Located in Oxley Bizhub—just a short walk from Tai Seng MRT Station—Yamato Izakaya is a melting pot of three Japanese dining concepts under one roof! Featuring the likes of famous unagi restaurant, Man Man, Ramen Hitoyoshi and Tora Tora, this restaurant is on its way to becoming a stalwart for local Japanese dining in Singapore.

Beloved for their fresh and modern renditions (and generous portions) of grilled Japanese eel, Man Man’s unagi dishes is a definite must-try. But be sure to save room for Ramen Hitoyoshi’s signature ramen as well as the vast array of sushi and donburi options courtesy of Tora Tora.

Yamato Izakaya is no doubt one spot to visit should you find yourself hankering for authentic, rock-solid Japanese food. On Saturdays, parking on site is free so that’s another plus point if you’re thinking of paying this restaurant a visit for a hearty family lunch.

It’s pretty difficult to miss this restaurant because whether you are driving past, in or around Oxley Bizhub, chances are you’ll catch a glimpse of their massive signboard out front.

The restaurant itself can easily accommodate more than a hundred patrons given its huge space and the 3 kitchens all take on an open concept, meaning that you get to see the chefs at work while you wait for your food.

Man Man offers its famous unagi in three portions—Unatama (S$20.50++), medium (S$28.40++) and large (S$36.10++)

The Unatama (S$20.50++) is substantial enough to allow one to savour their prized dish without getting sick of it as well as to leave room to try the other offerings from Ramen Hitoyoshi and Tora Tora.

Tastewise, it was probably one of the best unagi dishes we have ever had in Singapore. Sweet, oily with a deeply charred flavour and texturally one of the most delicate pieces of fish around, take our word for it and order a bigger portion of this.

The rice bowl comes with 2 thick slices of tamago which do well to bolster the richness of the unagi as well.

Hitoyoshi Ramen delights diners with their wide array of ramen dishes that are all customisable depending on how distinct your palate is. We opted for the most basic, Tonkotsu Ramen (S$10.90) which came with a generous portion of ramen noodles, slices of pork and a beautifully seasoned egg.

The Tonkotsu broth was rich in flavour and brimming with porky goodness. The infusion of the black fungus really does give it a heightened umami taste and we particularly loved just how thick and concentrated the broth was.

If you’re ever unsure of what to order, especially given Tora Tora’s extensive range donburi offerings, consider their Futago Don which essentially is a pair of dons in one!

We got the Kaisen Don (S$7) along with the Ikura Don (S$7) which comprised a generous serving of diced up salmon, tuna, scallops, geoduck and a huge dollop of ikura over top. Salty, fresh and jam-packed with umami goodness, this is definitely something to opt for if you’re a sashimi fanatic.

Yamato Izakaya
65 Ubi Road 1, #01-92 Oxley Bizhub,
Singapore 408729
Tel: +65 6385 5273
(Closed on Sundays)
Mon to Sat: 11.30am – 3pm, 5.30pm – 10pm
Nearest Station: Tai Seng

Miyagawa Honten—125-year-old Unagi Speciality Restaurant—is opening its first-ever overseas outlet in Singapore.

With the arrival of so many international brands in Singapore this past couple of months, it has been a challenge to keep track but one, in particular, that has got us stoked out of our minds is the renowed unagi speciality restaurant, Miyagawa Honten.

For those who are unfamiliar, Miyagawa Honten is one of Tokyo’s most well-known unagi restaurants, with a history that spans 125 years. Its first outlet was Tsukiji Miyagawa Honten back in 1894, and it has since grown from strength to strength, now operating 20 outlets in Japan alone!

The restaurant’s very first foray out of Japan and the very first one out of Japan will be known as Ichinoji Miyagawa and we are all ecstatic to get our hands—or rather our tastebuds—on their speciality eel that boasts a unique, thick and somewhat spicy sauce—very different from the usual unagi dishes that we are familiar with.

The 34-seater restaurant located at Riverside View, Robertson Quay will serve unagi in three of its signature styles: hitsumabushi, seiro mushi and donburi.

Hitsumabushi is a traditional Nagoya’s style of cooking freshwater eel that involves slitting the eel open along the belly and grilling it whole without steaming beforehand. This style of preparing freshwater eel can be enjoyed on its own or with dashi, nori, wasabi and green onion.

For those who are wish to experience and savour the natural flavours of grilled unagi at its purest should definitely opt for the donburi option that features clean flavours and neutrally-flavoured accompaniments to really bring out the taste of the fish.

Photos credit: Miyagawa Honten

Ichinoji Miyagawa Singapore has yet to announce its official opening date. Watch this space as we bring you the latest news about its opening in Singapore.

Ichinoji Miyagawa Singapore
01-05 Riverside View
Robertson Quay Singapore 238251
Nearest Station: Clarke Quay

Originally located at East Coast, Sushi Jiro is an established Japanese restaurant in Singapore with over 20 years of history. Today, the prestigious restaurant nestles within Marina Mandarin Singapore and still continues to provide top-notch Japanese cuisine, using only traditional Japanese culinary preparation methods and execution.

Having been to Sushi Jiro countless times, the restaurant is now one of our top choices when it comes to Japanese fine dining. And this time around, we’d like to share with you some very amazing lunch promotions that would be for a nice lunch with your colleagues or simply some quality me-time during your lunch break.

For the entire month of March, Sushi Jiro is having an enticing lunch promotion where you get to enjoy a Wagyu Don Set for S$50++ (U.P. S$68++), Una Don for S$48++ (U.P. S$58++) and their signature Sushi Course Lunch Set for S$80++ (U.P. S$100++). 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.

Simply quote ‘ladyironchef’ to enjoy these deals that are valid for the entire month of March 2018.

WAGYU DON

Japanese cuisine comprises many different types of dishes but one that will always win our hearts is Wagyu Don, or otherwise known as ‘gyudon’ in Japanese. It is essentially a rice bowl filled with warm Japanese rice pearls and is layered with premium beef slices before light soy sauce is drizzled on top.

Sushi Jiro’s luxurious Wagyu Don (S$50++/ U.P. S$68++) is definitely something that is worth going back countless times for. Using only top-grade wagyu that Chef Kenji gets from Australia, the perfectly-marbled beef slices are masterfully seared to perfect medium-rare doneness.

The beef is complemented with a runny onsen egg, fried garlic chips, soy sauce and a handful of chives. Break the egg yolk and mix the ingredients together with the rice to achieve rich, luxurious and creamy textures.

What sets Sushi Jiro’s Wagyu Don apart from others is in importing only superior Australian beef and Japanese seasoning.

And at S$50++ for the lunch set which includes a serving of chawanmushi and miso soup, this is a complete steal. The Wagyu Don is otherwise available on its a la carte menu at regular times for S$68++ per bowl.

UNADON

Unagi (eel) is the most talked about produce this season and there is honestly nothing to dislike about the Unadon (U.P. S$58++) at Sushi Jiro. Go for lunch in March and enjoy the special promotional price of S$48++ per set.

What you can expect is a generous portion of perfectly grilled unagi lying on a bed of thinly sliced egg crepes and sticky Japanese rice. The unagi fillets are accompanied with a serving of thick soy-based marinade, sesame seeds and some tsukemono (Japanese pickles).

The slightly charred edges of the unagi gave it a deeper and earthier taste, which we felt had a good balance with the sweet, caramelised sauce. If you are looking for a more premium version of this perennial Japanese favourite, Sushi Jiro’s Unadon will not leave you disappointed.

And you’d be happy to know that Sushi Jiro only uses premium Japanese eels; they do not get their eels from anywhere else in the world.

BOTH LUNCH SETS COME WITH CHAWANMUSHI AND MISO SOUP

Both Wagyu Don and Una Don are served with a portion of chawanmushi and miso soup as part of the lunch set promotion.

S$80 SUSHI COURSE PROMOTION

Alternatively, Sushi Jiro’s Sushi Course Lunch Set is another crowd pleaser to consider. The sushi course comprises a starter, chawanmushi, 8 pieces of seasonal sushi, negitoro and ikura rice, miso soup, and dessert.

Something worth raving about is the sensational Negitoro and Ikura Rice which features ikura, minced fatty tuna, sushi rice and a tiny smidgen of fresh wasabi—every mouthful is a combustion of interesting flavours and textures.

If you quote ‘ladyironchef’ upon making your reservations, you only have to pay S$80++ per pax for this sushi lunch set instead of S$100++ per pax. This is one all-time favourite lunch deal, by the way!

20% OFF ALL JAPANESE SAKE AND WINE

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?

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

This post is brought to you by Sushi Jiro Singapore.

Just a mere mention of grilled unagi (freshwater eels) and most minds would naturally gravitate towards the colossally popular, Michelin Bib Gourmand winner, Man Man Unagi Japanese Restaurant. But that is soon to change especially with the opening of Uya at Wheelock Place.

Striving to keep prices affordable and the quality of their food as true to Japanese traditional unagi cuisine as possible, all of Uya’s eels are meticulously selected to ensure the ideal quality that best matches their house-made tare (sauce) and fresh shipments from both Taiwan and Japan are flown in weekly.

Smoky, sticky and grilled to utmost perfection, grilled unagi is a hard dish to dislike, and we are all extremely stoked to try Uya’s prized dish to see if this new Unagi restaurant truly walks the talk and can prove itself to be a worthy competitor to it’s Michelin Bib Gourmand-winning counterpart.

Uya was set up in partnership with the fourth-generation owner of an eel wholesaler in Japan and is set to make waves in Singapore. The restaurant is helmed by a Japanese head chef that boasts more than a decade’s worth of experience cooking in unagi restaurants in Nagoya.

The excellent quality of their unagi is evident from the creamy and delicate flesh and as such, the fish is given the respect it deserves, that is, a simple application of their tare and masterfully grilled over a charcoal grill.

Their tare is made using a sauce base that carries with it, a family secret that has been passed down from over 4 generations.

There are a few ways the chefs at Uya prepare their unagi. You can opt to experience their unagi in the form of the traditional Hitsumabushi that comprises chopped up unagi eaten 4 ways or the Healthy Unadon that comprises chopped up unagi, assorted vegetables, pickles and sous vide egg.

Once you decide on your order, the live eels undergo cutting, skewering, an initial grilling process without sauce known as shirayaki and a final grilling known as kabayaki where the sauce is applied.

Uya
501 Orchard Road, #02-15/16
Wheelock Place
Singapore 238880
Tel: +65 6732 1096
Sun to Thu: 12pm – 2.30pm, 6pm – 9.30pm
Fri & Sat: 12pm – 2.30pm, 6pm – 10pm
Nearest Station: Orchard

*All photos are credited to Uya Singapore.