Wasabi Tei - A HFB's Investigation
“This must be the biggest scam of all time!!!! I have tasted the most horrible Japanese food served in a restaurant. Taste the worst sashimi, sushi & saba fish ever!!!! And it cost me $47!!! I feel cheated by all these who review the good food. To me it’s the worst Japanese food I have ever tried & I will never go back even if it’s free!!!!” - neoscan
“Salmon had blackish orange colour, instead of the usual fresh orange with bright white stripes. Taste it and felt like puking straight away as it had a strong smelly fishy taste. No point serving big slices of stinking fish. I rather have thinner sweet ones at the same price over at Waraku. Saba fish was stale & burnt. Fish had no juice in it. Tasted dry & blunt. Hygiene was a major problem as well. The chef did all the handling of raw fish; slicing fishes, handling rice, pick trays, plates all with minimal washing of his hands right in front of us! That was a big turn off. And to cap it off, I went off with a bad stomachache due to the bad raw fish. What a awful night!” - neoscan
These were the exact comments (after some minor edits) by Neoscan on Wasabi Tei – and you can read it off here. HFB was rather disturbed by it simply because Wasabi Tei is one of the places he goes for his comfort food. So after work one Monday, HFB decided to pop over to find out whether did their standard really dropped? Rushed down to Far East Plaza before 6.30pm and we were lucky to be seated right away. If you haven’t already know, every customers seated on their 16-seater counter are immediately charged $2 – which could be offset with either a can of soft drink, or a cup of hot green tea (refillable). We opted for the latter.
One might also wish to know that you would want to have your order taken at one go or the menu stated one would be charge additional 20% for re-ordering later. The complimentary dish of Braised Seaweed with Beancurd Skin and Chicken soon arrived, and even though HFB frequent this eatery, this simple dish never once failed to tickle his taste buds and prepared him for what it is to come later. Served piping hot with a hint of sweetness in it, the beancurd skin and chicken is braised so tender. HFB has to admit those “black stuff” looks daunting to him in his first few visits (The couple are famous for being a Food Nazi, such that HFB didn’t dare to ask them what it was) until one day he could hold back no longer and found out it was actually seaweed. How silly of him!
Although HFB have to agree that the Hygiene level of the chef isn’t up to mark – he doesn’t wear glove for food preparation – the Sashimi Moriawase ($25.00) was still as good as HFB remembers, and none of those that Neoscan has described. The Salmon Belly was still full of fat and smooth to consume and the Hotate, or Scallops – Oh sooooooo sweet!
The other “must order” is their Chawamushi. Freshly steamed upon ordering, at $5.00 each, HFB considers them a steal!!!
Choked full of Mushrooms that threatened to overflow when one dipped in their metal spoon; one will also discover the treasures of Chicken and thick strands of Vermicelli hidden deep within the smooth silky steamed egg. Oh and how could I forgotten about the Prawn.
The Codfish Claypot ($18.00) has slowly become one of HFB’s favourite since it is another dish that comes boiling hot and generously packed with vegetables – HFB loves his greens!
One thing I love about Wasabi Tei is that the chef really do not restrain on the cut of his fish – sashimi included. Thick slices of codfish provide a satisfying bite, although HFB always do find the soup a tad sweet for his liking.
And as usual, the all time favourite fruit served after every Japanese meal – Watermelon – to round off the satisfying meal.
So after a thorough investigation, HFB concludes that he stood by what he said about the good food served in Wasabi Tei – otherwise you gotta try it to believe it! HFB got to warn you though of the long waiting time.Rating
Food: 4.5/5 (Soup too sweet for liking, but overall still great)
Service: 2/5 (What service? But no service charge though)
Ambience: 4.5/5 (Cosy but smoky)
Price: 4.5/5 ($57 for two - value for money)
Total: 15.5/20
14 Scotts Road
#05-70 Far East Plazza
Singapore 228213
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15 comments:
Slurps .... Me want some
Chill. Why get so uptight over one review? Why the need for any investigation though you seem to have some shares in this place...
But I do agree with that reviewer. For the price and quality at Wasabi Tei, I rather go Sakuraya. At least I can see my food, choose and there's no nazi to bear. Remember also, there are many grades of salmon & tuna sashimi. Thick doesn't mean good. And real Jap food lovers know this is not the place to go for quality sashimi. :)
where is the "thorough investigation"?
ice: Uptight? Neh. Just curious. Of course we all know for that price you cannot find quality sashimi. As for Sakuraya, they are a wholesaler for sashimi so it's not a direct comparison. Besides, that is probably the only thing you can eat over there - the rest of their dishes are so so.
yixiaooo: Did I mentioned "thorough investigation"? It was just a trip down to find out whether was Wasabi Tei as bad as Neoscan claimed to be - and nope it wasn't the case - at least in my findings :)
Most of the reviews on Wasabi Tei I have seen were positive reviews. Then again, taste of food is always subjective to individual. :D
Haha...
This place is heaven to some and hell to some. I have 2 colleagues who adore this place, 2 other detest it. I am ok with it.
It's amazing that you even dare to flip out your camera to take photos. We usually sit quietly and whisper. LOL
The food's ok, but mostly depending on the mood of the cook I think. When he's happy, you get really nice food. Not happy, we had 'chao tar' unagi before.
yixiao: I think there wasn't any "thorough investigation" done. It was just an excuse to go eat. =)
Foodies Queen: I totally agree with you - which is why I added "you gotta try it to believe it!" :)
Keropok Man: Haha - the trick is to take the photos while he's in the kitchen cooking ;)
"it was just an excuse to go eat." - ya it was just an excuse to eat. haha
they have interesting name, whenever i pass by, i was contemplating if i should go in.
and oh mine, the chawanmushi looks FULL!
Hello!
Are you aware that Wasabi Tei has recently changed management?
And do you know where I can find the old boss?
Thanks! you may email me at arcania17@yahoo.com.sg
Hi Aoka,
Yes I was told few months back that a new mgmt was taking over.
The news has it that he has retired.
Btw the side dish you love so much is indeed a form of seaweed called Hijiki.
Hey Terrier,
Indeed, and I just learned about its name not so long ago too... Heh!
Thanks for the information anyway.
well i tink u did a good job. I do agree with the boss attitude and hygiene issue. But what neoscan wrote seems to be a bit over leh. Never once i had bad sashimi, or stinking fish, or stale saba. So glad u stood up for justice. Too bad they bought over by someone recently.
Chef Peter came back from retirement and is now operating Chikuwa Tei at 9 Mohd Sultan Road. Menu is more or less similar from the old place with some price adjustments.
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