Papa and I decided to bring the three little nuts for our first (!) family staycation and we were seeking food recommendations for a good family restaurant in the Orchard area. Finally we landed on one – Misato in Centrepoint, and it was really as good as its reviews!

The restaurant was tucked away in a small corner of Level 1 of Centrepoint and it was a little underwhelming at first sight, being smaller than I expected (I estimated a seating capacity of about 40+ people?) They don’t take reservations but assured me over the phone that if we arrived at 6 pm (their opening time), we were likely to get a table for our party of 5.

We arrived early and at 5.50 pm, there were already two families in the queue ahead of us.

They opened at 6 pm and we were shown to our table shortly.

This is their very pretty menu.

These were the starters that were served after we’ve ordered and were waiting for our dishes to be served. The cucumbers were refreshingly crunchy and spicy.

We were deciding between the Sudachi Soba (Chef’s Recommendation) and the Cha Soba (Best Seller) and finally landed on getting the former just because we couldn’t get it anywhere else. We did not regret it one bit.

It’s cha soba hidden underneath all that citrus and although I initially feared it might be too sour, the tanginess was just right and I knew I would be ordering this again the next time I’m here.

In case you’re confused about how to eat this, it came with a handy set of instructions.

We also ordered the Okonomiyaki, which was another Best Seller, and it did not disappoint either.

We ordered the Yakitori Set because Papa Nut loves Yakitori. This was a Chef’s Recommendation and it certainly lived up to it’s recommendation. The chicken pieces were cooked and seasoned perfectly and had just the right amount of charred smoky flavour.

This was the HIGHLIGHT of our meal. This is the A5 Ohmi Wagyu Hoba Miso Yaki.

The hoba leaf was coated with the miso paste and then the mushrooms and wagyu were delicately laid over it so that the beef would not overcook. The beef was delicious and melted in our mouths. The miso was a great complement to both the beef and the mushrooms, as well as the colourful pieces of mochi / konnyaku.

This dish is definitely the most value-for-money despite being the most pricey dish on the menu. I am most certainly ordering this again the next time I am back.

At Ms Dos’ request, we ordered the Miso Cod Chikuzen-ni Castle Set. It came served in this three-layer castle and the kids had so much fun opening it to the fragrant wafts of steam that were released as soon as you took the top off each layer.

The top layer was the cod fish, delightfully garnished with two small konnyaku cubes.

The second layer comprised some stir-fried chicken and vegetables.

The third layer was the staple of rice.

This dish was good, but I like stronger flavours so I had some of the chicken with the miso from the hoba leaf and it was perfect.

Next we had the Misato Ebi Donburi Set. I know the large tiger prawns are supposed to be the highlight of the dish but for me it was the rice, with the egg on top, mixed with well cooked onions and sprinkled with various colourful roe. The prawns were good but I really enjoyed the rice.

We had to get tebasaki, or chicken wings because it’s a kids’ favourite. The staff thoughtfully asked if we wanted it non-spicy, which we did, but it turned out that the glaze used for the chicken wings were slightly spicy which led our two-year-old Ms Trez to reject it initially. She did eventually get around to enjoying it.

I really liked the fact that the chicked mid-wings were thoughtfully halfed such that each piece only contained one piece of bone, which was easy for the children to handle.

We of course ordered the obligatory chawanmushi for the kids, and it was chock full of ingredients like mushrooms, chicken, and crabstick, which the children loved.

For drinks, we had the Matcha Ice Blended and the Lychee Earl Grey Iced Tea.

The matcha ice blended was rich in matcha flavour and definitely not too sweet. The lychee tea also came with the syrup served separately. Usually I would like my tea lightly sweetened but in consideration of the fact that our 10-year-old Mr Uno is very overweight and already heavier than his mother, we skipped the syrup.

Overall it was an excellent meal, and I would definitely be back. The relatively large portions were also great for our family of big eaters.

By the time we were done with our meal, there was already a long queue outside the restaurant, so if you don’t arrive before 6 pm, you can expect some waiting time.

The tldr; for me is:

1) Come by 6 pm to avoid a long waiting time, and

2) Definitely order the Wagyu.