As its tagline goes: Japanese Casual Dining - Waraku is a restaurant that sets out to present Japanese cuisine in its purest form. Located at the third level of The Central, Waraku is a breath of fresh air amongst the many elaborate Japanese restaurants found in the shopping centre. It follows strictly to its mantra of sticking to simplicity and placing its focus on its food. Featuring a menu that consists a whopping 189 dishes, variety is certainly no issue here at Waraku where you can virtually find every dish that exists in Japan. Its main chefs hail from the land of the rising sun to ensure the authenticity of its dishes. Waraku at The Central also offers its diners a splendid view as it overlooks the Singapore River and Fort Canning Park.

• The Vibe
  The restaurant layout is sleek and uncomplicated. It does not have to rely on frivolous restaurant décor to enhance the overall dining experience. Waraku prefers to keep the dining experience as informal as possible, leaving food and service to take centre stage.

• The Food
  For starters, try the Sashimi-3-Kinds ($16.80) and the Waraku Bukkake ($12.80). As its name suggests, the sashimi consists of 3 types of fish: the salmon, yellowtail and tuna. Freshness is the key and it was evident when a subtle hint of sweetness emitted with each bite. The Waraku Bukkake is a dish of cold udon garnished with crabmeat, egg bean curd and seaweed. Its light sauce was delightfully refreshing and made this dish an enjoyable starter. The Ebi Tempura ($15, 5 pieces) deserves special mention too. The tempura is handmade by its chefs with fresh shrimp and tempura batter. The result: A truly crispy piece of prawn tempura.

  If rice is something you cannot do without, then you have got to place your orders on the Yakiniku Don ($9 mini, $11 regular) and the Ishiyaki Unagi Fried Rice ($12.80). The yakiniku don had slices of beef pan-fried in a sweet sauce with crunchy onions. Topped with seaweed, this beef bowl would give any restaurant a run for its money. My only grouse is that there could have been more sauce to go with the rice. The Ishiyaki Unagi Fried Rice had a rich, savoury flavour. It uses ishiyaki, a traditional Japanese grill stone to keep the rice warm.

  For paper hotpot lovers, do not hesitate to order the Hotate Kaminabe ($9.80). This hotpot comes in a chige soup base with scallops, Chinese cabbage and mushrooms. The broth is excellent, slightly spicy and reminiscent of kimchi soup minus the sourness. The scallops were fresh and tasty and the cabbage added crunch to the hotpot.

  The star of the meal arrived when we were served the Seafood Houba Yaki ($13.80). Fresh seafood, such as prawns, fish and scallops are placed above a miso bean paste on the houba leaf to grill. The Houba leaf and miso paste originates from the Gifu Prefecture, in the middle of Japan. The Houba leaf is able to withstand heat without being destroyed and gives off a fragrance as well. The miso bean paste is truly superb as it coaxed out the ocean-freshness of the seafood and compliments it well.

  To round off the meal, try the Dorayaki Ice Cream ($5.80) for dessert. The dorayaki ice-cream consists of pancake-like patties that enclose the ice cream and is topped with red bean paste. The sweetness was just right and it was an interesting combination for a dessert. In fact, the dorayaki pancakes was named after Doraemon as it is his favorite food!

• The Service
  The staff, characteristic of Japanese service, is gracious and polite. Always ready to greet and thank customers in Japanese, they set out to serve their customers with a smile.

The SD Food Advisor's take on Waraku
Waraku is a place where you can enjoy good and authentic Japanese cuisine in an informal setting without having to dress to the nines. Its simple yet elegant design puts one at ease and debunks the myth that you need to pay a premium to enjoy quality Japanese cuisine.