A Star Amongst Jap Diners

Sun with Moon Dining & Cafe has a bad rep for being pricey, but for the lovely dining experience, I'm a happy customer. And with some prudent menu selections, one can come away with both stomach and wallet well satisfied.

The restaurant interior is well thought out, and clever use is made of lighting to make the interior warm and inviting. There are different seating sections: one with trendy loungers and low tables, one with small wooden tables for an intimate setting and another with booths for larger groups. A digital animation of a waterfall rains down on a rice paper screen - an interesting fusion of traditional and modern styles.

The menu at Sun with Moon ranges from the exotic (eight-sashimi deluxe platter) to very mainstream (your regular udon), but you are assured of amazing presentation,  whatever you order. For starters, do go for some sashimi. The salmon sashimi was, to quote my dining companion, the 'best he'd ever had'. The cooked salmon fared well too, a simple, succulent slab marinaded and served on top of rice. The rainbow sushi roll featured fresh avocado and great tempura prawn cooked to just the right crispiness. We also enjoyed the tempura soba, with buckwheat soba served al dente. They tended to be a tad stingy on the meat though.

The Japanese are known for their exquisite desserts, and Sun with Moon does not disappoint in this area, with many a treat to satisfy the sweet-toothed. The Kyodango & Warabi Mochi platter, a selection of mochi and dumplings on skewers, arrives arranged in a most kawaii fashion on a porcelain platter, but also with a (in my opinion) too-sweet dipping sauce. A must-try is the Macha Parfait - my personal favourite. It offers oodles of flavour and texture, with little mochi balls, cream, green tea ice cream, cubes of chewy jelly, green tea sponge cake and cornflakes, all layered in a tall glass.

As with most popular restaurants in the Orchard belt, Sun with Moon appears to be facing a staff shortage. When I called to make a reservation (definitely recommended for large groups and weekends!) the line was engaged on the first two tries, and getting someone to take our orders took a good 10 minutes. Otherwise the service staff were impeccably polite and very prompt in delivering our food and keeping my cup of green tea filled. It was also great that they poured our soy sauce for us - a small but nice touch in this fast food age.

In any case, a great place for that second or third date when you're looking to enjoy some conversation (the food's a good talking point! so declares the menu, too), i.e. decent dining in a comfortable, non-threatening atmosphere.