Maguroya

Stall 79, Lau Pa Sat
18 Raffles Quay
Opening Hours: 10.45 am to 2.30 pm, 5 to 8.30 pm (Mon-Sat)
Ranges from $8 to $22
Japanese
Well-priced sashimi sets & extremely yummy fish broth


  The most common question I get these days is "how is married life" and I usually give one of the three answers: (i) good, (ii) it's the same and (iii) we haven't moved into our home yet, so there isn't much of a change. As is much of life, it is far too complicated to be answered simply in five minutes during the lift or even during a span of a meal. When I was younger, I was often befuddled by these questions and struggled to answer - only because I wanted so sincerely to really express how I felt, but was let down by my own ability to express it.

  ZM and I make a much stronger effort to eat with each other every day than we did before. Before we were married, it would not be inaccurate to label us as a "weekend couple". Still, after marriage, you feel a sense of responsibility for the welfare of your other half and an almost sweet relief whenever you meet him, as if your brain is happy and goes ah, there you are, with all your limbs intact. Truly taking your bond as one flesh very seriously.

   On a whole, ZM doesn't enjoy seafood (gasp! travesty!) and was generally averse to raw fish. So, I'm always touched when he finds seafood and japanese places for us to eat at. I actually think he is starting to enjoy it in itself.

   The menu is a joy to read:

   Apparently, this stall was set up by quite a famous sashimi provider to restaurants - hence you get the same quality without the middle-men upping the cost. At this price, it's hard to find any other place that could beat this quality.

   My favourite, by far, was the fish broth. Sadly, one cannot get free re-fills (which sounds stingy to me). Also, the squiggly writings on the board "served with... LOVE" makes me laugh, because the stall is manned by two very stoic men who correct your japanese pronunciation robotically.

  After I finished my small serving of fish broth, ZM passed me his. I gave it back to him. We sickeningly pushed the soup to each other a few times, and then both drank it together. Perhaps for some couples, the answer is to buy more soup. But, I love sharing the little of what we have together.

  Be it, soup, raw fish or time.