I have never been to Japan but this place seems to provide an authentic atmosphere. The wooden furnishing and the decoration this place has put up offers a laid back feel and I simply adore the idea of having to dine with traditional floor seating (with a convenient cutout for your legs).
Since izakaya (居酒屋) refers to a Japanese pub, the menu consists of a reasonable selection of drinks and classic Japanese small dish specialties but don't expect much variety of dons or ramen.
I am no expert when it comes to savoury food. To me, what matters the most is the company and overall experience where pricing, service and ambience are factored in. For its salmon sashimi, it is nicely cut and I would say the freshness is up to my expectation.
サーモン Salmon Sashimi ($18.00++)
One of my critera for good sushi is the texture of the rice and though the rice is not hard nor grainy, its standard is pretty similar to what one will get from Sushi Tei and Ministry of Food.
カリフォルニア巻き California maki ($10.00++)
Avocado with crab stick & cucumber roll wrap with flying fish roe roll
ソフトシェルクラブ巻き Soft shell crab maki ($10.00++)
Fried soft shell crab with cucumber roll wrap with flying fish roe roll
I have to admit that the Saikoro steak is one of my favourite dishes among the entire selection with its meat well-marinated and tender. Pretty close to beef cubes fried in teppanyaki style.
サイコロステーキ Saikoro steak ($18.00++)
Dice cut beef with sweet sauce
The pork patty is on the thin side, though nicely breaded and fried without being too oily, the meat lacks the tenderness which Tampopo's Black Pig Tonkatsu gets to offer. So, this is not recommended in my opinion.
Atsugiri tonkatsu ($12.00++)
Deep fried pork cutlet
At the end of the day after penning down my thoughts for this place, I realize the food is pretty ordinary and fails to leave a deep impression. Thus one can roughly expect my comments for the Tsukune. It didn't strike me deep enough and my vague impression tells me that the chicken balls from ToriQ satisfy me just as much.
つくね Tsukune ($5.00++)
Minced chicken meat ball with sweet soy sauce
As described by the Japanese staff, this is a very raw dish consisting of a raw egg and raw vegetables. When mixed, it has an extreme sticky texture which either one likes or hates it. For the locals, try this if only you are curious or adventurous.
The porridge which I had a couple of weeks ago during the Nagoya special at Oscars leave a very deep impression and spurred me to order the Ochazuke, I am not sure if this is the right equivalence but the taste is pretty blend.
And having deprived from eating cakes for more than 3 weeks (due to the mooncake spree), I thought I shouldn't miss out the desserts Tomo Izakaya gets to offer. Pretty disappointing as the green tea is not strong and the cake was served frozen.
抹茶ティラミス
Maccha tiramisu ($8.00++)
Home made green tea tiramisu
As I have concluded in the earlier part of the post, this place didn't make me crave for Japanese food but what I enjoyed the most of this meal is the company of a close friend. With the laughter and conversation shared during the dinner, I guessed I have fulfilled my orginal intention of this place. Nice place to chill out, service was good and the most important thing is that we are happy with the ambience this place gets to offer even though we felt that the food is alittle expensive for its taste.
Tomo Izakaya
3A River Valley Road
#01-04 Clarke Quay
Singapore 179020
Tel: 6333 0100
Operating hours -
11:30am to 1am (Sun to Thurs)
11:30am to 3am (Fri and Sat)
Website
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