O’Ramen O’Bento is a Japanese takeaway outlet in the Southern Cross Arcade food court. They sell 3 types of dishes; Bento Boxes, Ramen and Soba Noodle Salads.

Today, I ordered the Teriyaki Chicken Bento Box. Teri, in Japanese, refers to the lacquered sheen you get on the surface of the chicken from the teriyaki sauce, while Yaki means grilled. While the chicken was well marinated, I felt there was more Teri than there was Yaki. As they do in Asian countries, thigh meat was used, however, deviating from tradition, they removed the skin from the chicken. The teriyaki sauce itself was very nice. This indicates the proportions of soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar used on the meat were spot on. The chicken had nice colour and texture, and the flavour was well balanced. My only criticism of the teriyaki chicken was that it was slightly cold, indicating it had been cooked some time ago.

The steamed rice was well cooked; nice and flaky with individual grains. Like the chicken, the rice was a bit cold. The main accompaniment was the Yasai Croquette. The croquettes were nicely crumbed and were cooked to a beautiful medium golden brown. The mashed potato inside was nice and soft, and the addition of corn kernels was a nice touch. As with everything else, it would have been nice had it been warmer.

I think it would have made more difference had the dish been freshly prepared at the time of ordering. The dish was fairly cheap, but I just wasn’t that impressed with my meal. O’Ramen, O’Bento, O’no!

WHERE: Southern Cross Arcade Food Court