Tanuki Raw (Orchard Central)

Lunch at Tanuki Raw is an inexpensive affair. From 11:30-15:00, Tanuki offers several good value sets ranging from $12-$18. And if you add just $2, you get miso soup, salad and green tea! If you are looking for the most bang for your buck, its got to be the Truffle Yakiniku Don ($14.80). We got ten thick, juicy slices of angus short ribs, perfumed with truffle oil. The onsen egg was poached to perfection -- dreamy-looking and poised precariously on top of the mound of rare beef slices. When prod, the runny, silky yolk coated the beef, becoming a rich sauce of sorts. Not to be forgotten, the vinegared rice that lay below it all was well seasoned with furikake and gave much needed body to the meal.  

Although the Chirashi Don ($17.80) was very tempting, it didn't seem that VFM -- we always compare to Hanare, the gold standard for affordable Chirashi -- which led to our choice of the Salmon Don. The unassuming Salmon Don ($12) may be the cheapest on the lunch menu, but will appeal to those who crave salmon exclusively. The Salmon Don came with topped with blow-torched/aburi salmon, thickly sliced salmon sashimi and juicy, plump ikura. We had no regrets (: