BigMouth and CB were at Ocha Tuesday evening for the opening of its 2007 dining season.

Although it was the first night for staff after the summer break, they didn’t miss a beat as we where ushered through to a window seat.

Without fail, CB and I return regularly to this strikingly small Japanese restaurant and which never fails to impress us for the quality of its cuisine, service and down-right value. As it ranks among our favourites, we have a rolling booking that aims to have us dine there once every 10 or so weeks.

Simply furnished, and with relatively few tables, a casual passerby might not realise the sizable cult following this establishment has built. But don’t bother showing up without a booking hoping to find an empty seat. Reservations are usually booked solid for weeks in advance for its three sittings - lunch through to 2:30pm, an early evening set from 6pm to 7:45pm, and a second evening setting from 8pm to sometime after 10:30pm.

The kitchen never fails to thrill us with its modern twist on Japanese cuisine.

This eatery’s reputation firmly rests on its food. What Bigmouth loves about the place is being able to ignore the menu, entrust the staff to pick a variety of dishes, and know that every dish that emerges from the kitchen will dazzle and delight the tastebuds. Even more impressive is that the staff have learnt and understood CB’s dining requirements and are still able to furbish us with an array of shared plates that cater to the polar extremes of our culinary habits.

We always finish the evening happy on every visit.