Novice Japanese food fans might not know this, but the archipelago of Okinawa is famous for more than just its US airbase. Due to its geographic isolation and its historic status as a trading port, it also has a food culture and cuisine unlike anything else you’ll find in Japan. Said to derive influences from China and Southeast Asia, Okinawan dishes feature robust flavors and indigenous ingredients. Here are some highlights to try—and where to do it in Singapore.

Agu pork

Okinawan cuisine is big on meat, especially pork, and the people of the island are famously said to consume every part of the animal. Agu is a breed of black pig indigenous to the land and due to its beef-like marbling, sweet taste and relatively small numbers, particularly after World War II, it is a prized meat.

Where to try it: Dashi Master Marusaya on Robertson Quay, famous for its nuanced and deep-flavored dashi stock, showcases agu pork in a simple, unadulterated way: slices of the meat are served alongside a hot pot full of stock, shabu shabu-style.

Awamori

Photo credit flickr user nokton

This distilled spirit is traditionally made from rice grains indigenous to Okinawa—though today it is more likely to be made from Thai rice. Awamori is a more refined cousin of shochu and a popular drink for social gatherings on the island. It is enjoyed on the rocks, or splashed with a bit of water—although awamori cocktails are increasingly common.

Where to try it: The sleek, wood-panelled and perpetually packed izakaya En Japanese Dining Bar has a pretty wide selection of drinks, including several awamori.

Goya Chanpuru

Photo credit flickr user ekkun

No primer on Okinawan cuisine would be complete without this dish. This stir-fry of bitter melon, tofu, pork and eggs is equal parts comforting and delicious. Goya refers to the bitter melon, which is a beloved vegetable on the island, and appears in many other forms, including salads and tempura.

Where to try it: Drinks aside, En Japanese Dining Bar’s menu features many Okinawan dishes, including this one.

Plenty more where that came from. The Bite! Japan Facebook page is full of the latest Japanese restaurants and izakaya in Singapore, new promotions and bits of information to impressive your friends with. Follow us here.

Mozuku

The mozuku seaweed found in the oceans of Okinawa is particularly famous for its thickness, packed nutrition profile, tumor-suppressing properties and low calorie count—making it both extremely healthy and also a great diet food.

Where to try it: Although not technically an Okinawan restaurant, Dashi Master Marusaya appreciates and employs the special properties of certain ingredients from the island. Along with agu pork, chef Eno also serves a light stew, involving her famous dashi, mozuku seaweed, spring onions and other seafood.

Rafute

Photo credit flickr user Nemo's great uncle

Inspired by centuries of Chinese trade influence is this dish of long-braised pork belly. The skin is left on, and the pieces of meat are slow-stewed with soya sauce and brown sugar which gives the dish a rich glaze.

Where to get it: Tucked in the basement of Liang Court, already famous for its plethora of Japanese shops, restaurants and supermarket, is the all-Okinawan restaurant Nirai-Kanai (B1-01/02 177 River Valley Rd., 6339-4811). In addition to rafute, they also serve goya champuru and traditional Okinawa soba, among other dishes.

Soki Soba

Photo credit flickr user sho(255)

Combining two great Okinawan food obsessions, pork and noodles, soki soba is a light noodle soup involving simmered, fall-off-the-bone pork spare rib, soft soba noodles and additions like tea-pickled eggs, pickles leeks and spring onions. The clear broth is simple, made with kelp, bonito flakes, sake and other flavorings.

Where to try it: It might not have a website or a Facebook page, but what Nirai Kanai does have is pretty much all the iconic dishes of Okinawa, including this one.

Like what you see? For regular updates on Japanese food and drink in Singapore, follow Bite! Japan on Facebook.

If you think you know the best places to get ramen in Singapore, think again. The landscape has changed a lot in recent months, and while the old stalwarts remain steadfast, there are plenty of new and exciting contenders. Here’s an updated list to make your way through soon.

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka

The Central is where many established Japanese restaurant chains reside, including this 20-something year-old brand with over 50 outlets in Japan, tucked away in a tricky-to-find hallway but worth the hunt. They specialize in cha shu, miso ramen and shio ramen. It’s easy to see why the place has remained so popular all this while: the tonkotsu-broth is so rich and creamy it might as well be pork-flavored buttermilk, and the thin, springy, al dente noodles absorb the flavor of the soup nicely—to say nothing of the equally solid sides such as char shu rice, salmon roe rice and more.

Ippudo

One of Singapore’s (and indeed the world’s) most well-known ramen chains, Ippudo’s Hakata-style tonkotsu-based bowls are eternal hotsellers. Try the original Shiromaru broth, with thin and straight Hakata noodles. You have the option of also adding yummy toppings like pork belly, tamago and more. For a kick, there’s their sublime Akamaru Shin-aji, which also gets extra miso paste and garlic oil. There are other ramen options, too, along with sides like their signature gyoza, the spicy shrimp mayo and refreshing cucumber salad.

Kanshoku

In naming his ramen bar after a Japanese phrase that means “to finish eating every last bit of your food” Melvin Ang isn’t overstating things. With zero formal training in cooking, Ang set out a few years ago to learn everything he could about making amazing ramen, travelling to Japan and learning from the best. What you have at Kanshoku’s three branches across Singapore is delightful twists on traditional ramen. Whatever you do, don’t miss the signature dry truffle ramen, Kanshoku’s most popular dish, selling 7,500 bowls every month. French angel hair pasta is tossed in truffle oil and comes topped with a sous-vide egg, cha shu and Italian black truffle shavings. Savory to the max!

Plenty more where that came from. The Bite! Japan Facebook page is full of the latest Japanese restaurants and izakaya in Singapore, new promotions and bits of information to impressive your friends with. Follow us here.

Tonkotsu King

Tanjong Pagar’s Orchid Hotel is no stranger to delicious and affordable food, with several big-deal Japanese restaurants along the same strip. Among them is this tonkotsu ramen gem, by celebrity chef Keisuke Takeda, behind a veritable global empire and certainly Singapore’s biggest ramen chain.  The space is small, seating only about 20 or less, and has homey little touches like small mortars and pestles for you to grind up some sesame seeds and bowls of boiled eggs. Ramen starts at under $12, going up in price with toppings like a sheet of Japanese seaweed and flavored egg. Brothwise, your choices include the classic tonkotsu, and two spicy varieties: black pepper and red chilli. They’re all good.

Marutama Ramen

With four branches in Singapore, Marutama is a hit among those who aren’t crazy about the tonkotsu broth. The decor is casual, with monochromatic and wooden Japanese touches like beige panelled walls and open kitchens, making Marutama more apt for a casual lunch than date night. On the menu, you’ll find MSG-free broths involving pure chicken and even seven types of nuts. Seafood lovers should try the unusual Ebi Ramen, which is topped with fresh tiger prawns. Also worth saving space for are their side dishes: yaki cha shu, gyoza, chawan mushi and kakuni, or pork belly stewed in a house sauce.  

Sanpoutei Ramen

Hailing all the way from Niigata in Japan, what sets this ramen shop—with only two branches in Singapore— apart is the broth, of course. Chicken, tonkotsu, two types of dried sardines are simmered for over six hours to create the signature shoyu-based dashi. They also take their noodle-making seriously, doing it fresh and in-house every day, resulting in firm, springy noodles that retain the flavors of the broth without going soft. The classic Niigata shoyu ramen aside, try their Tori X Miso broths, too, made with an in-house special miso. Whatever the broth, you will no doubt order up extras of their delicious aburi cha shu.

Tsuta Ramen

The hot ramen bar opening of the year, Tokyo’s Michelin-starred Japanese Soba Noodles Tsuta now has an outpost, an 18-steater at Pacific Plaza and the first outside of Japan. The secret to its delicious ramen is the attention chef Yuki Onishi pays to the details—most notably he works with a specific soy sauce brewer in Wakamaya Prefecture to create a customized shoyu, mixing it with two others for the legendary broth. You also have the option of a miso broth and a shio broth—the latter has a tantalizing and unusual list of ingredients, including red wine and rosemary.

Takumen

Takumen’s claim to fame in Japan is its online catalogue of over 100 types of ramen, available for delivery nationwide. The Singapore offshoot may not have a similar promise, but what it does have is above and beyond the competition: a rotating list of six ramen types—a variety that rewards repeat visitors and explains the steady stream of CBD office workers you’ll find here. Try bowls like the Bingiri, which is popular among the fishermen of the Chiba coast and is spiked with chilli, and the award-winning shio ramen Hajime, which skips the tonkotsu and involves a light chicken broth.

Uma Uma Ramen

There is more to this unassuming place at The Forum than just the secret entrance to the achingly cool Japanese bar, The Horse’s Mouth. Specializing in Fukuoka-style noodle bowls, Uma Uma Ramen distinguishes itself as a rare place doing light broths and even dry ramen. Highlights include the mazesoba, which sees dry noodle served bathed in a savory shoyu sauce, topped with leeks, spring onion, bamboo shoots and of course their delicious cha shu. Save room for the spicier Tan Tan Men, which has a strong sesame base and is topped with chilli oil, minced pork and egg. Oh, and do head down to the bar afterwards!

Like what you see? For regular updates on Japanese food and drink in Singapore, follow Bite! Japan on Facebook.

Like what you see? For regular updates on Japanese food and drink in Singapore, follow Bite! Japan on Facebook.

A romantic date night doesn’t have to be all about exotic European cuisines. Singapore’s many Japanese establishments offer equal parts sublime food and heart-melting environs. These are some of our favorites.

999.99

If your date is a city-slicking urbanite with refined tastes and a penchant for nightlife, this Keong Saik restaurant ticks all the boxes. First, there is the location—right in the heart of Saturday night action, with plenty of cocktail bars for a pre- or post-meal drink. Then there is the industrial-chic interiors of this refurbished shophouse—think wall-to-wall exposed brick, exposed pipes and a long bar along the open kitchen, where you can get close. The food doesn’t disappoint either, with Japanese-European fusion dishes like the Amberjack carpaccio with caviar, and the black cod meuniere with morel, daikon radish with jus de mer.

Fat Cow

For a carnivorous date, look no further than this Japanese “meat atelier”. If it’s your first date, grab a spot at the 16-seater U-shaped counter, where you can make conversations while watching the chefs in action. For a more intimate date, grab one of their utterly charming “private rooms”— pale wooden tables separated by screens and shoji doors. The star of the menu is the imported A5 and A5 wagyu—the young and handsome chef Adachi is partial to the Saga prefecture—but don’t miss delicate appetizers like the zucchini blossom tempura.

Forlino

Sweep your date off their feet with sweeping views of the city skyline. The wraparound windows at One Fullerton’s Italian restaurant Forlino affords panoramas of Marina Bay and the CBD, setting the perfect mood for a weeknight date. Japanese chef Yohhei Sasaki sprinkles his dishes with plenty of delicate Japanese touches. Try the linguini aglio olio, which here gets not only bottarga from Sardinia, but also generous pieces of Hokkaido sea urchin and a squeeze of yuzu.

Lewin Terrace

For old fashioned romance, with flowing dresses, linen suits and lots of greenery, Lewin Terrace is what you want. The fusion fine dining restaurant is set in a classic, glamorous white bungalow in Fort Canning, and some of the best tables are to be found outside on the spacious balcony, with views of the trees—perfect for a year-end date when the temperatures drop a bit. Order from Chef Matsumoto’s selection of classic, simple dishes, such as the Nippon Rossini, a timeless combination of beef, truffle and foie gras.

Plenty more where that came from. The Bite! Japan Facebook page is full of the latest Japanese restaurants and izakaya in Singapore, new promotions and bits of information to impressive your friends with. Follow us here.

Trattoria 33

If you like your date night right in the heart of the bustling action, head on over to Cuppage Terrace, where chef Nick Goh whips up Italian comfort food with little touches of Japanese thrills. Try the smoked salmon capellini, with house-made fresh pasta, salmon that has been smoked with sakura wood, all topped with nori seaweed and fresh and zesty ikura. Grab a quiet table inside, among the riotously colorful paintings, or get one on the patio and watch the world go by.

Wharf Oyster Bar & Grill

No all dates have to be over-the-top—sometimes all you want is to get together with your sweetheart after a long day at work, enjoy the river breeze and chow on some comfort food with a bottle of hoppy IPA. That’s where Wharf Oyster Bar & Grill comes in. The Robertson Quay restaurant is all about hearty fare like grilled meats, burgers and lamb racks. Grab a cozy booth table, and order a half dozen fresh oysters to kickstart the date.

Like what you see? For regular updates on Japanese food and drink in Singapore, follow Bite! Japan on Facebook.

December is here, which means ‘tis the season for wintertime menus. All the fancy restaurants are announcing new dishes, and this is especially true at the Japanese ones. Famous for its four seasons and high-quality produce, Japan takes seasonal fish, fruit and vegetable very seriously. Here is where you can experience the season’s bounty here in Singapore.

Buri

What is it: Also known as hamachi, yellowtail and Japanese amberjack, this Pacific Ocean fish grows especially fatty and tasty during the winter months—making it a fixture on many winter menus.

Where to get it: No doubt the city’s many sushi restaurants will be full of raw buri sushi and sashimi, but for something different, try the buri shabu shabu at Robertson Quay’s Dashi Master Marusaya, where it is lightly blanched in the restaurant’s umami-packed dashi stock, meticulously prepared with bonito flakes.

Tarabagani

Photo credit Flickr user Artizone
 

What is it: You’re probably seeing it on the Instagram feeds of your foodie friends. We are in prime tarabagani, or king crab, season, which runs from November to March. Caught in the notoriously frigid waters of northern Hokkaido, the Sea of Okhotsk and Alaska, king crab is especially famous for its long legs, which is where the bulk of meat comes from.

Get it at: Les Amis Group’s first foray into Japanese cuisine, Sushi Jin sources its seafood thrice weekly from Tsukiji market and is serving king crab grilled or in shabu shabu format this winter.

Plenty more where that came from. The Bite! Japan Facebook page is full of the latest Japanese restaurants and izakaya in Singapore, new promotions and bits of information to impressive your friends with. Follow us here.

Tara Shirako

What is it: Ok, we won’t mince words: shirako, literally meaning “white children”, refers the sperm sacs of a male fish. Tara is the name of the fish—meaning cod. If that sounds hard to swallow, know that it is a once-a-year, wintertime delicacy, mushy though it may be in texture, and is often even served raw.

Get it at: Sexy Tiong Bahru restaurant IKYU has not one but several dishes involving this seasonal specialty. You can have it charcoal grilled with soy sauce and chili powder; deep-fried with tempura sauce; steamED with sake, or sakamushi; or raw with spicy red radish and ponzu.

Yuzu

What is it: Every Japanese menu and lots of cocktails menus seem to be peppered with this little, grapefruit-like citrus fruit. Part of the citron family, it’s less about the juice with yuzu and more about the thick rind, which is extremely aromatic.

Where to get it: Kallang Riverside Park’s eternally beloved Kilo Kitchen serves a truffled tai yuzu roll, where the fruit lifts star ingredients like fresh crab meat, fresh snapper and tempura flakes.  

Kinmedai

What is it: Similar in taste to sea bream, this deep-water, white-flesh fish is also known as golden eye snapper. It’s famous for its slightly sweet flavor and is easy to find in Japan during the winter months—though it’s only recently become a thing in the West.

Where to get it: The achingly cool Bincho in Tiong Bahru is famous for its seasonal menus and omakase. They’ve just rolled out a bunch of winter dishes, including the kabura mushi, involving a flavor-packed clear broth with steamed turnip (kabura), pieces of kinmedai and gingko nut.

Like what you see? For regular updates on Japanese food and drink in Singapore, follow Bite! Japan on Facebook.