Food is definitely my love language. Not ‘Quality Time’. Unless… Talking about food = Quality time? *Sheepish grin*

So while conversing about food, my girlfriend recommended me to check out TOWA. Now, that was back in November 2021. But teppanyaki doesn’t excite me the same way sushi does. So it got pushed down my to-try list until a foodie (whose taste bud I trust) raved about his meal at TOWA on Instagram in mid January 2022. That made me contact TOWA immediately via Whatsapp.

Unfortunately they only had bar counter seats left. But that didn’t stop me from trying. And in late March, I managed to secure counter seats for mid May. I wasn’t sure if TOWA practised two seatings as there wasn’t much information about their reservation system on the internet. Upon query, they replied with a text saying “Is 7pm ok for you?” And thus, dinner was fixed for 7pm.

Now… I have a goldfish memory. Having made my reservation at least 1.5 months ago, I actually forgot I specifically requested for counter seats. Upon arrival at TOWA, the staff led me to the (high) table seats. I probably was confused and didn’t think much of it, because I saw no empty pair of seats left at the counter. But I got my memory back when this guy finished his drink, stood up, and said “I should get going. All your guests are here.” It’s only then, did it dawn on me that this guy (safe to assume is a regular or chef’s friend) had taken the counter seats meant for my friend and I. We could have requested to change to our rightful seats (from table to counter) before our meal started, but we realised the counter seats wouldn’t give us much view of the teppanyaki grill. The set up of the place is a little odd. A proper teppanyaki place would have its grill right in the middle for all to see. But theirs was positioned at the corner. Hmm… And I definitely wouldn’t recommend anyone settling for the bar counter seats because it’s right at the entrance, with zero view of what’s happening at the main area.

There’s no physical food menu at TOWA as they only served 1 menu ($138). And with that, my friend and I commenced our dinner with:-

1) Dish #1 (above) – Cuttlefish (ika) with egg yolk sauce. Served somen style.

2) Dish #2 (above) – Homemade sesame mochi with wasabi. I enjoyed its nutty taste.

3) Dish #3 (above) – Bonito sashimi with tosazu (vinegar-based Japanese dressing) sorbet.

4) Dish #4 (above) – Spanish mackerel and oyster tempuras served in a thick, sticky sauce made with dashi and seaweed. The oyster was unfortunately fishy for me. This would have tasted better if the tempura pieces weren’t served in the sauce because by the time the dish reached us, the batter had become soggy.

5) Dish #5 (above) – Firefly squids.

6) Dish #6 (above) – Grilled tiger prawn.

7) Dish #7 (above) – And they replaced the beef dish with chicken due to my dietary requirement. And this was pretty good although it wasn’t worth the 40 minutes wait. Yeah, kid you not.

8) Dish #8 (above) – Okonomiyaki. Of just cabbage and flour. Am intentionally mentioning ‘cabbage and flour’ because the other diners (who were evidently regulars) had noodles in theirs. Hmm…

9) Dish #9 (above) – Dorayaki (Japanese red bean pancake) with milk ice cream.

Did we enjoy our meal at TOWA? Will I recommend TOWA? Unfortunately, no.

Firstly, we were already missing out on the experience of sitting in front of a teppanyaki grill. I want to see some fire action! =( Then, the food was very mediocre. Nothing shone from the dinner. In fact, there were more misses than hits. And lastly, I wasn’t too thrilled when the staff said I be charged $5 for water when she came round to take our drinks order and I hadn’t quite made up my mind. On hindsight, I should have ordered a $4 soda than the $12 lemon sour chuhai from the drinks menu. Ha! That’s me being salty. Keke.

Related posts:

Dinner @ Seiwaa Okonomiyaki & Teppanyaki Restaurant Dinner @ Ichigo Ichie 一期一江 | Kappo Restaurant in Robertson Quay Lunch @ Ishi 石 | Sushi Restaurant in Robertson Quay [Revisit] Lunch @ Hashida Singapore | Sushi Restaurant in Telok Ayer Dinner @ Quay Restaurant (Sydney, Australia)