Jap

Sen of Japan might be one of the rare few restaurants in The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands that partnered with Burpple Beyond, but it was a must to check out their menu of mains, rice or noodle dishes.

One of the main ingredients that was stunning for me was their Uni (sea urchin). Having experienced many disappointing meals with this delicacy that was just not fresh enough in most Singapore restaurants, the uni here tasted really sweet without leaving behind that gross aftertaste.

Take this Mini Aburi Don (S$68.00) for instance. Although the sushi rice portion was really small, the deliciousness of the sea urchin and the seared bluefin tuna (Ootoro and Chuutoro) had a naturally pleasant taste especially when complemented with a pinch of fresh Wasabi. And of course, who would give the large scoop of Ikura a miss if it could add umami to this flavoursome bowl?

With so much going on in my mouth based on this dish, the price was not that much of a burn to the pocket, especially since I redeemed a Burpple Beyond deal. A point to note though, that the availability of sea urchin might be limited by the seasonal catch, so do check with the restaurant beforehand if you were solely eyeing on their Uni dishes.

#BurppleBeyond

Got the 4 pcs Teri Tama (Egg with Teriyaki sauce) for $3.80. These were crispy on the outside and soft inside! I love the egg topping and ended up eating it on its own. A must try if you visit this stall!

Chicken Yakiniku Tori Yaro specialises in chicken, with a wide selection of cuts to allow diners to taste different textures such as the tender Chicken Thigh, firm-fatty cut of the Chicken Tail, soft-juicy Tsukune meatballs, or more uncommon cuts such as chewy Chicken Gizzard, crunchy Chicken Soft Bone or tender-chewy Chicken Heart, all to be cooked over an electric grill. Remember to pair these meats with the different variety of customisable sauces and condiments.

Other signature items include the Tori Yaro Chicken Ramen with a twist (where you can grill the Chicken Chashu to get that smoky-char flavour going and savour it with the ramen for that umami-rich punch!), and also the savoury Tantan Tofu as a side dish!

Usually served with deep fried ckn skin, but I dont take fried food. Chef generously grilled it for me so I won't bash it any further

The fried rice was average on all accounts. They use cast iron but people can do it better at home with a wok

This newly opened izakaya is nestled in the quaint old retro neighbourhood of Lavender and offers a wide range of bar bites, like yakitori, and drinks! Burppler Joe Yang was raving about the "thick slabs of fresh sashimi, as well as uni for that wave of umami" in their Sashimi Lunch Set ($28.80) but other must-orders include the Truffle Bara Chirashi Don ($24.80) and Unagi Don ($18.80). If you're up to try a little of everything, their 5 Kind Sushi ($16.90) will be sure to impress!
Photo by Burppler Joe Yang

Previously known as Torii Izakaya, this snazzy Japanese resto-bar at Duxton has since revamped. You're here for their decadent Truffled Beef Donburi ($28) featuring a generous beef slices, caviar, truffle mayo, foie gras and an onsen egg. Also good are the Pork Belly Garlic Fried Rice ($19) with succulent grilled pork belly, fried egg, garlic and scallion and Hearty Toro ($28) maxi for sharing.

Located in China Square Central along Pickering Street, spot this cozy Japanese restaurant serving up omakase and ramen with rich, hearty broths! Only available during dinner, their 12-Course Omakase ($88) starts off with a cold dish, Salmon and Hamachi Sashimi and 3 courses of Beppu Menkan's delicacies - Grilled Pufferfish, Karrage Prawn and Egg Tofu. Follow it up with Mini Sushi of the Day, 3 courses of Beppu Signature Seafood Item, Kyushu White Chilli Ramen, Meat Dish and ending it off with their Premium Rice Box.

🥡 ig | @hooyeats 🥡

mono izakaya really puts in so much effort into preparing every dish they serve! we had the
👍🏻 grilled albacore tuna ($24) — so glad we got two of these. the tuna was extremely juicy and was coated with a layer of parmesan. never had tuna this way, i’ve been missing out! the fermented tomatoes also took me to a whole new dimension lol
👍🏻 unagi meshi ($24) — unagi was well-cooked and i enjoyed the spice mix rice, a nice deviation from the regular sushi rice in most dons
👍🏻 aburi bossam ($22) — kind of like a gyudon but with unique espresso miso soy glaze which was sweet and savoury all at once

really worth it with burpple 1 for 1 too :)

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

A hidden gem in Goldhill Plaza, this restaurant boasts affordable prices and delicious donburis! Chow down on their Chicken Teriyaki Don ($7.90), Unagi Don ($10.90), Chicken Katsu Curry Don ($9.90) and everyone's all-time favourite - Aburi Mentai Salmon Don ($11.90).Think fresh salmon sashimi slices and fluffy Japanese rice, topped with a generous amount of mentaiko sauce torched to perfection. Yum, it's even got us salivating!
Photo by Burppler Su Wong

Used the 1-1 burpple deal for the main and i must say both dishes were great. The portion for saikoro steak was pretty small for its price without discount but overall the sauce was very flavourful and the steak is not too tough. For a Mentaiko lover, i approve the taste of the pasta as the fish roe tasted fresh and the Mentaiko is the taste i always tasted.

And we got to enjoy 1-1 beer as it happened to be their happy hour i think. We got the grape and yuzu hite beer and it tasted light as compared to tiger beer. The fruit taste is just a light punch to the beer but it was still a nice drink.