Update: Waga Waga Den is temporarily closed.
With several Japanese-style or Japanese-inspired cafes popping up across Singapore, it’s interesting to see what each and every joint has to offer. One such business that has recently opened its doors at South Beach Tower is Waga Waga Den. A takeaway concept by Black Carvery Group, the same group behind Japanese fine-dining brands Black Cow and Shatoburian.
Update 19 Jan 2025: Menbaka Fire Ramen has moved to The Centrepoint.
If you’ve always been curious about Kyoto’s iconic Menbaka Fire Ramen but never got to try it (for obvious reasons), they have opened their first and only international outlet in Cineleisure Orchard.
While I’m personally skeptical about how well overseas food concepts, particularly Japanese, translate to local palates, curiosity got the better of me when I saw it was relatively empty one late weekend afternoon.
So, how does Singapore’s take on Menbaka Fire Ramen compare to the OG outlet in Kyoto?
Shinsora has much to be proud of. Not only did it survive the worst of Covid-19 when it opened, but also its two chefs, Chef Sky Tai and Chef Leon Yap, are also World Sushi Cup Champions. Quite a mean feat considering both were born and raised outside Japan.
Today, the 10-seater omaksase restaurant continues to operate out of its Odeon Towers-based premises, with no more than a SafeEntry code hinting at its presence within Standing Sushi Bar. One might even mistake it for a private dining room with front-row seats to the sushi-making action.
Sen-ryo has been on my list of places to try for a while now, but it was only recently that I finally got to visit this famed Japanese restaurant at ION Orchard. Not for my busy schedule or procrastination, but for a waiting list that averages up to two months.
The Tochigi-based brand has been around since 1999, with a whopping 13 outlets scattered across Hong Kong, where its rise to fame in the region started. Its ION Orchard outpost is its first in Singapore, with queues showing no sign of abating in spite of it having passed its one year mark.
Update August 2023: Soba Kappo Reiwa has moved to Kiliney Road.
Following a successful start in Singapore’s heartlands, Japanese-run Reiwa Soba has upgraded to a space of its own, named Soba Kappo Reiwa. Interestingly, the hole-in-the-wall eatery can be found a 2-min walk away from Buddha Tooth and Relic Museum, in the heart of Chinatown.
In a world consumed by ever-changing trends and the pressure to keep up with them, it’s refreshing to see local businesses committed to preserving traditions that have stood the test of time. Asaru Studio quietly opened its doors in Pearl’s Hill Terrace earlier this year, but has been slowly but surely thrust into the spotlight for its Japanese tea and coffee experience, named the Uchi Session ($30).
Update 19 Jan 2025: #ricesando has closed.
Move over, sandwiches. Japan’s latest food trend, the sushi sandwich, has landed in Singapore in the form of #ricesando tokyo.
Located at Plaza Singapura, #ricesando tokyo is a joint venture between the founders of Tendon Kohaku, Menya Kokoro, and Snackz It! and Ah Mah Homemade Cakes.
Chue On It 