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2015-07-04
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Enbu was the first of seven Japanese dining concepts byKomars Group ANA Trading, the retail arm of ALL NIPPON AIRWAYS (ANA) to makeits foray into the ever bustling F&B scene in Singapore. With an increasingappetite for Japanese cuisine, it was definitely a timely opportunity for bothrestauranteurs and diners alike.At Enbu, the Izakaya-restaurant took an alfrescoarea once occupied by the sky garden of Suntec City. Its outdoor spacesoffer a good respite for beer and Izakaya cuisine from the hustle
Enbu was the first of seven Japanese dining concepts byKomars Group ANA Trading, the retail arm of ALL NIPPON AIRWAYS (ANA) to make
its foray into the ever bustling F&B scene in Singapore. With an increasing
appetite for Japanese cuisine, it was definitely a timely opportunity for both
restauranteurs and diners alike.
At Enbu, the Izakaya-restaurant took an alfrescoarea once occupied by the sky garden of Suntec City. Its outdoor spaces
offer a good respite for beer and Izakaya cuisine from the hustle and bustle of
the Central Business District. Apart from the natural breeze, the high ceiling
and warm lightings of the restaurant also made us feel at ease and comfortable. Special attention was also given to the tableware and cutleries, which were all specially
imported from Japan.
Like all Izakayas where alcohol takes centre stage,patrons can choose from a staggering line-up of exquisite craft beers, from the
fruity Coedo Craft Beer White (350ml, $15) to the soft bitter Coedo Craft Beer
Ruri (350ml, $15), Sakes and a variety of Suntory highballs.
Enbu specialises in Warayaki, a grilling style uniqueto Kochi prefecture in the Shikoku region of Japan. Resident chef Tatsunori
Yara, despite being an Okinawan native, is an expert in using straw to smoke and grill
meat.
We had both the Chicken Warayaki with Special Spring Onion Sauce ($19)and the Katsuo Warayaki ($16).
The chicken was succulent and the fragrance from the smoking of straw was strong and lingering, almost the same aftertaste you get fromdrinking aged whisky. The dish also came with lettuce, spring onions and Korean
Gojujang sauce which gave it an interesting Korean twist.
Like the Warayaki, the Taco Salad ($15) was an interesting dish adopted from Mexican cuisine. It was also playful as we hadthe chance of making our own salad. We were given glass bottles to shake the main ingredients before dressing the salad with guacamole meat sauce and grated cheese, placed into a fried
spring roll skin bowl on top of generous servings of diced cabbage.
The friedspring roll skin added an Asian texture into an otherwise ordinary Mexican
dish.
Other dishes were much less adventurous, like the HomemadeSteamed Tofu ($12), which was simply a bowl of steamed tofu with accompanying
condiments such as the Japanese soy sauce and grated ginger. While the tofu tasted
good and was served in a pretty ceramic bowl, I thought it was on the pricier
side.
The Smoked Salmon with Homemade Cheese Tofu ($12) was also good thoughthe taste was somewhat anticipated and lacked originality.
Uni was an recurring theme on the menu of Enbu. The DeepFried Tofu with Uni Sauce ($12) and the Oyster and Spinach Teppanyaki with Uni
Sauce ($15) were amongst the crowd favourites.
The uni dishes were slightly moresavoury than usual, presumably made that way to pair with the beer we were
served.
If you are thinking of ordering these dishes, I would suggest gettingalcoholic drinks to better accentuate their brine.
My favourite of the night would be the Sashimi Platter ($60for 2). The Chutoro (medium fatty tuna) was perfect with its marbling of fats,
and it melted onto my tongue before the oil of the fish filled my entire mouth.
Equally excellent was their Hamachi (Japanese amberjack), the Katsuo (Skipjack
tuna) and the huge dollop of Murasaki Uni. My only gripe was they served Sashimi
without gari-gari or pickled ginger.
We were wondering where they got their supply of sashimifrom when Kazuhiro Nakao San, Senior Manager of ANA Trading revealed that the
fish were specially air-flown from Tsukiji market by ANA air cargo in the morning.
Fresh fish are air-flown in cargo from ANA almost on a daily basis to ensure
that customers get to enjoy only the freshest of Sashimi. With the airline as
a partner, Enbu and the rest of the group's restaurants definitely enjoyed a
logistical advantage for fresh Japanese ingredients that are unmatched for.
Overall it was a nice refreshing experience to dine andchill over beer at an alfresco Izakaya, the first of its kind in
Singapore. In the pipeline for the group are Megumi, a sushi restaurant, Nigiro
Cafe and NikuNohi, a meat specialty restaurant. Looking forward to their
opening!
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