It was only when a double date landed us at Uoharu Izakaya, that I found out the original is in Tokyo and Singapore is the only other international branch, apart from Hong Kong, to exist outside of Japan. Reviews have mentioned the Restaurant’s devotion in serving aesthetically less than perfect produce to avoid food waste. Despite this unusual yet admirable practice, Uoharu’s managed to produce a very unique and tasty menu alongside an identity that’s led to month long waits at the Hong Kong branch. Fortunately we did not have to anywhere near one month for our booking. But we still walked into an almost full house on a Thursday evening. 

The Izakaya is located within the business district at swanky IOI Towers. You will be greeted with authentically Japanese vibes the moment you step in, including the lowered front door which compels most normal height persons to bow lightly as they enter, gesturing respect for the chef who will be cooking for you! So be warned and don’t bump your head like I did! 

The restaurant is buzzing with happy chatter and sizzles. Staff cheerfully led us to our modern tatami table (sunken so we non-Japanese are spared sitting crossed legged for our meals!) where we could clearly witness the nightly Katsuo Warayaki, a traditional straw firing display whereby dried straw bundles are burned to roast fillets of bonito fish, which are in turn served complimentary to every diner. 

I never say “no” to any form of entertainment during dinner. Even better when it’s food related! The staff warmed up the crowd with an energizing introduction speech, and the “fireworks” follow promptly. The fish is “fired up” til the exterior is charred with a raw center. You get a warm smokey flavor combined with chilled firm freshness all in the same mouthful. It’s not the kind of sashimi I usually go for but I don’t hate it either. 

We started with a number of house specials, the Seared Miso Sashimi Tartare being the first. A block of raw fish paste is thickly smeared on a wooden board and flame torched table-side. It is eaten with nori and raw egg yolk. The flavors, though light on the palate, blended well with bits of crunch from the nori, soft toasty fish and creamy moisture from the yolk. I dabbed a teeny bit of soy sauce on my second bite and it lifted the flavors even more. 

Next came the Japanese Pumpkin With Salted Butter. Nothing to dislike in that combo. Made even better when you roast these two together for a sweet melty creamy appetizer? Snack? Dessert? It could be all three! All in a good way! 

The Asparagus with Truffle Salt, I’d probably skip next time. Nothing wrong or bad with the asaparagus.. just rather mediocre, not to mention small. 

The Sushi Platter was, well.. a sushi platter; with the usual suspects of Ebi, Unagi, Otoro, Maguro, Ikura, etc. Reasonable quality and quantity. For Sushi diehards, this delivers. 

Beef Bone Marrow With Baguette Toast was beautifully grilled. Seasoned simply and nicely with salt and pepper; soft, oily and jiggly enough to spread on the light crunchy baguette slices. Not forgetting a little bitter leafy greens to balance the heaviness. This was very enjoyable.

A4 Japanese Wagyu Beef Foie Gras Sukiyaki  kicked off the first of our 2 main courses. The A4 Wagyu did not disappoint. Buttery and deliciously tender in the subtly sweet and light sukiyaki broth. After searching (hard), we found 2 petite sized foie gras in the broth and shared them between us 4. Frankly, I do wish they had been a little bigger! Or maybe forget that and just send more beef!? The sukiyaki was lined with shirataki and cabbage, a good addition for our palates after all the rich foods we had. 

I highly recommend the Homemade Snow Crab Croquette Rice to complete the meal. It will do the trick if you’re not quite full; or if you’re the kind that tend to take a little bit more than you can handle at every meal! Either way, it will be satisfyingly delicious. The croquette with its crispy bread-crumbed crust is filled generously with snow crab meat. The server breaks up the croquettes and mixes the contents into the piping hot rice. The result is an umami crab meat rice charred within its own hot stone pot. The sweet crab, against crunchy croquette crust and softly scorched rice translated into a gut warming wrap to the meal. Screw keto and close with this delicious rice. 

Before we called it a night, we could not resist Uoharu’s rendition of a Singapore ice cream sandwich; except here it is matcha and vanilla (instead of attap Chee and durian) encased within a baguette (instead of sliced rainbow sandwich bread). While the ice cream was, well… ice-cream-good, the baguette was a tad too crusty and hard. We all readily cleared the ice creams.

The Homemade Japanese Pumpkin Creme Brûlée was an interesting twist to an actual Creme brûlée. Heavier and richer from the dense pumpkin; let’s say the small pot goes a long way. We were contented with a spoonful each among the four of us. 

I like that Uoharu features unique izakaya dishes. I liked the straw burning bit that adds a little drama to the evening. I like the warm Izakaya vibes the place exudes.  And especially big shoutouts to the affable and fun service from the entire staff crew of Uoharu. We felt totally at home and well taken care of.  Definitely looking forward to going back and bringing more people to this incredibly happy place! 

Uoharu Singapore (魚治) @ IOI Central Boulevard Towers. 2 Central Boulevard #01-16. Singapore 018916 Phone : +65 6931 2733

Disclaimer ~ This is not a sponsored post.