On one of the rare family nights that everyone agreed to try some place new, we decided on Torisho Taka (since last minute reservations at Kazu are nigh impossible for large groups these days).  G and I had been there for lunch and found the food to be quite good, and as the sister restaurant to Aoki, one would expect a certain level of excellence at Taka.   Their specialty is sumiyaki, with cooked dishes as a secondary attraction.  The ingredients are fresh and primarily from Japan.

The set menu options are probably the best way to go as we ordered à la carte and ended up paying more.  While G and I enjoyed the lunch menu, we found the cooked dishes lackluster; perhaps the flavors were just too subtle.  The cod fish soup was the special of the evening but aside from the nicely boiled fish, the soup was missing seasoning.  The claypot rice was also bland and the poor scallops were woefully overcooked.  Our mentaiko salad was just a bit too simple – mentaiko, mayonnaise, and daikon.  I enjoy good food with minimal ingredients, but at Taka it felt like too much was left out.

As for the main attraction, the grilled items were for the most part well prepared.  While I thought the quality of the meats here and the skill applied to grilling were generally better than Kazu, the lack of distinctive seasoning was off-putting for the in-laws.  I’m ok with just a pinch of salt on my skewered meats, but for those looking for something more, Taka is not the place to go.   The chicken liver here by the way is very airy and perfectly cooked.

Unfortunately, Torisho Taka does upscale sumiyaki a bit too well, stripping away some of the dirtiness and oiliness that makes for well… great bar food.  An extra dash of salt or just a bit more umami in the sauces would make the dishes here a better companion for beer or sake.  Instead, what we were served were well cooked but rather souless skewers of meat.  We’ll be back for lunch but will definitely give it a pass for future dinners.

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Torisho Taka
1 Nanson Road, #02-01, The Gallery Hotel
Singapore
+65 6732 3343