Recently , at the recommendation of my Japanese expatriate friend who, I went to Kazu Sumiyaki Restaurant at Cuppage plaza. He told me its the only place in Singapore that he actually has yakitori. I must admit, I was sceptical. I mean, who goes to Cuppage plaza? In all my 25 years, I think I've stepped into Cuppage all but once. Honestly, from the outside, it doesn't look all that appealing. But he assured me that the food was good. Really, really, Tokyo-standard good.
So heres the address : 5 Koek Road, #04-05 Cuppage Plaza (Tel : 67342492)
So basically, when you enter Cuppage Plaza, for those of you who don't know, it's not the "cleanest" of places. There are plenty of Japanese karaoke bars, and the hostesses stand outside these bars, but really, nothing which should cause you any bother. From what my friend told me, Cuppage Plaza is frequented by Japanese expats which explains the high number of Japanese eateries and pubs.
Anyway Kazu Sumiyaki is located on the 4th floor and it looks very unassuming(picture above). I went there for dinner, and though outside the restaurant the building was quite empty save for a few hostesses and Japanese expats, the restaurant was a hive of activity. It was full and there was a short queue outside the establishment. Thankfully, I didn't have to queue because I made reservations at the advice of my friend.
When we were sat down, the waitresses brought us a little starter while we decided what to order.
This is a very simple dish which many Izakayas(restaurants where Japanese people go to for drinks and light food after work in Japan) serve in Japan. Its basically raw cabbage and some dipping miso sauce. Simple, healthy(not exactly sure if Miso is healthy!) yet tasty. I'm sorry the bowl was initially filled to the brim with cabbage, but I only thought to take a picture after we were halfway through.
So first up, we had the grilled pork belly..
It was really well grilled and seasoned. Meat was nice, but you can't really go wrong with pork belly can you? It was $2/stick so pretty reasonable.
Next up was the grilled spring onions...
I really recommend this one. The outside was well charred and crisp, whilst the inside was warm, soft and sweet. And honestly, with yakitori, you're probably gonna have a little too much meat, so having some greens to go along wouldn't hurt. $2/stick.
I ordered garic rice to add a little bulk to the meal and it was alright...not brilliant but also pretty good. If you like your fried rice with that burnt taste, then you should definitely order this dish. $6/serving.
I felt like having some salmon sashimi too, so we ordered 8 pieces which came up to $36. Not exactly cheap. It was alright, but I don't think I would order that again.
We then had the grilled asparagus which was good also. Its not brilliant, but having said that, I'm not really a big fan of asparagus. But it's certainly one of the better ones I've had before. ($5/stick)
We also had yagen, which was chicken cartilage($3.80/stick), seasoned and salted and then grilled...
So far, all really good food to go with beer. In fact, most of the patrons ordered beer to go with their food. Or maybe they ordered yakitori to go with their beer.
Anyway, we also had chicken liver($1.80/stick), which wasn't my favourite, so I think I'll give that a pass in the future...
We also had shishamo, which I think all of us agree is a must have whenever you have Japanese food! The shishamo was full of roe, once you bit into it all the eggs oozed out of them. I thought it was great but my companion felt that it was a little bit too well grilled, and the burnt taste was a touch too strong. ($3/shishamo)
The next few dishes were really nice, and I would recommend that you order ALL of them if you come here! Starting with the chicken heart($2/stick), chicken gizzard($1.80) and my ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE...gyu tongue, which is cow's tongue! At $10/stick its an absolute steal and die, die, must try!
From left to right... Cow tongue, cow tongue, chicken heart and chicken gizzard.
Then to mix up the tastes and textures a little bit, at the recommendation of the waitress, we had Tontoro Ringo(Pork belly with Apple, $4/stick).
Again, the pork belly was fantastic. The apple was so sweet, the pork so succulent with the right amount(not too fatty, which sometimes pork belly can be) of fat that this concoction....simply heaven. The Tontoro Ringo along with the Gyu Tongue had to be my top 2 dishes for the night.
We also had mushroom wrapped with pork, again another dish which can hardly go wrong, especially when the pork is of such high quality($3.50/stick)...
And another dish which everyone should try...Foie Gras. Foie Gras is basically fatty goose liver. Shan't go into details of how the liver got that fat, but its really good. Essentially, good foie gras tastes something like really soft and silky tofu with more than a hint of goose. In a good way. I wouldn't recommend having more than 1 stick per person though, because foie gras is something which can be too much of a good thing.
At $6.50/stick, its an absolute steal. Another winner, and one which everyone who comes here simply has to try.
The chicken skin is another must try...well grilled and seasoned, it isn't as oily as some I've had in the past. ($2.50/stick)
The last dish on my list of Must Haves...is something called Anago. This dish is a little bit pricy, but I always believe you get what you pay for. Anago is basically salt water eel. They do it tempura style, unlike the teriyaki sauce Unagi which we usually have.
The eel was really clean tasting, slightly fatty and almost didn't taste like fish at all. It was really, really good. But at $35 a pop, I think its an optional choice, but if you aren't working on a budget, by all means, go ahead and order it.
Now for those with an adventurous spirit, we also ordered fish liver which was slightly simmered. Recommended by the waitress(who I have to say really gave us first rate service and attention), Ankimo is quite a popular dish with the Japanese clientele of the restaurant.
Didn't have much going on taste wise if you have it without the radish and the sauce, but personally, I think its the texture that gets to people. Let's just say its something of an acquired taste($15/serving).
Finally, we had the chicken liver sashimi...
Hand on heart, I really enjoyed this one. Chicken liver when uncooked, tastes lighter and less iron-y than the grilled one. When eaten alone, it doesn't have much taste, but we were given ginger and a dipping sauce to coat it with. The texture of the liver was soft and a little bit like tofu. If you can get past the idea that you are eating raw liver, I would definitely recommend this dish to those who are willing to try, though I would think, a single order would be more than sufficient for 3 persons. ($10/serving)
Finally, we ended off our meal with Japanese Sweet Potato. When we first arrived at the restaurant, the first question the waitress asked us was if we would like some sweet potato. She said it would take about an hour to grill. A WHOLE HOUR!
So we ordered 2 and boy did we regret...not ordering more! It was fantastic! Really hands down, one of the best sweet potato I have ever had in my life! And that's saying a lot because I'm not the biggest fan of sweet potatoes.
The combination of sweet potato and butter, sweet and salty was brilliant. By the way, the crunchy and slightly crispy skin of the potato can be eaten as well. A little bit expensive at $10/potato, but well worth the money.
Conclusion :
In summary, Kazu Sumi-yaki is one of the best, if not the best, yakitori restaurant I've had so far in Singapore. The food is reasonably priced, and you probably wont rack up a bill as long as mine as long as you don't over order(there is a tendency and more likely, a temptation to do so!). The ambience, food and level of service really brings me back to the times I had in Japan.
Kazu Sumi-yaki, one of the best!
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