicken was the same, but just that the toppings were different.

Avocado and mayo and okonomiyaki - Okonomiyaki sauce with mayo and bonito flakes
For appetiser, we had Saba aburi - Lightly grilled raw vinegared makerel ($12)
The makerel was one our favourite dishes - it was lightly grilled, but with a subtle hint of rawness, and the vinegar wasn't too overpowering. The fish was soft and tender, and not overcooked.
Salad - Banbanji Harumaki - Fresh spring roll with chicken fillet and cucumber and tomato, served with spicy sesame sauce ($12)The sauce was very unique - not spicy at all, and with the taste of seasame. I thought that this was pretty pricy at first, but on closer inspection, I realised that the tomatoes were nice juicy and red and without seeds at all, and that the chicken was packed full. The rice paper wrapper reminded me of the vietnamese spring rolls.
Rice dishes:
Keihan - rice in chicken stock ($12)
This reminded me of the teochew porridge, but more tasty - theres lots of Japanese pickles and mushrooms, as well as a generous serving of shredded egg and chicken.
Ishiyaki soboro don - braised minced chicken rice served in hot stone ($15)
This was one of my fav dishes from the dinner - it's marinated minced chicken with rice and lots and lots of egg. and in a hot pot so you'll have to stir and stir and stir it (think claypot) or it'll leave a crust at the bottom.
Green tea is served in a teapot (but I'm not sure if it's complimentary - i didn't foot the bill)

We were given a complimentary chicken soup - it came in a small tea cup and there was a ginger-y smell but then it didn't taste of ginger (??)
Desserts:

We tried the custard pudding, pumpkin pudding and brown sugar pudding (all are cold). ($6 each)

I liked the pumpkin pudding cos it had a firmer texture - and there was brown sugar baked into it. The pumpkin taste is really strong and yummy (only if you like pumpkin)

The custard was like normal egg milk custard, just that there was also brown sugar baked into it.

The brown sugar pudding was the softest one, and I didn't quite like it cos it tasted like mousse. Nevertheless, it was quite different from the usual dessert and worth a try if you have a sweet tooth. While we were there, the only other patrons were Japanese - no locals other than us so I guess that the food is quite authentic?

Ichigo

399 River Valley Road Singapore 248295

Tel 67361340

(The same row as 7-11 and Boon Tong Kee, just beside Liquid Kitchen)
It's a bit ex to eat on your own - so bring your parents with you! :P