At Ohana, Willy Moreno’s new restaurant launched with Japanese chef Saito Yoshikata, Spanish and Japanese cuisine meet, but it’s with a polite “how do you do?” rather than a full-on hug.

In Ohana’s one-page menu, some Japanese dishes borrow flair from the Euro side and vice versa. But it’s like a dance where the boys and girls have just gotten their hips wiggling–the dishes are familiar, but not as daring, ingenious or interesting as we’d expect a melding of Japanese and Spanish cuisine from Chef Willy to be. On our visit, Ohana was still in the process of developing its identity.

We began our meal with the homemade tofu (RMB38), served like crème brulée in a red, heart-shaped ramekin with a thin gloss of soy sauce. The tofu was the color of freshly churned butter and tasted decadently smooth and creamy. Next, we tried the spicy potatoes Japanese style (RMB40), el Willy’s patatas bravas with the expected sour cream and tomato sauce, doctored up with fluttering bonito flakes. We enjoyed the patatas bravas as always, but the bonito delivered more visual impact than flavor.

Next, a yakitori selection (RMB38) of three fat chicken, leek and mushroom skewers were served, but they were rather forgettable with the firm meat and savory sauce overpowering the flavors of the grill. We also tried the pork ramen (RMB55) which had a thick soup base that oddly did not taste porky at all. The braised pork belly Kagoshima-style (RMB40) was much better: fatty, rich and tender.

We got excited about the roll-it-yourself toro temaki (RMB140) and its four thick, slabs of luscious tuna belly and perfectly seasoned sticky sushi rice. We had fun creating our own hand rolls, but were surprised when we had to rip tough connective tissue out of three of the four slices, effectively shredding the otherwise velvety fish.

For dessert, we opted for the sake nog (RMB68). The eggnog-inspired cocktail was light to begin with but became bland when the ice melted. Is it worth the trip to Hongqiao? Give it some time to work out the soft-opening kinks.

Our rating: 3.5/5

DETAILS

What: Ohana

Where: 2/F, 3911 Hongmei Lu 虹梅路3911号2楼

Tel: 3428-0669

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