My family definitely enjoyed our dinner. Dishes are good for sharing. We really liked the starter, cod n mentaiko tamago.
A small little hiccup during the settling of bill as we increased the number of slices of sashimi from 3 to 4 as we had a party of 5 with one who do not really like to eat sashimi but was charged for 5 instead. Took a little bit of time to resolve the bill. - lucky we took pictures.
But otherwise, we enjoyed ourselves on the food. It’s a good place to drink and chit chat too as it serves a more than a izakaya. Will be back again.
Zoe
5
Great food. Very special tofu that complements everything else on the same plate. Also great sea salt ice cream
Cecilia Lee
1
Avoid at all cost. Here is a breakdown of a 123 sgd meal:
- They served a starter which was like compulsory. Fine. Dish came we asked the waitress what it was, she just said she didn’t know. Thought she’s new and would ask her colleague, yeah well no one got back to us
- Sashimi: felt like rubber and bland, my boyfriend had to make sure that it wasn’t a vegetarian place online
- Non-existant service: I asked for a napkin waited and waited, they heard me and yet 5 different waitresses walk by still no napkin. I had to ask a second time and one of them came over with a packet of those toilet hand towels. The entire packet of it in a restaurant setting. I found that super strange
Not ever coming back. 123sgd gone and calories wasted
Clement Khoo
1
Not very sure how this place got a 4.5. There’s no GST charge so that’s a pro. But it makes sense too, considering there was pretty much zero service. The waitresses on duty were more concerned with their own conversation than doing a proper service. Requests made were acknowledged then forgotten. Questions asked were acknowledged, and then left as a I dk kind of answer.
Sashimi was extremely bland, I literally took a double take to check if it was a vegetarian restaurant I entered by mistake. (For real)
Pacific saury was pretty good to be honest, but at that point I’m not sure if it was good or just that the other dishes were that bad.
I’m not a picky eater by any means but that meal I had that costed 100+ was beyond disappointing.
Chen Jillene
4
Chanced upon this Okinawa diner which only opens at night. Food was really good overall. Standouts include the grilled squid, garlic fried rice, bittergourd champuru. No gst so reasonably priced.
Teck Boon
5
You know the food is gonna be good when the restaurant has more Japanese customers than locals. Best to make a reservation as when we were dining in on a Friday evening, even though the restaurant wasn’t full, customers were turned away as they were already busy with the existing diners in the restaurant. Service is very good and there’s always someone around to help you with anything you need. Would definitely be back again.
Ed Ng
5
A rare gem in a not so popular place. There are items that you may not find them in other common Japanese restaurants. The starter is compulsory and chargeable at $8/pax. It was some seasoned fish and seaweed bitter gord. A little sour and bitter to act up your appetite. We ordered the wasabi octopus, simmered pork, fried chicken gizzards, fried somen noodles (delicious), vegetables sakura shrimp tempura, fish intestines, seaweed, spicy blue fin tuna and salmon avocado sushi, seaweed tamagoyaki, and finally fried banana fish. Disappointed that the peanut tofu was out of stock. A very satisfying dinner for 4!
Yi Ling
4
I visited this place on a Friday night with a friend and was immediately struck by its authentic atmosphere. The owner and all of the patrons were Japanese, creating a lively ambience. A number of Japanese office workers seemed to be enjoying after-work drinks, and the Okinawa-inspired menu was equally authentic. The place does not smell of grease at all,and it is a very comfortable environment to drink in.
💧Water is complimentary
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🥗 Otoshi (Appetizer) - $8
An otoshi is a small appetiser, typically served at dinner when alcoholic beverages are consumed. We were served a variety of small appetisers made from vegetables such as spinach and radish, braised in different ways. These came together to create a very pleasant starter. It was clear that a lot of effort had been put into making this appetiser, both in terms of presentation and culinary skill. I was just a bit surprised that this was a chargeable item, as I'm not very familiar with the typical Izakaya experience. Good to know that it is chargeable, though.
Rating: 4/5 🌟
STARTERS
🍤 Asato Sakuraebi Kakiage - $12
This dish was surprisingly good. It's made of shrimp, seaweed, onions, and deep-fried batter. It’s surprisingly light, and the tiny sakura ebi prawns give it a crispy, fragrant crustacean flavour amidst the savoury fragrance of seaweed. Dipping the tempura in the dipping sauce makes it refreshing and light, making it a really good accompaniment to alcohol. Rating: 4/5 🌟
🥜 Ji-mami Tofu - $8
This was my first experience with handmade Okinawa ji-mami (peanut) tofu, and its custard-like texture was a delightful surprise. Thick, creamy, and starchy, it had a unique chunky smoothness with low viscosity. The crispy wasabi furikake topping provided a contrasting texture and a hit of spice, while the underlying sweet soy sauce complemented the plain tofu. The combination of the crunchy furikake, jiggly tofu, and savoury sauce was enjoyable.
Rating: 4/5 🌟
MAINS 🍜 Soki Soba (Hot) - $18 Soki soba is a traditional Okinawa dish, representative of the prefecture's cuisine. The boneless, stewed pork spare ribs with attached cartilage were a key component. While the meat was a bit tough for my taste, the cartilage remained tender, and the meat was undeniably flavourful. However, the rich taste didn't infuse the broth, which I believe was intentional as the flavours remained distinct. The Okinawa soba noodles differed from the buckwheat noodles I'm accustomed to. Chewy and springy, they resembled handmade flour noodles. Personally, I wasn't a fan of this soba style. Rating: 3/5 🌟
🦀 Kani Cream Croquette - $15 The two crab cream croquettes were thick but petite. Their interiors boasted a rich, creamy mock crab filling. The light batter, encased in a crisp panko crust, concealed a warm, gooey center. While the cream filling was somewhat heavy when paired with the subtle tartar sauce, the accompanying lemon wedge was a refreshing counterpoint, cutting through the richness. Rating: 3.5/5 🌟
DESSERT 🍨 Okinawa Brown Sugar Ice Cream - $7 The Okinawa brown sugar ice cream was incredibly fragrant, far surpassing my expectations for a handmade dessert. Surprisingly, I detected subtle notes of ginger alongside a rich, caramelised brown sugar flavour. It was the perfect ending to the meal. We also enjoyed a mochi wrapped in a fragrant, translucent leaf. The soft mochi contained a creamy filling.
Rating: 4.5/5 🌟
🍨Okinawa Blue Salt Ice Cream - $7
The Okinawa blue salt ice cream was another pleasant surprise. The saltiness complemented the sweetness of the ice cream beautifully, and the creamy texture provided a satisfying finish. While the $7 price point is steep, this ice cream was undoubtedly a highlight of the meal.
Rating: 4.5/5 🌟
ALCOHOL
🍹 Shekwasha High - $7 (Happy Hour)🍹 Suntory Kaku Highball - $12
🍹 Goya-Champuru - $12
🍹 Ume Shu High Ball (Glass) - $12
We enjoyed a few whiskey highballs and an umeshu plum. There are happy hour prices, which are about 20% less than regular prices. After happy hour, the prices were moderate to high,
Cheen the Curious
4
Lots of interesting dishes to sample, but nothing outstanding. Will be back to try more. Pricy without alcohol
Keira Herr
5
Don’t be fooled by the decor of this place - it looks like a very typical eatery, but the quality and taste of the food is outstanding!
We tried so many dishes and every one of them were delicious - the mentaiko dashi tamagoyaki was amazing, with a generous egg to mentaiko ratio of 50%, and oh so soft - we ordered two orders. Another one that we repeat ordered was the snow crab cream croquette - so nicelu fried with delicate delish crab cream inside.
The okinawa vegetable and sakura prawn kakiage was very flavorful as well. The gindara miso was perfectly cooked with, flakey with a nice miso taste.
Their vinegared mozuku seaweed was very well done ( I love a good mozuku) and even their tako wasabi (usually not a fan of the cooked tako version) was so well done - octopus was tender and flavorful.
We also had the hokkaido white corn tempura - crowd’s favorite. And they also offer sashimi which was actually very fresh and decent.
Their otoshi ($8) was one of the most luxurious ones (and tastiest) ever - uni and ikura over simmered daikon and japanese greens.
This place does not charge gst, so the pricing is very reasonable.
The drinks can be a bit stronger but the waitress was amenable to making it stronger by request.
Definitely a place to be back!