Soramame from Rakuichi in Singapore

That was a new one. We all know what edamame is, right? Well, these were a supersized version called soramame, which was from Rakuichi's list of specials today at Far East Shopping Centre (545 Orchard Road #03-11, 6737-0757, with another location on Dempsey Road). At S$12.60 (US$8.50), it wasn't cheap...there were only seven beans in the two pods, making each bean S$1.80 (US$1.20). And frankly, the beans tasted like...well, beans. So it wasn't exactly something to opt for again. But it was interesting to see.

Actually, we liked this place a lot more than we thought we would. I was worried at first given how much effort they put into aesthetics (at least three of our dishes were served on a bed of shaved ice). Fortunately, the food pulled through, with a perfectly grilled gindara teriyaki being enough reason alone to come back. We also enjoyed how the Fukuoka tomato they served had a naturally-occuring tinge of sweetness. But that single chilled tomato was a whopping S$8.60 (US$5.80); I guess that I'm a bit of a sucker for pricey Japanese produce. The lunch sets seemed to be a decent deal at least.