[CLOSED] Nonbei Izakaya – A Gem in The Making [Media Invite]

Meet Nonbei Izakaya, a new concept by the group that runs the successful George Town Tze Char & Craft Beer. Inspired by Tokyo’s Nonbei Yokocho (drunkards alley lined with izakaya and bars). Nonbei Izakaya specialises in fresh sashimi, tantalising Japanese bites, sake and Japanese beer.

Nonbei Izakaya

The Entrance

Part of the Interior

The Sushi Bar

Located in heritage Chinatown shophouses, across Maxwell Market, Nonbei Izakaya offers indoor and outdoor dining areas. The indoor offers a cooling and air-conditioned environment, however, I think the outdoor is the best seat in the house, especially during the cooler weather. From here you can enjoy the buzz and also historical feel of Chinatown, plus the view of the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple.

Al-fresco Seating Area

Al-fresco Seating Area

We started the tasting with Ohitashi (Vegetables marinated with dashi, $6) and Tamago Yaki (Japanese omelette, $10). The vegetables are sweet and cooked with the signature dashi. It finished off with generous shavings of Shaved Katsuobushi. The tamago yaki has a nice texture, solid and tasty with a hint of dashi at the end.

Ohitashi

Tamago Yaki

Sashimi (7 kinds, $58). Hon Toro (Fatty Tuna, top up $18). Served on iced, these beautifully plated sashimi is fresh and generous in size. Totally loved the hon toro, however, the scallop is surprisingly good as well.

Sashimi, 7 kinds

Buri Kama Shio Yaki ($18). Our favourite grilled yellowtail collar. Lightly salted, with crispy skin followed by the fatty and melt-in-your-mouth flesh from the collar. A lemon just enhances the flavour of the fish. Yes, the price is very reasonable for that size of the yellowtail collar.

Buta Kama Shio Yaki

Buta Kama Shio Yaki

Buta Kakuni (Braised pork with soy, $10). Can’t say NO to this delicious pork belly. The pork belly is boiled in a blend of soy sauce, ginger, spring onion, mirin and dashi. The fats just dissipate slowly once you put it in your mouth. The best part is the broth is not as salty as other izakayas.

Buta Kakuni

Kushi yaki (skewers) include: Tebasaki (Japanese Chicken Wing, $2.50), Yakitori (Chicken Skewers, $2.50), Tori Kawa (Chicken Skin Skewers, $2.50), Asparagus Bacon ($3), Mukago (Japanese Yam, $1.50), Ko Tamanegi (Charred Onion, $1.50)

Bottom to Top: Mukago, Asparagus Bacon, Ko Tamanegi,
Tebasaki, Tori Kawa & Yakitori

One of the skewers that catch my attention is the Mukago, Japanese yam. It looks like a mini potato, but it has more depth in flavour and is crunchy compared to a potato. The Tori Kawa is my favourite. The chicken skin is well done to the point of crispy, yet it has a lovely chewiness in it as well.

Left to Right: Mukago, Asparagus Bacon, Ko Tamanegi,
Tebasaki, Tori Kawa & Yakitori

Ebi Tempura ($15) and Kani Croquette (Crab cream croquette, $10) are next. The ebi tempura has a nice crispy exterior, followed by juicy and fresh prawn flesh. Eating the kani croquette can be dangerous since the cream fillings can be extremely hot. I usually poke a hole to test out the cream temperature before I bite through it. The crispy exterior provided a perfect capsule for the creamy and umami pack crab cream. Yummy.

Ebi Tempura

Kani Croqutte

Sukiyaki Beef ($12) is a common dish you can find in an izakaya. The fatty beef sliced is pan-fried with onions and braised with dashi to give it the umami finish. The beef here is tender and juicy. Good side dish for drinking or to eat with rice.

Sukiyaki Beef

Asari butter yaki (Asari clam pan-fried with butter, $10). Fresh clams, seared in the pan briefly with mirin and butter. Soft, chewy and filled with butter and mirin.

Asari Butter Yaki

Chashu Ramen ($12). Ramen is a common dish in an izakaya to end the meal and ensure you have a filled tummy to cushion the alcohol. The portion is half of the ramen house version. The soup base is thick, creamy and robust. While the ramen is bouncy, the chashu portion is generous. The overall flavour is better than average, however not to a ramen shop standard.

Chashu Ramen

Chashu Ramen

Live Oysters (6 pieces, $3 promo price). Fresh, juicy, delicious and a steal for this price. The fresh oysters are served with soy sauce, spring onion and shaved radish. A must-order here.

Live Oysters

Live Oyster

We were served 4 sakes by Charles, the owner. Knowing his knack for serving the highly rated wine and alcohol at Georgetown at a reasonable price, his sake offerings will certainly be at that level as well. The group was served the following sakes: Sake Kiminoi Honjozo Josen ($10 for 120ml), Sake Manotsuru Junmai Ginzo ($48 for 300ml), Sake Sazen Junmai Daiginjo Omachi ($128 for 720ml) and Sake Keigetsu Junmai Daiginjo Sparkling ‘John’ ($128 for 720ml)

Sake Kiminoi Honjozo Josen

Sake Manotsuru Junmai Ginzo

Sake Sazen Junmai Daiginjo Omachi

Sake Keigetsu Junmai Daiginjo Sparkling ‘John’

Overall, this sister restaurant from Georgetown has the potential to be a winner. The food and sake are well priced and taste very good as well. Don’t forget to visit them if you are near the Chinatown area and enjoy their hospitality. Kanpai! Cheers!

The Sake Menu

Don’t forget to check the current promotions.

Choose 1: $3 for 6 Live Oysters OR $3 for 5 pieces of the freshest sashimi air-flown from Japan (choice of either king salmon, bluefin tuna or amberjack)

The Food Menu

Thank you very much Jennifer Yeo Consultancy and Nonbei Izakaya Team for hosting us.

Food & Drink: 7.25/10

Value: 7.5/10

Service: N/A (Tasting Invitation)

Ambiance: 7.5/10

Budget per Person: $51 - $80

Nonbei Izakaya

282 South Bridge Road

Singapore 058831

T/WA: +65 8112 8028

W: https://nonbei-izakaya.business.site/

F: https://www.facebook.com/Nonbeiizakaya282

IG: @Nonbeiizakaya

OH: Daily 11.30 – 14.30; 17.00 – Midnight

Ten Sushi – 6th Anniversary [MEDIA INVITE]

Assorted Sashimi "Ten Special" 

Ten Sushi by Marusaya is celebrating its 6th anniversary in November 2021. A casual Japanese dining concept by Marusaya group, Ten Sushi offers an extensive menu for a small restaurant, however, their signature sushi, sashimi and hand roll to are a must-try. Here are the highlights from their menu.

Assorted Sashimi "Ten Special" ($58). This beautifully plated sashimi consists of salmon, tuna, yellowtail, mackerel, prawn, octopus, squid, scallops, uni and oysters. All the ingredients are fresh and cuts of the sashimi are thick and generous.

Omakase Sushi

Omakase Sushi (12-piece sushi, roll sushi, $49). Signature sushi combination at Ten Sushi. Provided a good spread of 12 different types of premium sushi, seafood including uni, unagi, tuna belly, salmon belly, scallops and more; plus, roll sushi. Each of the sushi is delicious on its own, providing a good insight into the top-notch quality ingredients used by Ten Sushi. Presented in a slim long plank, it just gave added a WOW factor to the sushi.

Squid and Uni Sushi

Unagi Sushi

"RAINBOW" 6 kinds of Seafood Rolls ($28). Each avocado roll is topped with six different types of sashimi and generously drizzle with tobiko and ikura. Each of the rolls delivers a distinct taste and if you are looking for a different flavour, try to squeeze a drop of lemon juice for that little spark.

"RAINBOW" 6 kinds of Seafood Rolls 

"RAINBOW" 6 kinds of Seafood Rolls 

Sakoshi Oysters from Hyogo Prefecture ($34 for 6 pieces, $60 for 12 pieces). The oysters served at Ten Sushi are always outstanding. It is fresh, creamy and subtly sweet. Drizzle in Japanese soy sauce and topped alternately with ikura and tobiko, it just enhances the flavour of the oysters with its contrasting flavour and texture.

Sakoshi Oysters

Sakoshi Oysters

No MSG Special Ramen, the broth is made from fish (Marusaya signature dashi stock) and pork bones. The complete set Ramen and Pork Char Siu & Egg is $19.80. The milky broth is creamy and robust, while the ramen is bouncy with a good chewy bite to it. The egg is cooked to perfection, while the char siew is tender and succulent. All the ingredients combined to create a good bowl of ramen.

Ramen and Pork Char Siu & Egg

If you don’t like a certain ingredient in ramen, you can also order the following: Ramen ($12.80), Ramen and Egg ($14.80) and Ramen and Pork Char Siu ($17.80). Actually, I don’t mind having just a bowl of Ramen “naked” or without toppings.

Ramen and Pork Char Siu & Egg

Of course, dining at a Japanese restaurant will not be complete without a bit of alcohol. Give their “I Love Sushi” Sake ($110) a try.

Sakoshi Oysters with "I Love Sushi" Sake

Overall, it was a great meal and a nice experience returning to Ten Sushi. The food is always good and their new ramen is just comforting. This is the first time we dine at Ten Sushi in the afternoon, the natural lights just brighten up the place nicely plus it is nice to take photos. Kanpai!! Cheers!!

Happy 6th Anniversary Ten Sushi!!

Thank you very much Jennifer Yeo Consultancy and Ten Sushi Team for hosting us.

Note: In addition to TEN Sushi, the Marusaya Co., Ltd also owns Dashi Master Marusaya at Robertson Quay and the Japanese Italian Omakase restaurant, Monte Risaia at Duxton.

Food: 8/10

Value: 7.75/10

Service: N/A (Tasting Invitation)

Ambiance: 7.75/10

Budget per Person: $51 - $80

TEN Sushi by Marusaya

60 Robertson Quay

#01-09 The Quayside

Singapore 238252

T: +65 6735 0383

W: https://www.bitejapan.sg/ten-en

F: https://www.facebook.com/TENbyMarusaya/

IG: @Tensushibymarusaya

OH:

Fri – Sun, Lunch, 12.00 – 14.30 (L.O. 14.00)

Mon – Sun, Dinner, 16.30 – 22.30 (L.O. 9.45)

Ramen Nagi – Original or Butao [MEDIA INVITE]

Red King Ramen @ Ramen Nagi

Ramen Nagi is an award-winning Ramen Restaurant by Chef Ikuta from Fukuoka, Japan that made his name as the first restaurant by serving different type of ramen every day for a year. A true testament to Chef Ikuta’s talents, he holds Tokyo Ramen Champion title for three consecutive years.

Ramen Nagi @ Ion Orchard

Recently Ramen Nagi released its very own Nagi Chilli Oil, a special blend of Nagi Spice that is specially flown in from Japan and made from scratch. We got the privilege to be the first few who tried it in Singapore.

The Menu

How to Order

As there are two of us, each one of us ordered different Ramen. I ordered the Original King ($13.90) with award-winning tonkotsu broth. For the toppings, I choose Kakuni (pork belly), green onion plus thick and hard ramen.

Chubby Botak Koala Order Slip

Original King, Tomago and Nagi Chilli Oil (on the left)

The first sip of the broth, my first reaction is OISHI!! The milky broth is robust, packs of punch and filled with pork collagen. The noodle is round, thick, chewy, yet easy to slurp and infused with the flavour of the broth. I like my green onion on my ramen, as it gives the extra crunchy flavour and a bit of spark in the dish.

The Ramen

The top two layers of the kakuni are delicious and you can taste the mirin and soy sauce infused into the pork belly. Unfortunately, I got the very lean part at the bottom of the pork belly. The meat is not enjoyable and hard to chew. Though I enjoy the fatty part on top, I find the kakuni seasoning overpower the tonkotsu broth of the ramen.

Kakuni

LD choose the Red King ($15.90) with tonkotsu soup base. Toppings are chashu (sliced pork loin), level 3 Butao (homemade fire sauce – spicy) plus thin and extra hard noodle. She also ordered tamago ($2) and kikurage / wood ear mushroom ($1.50) on the side.

Little Devil's Order

Red King

LD says the broth is robust but the level 3 Butao is not spicy for her. Next time she will double up her level to level 6. She also tried the Nagi Chilli Oil, which is fragrant and appetizing. The thin ramen is cooked to al-dente, allowing it to showcase the bounciness of the noodles. Not a fan of ramen chashu, she passed the chashu to me.

Thin Ramen

I like the chashu better compare to the kakuni. It is juicy, succulent and almost melts in your mouth. The flavour is not as strong as the kakuni and it complements the ramen nicely. If you like your eggs, I suggest you order the tamago as well. Tasty with a moist yolk, not the onsen type.

The Chashu

Kikurage and Tamago

Tamago

After we ordered our meal, we saw the service staff delivering the Chicken Karaage ($9, 5pcs). It looks so appetizing; we quickly order some for ourselves. It is about the size of Chinese Baoding Balls. Crispy externally and juicy, succulent internally. You can taste the marinate infused in the chicken and externally it is coated with honey. There are two dipping sauce, pesto and egg mayo that unique and enhance the flavour of the chicken karaage. Yummy!!

Chicken Karaage

The décor of the restaurant is an authentic Ramen House experience that you can find in Japan. Service is friendly and efficient.

The Decor

Overall, the tonkotsu broth, thick noodle and chicken karaage are the three ingredients that you must not miss here. Chilli lovers should try their butao and Nagi Chilli Oil. Worth a visit for those who like the bold flavours ramen. Kanpai!! Cheers!!

Thank you very much, Protegie Group and Ramen Nagi team for the invite and hosting us.

Food & Drinks: 7.5/10

Value: 7/10

Service: N/A (Media Tasting)

Ambiance: 8/10

Budget per Person: $11 - $25

Ramen Nagi

2 Orchard Turn

#B4-54, Ion Orchard

Singapore 238801

(Opposite Food Opera)

T: +65 8163 2185

W: https://ramennagi.com.sg/

F: https://www.facebook.com/RamenNagiSingapore/

IG: @Ramennagisingapore

OH: Daily 11.00 – 22.00 (LO 21.30)