Hanare (Feb 24, 2011): Restaurant Review

Hanare: Round Five. Earlier entries: Feb. 2, Feb. 6, Feb. 8 & Feb 10.

The fun of visiting Hanare over and over again rests in trying ingredients cooked in different styles.

Fugu Dishes

Each fugu dish costs about 80 ringgit (note: they’re not listed on the a la carte menu).

Fugu tataki

Pufferfish, briefly seared and seasoned with ginger. Having happily survived to tell this tale, we can attest that Hanare’s fugu is firm, fresh and flavorsome. Worth risking death to devour? Well, the peril wasn’t all that palpable.

Fried fugu

Double the danger, double the fun! Fleshy fish, thinly blanketed in greaseless batter. Absolutely addictive (way better than fish & chips, at any rate).

Fugu Soup

The sole letdown in our trio of pufferfish recipes. Bland broth, bony fish.

Inaniwa Udon with Chicken Soup

Inaniwa udon. Silky smooth noodles, served nearly icy cold.

The udon is paired with nuclear-hot chicken soup. Dunk ’em in for a tasty treat. Simple and savory; as comfortingly traditional as Japanese cuisine gets.

Shirako Tempura

We sampled the steamed cod milt several weeks ago, so we wanted to check out another preparation this time. The kitchen obliged, and voila! This shirako tempura was equally enjoyable, with a beautifully crisp coating.

Grilled Tuna Belly

A generous serving of grilled tuna belly. Succulence squared.

Simmered Snapper Head with Root Veggies

A knockout; the flesh was achingly moist and subtly sweet, but we especially enjoyed the gooey, gelatinous eye.

Amberjack Fillet

The amberjack fillet, on the other hand, seemed a bit dry and overcooked.

Miso Soup

The ultimate in umami.

Grilled Wagyu Beef

Grilled Wagyu beef helped restore order to our universe, with its bold, intense flavor and mouthwatering tenderness. Pretty much perfect.

Seafood Porridge

Seafood porridge, packed with prawns & fish Not what we expected, but we liked it. Thick and creamy, with a consistency akin to risotto but the mild taste of congee.