Japanese (not) in the City | OpenRice Singapore

Living in a metropolitan city, we’re drilled into the hustle and bustle of city life. That includes jostling crowds, long queues everywhere and the constant buzzing of noise. Sometimes, we just want to get away from it all for some peace and quiet. This is where Shinkei Japanese Restaurant comes in!

Located in the heart of Toa Payoh, the restaurant aims to bring quality Japanese food to heart-landers at affordable prices. Their private rooms are suitable for holding large gatherings for functions or parties and during weekdays, running set lunch promotions cater to the working crowd.

At Shinkei, new complimentary specials are created every week so it never gets boring! Our lucky OpenRicers were treated to a lavish spread of some of their most popular items. Some specials we had include Sesame Tofu and Seafood Somen. The silky tofu sat in some truly tasty sesame sauce and we love the somen with edamame and its special sauce. If you’re a Chawanmushi fan, do order this as their steamed egg custard is soft and light as a cloud. Get your salad fix with the Shabu Salada (Pork Salad) or the Jagimo Salada (Potato Salad) – they definitely taste as good as they look. Their miso is really special as the Shake Miso Jiru has pieces of lovely fatty salmon that flavour the broth. Mmmmm!

Moving on to the favourites of any Japanese cuisine, the Sashimi Moriawase is an assorted sashimi platter with some of the freshest seafood we’ve ever seen. The thick slices of sashimi were gone in a blink! We also like the visual impact of the SHIN Sushi Set (with tuna, salmon and swordfish sushi) and the KEI Sushi Set (with shrimp, crabstick, sweet egg omelette) as they looked so incredibly tempting and attractive. Maki fans will also not be disappointed as they have California Temaki (with creamy avocado) and Spider Temaki (don’t be alarmed, it contains Soft Shell Crab and not our 8-legged friends). If you prefer prawns, they have the Ebi Tempura Maki which sports crispy fried prawns wrapped in a sushi roll.

We love our fried food like Pooh loves honey, so everyone definitely enjoyed the Tempura Moriawase with assorted fried prawns, fish and vegetables. The batter is light, crunchy and dipping it into the accompanying sauce gives you a genuine umami moment. Classics like Age Gyoza (Deep Fried Dumplings) and Tako Yaki (Octopus Ball) were well executed with a firm casing and moist juicy filling. The Agedashi Tofu was made with quality silken tofu that soaks up all the lovely sauce. The Satsuma Imo Roll (Sweet Potato Roll) was a real special treat as it was a balanced mix of sweet and savoury in one bite sized dish.

Yakimono is like the satay of the Japanese world so it was no surprise that these crowd pleasers were well received. For something unique, the Satsume Age (Home-made Japanese Fish Cake) is a must-try as it is soft and seasoned well. Others worth mentioning include the Yaki Tori (Chicken in Skewer), the Asuparagasu Be-Kon (Asparagus Wrapped with Bacon), and the Shitake. Since much prep-work is involved, they cook on order so everything is hot and fresh off the grill. However a unanimous favourite amongst the group was the Tsukune – the Chicken Meat Ball. Tender, juicy and salty goodness!

By this time, we were about to wave the white flag but we just had to make room for the Ninniku Yaki Meshi (Garlic Fried Rice), the Hamubekon Pizza (Ham Bacon Pizza) and the Yaki Gyuniku (Stir-Fried Beef). The fried rice had a gentle garlic fragrant perfumed on every grain, and it paired really well with the tender beef. The pizza will definitely be a hit with both kids and adults!

It was a real feast fit for a king and everyone was immensely satisfied. Do visit Shinkei Japanese Restaurant for delicious food at affordable prices in the up and coming town of Toa Payoh.

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See Also: Discover the best Japanese food in town Love sushi and sashimi? Check out our listing here!