And if one remembers, I earlier wrote of how my friend and I were stuck at Robertson Quay cause we chose to meet for an impromptu dinner (of all days) on a Friday. o_O Ha. And while trying to find a place to eat at, we chanced upon a signboard of Himonoya which directed us to level 2 of Robertson Walk.

My friend and I didn’t get to dine there that Friday evening cause Himonoya was running at full house. But what I did next was to make reservation for 5. Yes, I brought my family on the following weekend. Talk about efficiency, eh? =p

And so, my family and I came on a Sunday evening. One would think the restaurant would be quiet since Himonoya is located at Robertson Quay. You know… Robertson Quay being a ‘drinking’ area, and most wouldn’t drink on Sundays. But no, they were pretty busy! Big groups of Japanese were dining there after their golf games on the night we went.

We drove and parked at Robertson Walk’s basement car park. Upon entering the restaurant, we waited a while before being attended to as the staff were busy on the floor. And I liked their ingenious idea of setting up wooden frames around the tables which allowed them to install cloth partition across the horizontal frame. Cause when the neighbouring table is occupied, the cloth partition would come down and separate the tables. So one could come in a big group and take 4 tables, yet be able to experience dining in a enclosed open space after the staff let down the correct cloth partition. Smart! But of course, there’s proper private rooms and cubicle rooms too.

And from the menu (pages 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12), we ordered:-

1) Monkfish liver with ponzu, $13.80 (above)

2) Grilled golden mushroom with butter, $7.80 (above) – I would suggest giving this a miss. Definitely not worth its price.

3) Grilled eggplant, $7.80 (above)

4) Seared stingray fin, $5.80 (half) (above)

  

5) Grilled sausage, $13.80 (above)

  

6) Boneless fried chicken, $7.80 (above) – This was good. Meat within was moist and juicy. I couldn’t help but reach out for a second piece. Keke.

7) Yakitori chicken leg, $5.80 per stick (above)

8) Daikon salad, $9.90 (above) – Radish salad with shredded chicken (sesame dressing). Honestly, I wouldn’t have ordered this if I was to take full control of the order taking. And thankfully I wasn’t, cause this was refreshing and good. It was served as the first dish and helped whet our appetite of what’s to come. And the serving for this was huge! This one plate was sufficient to go round for the 5 adults.

9) California roll, $10.90 (above) – Topped with fish roe. Wrapped with avocado, egg, cucumber crabstick.

  

10) Himono hokke, $22.80 (half) (above) – This was put on the menu as their signature. And taken from their menu, himono is dried fish that can be found drying in the sun in fishing villages across Japan. Drying preserves fish for a longer shelf life. It also makes the fish salty and chewy for a taste that’s much loved. And this was really good! We ordered the half portion. And when this was served, I noticed the kitchen had prepared the fish in such a way that we could just remove the bone (like removing the lid to a pot) which allowed us to tuck away at the succulent (white) meat that’s beneath immediately. Impressive! My siblings and I couldn’t stop raving about how fresh and juicy the meat was. A must try!

  

11) Whole squid BBQ, $12.80 (above) – The staff came up to us with the still-intact squid, before proceeding to cut it up. After which, the cut pieces were mixed with a sauce that’s cooked with the squid’s innards. Super yummy. A must try!

12) Assorted sashimi, $41.80 (9 types) (+ $20.90, additional portion for 1) (above) – As the base serving portion was for 2, we topped up $20.90 for a 3-people portion. And it’s impressive to have premium tuna belly (ootoro) included in the variety of raw fishes.

13) Horse mackerel BBQ set, $19.90 (above)

14) Green tea ice cream with sweet red beans with mochi, $9.80 (above) – I was itchy for dessert even though we were all full from the savoury dishes. And from the few options (which is few but of different types. I nearly wanted to order 3), I decided to go with this. And this was really good. Green tea and red bean always go well together. Throw in some chewy mochi (Japanese rice cake)? Perfect!

Will I recommend Himonoya? Definitely! Food was good and affordable. And that’s very important when I bring my family out cause I would want to treat them to delicious food without needing them to stay back to wash dishes. o_O Hahaha. Okie, was trying to be funny but I sounded lame instead. =p But honestly, affordability is key if one intends to treat a big group.

And the ambience at Himonoya was nice and relaxed. My brother concurs cause he had since gone back thrice within a month. =)

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