Rakuzen

I like to dine at Rakuzen as it is located near the CPF building and not in busy and overly crowded shopping malls like Tampines Mall. There is also a wide selection of Japanese food, so it's a good alternative to the usual sakae sushi. This time, I got the teriyaki salmon; it's hard to go wrong with it, and the salmon was well seasoned. The chawanmushi that came with it was also not bad.…Read More

I didn't get to try the famous Fire Mackerel on my previous visit so I decided to try it this time. A flaming torch was used to sear the mackerel, which explains the name Fire Mackerel given to the dish. It was very well done as the mackerel meat was not too tough, and one can taste the natural taste of the fish. Eat it with the skin as the skin adds flavour to the whole dish. Rakuzen offers a wide variety of jap dishes as well. Good alternative to sushi tei.…Read More

Located near the CPF building, one would hardly be able to notice Rakuzen. I've read about it somewhere, hence decided to give it a try. Good thing it's not located in a shopping mall, dining environment was pleasant; although the restaurant was 3/4 full, it wasn't noisy at all. Staff were friendly and welcoming. Tried the fried squid, although portion was a little miserable, it was good. The terriyaki chicken and sushi set was also better than many other jap food chains.…Read More

For more awesome photos, please visit: http://rubbisheatrubbishgrow.wordpress.com/2011/11/14/rakuzen-tampines/Decor: Light wood is a material that I detest because it looks cheap BUT this restaurant, predominantly in light wood with dim lights, looks elegant and sleek – a Japanese interior designer crafted it. Design is so important. That’s why lah, clean-cut and classy. There are private rooms available with a minimum spending of $200 for lunch and $300 for dinner.Many ingredients are flown directly from Japan twice a week, bypassing the middlemen or women, so the fresh food can be sold to us at a relatively low price. Special mention: brown rice is flown in and is milled into white rice at Rakuzen so they can control the quality. (Interesting fact: there are only 4 milling machines in Singapore. The other three are owned by Isetan, another Japanese establishment!) You know lah, I’m very hiao, need to watch my hourglass figure, so I always order brown rice wherever it is available. I tasted so many varieties of brown rice but Rakuzen’s was totally different from other places. It felt very clean and had a bite. One of the best brown rice I had.We had a few appetizers including himatsubishi (fried burdock root, $5), Ehire (grilled stingray fin $8), grilled corn with butter ($5), and Mame Aji Tsumami (fried small horse mackerel (pictured), $8). The ladies seemed to be taken by the grilled stingray fin with mayo, quite unique and chewy like dried cuttlefish, while I preferred the fried small horse mackerel – got meat lah, tasted like shishamo (pregnant fish) without the roe. While they were addictive and go very well with beer, my advice is skip the appetizers. Save your stomach for the awesome mains!!You see now why I titled this “May the force be with you!!” It’s a Jedi’s lightsaber! The raw Fire Mackerel ($16) is marinated in rice wine vinegar and wrapped in seaweed for at least two hours. The searing, done at the table, melts the fats and gives the skin a crisp. Because it’s soaked in vinegar, it has a sourish tangy. Dip it in ponzu (a citrus soya sauce), it’s fruity sour-salty VS vinegar sour with the sweetness of the fish. Very shiok and appetizing. I thought this can definitely be an appetizer. However, perhaps the lightsaber was too powderful, and the flesh was cooked. I’d prefer a rawer and caveman-ish taste.Return of the Jedi. I LOVE THIS! The moeyo beef roll ($18) has seared tenderloin on the outside, and fresh avocado and tempura batter bits inside. This is contemporary Japanese food at its best. The crunchy sweet tempura bits, the creamy avocado and the textured beef – awesome combination. There were 5 of us, 6 pieces—and I secretly took the extra piece. HEE HEE HEE. I was so smooth, like a thief in the night.Okonomiyaki ($10), or Japanese pizza. I never like okonomiyaki much because it is often too starchy and heavy but this one was marvelous! You can taste the egg in the mixture. There are japanese yam, cabbage, carrots and mushroom in the mixture so each mouth is sweet, crunchy and savory. It is topped with mayo, okonomiyaki sauce and sakuri ebi or better known as hae bee (dried shirmps). Mouthwatering delicious.For a long time I avoided eating sushi in Singapore because honestly, the chefs aren’t preparing sushi in the right way. The correct way is that the sushi itself should already be balanced–it should already have soy sauce and wasabi WITHIN the sushi so the customers don’t dip it in sauce or wasabi; the customers just eat it straight. So I was VERY, VERY impressed with the sushi. All the four sushi (ranging from $4-$8 per piece) actually came in a balance–you don’t have to dip it in any sauce or wasabi. The seared tuna belly (first in the photo), for example, had grains of salt on it, and wasabi beneath it, and with the vinegary rice—ready to eat! The Japanese chef–yes, he’s from Japan–is bringing balance to the force! The sushi, good as they were, need some tweaking to really bring out the flavors. But I was already astounded to find such quality sushi. So yes, the sushi at Rakuzen is awesome, without a doubt. I’ll come back for more.Vegetarian set meal available.Verdict: I came with very low expectations–neighborhood restaurants can be nice meh? Some more, it’s so affordable. But all the main courses were outstanding and blew me away. Tampinites – you’re in luck! Can go gym already, then come over to feast. Highly recommended.…Read More

It was my first visit to Rakuzen and I was surprised to know that it is located at the heartland of Tampines. Given the remote location, what exactly stands out is definitely the wide varities and quality of the food. I was drawn to the details of the interior design which I could see the effort of bringing out the Japanese ambience by the designers. They have private rooms if you need some privacy with your loved ones. Our group ordered Himatusubishi, Mame Aji Tsumami, Ehire and Grilled Corn with Butter as our starters. The Ehire (Grilled stingray fin) - $8 is so delicious and the taste is sweet. It goes very well with Mayonaise and what we lack of I supposed is a cup of Sake. It would be perfect! The ingredients used for the Sushiya Salad (Salmon, Scallop & etc) - $15 (Large) was so fresh. The seasame dressing was tasty and you will not get sick of it but crave for more. We had Moeyo Beef Roll- $18and Fire Mackerel - $16 for mains! The beef was well cooked and it is succulent and juicy. Same goes for the Fire Mackerel, when the chef cooked the surface, it releases the fish oil make it even more fragrance and tasty. Lastly, we had assorted sushi and I was told by my friend that a good Japanese chef needs to balance the taste in the sushi. That means to say, without wasabi and soya sauce it will still have a tinge of sweetness in the mouth. I would say the sushi is mouth watering and fresh. I will definitely go back for more. I sing so much praises about this Japanese restaurant because I could really feel the sincere in the chef for making good Japanese food for consumers. Not only the food, but also details like the ambience and all. They deserved to be praise and given the afforable price I'm sure they will attract a lot of heartlanders!…Read More