I’ve always been curious about restaurants that require a little faith before you arrive.
There’s something different about taking a lift up an industrial building in Ubi, unsure of what you’ll find at the top. The city looks different from there. The roads seem further away, and for a moment, the usual idea of where a good meal should be begins to feel less certain.
That was how I felt when I visited Tora Tora Tora.
I had gone expecting Japanese food, but I found myself paying attention to the surroundings just as much. The open kitchen, the rooftop setting, the shelves of bottles behind the dining area. It felt like stumbling upon a place rather than simply arriving at one.
The food gave me plenty to think about too. The Salmon Carpaccio brought together salmon, ikura and egg yolk in a way that felt indulgent, while the Hokkaido scallop with truffle offered something softer and more fragrant. Later, the Hamachi Kama arrived with charred edges and tender meat tucked close to the bone.
That last dish made me think about how easily we overlook certain things when we’re in a hurry. The best part wasn’t immediately obvious. I had to work around the bones, pick at the smaller pieces and take my time with it.
Perhaps that’s why unexpected restaurants can become memorable. They change the way we arrive at a meal.
We go looking for dinner and find ourselves somewhere we hadn’t planned to be, eating dishes we might not have chosen otherwise.
I think there’s value in taking the longer route once in a while. Singapore has plenty of food waiting in obvious places, but Tora Tora Tora, this Japanese restaurant above Ubi can hopefully remind us that some meals begin with the decision to look somewhere unexpected.
Sometimes the destination is not the restaurant. It’s the feeling of having found something for yourself.
