Because of Western and Asian businessmen who need to share tables but not cuisines, there’s a surge of oddities like Terra Roku, the Grand Millenium’s Japanese and Italian restaurant. It has one menu divided into two sections and one big open kitchen in the middle dishing it all out. Despite this, there’s no fusion going on. In fact, the dishes are classic to the point of ennui, and having to choose between the two sides of the menu ends up more disorienting than thrilling. Another disorienting quirk: tables set on rotating platforms that the waiters can spin. The tables do offer plenty of privacy and space but the individual dome ceilings create a loud, irritating and metallic echo. In the plate, too many of the Japanese dishes suffer from sickeningly sweet sauces, like the amuse bouche (desiccated tuna in a rice maki with almonds), the hotategai nasu dengaku (scallops grilled to perfection and flowery eggplant with bean paste sauce) and the signature eel and foie gras. It’s a shame since the products are fresh and cooked with precision; the Italian ones too. The pot roasted black cod with basil crust has textbook texture: firm yet yielding to the fork like a light mousse, moist yet cooked to the heart, flavorful and fresh. Try the scallops with truffles or the lamb chops and you get the same results in terms of product and cooking. But there’s something artificial about how Mediterranean restaurants’ sauces try to appeal to the masses with the surefire mix of tangy notes and hints of caramelized sugars. Desserts are similarly standardized but satisfying, well executed but overpoweringly sweet (such as the fondant with green tea ice cream). Service is impeccable, but we’ve really had it with being served (without warning) bottles of San Benedetto when all we asked for was, “Just normal water, please.” Water scam aside, we enjoy Terra Roku’s quality products and good service, though, at this price level, a more inspired kitchen and setting would be even better. Corkage B500.
