SG: Japanese

Finding this place took a while, but the trip was worth it.
Not only do they cook it in front of you, they also ask what level of doneness you want your beef to be.
Beef was cooked to perfection and the meal comes with 2 side dishes chawanmushi and miso soup. The side dishes leave much to be desired surprisingly, but I wasn’t there for that.
Beef sukiyaki in other places can get so cloyingly sweet but this one was actually pleasantly sweet, probably thanks to the quality of raw brown sugar being used.

This was a solid bowl of ramen! Tonkatsu broth was good, not overly cloying but still flavourful. The egg and chashu were meh. That seaweed like vegetable though, was interesting. Never had it before but it soaks up the broth so well.

Rich savoury broth with juicy tender pork cheek slices. Delicious but can be a bit cloying for those who prefer clearer, simple broths. Had to add an extra $2 for the ramen egg though. The gyozas were honestly pretty forgettable.

Everything about this was good. The crispy tempura ebi and hamburg were cooked to perfection. It was flavourful enough on its own, but the tartare and demi glace sauces helped them shine even more. And who can resist a free flow salad, egg and dessert bar! The only downside about this place is the very long queue and waiting time.

Got the Afuri Spring Special Set off Shopee with almost a 50% discount. Was excited to try Afuri here after reminiscing on having Afuri back in Tokyo. I don’t fully remember what the Tokyo one tasted like, but I what I had tonight wasn’t an exact replica. I had their Shio signature ramen. The broth was pretty salty and had me grabbing for my tea, while the chashu wasn’t very tender. There was still that hint of Yuzu which brightened up the dish but other than that it was pretty average. Tbh I wouldn’t come back or pay full price for this bowl of ramen when there are better ones out there.

The set also came with deep fried gyozas which were surprisingly not bad.

Appreciated how they packed everything in separate containers (not environmentally friendly though) and even had an instructions sticker that tells you what each component was and how to eat the mazesoba. Flavour wise was good, the broth was unseasoned but it had a depth of tonkatsu flavour and the minced meat in the noodles was savoury enough. The chashu was good too, thick slabs of pork belly with a good layer of fat making it quite tender.

Located deep in the heart of Marina Bay Link Mall. We had the short rib beef, black pepper chicken and unagi rice bowls. The portion of the unagi was pleasantly surprising. Food was not bad as well! Price is average for CBD Japanese rice bowls of this sort.

I passed by and couldn’t resist stopping to take a look! And then I got swept up and bought a few to try. Minimum purchase is 50g for each pastry, which is around 3-4 of the mini pastries.

The cheese mochi was ok, tasted pretty bland as I was expecting some sweetness but it was instead savoury with no taste other than mild cheese. I wouldn’t get it again. The cheese cake however was good, it was soft in the middle and had a tangy flavour.

Not pictured but I also got the small matsuzo set (yogashi style sweet potato desserts) which included the pote koro, tomari potato and bucella. Not bad but I wouldn’t get it again. It was just sweet potato, I didn’t get hints of anything else or even a little pastry which would’ve went well because I got a bit jelak towards the end of my first few bites.

The sweet potato rolls which looked really good, was also tasted not bad: soft, fluffy, topped with black sesame seeds and when I purchased it it was still slightly warm. But don’t expect significant chunks of sweet potato. The black sesame seeds ended up overpowering the flavour a little bit.

First time here so I went ALL out. I got the spicy miso ramen with with special full toppings, which included pork belly slices, soft boiled egg, onions, lettuce and bean sprouts.

Came with a thick flavourful umami broth with a good level of spice. As a meat lover I enjoyed the extra pork belly slices that came with the “full toppings” option. Onions brightened the dish and gave it an extra kick which I liked. The bean sprouts were crunchy and thankfully not soft. Also liked the shape of the noodles - not your run of the mill thin noodles, this one was wider and had a bit of girth to it.

However the noodles texture and egg were a bit of a disappointment - noodles were overcooked/too soft for my liking and the egg was not runny! But I guess this also boils down to personal preference. These are the 2 basic, most uncomplicated things I look for in a ramen restaurant. But they’re not deal breakers. I’d still come back and try their tonkatsu or tsukemen next time.

Pretty decent ramen! Noodles sufficiently springy but flavour is ok only, tasted almost like those Chinese yellow noodles. My black garlic broth is oddly milder than the normal garlic broth, but I preferred mine because the garlic broth one got saltier towards the end. They even have fresh sliced garlic in the soup itself so if you don’t like garlic don’t get their Umami series 😂

Well grilled skewers! Featuring basic kushiyaki such as chicken meatball, chicken wing, shishito pepper and shiitake - a diverse variety of skewers. Favourite was the chicken thigh!

Crispy baked Parmesan chips served with honey and cherry tomatoes, recommended by the waitress. The chips by itself were kinda salty for me but with the honey and tomatoes, that’s were it really shined. The tomatoes go so well with the cheese chips, I didn’t think that flavour combination would work. The sweetness of the honey and tomatoes lent itself well to the savouriness of the chips. Very interesting dish to try at least once, but I would save my money to order something else on the menu next time.