“Tonkatsu by Ma Maison at Mandarin Gallery has the BEST tonkatsu in Singapore,” my pal Fred would tell me every time when we meet up for our glutton outings with Beatrice and Velda. After hearing this, how do you expect me to pretend that nothing had happened?
The few of us finally arranged a date to go there for dinner. And after trying it, I have to agree with Fred. Tonkatsu by Ma Maison has one of the best, if not the best tonkatsu in Singapore.
Dining out is getting more and more expensive. Since the opening of many celebrity chef restaurants, a meal at one of the top tables in Singapore can easily go up to $300-400 nowadays.
A few of my friends were just telling me that several reputable Japanese restaurants have been slowly upping the price of their omakase menu. I am sure everyone is feeling the sting of dining inflation. So today, I will like to share with you one of the best kept secrets in town.
Kumo Kaiseki Restaurant at Icon Village offers an extremely value-for-money Omakase. I’d recommend it if you are looking for a place to go for your first omakase experience.
One of the best parts of my job is discovering new hidden gems. After having a good meal at Yakitori Emmau, I am happy to introduce it to you as I feel that it is one of the few restaurants in Orchard that is worth checking out.
Yakitori Emmau at level four of ION Orchard is the second franchise of the Japan’s No. 1 Izakaya restaurant.
For Mother’s Day 2012, it is offering a special Collagen Tori Nabe set menu for 4 pax at only $120. The set comes with Caesar Salad; assorted Sashimi platter; Kushiyaki (skewers) platter; Tori Nabe soup which has a generous serving of ingredients; and the Enmaru Roll.
Like mentioned in my Guide to Mother’s Day Dinner, the set menu definitely has more than enough food for a family of four, and at just $30/pax, I think it is a fantastic deal.
Through my growing years, teppanyaki has always been a favourite. Even though I often crave for it, I haven’t had it for a long time because there are not that many teppanyaki restaurants around.
In my memory, most food courts used to have teppanyaki counters. But these days, they have disappeared almost entirely, leaving us with very limited options.
When you mention good teppanyaki in Singapore, several places like Keyaki, Tatsu Teppanyaki, and Hill Top Japanese Restaurant come to mind. However, they are not cheap. I certainly cannot afford to eat there on a regular basis. So I did some research on places to go, and I was pointed to Sakae Teppanyaki.
My quest to find the best tonkatsu brought me to Saboten at Changi Airport Terminal 1.
I’ve always wanted to try Saboten after hearing so much about it. Many people have been telling me that it is their favourite tonkatsu restaurant in Singapore. I am embarrassed that it took me so long to go there, but I am happy to say that I finally had the chance to drop by to sample some of the signature items on the menu.
The question now is, does Saboten have the best tonkatsu in Singapore?
It’s nice to have friends who love food. Whenever I hangout with Beatrice and Velda, we will always be looking for new places to try.
During our recent glutton outing, we were joined by our friend Ming, and he introduced us to one of his favourite Japanese Restaurants in Singapore – Akanoya Robatayaki at Orchard Parade Hotel.
It was an exceptional meal, and despite the price tag, I think it is worth saving up for that special occasion.
I first heard of Mikuni Japanese Restaurant during their official opening in September last year. But I had something on and couldn’t make it for the launch party. Time passed quickly and somehow I didn’t get a chance to drop by for a meal.
Fast forward a few months, I received another invitation from Fairmont Hotel Singapore to visit Mikuni for their Winter Robata, a culinary special featuring Hokkaido’s finest produce and flavours.
I’m always on the lookout for restaurants that have good food at affordable prices, but I don’t have much luck when it comes to Japanese food as most places tend to be a) cheap but mediocre, or b) good but expensive.
Beatrice, Velda and I were craving for Japanese food after our meeting with the folks from Intel and Toshiba, so we went to Liang Court, also known as little Japan in Singapore. While walking around, we chanced upon Yayoiken, a new Japanese Restaurant at the entrance of Meidi-ya supermarket.
After having lunch there, I’ll go so far as to say that my hunt for a place that serves inexpensive and good Japanese food has ended with Yayoiken at Liang Court.