By Cheah Ui-Hoon, 05 September 2005
The Business Times

Shining light: The clever use of lighting and other design elements renders Sun with Moon as attractive as Chijmes; Kyodango mochi (above)

A FEW months after Japanese Dining Sun cast a shining light on the contemporary Japanese dining scene in Singapore with their hip Tokyo-style outlet at Chijmes, it has similarly jazzed up Wheelock Place with its designer Sun with Moon Japanese Dining & Cafe.

While the menu is very similar, the all-day outlet will feature an afternoon cafe menu which serves light bites and a host of interesting desserts. Design-wise, this is as attractive as Chijmes, with the clever use of lighting, well-placed stark white tree skeletons, while a nod to tradition is provided in the grainy rice sheets with bold calligraphy that are stretched out above a section of tables.

The signature dishes available here include kamameshi (traditional steamed seasoned rice pot), which is like a much more delicate and subtle cousin to local claypot rice, and aburi - half-broiled sushi. We tried the new grilled pork cheek kamameshi with ginger sauce ($13.50), which had tender, just slightly crunchy, tasty pork cheek slices atop the rice.

An appetising starter would be the trio of teriyaki foie gras canapes which is a delicious blend of textures as well - juicy foie gras, drizzled with sweet teriyaki sauce, paired with brioche-like toast and lined with a leaf of fresh lettuce.

Those used to Japanese bento meals will welcome the Tokyo Bento set lunch which allows for variety, while sushi lovers can opt for the Nadeshiko lunch. We tried the crab meat, spinach and egg hotplate with very light soy sauce ($14.80), but the flavours didn't quite jive for us. The unique Dobinmushi, a clear seafood and chicken soup served in a teapot, was a tad fishy so we squeezed in our whole lime which then made it a bit too sour. But we encountered fresh, sweet and super-crunchy snowpeas in the bean salad.

If you're hankering for mainstream fare, the outlet does them relatively well. We tried some basics like the cold soba with tempura, with the buckwheat soba served al-dente. The tempura batter was very good and the prawns fresh. At tea-time, Cafe Moon kicks in with an ice-cream and dessert section that makes you wish you were a teenager all over again with long afternoons to spare.

The macha parfait ($8.80) is a colourful tall glass of green-tea ice-cream scooped over spongy cake. To add to the mix of textures are some small mochi balls, crunchy flakes and green tea jelly cubes. The macha babaroa ($4.50) is like a firm mousse, topped with light cream. The opaque yellow bean squares in the Kyodango & Warabi Mochi platter ($7.80) were delightfully bouncy and soft, although the Kyoto dumpling skewers were a bit stodgy, plus the sweetened thick soy sauce that goes over it is a bit of an acquired taste.

A must-have is the Japanese flavoured green tea ($6.50), particularly the strawberry vanilla. On a Wednesday night, the place was buzzing with almost every table occupied. Sun with Moon's dining concept is looking good on this horizon.

Rating: 6.5/10

Sun with Moon Japanese Dining and Cafe
501 Orchard Road #03-15 Wheelock Place
Tel: 6733-6636