Japanese

We also ordered a teriyaki chicken, which turned out to be a deep fried, moist and juicy chicken chop coated with a sweet teriyaki sauce. It came crispy and hot, and was the ultimate comfort food. It’s so simple, but executed really well.

Normally comes with aburi salmon but we requested it to be switched out for tuna instead for a $2 top up. It was a good choice!! Except they could really do without all the extra mayo haha especially since the veggies alr had a nice tangy dressing. The tuna tasted fresh and sweet, and I loved the salty pop of the ikura and the crunch of the tobiko.

Decided to pop by here when my usual Sushi Tei had a really long queue. I was pleasantly surprised because this particular set was super value for money!! For $17 I got 3 thick (I mean at least 2-3 big bites kind of thick) glistening slices of salmon sashimi, 3 slices of well-marbled salmon belly, 2 aburi teriyaki and 2 aburi mentai mayo salmon nigiri. The fish tasted fresh and delicious too!!

Wanted to try this Keisuke concept since it opened, and so glad I finally managed to pop down! I love the concept, where you sit at a cosy counter and they cook the thinly sliced beef and assemble this delicious bowl in front of you. Also, the service is super friendly and impeccable, along with the spot-on decor and ambience.

I opted for the cheaper of the two beef dons on the menu. ($14.90). The bowl consists of Koshihikari rice decorated with 110grams of beef, shimeiji mushroom, tofu, glass noodles, leeks and spring onions. The beef is done to a blushing medium rare. In addition, you get an onsen egg (with a beautiful bright orange yolk), miso soup, mini chawanmushi and access to free flow pickles and ginger. For the price it's such a steal. They also pour the Sukiyaki beef juices into a little sauce dish at the side so you can pour over your rice as you wish to flavor it.

The beef is so tender, sweet and delicious, but not too fatty. Goes beautifully with the fluffy rice. The egg also was a stunner with that delicious creamy yolk. Would definitely drop by again, especially with its proximity to my gym. 😍

Its my first time trying ox tongue, a local delicacy from Sendai in the Miyazaki prefecture (this one is from Senri)! The aburi smell was really strong and mouthwatering, and the aburi torching really gives it that oomph from the Maillard reaction. I could tell the cook on the beef was perfect.

The beef itself doesn't have a super strong gamey flavor nor is it particularly juicy but it's got a distinctive chewy texture. I can see why this is an acquired taste. It comes with some spicy paste and I added an onsen egg to dip the beef into the glorious yellow yolk. It's also paired with some refreshing salad.

I really liked this one and would go for a repeat order next time. This is the medium size with 150 grams of beef and cost $32.

8/10

This is from the brand Karamasa, specializing in Kaarage, deep fried chicken. This is honestly a steal at $7.50 for four humongous chunks of chicken (I'm talking about the size of my palm kind of big), served with a salad.

It tasted so authentic. The batter used was potato starch based, and just coats the huge piece of chicken evenly. (No huge chunks of flour or batter here!) The batter wasn't soggy and there was a perfect chicken to batter ratio. The chicken was deep-fried to a crispy perfection and yet still retained its tenderness and juiciness. There's an audible crunch when I bit into it, and I could actually taste the chicken juices erupt out of it. It comes with some sweet dipping sauce, but I would order the tartar version next time because I think this slightly underseasoned chicken needs the heaviness and richness of the tartar sauce.

But still, this plate is honestly holds one of the most delicious and most value-for-money karaages around.

9.5/10

This is my first time eating gyukatsu, or deep-fried beef cutlets. This dish is from Kurobeko, one of the ten brands under Deli's Kitchen. The beef is quickly deep-fried for an incredibly crispy exterior and medium-rare center. It's served over seasoned Niigata Koshihikari rice and some salad. ($35)

It is so delicious. The beef was encrusted in a very delicious mix of panko breadcrumb that is light and not oily yet incredibly crispy. It stayed crunchy long into the meal. The beef comes in a gigantic portion covering half the bowl, is pretty mild-flavored (not the juicy and fatty, melt in your mouth type) but still tender and well-cooked. And the rice is super fluffy and perfectly portioned. I was really satisfied by this for my first gyukatsu experience. ☺️

8.5/10

This is the smaller of the two serving sizes ($7) and is perfect for a little appetizer to munch on while waiting for your mains to come.

These cheesy bites were served fresh from the fryer and were hot and crispy on the outside while the inside was super soft and creamy. Because they're so creamy, they don't have much of a cheese pull, but their pillowy texture is gorgeous nonetheless. They were almost gooey, with the cheese dripping as I nibbled on them. I had these with a smear of tomato ketchup and the tanginess of the condiment with the mildness of the cheese was really delicious.

8.5/10

An entire grilled squid ($12)! The whole thing was cooked in generous amounts of butter which perfumed the squid and gave it a lovely, rich, salty flavor. The squid itself is generously sized and has quite a nice bouncy texture, and it wasn't chewy nor did I have to break my jaw trying to chew it into pieces, which I appreciated. I also liked that I got to try different parts of the squid like the legs and head, etc.

Monjayaki is a runnier version of okonomiyaki (think melted cheese consistency). You scrape it hot and gooey off the griddle with tiny spatulas. The mixed monjayaki ($16) has bacon, prawn and squid mixed in, and I recommend it because it means each bite has the texture of gooey monjayaki, crunchy prawn, bouncy squid and savory pork.

It's got a totally different mouthfeel and a starchier taste compared to okonomiyaki, but really fun to eat. Towards the end, the monjayaki gets caramelized on the grill, which results in being ridiculously crispy and delicious. Add a tiny dab of okonomiyaki sauce and bonito flakes for that final dash of seasoning.

I came here once and fell in love with it. You know you've found a legit place when you're basically the only English-speaking individuals in the restaurant. It was just an incredibly fun experience for my dining partner and I. 😊

I love the okonomiyaki here. It is certainly equivalent to the ones I've had in Japan, in fact I might prefer these because they're just so super thick. These have a cabbage, dashi batter, egg and red ginger base and are freshly cooked on the griddle. You can dress them up as you please with extra okonomiyaki sauce, seaweed powder and bonito flakes.

I love how satisfying, creamy and chunky these pancakes are. They take a long time to cook as a result (the staff will help you with that), but really worth it. The premium okonomiyaki ($20) comes with four large prawns and more chopped up prawns in the batter.

This rice dish consisted of a bowl of rice topped with fluffy beaten egg white and raw egg yolk. ($5.80) I added $3 for negitoro (raw minced tuna with green onion) and another $3 for a set with Japanese pickles, miso soup and salad.

I just mixed everything together and seasoned it with the pickles and soy sauce provided. It tasted very bland initially, so it really needed that injection of saltiness from the soy sauce. But that brought forth all the umami flavors of the dish. The egg yolk was incredibly rich and creamy which stuck to the rice grains but not really sure what the egg white did. The negitoro added good flavor as well.

All in all, a relatively clean, healthy dish which really allowed the high-quality egg to shine. :)

7/10