Welcome to Paya Lebar. Looking for Japanese places?

Experience the authentic taste of Japan at Tamoya Udon in SingPost Centre

Slurp up a great deal with 20% Off Weekdays Dinner and Weekend Set with Burpple Beyond. Each set features 1 main dish, 1 tempura, and 1 drink.

Don’t miss out on the Sanuki Beef Egg Udon, highly recommended by Burppler Sarah Peh for its super tasty umami broth! Come and savour it yourself.

Photo by Burppler Sarah Peh

Popped by for dinner at this newly opened Tamoya Udon outlet with my partner and we had a very filling meal! This outlet is a bit more special in terms of Burpple Beyond deal redemption – you can easily do it via their QR code ordering and checkout page, and you don’t need to show to any staff for verification. You just need to redeem the deal > copy the generated voucher code > input in the voucher code field on the check out page > discount is applied! Very fuss-free and easy 👍🏼

What we ordered:
• Sanuki Beef Onsen Egg Udon
• Carbonara Udon (outlet exclusive!)
• Snow Crab Creamy Croquette x2 (not pictured)
• Yuzu soda
• Coke Zero

Do take note that the Sanuki Beef Udon is pretty flavourful, however it is on the saltier side! The Carbonara Udon was a very delectable fusion of Western and Japanese. Not too jelat even after finishing everything 👍🏼 This deal is applicable to 1 main, 1 tempura side and 1 drink. My partner and I combined our orders into 1 transaction (2 mains, 2 tempura sides and 2 drinks) and redeeming 1 BB deal is sufficient to get the 20% discount. Pretty worth it!

Total bill: $38.08

Back at @onkei.tonkatsu to try their other tonkatsu variations and was satisfied with their Cheese Rosu-Katsu Set ($19.90)!

The pork fillet was quite well fried till golden brown and it was stuffed full of cheese! The meat itself may be a little dry, but it is definitely meaty. The chicken is best paired with the tonkatsu sauce, which was pretty tangy to cut the rich fat flavour from the cheese and meat fillet. They offer free refills of rice, soup and cabbage, and I liked the soup the best due to its rich meaty and umami flavours.

This may not be one of the best tonkatsu I've eaten, but it's definitely decent, filling and affordable. A great lunch option for the offices nearby!

Chicken Katsu is soft and Tempura is crispy. Not too oily. Cabbage is crunchy.

Karage is very soft. Oyster is fresh

Very fresh sashimi, Eatigo

Fluffy egg on rice which looks way too appetising with surprise pork bits beneath. A small bowl but honestly very worth it if you’re not a big eater and want to order more sides. While the egg was indeed fluffy and slightly runny, the entire bowl lacked flavour. But for the price and the free condiments they give at the side - chilli powder, mayonnaise, and even bean sprouts, you can easily solve the problem to make a whole new dish of your own!

Rate:🌟🌟🌟

I love my tonkatsu, and I’m glad that @onkei.tonkatsu quality tonkatsu sets are able to fulfil my katsu cravings!

The set for 2 available on Burpple Beyond ($39.90) consists of a variety of katsu that will definitely fill you up!

The Pork Loin katsu was very crisp, and the meat within was meaty, quite succulent and slightly tender. Although it was not the most tender I’ve eaten, it is definitely one of the better ones. The Fish Katsu was actually much bigger and better, due to its fresh, sweet flaky meat that was really irresistible!

The Ebi Katsu that comes with the set was very fresh and succulent within as well. The kaarage and fried oyster given were also so tender and flavourful that we wished there was more!

The set also comes with rice, soup and cabbage that is refillable, and I’m glad those were available to cut through all the fat from all the delicious fried meats!

Definitely a back I will be back whenever I have some katsu cravings!

A local tonkatsu restaurant serving their signature katsu set with choice of pork loin, pork filler or chicken.

I went for the 120g pork loin, accompanied by sauce, cabbage, rice and soup. The pork loin is tender and crispy, paired well with the brown sauce.

Paya Lebar Square’s Cantine food court Har never been a place that particularly caught our attention in the past whenever we are looking for a spot to dine at around the Paya Lebar area — that being said, the Cantine food court had recently been through a round of revamp that gives it a brand new look. The food court definitely looks less tired and worn out, with a whole new layout which differs from what it used to be pre-renovation; there also seems to be some sort of effort being placed in the curation of the stalls operating within the food court — with interesting tenants like Kim Dae Bak Korean Restaurant serving Korean cuisine, as well as Flips N Dips that serves up western cuisine. Tokyo Ekiben is the stall they serves up Japanese cuisine here — it is also worth noting that the stall is being operating by Muslims behind the counter. Tokyo Ekiben’s menu does comprise of several items that are typical of Japanese cuisine stalls located in food courts that are run by other operators all across the island — think Donburi as well as Bento items. That being said, what stands out for Tokyo Ekiben that makes them a little more unique than other Japanese cuisine stalls around is how their menu also features items such as Okonomiyaki, Taco Sushi and Oyster Party — not an entirely new concept considering how we are aware that Kenji Taco Sushi at the Kopitiam food court in Northpoint City actually Carrie’s those items, though such fare is still considerably unheard of in the local food scene especially in a food court setting.

Since it was the Taco Sushi offerings that got ourselves fairly intrigued to make a visit down to Tokyo Ekiben to give them a try, it was needless to say that our attention was placed on the various items being listed in the Taco Sushi category of the menu whilst skimming through the menu to see what they have to offer. We did notice that there are some rather interesting variants of the Taco Sushi being offered at Tokyo Ekiben — this includes the Kabocha Korokke which the menu describes as “Fried Prawn Taco Sushi”; with all being said, we still went ahead with the tested-and-proven variant that is likely to be the safest variant of all that they have to offer. The Spicy Salmon Taco Sushi unfortunately bears an erroneous description that seems to be copied over from the Mentai Prawn Taco Sushi (the description being “Mentai Prawn Taco Sushi”); that being said, we did observe elements such as lettuce, corn nibs, sesame seeds, Takuan (i.e. Japanese yellow pickled radish), cucmbers, diced salmon cubes, mayonnaise, spicy mayonnaise and sushi rice that are all encased in between the fried Nori (i.e. Japanese seaweed sheets).

One could observe the preparation process from the counter — these are apparently flame-torched after assembly that gives it an “aburi” sort of vibe. We were glad that they used unflavoured Nori for the taco shell — this also meant that the Taco Sushi here comes with a more balanced saltiness as opposed to those that uses flavoured Nori sheets that are more snack-like in nature (think Tao Kae Noi); one can indeed observe the brown batter that covers part of the seaweed that also keeps its curved shape to hold everything that is in between. The Japanese short-grain rice that lines the bottom of the deep-fried Nori comes slightly sweetened with vinegar; the flavours being what one would expect out of typical sushi rice. The mix of mayonnaise was supposed to make the lettuce gel with the deep-fried Nori and whatever else were to come above it, though we did feel that it wouldn’t have been too different if they used the spicy mayonnaise that is being topped off on the diced salmon sashimi anyway. Various elements in the mix like the lettuce, corn nibs and Takuan; adds a bit of bite and a crunch for a more wholesome feel. Meanwhile, the cubes of raw sashimi could be said to have come with a decent quality — we aren’t exactly expecting top-notch quality especially considering the setting and the price tag which we are paying for, and this turns out to resonate well with the price tag quoted. The spicy mayonnaise carries evident notes of Sansho peppers, though should also be suitable even for those whom have lighter tolerance to spiciness. At $9.20, the Spicy Salmon Taco Sushi is the highest-priced Taco Sushi offering at Tokyo Ekiben; the more affordable options are priced at $6.90. Given the rarity of such items all around, we would say that Tokyo Ekiben’s range of Taco Sushi is worth giving a go for the curious especially if one were to be around Paya Lebar looking to settle for something a slightly out of the ordinary.

Learnt about the new Tempura Bar which had just recently opened its doors at SingPost Centre — Tempura Bar takes over the former premises of the now-defunct Aji Ichi that used to occupy the space. Strategically located right beside the outlet of ASTONS Specialities there, Aji Ichi was a concept that was brought by the folks of Astons Group; this remains the same with Tempura Bar — apart from Tempura Bar, Aji Ichi and ASTONS Specialties, the Astons Group also runs other F&B concepts such as ANDES by ASTONS, Chic-a-boo, East Treasure Chinese Restaurant / Specialty Prawn Noodle, BIZEN Okayama Wagyu Steakhouse and The Ranch Steakhouse & Bar. The space has seen a bit of a revamp now that it is occupied by Tempura Bar from its days being Aji-Ichi; the shop now sees a more open-concept design where one can actually have a good view of the restaurant even whilst standing outside the restaurant — Tempura Bar also features furniture and fittings in a darker shade of wood and in a more yellow-ish and dimmer lighting as compared to Aji Ichi. There is also a wall where a shelf containing a wide variety of alcohol is stocked — all with a prominent placement of the price tags that suggests that the alcohol is available for retail. Whilst Aji Ichi was more focused in serving Donburi, Sushi and Sashimi dishes, it seems that Tempura Bar is more focused on tempura and tendon-related items — the menu features categories dedicated to Signature (think items that are more canapé-like to start the meal with), Tendon, Don, Kids, Tempura aka Carte, Kakiage, Sashimi, Noodle, and dessert). For drinks, Tempura Bar offers non-alcoholic beverages as well as alcoholic ones; non-alcoholic selections include bubble tea and soft drinks.

Since Tempura Bar is pretty much a tempura-centric establishment, it was needless to say that we would not be leaving Tempura Bar without having tried their tempura / Tendon items during the visit we had made there. Amongst all the Tempura-based Don items on the menu, the Chicken Fillet Tendon was the item that seemed to stand out considering its price and what one would be getting for the item itself. The Chicken Fillet Tendon is listed at $10.30++ on its menu; the menu also mentions that the Chicken Fillet Tendon consists of elements such as Chicken fillet, broccolini, butternut pumpkin, Shimeji mushroom, french bean, tempura egg Koshihikari premium rice. All items from the “Don” section of the menu at Tempura Bar also comes with a bowl of miso soup, as well a side dish on the side; the side dish that was served on the day of our visit being something similar to a Japanese Okra Salad. Going straight for the Chicken Fillet Tendon, we did feel that this was a pretty substantially-sized dish — there mere fact that the Don came with two pieces of tempura chicken fillet meant that it was especially filling for us at the least. That being said, we did like how the tempura batter was seemingly on point here; it is light and airy — while in no way as well-executed as the ones from Tenjin which we really love, this was much better than what some other commercially-owned eateries churn out. The batter was crisp and not particularly greasy; all that whilst coming with a good portion of rice that didn’t make the dish too overwhelming considering the number of fried items it features.

Each tempura item carried a different texture to the Tendon; the chicken fillet retained its moisture and did not require much effort to chew through — almost akin to a chicken tender, while the broccolini provided a good crunch. Meanwhile, the Shimeiji mushrooms provide a good bounce and chew with a lightly earthy note, while the butternut pumpkin slice came with a good bite and a soft sweetness for some flavour contrast. Despite not coming with a tempura poached egg, we would still like to commend them on the effort placed in serving up a tempura sunny-side-up; perhaps even a first for Tendon / tempura-specialty shops in the local dining scene — there were bits of the tempura batter clinging onto the sunny-side-up that was as light and airy as the same that comes with the other fried elements without being greasy. That being said, we it came with a molten egg yolk with a creamy texture that oozes as one pokes it with the chopsticks — very well-executed despite something that they gave their own twist to. The rice and tempura pieces are also drenched in a Japanese sweet-savoury sauce; there was ample sauce that gave the Koshihikari Premium Rice beneath flavour and moisture that made it easy to have. Overall, the execution of the Chicken Fillet Tendon was something that exceeded what we have thought for the price range — definitely one that we would have not associated with the Astons Group especially since their focus has always been on their Western fare. Whilst this isn’t the best Tendon that we have had, this was a pleasant Tendon that surpasses that of being just average — something that is pretty surprising when the Tendons here generally are priced below $15++ (the only exception being the Signature Tendon Soba (Half and Half), which comes with rice and soba). We also managed to try the Buta Kakuni Donburi, which came with braised pork belly that does not require much effort to chew apart; melt-in-the-mouth whilst having absorbed a sweet note from the braising process. Hopefully Tempura Bar is able to keep to such quality of food as time goes past; this does seem like a good start for the brand, and we do see ourselves returning if they remain consistently good or even better in the future!

The perfect meal if you’re super hungry and looking to indulge in some fried katsu. I had the Burpple meal, which was so filling and yummy. Overall it was less than $50 for 2 pax, which was so reasonable given that there’s so much food - and it even includes 2 fried oysters! Service was good too, and all the staff were really friendly and approachable.