Hardly do we ever hear the words ‘affordable’ and ‘beef’ in the same sentence—especially in Singapore, to chance upon pocket-friendly beef that doesn’t skimp on quality is uncommon.

Brought to you by the same folks behind sake gastrobar Kabuke, Tokidon is a relatively new concept that recently opened in Hong Leong Building. Priding themselves as the ‘Purveyor of Gourmet Wagyu Bowls’, their menu focuses on a selective but tantalizing range of beef bowls—all at a price that will not burn a hole in your wallet.

With prices starting from just S$11.90, Tokidon is where all beef-lovers should keep their eyes peeled for.

Hidden in the corner of the basement in Hong Leong Building, this 80′s Disco-inspired Japanese eatery is hard to miss—decked out in quirky multi-coloured neon lights, this 20-seater eatery in the heart of Raffles Place may just be the next hit amongst those working in the area.

We opted for a serving of Tokidon’s most basic bowl—the Gyudon (S$11.90 nett). Fluffy white Japanese rice is topped with furikake and a light garlic soy dressing, as well as slices of striploin and an onsen egg—the hallmark of a classic Japanese beef bowl.

Served medium rare, we found some inconsistency in the doneness of the striploin but nonetheless, each piece impressed us. While it wasn’t melt-in-your-mouth tender, the striploin was extremely well-seasoned and paired well with the fried garlic chips and oozy onsen egg which gave the dish an added dimension of flavours.

Considering its price, this was one pretty darn good bowl of gyudon we’d see ourselves returning for.

Should you find yourself hankering for something fancier that encompasses an added oomph of flavours, the Truffle Wagyu Don (S$23.90 nett) would go highly recommended.

As one of Tokidon’s signature items, what you can expect is a sizeable portion of wagyu striploin with a dash of their house-blend truffle soy sauce drizzled over it.

Served medium-rare with a pink centre in the middle, barely any effort is needed to chew into the tender and juicy wagyu striploin slices. Although we thought that the meat itself was already good on its own, the truffle soy sauce—though extremely light on the palates—only served to bring out the best flavours of the beef bowl.

Other options include Truffle Tenderloin Don (S$15.90), Wagyu Sukiyaki Don (S$17.90) and Wagyu Misozuke Don (S$23.90).

16 Raffles Quay
Hong Leong Building #B1-33
Singapore 048581
Tel: +65 9151 9572
Daily: 11am – 9pm
Nearest Station: Raffles Place

For those who work in the CBD, are you on a constant lookout for cheap places to dine at during lunch? It is true that prices of food in the CBD are usually fixed slightly higher than elsewhere, but this does not mean that there aren’t hidden gems where you can enjoy delicious food without breaking the bank.

Let us introduce you to Gochi-So Shokudo, an under-the-radar eatery located at the corner of the basement of One Raffles Place that brings to you top-quality Iberico Pork all the way from Spain at affordable prices. Their Iberico Pork Belly Don will cost you just S$10; isn’t that a steal?

One of Gochi-So Shokudo’s most value-for-money menu options is the Iberico Pork Belly Don (S$10). If you are feeling slightly hungrier, you can upgrade your meal with side sets such as Set C (S$4) which will give you a plate of Iberico Belly Enoki and Iberico Miso Soup.

The Iberico Pork Belly Don (S$10) comes with a generous portion of thinly-sliced Iberico pork belly, an onsen egg, a handful of seaweed strips and spoonful of sliced spring onion atop a bowl of hot, fluffy rice.

If you were to glance at the store front, you would notice that the Iberico pork belly will be grilled over a charcoal fire prior to service. The wonderful char-grilled taste was evident in every slice of meat and it further enhanced the taste of the pork belly. Elsewise, our onsen egg was executed perfectly and when broken, the egg yolk added a velvety texture over the whole don that was just so enjoyable.

The Iberico Loin Katsu (S$15.80) comes with a deep-fried Iberico pork loin cutlet, fluffy bowl of rice, sesame seeds and their special dipping sauce. Admittedly, we were hoping for something more when we compared the price point of the Iberico Loin Katsu (S$15.80)  to the Iberico Pork Belly Don (S$10).

Although the skin of the Iberico pork loin cutlet was a lovely golden-brown, we found the meat of the cutlet slightly dry and lacking flavour.

Gochi-So Shokudo
1 Raffles Place, #B1-30 One Raffles Place,
Singapore 048616
Tel: +65 6536 6447
Mon to Thu: 11am – 9.30pm
Fri to Sun: 11am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Raffles Place