Tanuki Raw @ Orchard Central

elizbeartravel

April 26

I have been hearing the name Tanuki Raw for a long time but never had the chance to visit them. I happened to be in town one of the weekdays and ended work early so I decided to pop by the Tanuki Raw outlet at Orchard Central

Located on level 4 of Orchard Central, Tanuki Raw is a modern Japanese American fusion cuisine restaurant. The team believe in creating new dishes by smashing flavours and textures together

Structured more like a bar, Tanuki Raw has a long corridor from the entrance where the usual table-sitting-styled tables and chairs are located. Further into the restaurant, you will see a huge food counter and cocktails bar counter with high bar stools. There are also tables for outdoor dining but the more popular ones are indoors. Customers who would like to view the chef preparing the food can choose to sit in front of the food counter while those who prefer to see how the bartender works can sit in front of the bar counter

Since opening, the happy hour at Tanuki Raw also became Singapore's first and longest-running daily oyster hour. Due to its popularity, the happy hour has evolved to become the best happy hour featuring sashimi and oysters in Singapore

Freshly shucked oysters only cost SGD 3 per piece during happy hour and are limited to 6 pieces per drink order. I ordered only 3 because I wanted to try all the items on the happy hour menu. The oysters were served with a wedge of lemon and a light onion vingarette sauce. I cannot remember if they mentioned the origins of the oysters but they are fat and juicy and extremely fresh with no metallic taste. I personally liked the oysters with lemon and tabasco although the onion vinaigrette adds quite an interesting flavour to the oysters

The happy hour promotion was SGD 7 for 5 slices of salmon sashimi and there was no limit so you could order as many plates as you wish. The sashimi was cut in thick slices and was the normal salmon cut, not the belly cut. For the price, I think the quality is ok and the freshness is great

The next item on the happy hour list was the uni which is priced at SGD 10 for 11 grams. There is also no limit on the number of orders for this item and 11 grams is about 4 pieces of uni in perfect condition. Laid on a bed of radish, the uni looked extremely fresh and plump and it was also surprisingly creamy and buttery. While it was not as sweet as those I ate in Japan, it does not have the metallic taste which was considered a win as I have tried uni in many places and some expensive places still have the metallic taste

The last item is the lobster salad and salmon bao which is a fusion invention of the traditional leaf bun with modern lobster and salmon salad filling. The leaf bun was lightly toasted with a nice brown crust and generously filled with fresh lettuce and a mayonnaise mix of lobster and salmon salad. The combination was refreshing and light and perfectly light enough as a snack with your cocktail. The bun was crusty yet soft and fluffy at the same time with enough moisture to pair with the salad. There is a limit of 1 bao to one cocktail drink so those who wish to get more will have to order more drinks

Overall, I like the relaxed atmosphere at Tanuki Raw, especially during happy hours with the limited offer of certain signature items. The food I tried during happy hours was good and perfect as a snack when paired with the different types of cocktails on their menu. Many visit them for the extremely affordable oysters and sashimi and I think it is a great place to chill and hang out. They do offer other hot meals which I have seen other tables ordering for their dinner

Address: 181 Orchard Road, Central, #04-01 Orchard, 238896

Operating hours: 11.30 am to 10 pm