Japanese food is nothing new to Singapore. But with the recent influx of new Nippon-style restaurants, it seems like folks are really going gaga for the cuisine.
There’s Yoyogi, a stalwart Japanese restaurant that closed their Mohammad Sultan location in November and then reopened at The Grandstand in January. Regulars from their old digs are already streaming in to see popular local chef Edwin Tan. There’s a full house at dinner nightly and they recommend you book two days in advance for seats. The place has a 20-seat sushi counter and two private rooms: one for eight and one for twelve people. It’s pretty affordable too. Mid-day sets include the ladies lunch ($32), comprising chirashi sushi as well as chilled noodles, and the unagi lunch ($25). Dinner brings three omakase sets ($150, $200 and $250).
Ezoca is a pricier establishment at swank development Quayside Isle, at Sentosa Cove. The 40-seat joint opened in at the beginning of February. It serves lunch sets, which go for $80-150 and include items like the stewed fish zen. Dinner courses cost $180-285 and meals comprise luxe items such as black wagyu beef. Menus change monthly.
Also new is Sushi Mitsuya (it opened on February 2) helmed by chef Ryosuke Harada, formerly the sous chef of Sora Sushi at Mandarin Oriental Tokyo. The place has an 18-seat counter and a private room for six.
Further afield is Clover GAC Seletar at Seletar airbase. The 60-seater and serves a menu of Japanese standards, which isn’t too exciting, but also has a value-for-money yakitori buffet ($28). To add to that, it boasts a cool alfreso rooftop garden with great views of the runway.
By the folks behind Oso Ristorante and Restaurant Absinthe, comes Hashi courtesy of head chef Tadashi Takahashi (formerly of Nobu Melbourne). It’s set to open at the end of February.
For drinks, there’s Kawara CAFE&BAR at Cuppage Terrace with simple Japanese cocktails like yuzu and tonic ($14) as well as matcha liquor and soy milk ($14). Besides, there’s shochu including tomi no houzan sweet potato shochu ($12) and kakushi gura barley shochu ($12). Plus, beer cocktails such as cranberry juice and beer ($12). Pad your stomach out with simple mains like jumbo hamburg steak ($19.90) and Japanese tapas including tuna and salmon temari sushi ($12).
