For raw fish lovers, nothing is as satisfying as a chirashi don; what is there not to love about a bowl of warm rice that is topped with a smorgasbord of freshly chopped sashimi?

As much as we would love to be able to have this for lunch every day, we are restained by its steep price point. A serving of chirashi don at most places can easily set you back by quite a fair bit due to the use of such premium ingredients. However, not all hope is lost and we are glad to tell you that there are places out there that dish out affordable bowls of this goodness.

After doing a little research, we have here a list of 10 places that serve up stellar bowls of chirashi dons for less than S$20.

CHIRASHI KING KONG 

Chirashi King Kong, as its name says, serves up scrumptious bowls of chirashi don that are sure to satisfy your raw fish cravings. We recommend getting their Barachirashi (S$14.90) and King Kong Bowl (S$15.90) which each come topped with a copious amount of freshly sliced raw fish. We also love their truffle-infused rice which definitely elevates the dish and gives it an added burst of flavour.

Blk 1 Tanjong Pagar Plaza, #02-06
Singapore 082001
Tel: +65 8551 1544
Mon to Sat: 11am – 9pm
(Closed on Sundays)
Nearest Station: Tanjong Pagar

GINZUSHI 

For the westies, you can get yourself a bowl of chirashi don at Ginzushi at Jurong Point Shopping Mall. Their Bara Chirashi Don Set (S$14.80) features warm rice topped with chunks of salmon, tuna, amberjack, ikura and tamago. The chirashi don here is good for people with smaller appetites as the serving size is quite small.

1 Jurong West Central 2
#B1-49, Jurong Point Shopping Centre
Singapore 648886
Tel: +65 6255 5469
Daily: 11am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Boon Lay

IKKI IZAKAYA 

If you live or work around Buona Vista, make sure you make a trip down to IKKI Izakaya. For just S$14, you can get yourself a Barachirashi Don that is topped with a generous amount of freshly diced sashimi and Japanese pickles. Definitely a steal!

9N Buona Vista Drive, #01-06/07
Singapore 138588
Tel: +65 8138 8578
Mon to Thu: 11am – 12am
Fri: 11pm – 2am
Sat: 6pm – 12pm
(Closed on Sundays)
Nearest Station: Buona Vista

IZUMI JAPANESE FISH MARKET 

A hidden gem along New Upper Changi Road, Izumi Japanese Fish Market has successfully packaged affordability together with quality in their Bara Chirashi Don (S$11.80). We love how the chirashi don is prepared à la minute and you get to watch the skilled chefs slice the sashimi right before your eyes! Each bowl comes with a generous portion of fresh seafood which includes salmon, tuna and grilled unagi.

59 New Upper Changi Road, #01-1232
Singapore 461059
Tel: +65 6245 5568
Tue to Sun: 9am – 9pm
(Closed on Mondays)
Nearest Station: Tanah Merah

JJ.COM FISH MART 

If you happen to be around the Clarke Quay vicinity, JJ.com Fish Mart is a must-visit. Their Assorted Fish Chirashi (S$16.80) comes with 4 different types of premium sashimi; salmon, tuna and swordfish are staples whereas the fourth sashimi is on rotation subject to the available fish of the day.

6 Eu Tong Sen Street
The Central #01-68/69
Singapore 059817
Tel: +65 6221 0339
Daily: 10am – 2pm, 5pm – 10pm
Nearest Station: Clarke Quay

HOKKAIDO-YA 

Nestled away on the second floor of Vivocity is Hokkaido-ya, a casual Japanese restaurant that is managed by the same people behind the famous Sushi Tei. Their Bara Chirashi Don (S$13.90) consists of an assortment of diced Hokkaido scallops, Norwegian salmon, tamago, tuna, salmon roe and a massive sweet prawn at the centre of it all.

1 Harbourfront Walk
#02-153 VivoCity
Singapore 098585
Tel: +65 6376 8387
Daily: 11.30am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Harbourfront 

SORA BORU

We love how new kid on the block Sora Boru has chirashi don which we can customise to our heart’s content. A regular bowl costs just S$11.90 while mini bowls are S$6.50. If you’re too lazy to DIY your chirashi don, you can also opt to have their Bara Chirashi Ebimayo Aburi Don (Mini S$9.50, Regular S$16.90) which features cubes of half-grilled salmon raw fish, tamagoyaki and tempura bits that are blanketed in an incredibly aromatic blow-torched shrimp roe mayonnaise.

313@Somerset #B3-19/20
313 Orchard Road
Singapore 238895
Sun to Thu: 11am – 10pm
Fri & Sat: 11am – 11pm
Nearest Station: Somerset

OMOTE

Previously known as Sushiro, Omote at Upper Thomson is famous for its affordable and consistently delicious Bara Chirashi Don. For just S$12.80, you get yourself a bowl heaped with fresh chunky raw salmon, juicy salmon roe, tuna sashimi, octopus and prawn. The queues here are nightmarishly long but we promise you that it is worth the hype!

301 Upper Thomson Road
#03-24A Thomson Plaza
Singapore 574408
Tel: +65 9450 1020
Wed to Mon: 11.45am – 2.10pm, 5.45pm – 9.15pm
(Closed on Tuesdays)
Nearest Station: Marymount

Photo Credit: rakkibowl

RAKKI BOWL 

Rakki Bowl’s colourful Bara-Chirashi (Small S$12.90, Large S$17.90) is an absolute treat for the senses! Each bowl comes with a delectable array of freshly cubed salmon, tuna, swordfish, tako and tamagoyaki atop a bed of their authentic Niigata Kohihikari rice that is specially imported from Japan.

72 Duxton Road
Singapore 089531
Tel: +65 9730 3598
Daily: 12pm – 10pm
Nearest Station: Outram Park & Tanjong Pagar

TEPPEI SYOKUDO 

Teppei Syokudo specialises in customisable donburi that is affordable and made on the spot right before your eyes. They have multiple outlets islandwide and a mainstay in all of their outlets is the Barachirashi Don or Kaisendon (S$16). We absolutely love the marinade they use for their sashimi cubes; it gives the entire don a lovely savoury touch!

391 Orchard Road
#B2 Takashimaya Food Hall, Ngee Ann City
Singapore 238872
Daily: 10am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Orchard

**Multiple outlets islandwide

Polished, elegant and intimate, Kaunta is a new Japanese restaurant in Tanjong Pagar that aims to provide diners with an authentic and lavish dining experience that’ll leave a lasting, memorable impression.

The modern 20-seater Japanese restaurant is by the same team behind The Sushi Bar—the popular sushi joint that first started at Far East Plaza.

The Sushi Bar is a restaurant for casual dining on a daily basis, but Kaunta, on the other hand, is more upmarket and made for occasions. They pride themselves on using only the freshest and most premium produce from Japan available to create their gastronomic masterpieces.

Allow the skilled chefs to take you on a multi-sensory journey; each and every bite of their meticulously crafted creations will open your eyes to the world of food from their point of view

You know that a meal visually exceeds its expectations when you dread tucking into the dish. It was almost too decadent to eat, especially after watching the chef painstakingly and meticulously assemble the entire dish.

That is how we felt before we began eating these bowls of art; each and every dish was created with so much poise and precision that it almost felt sinful to so much as move a single piece of uni.

Seafood aficionados will appreciate Bara (S$35)—a bara chirashi don featuring a medley of cubed seasonal fish, scallops, anago, unagi and ikura atop a bed of burdock gobo sushi rice.

This vibrant assemble was as pleasing to the palate as it was to the eyes and we love how the kaleidoscopic colours of the fish were further enhanced by a speckling of edible flowers and greens which made the dish almost too pretty to eat.

The seasonal fish, as promised, were exceptionally fresh, and every component provided its own unique element to the dish. Each bubble of ikura also added a lovely burst of flavour while complementing the tastes and textures of the other ingredients.  We also love how the sweetness of raw fish and ikura also paired contrastingly well with the earthiness of the burdock gobo sushi rice.

A special menu item that is available during lunch for a limited period is their A5 Wagyu Beef Bowl (S$50). This divine creation features perfectly seared chunks of the Rolls Royce of all beef, buttery foie gras, white truffle shavings and creamy uni that was balanced on a soft-boiled egg.

The impeccably tender beef paired well with the melt-in-your-mouth foie gras, creating a decadent combination of flavours that were packed full of umami. The uni added a nice briny touch to the dish without overwhelming its other components and together with the soft boiled egg, it provided the entire dish with a creamy texture that pulled all the dishes different elements together.

Kaunta Singapore
11 Kee Seng Street #01-12
Singapore 089218
Tel: +65 8788 3535
Mon to Sat: 11.30am – 3pm, 5.30pm – 10pm
Nearest Station: Tanjong Pagar

Armed with culinary skills gleaned from his 2-decades-long experience preparing sushi and cooking Japanese food, Chef Kenji Nakagawa—a master in the art of Edomae sushi—astounds yet again with his stellar line-up of sensational donburi options available during lunch.

From now until 14 June 2018 (except 12 and 13 May 2018), our readers can quote ‘ladyironchef’ to enjoy Sushi Jiro’s donburi lunch sets (which comes with a serving of chawanmushi and miso soup) at the following prices: luxurious Wagyu Don at S$50++ (U.P. S$68++), Una Don at S$48++ (U.P. S$58++), Chirashi Don at S$48++ and new to their donburi line-up, Tendon at S$20++.

Additionally, there is also a 20% discount on all Japanese sake and wine across lunch and dinner—this applies every day of the week so you have no reason to not drink up.

As far as Japanese fine dining goes, Sushi Jiro still remains one of our top few picks for the very simple reason that top quality ingredients remain at the heart of their food and coupled with Chef Kenji’s culinary mastery, our taste buds are always taken on a sensational trip.

UNA DON

Unagi-focused restaurants are common in Japan, but become rare treasures once you leave the country’s shores. Thankfully, there are no shortages of places to get these flavourful bad boys in Singapore.

Sushi Jiro’s Una Don (S$48++, U.P. S$58++) does not disappoint and we particularly liked the way that Chef Kenji prepares his rendition of the traditional Edo-period dish. He coats it with just enough tare to give the unagi a glorious sheen as well as a sweet and savoury finish but not overdoing it such that it totally drowns out the taste of the freshwater eel.

The shredded egg crepe that forms the bed is a nice touch as well. Providing a nice eggy flavour, it—along with the Japanese pickles on the side—really takes the edge off savoury, slightly fishy eel.

WAGYU DON

If like us, you’re a sucker for premium quality beef or more specifically wagyu beef, then their Wagyu Don (S$50++, U.P. S$68++) is definitely something to go for.

Otherwise known as ‘gyudon’ at many Japanese establishments, this stellar beef rice bowl boasts a generous serving of thickly cut, buttery wagyu that brims with intense beefy flavour. The real showstopper here is undoubtedly the beef but more so, the rendered beef fat that just finds its way in and around the bowl, coating the individual rice grains as it goes along.

The onsen egg provides a secondary layer of richness which, when eaten together with the wagyu and rice, creates one heck of luxurious flavour explosion.

TENDON

New to their donburi lineup is the Tendon (S$20++). Featuring a variety of ingredients deep-fried to golden perfection, each individual component boasts a crispy exterior and a soft, tender interior.

The ebi (prawn), in particular, was a standout. Lightly battered, the ebi tempura was neither too overly doughy nor oily. The crunch was delightful and coupled with the naturally sweet prawn and the savoury-sweet sauce drizzled over top, made for a totally enjoyable experience.

CHIRASHI DON

As much as we tend to harp on the restaurant relying on fresh ingredients and treating them delicately so as to retain as much as of its natural flavour as possible, none perfectly epitomises this notion better than their Chirashi Don (S$48++).

Featuring a mixture of fresh, thickly cut fish including the likes of the oh-so-luxurious otoro (fatty tuna), uni (sea urchin) and more, you’ll undoubtedly be yearning for it for days. The variety of fish in this single bowl also gives diners the opportunity to sample different seasonal catches of varying tastes and textures—a huge bonus considering that a medley of premium fish like this would be much more expensive elsewhere.

WINE & SAKE PROMOTION

Now, the only thing left to do to complete your dining experience is to pair your Japanese food with Japanese sake and wine!

Sushi Jiro is currently running a 20% promotion off all sake and wine on their expansive drinks menu so there really is no reason why you should be skipping alcohol for your next meal there.

And if you have always wanted to try premium Japanese alcohol (man, the Japanese make really good alcohol beverages!), this is your chance because it is not every day that you get a 20% discount off something so premium, yes?

From now until 14 June 2018 (except 12 and 13 May 2018), our readers can quote ‘ladyironchef’ to enjoy Sushi Jiro’s donburi lunch sets (which comes with a serving of chawanmushi and miso soup) at the following prices: luxurious Wagyu Don at S$50++ (U.P. S$68++), Una Don at S$48++ (U.P. S$58++), Chirashi Don at S$48++ and new to their donburi line-up, Tendon at S$20++.

This promotion is not valid in conjunction with others promotions and discount.

Sushi Jiro Singapore
6 Raffles Boulevard
#04-600 Marina Mandarin Singapore
Singapore 039594
Tel: +65 6445 3055
Daily: 11.30am – 3pm, 6pm – 11pm
Nearest Station: Esplanade
reservation email : sushi.jiro@sushijiro.sg

This post is brought to you by Sushi Jiro Singapore.