Indulge in a steamy pot of shabu shabu at this brand new Japanese restaurant with unique European twists
Eating is, without a doubt, one of Singapore’s most iconic national pastimes; completely unsurprising, considering the plethora of dining options we have. But more than that, it’s the communal aspect of dining that we love, being able to partake in a feast with our loved ones. Essentially a Japanese adaptation of steamboat, shabu shabu has, likewise, become a popular preference of group dining culture. And guess what? We just found a new shabu shabu joint that’s bringing our excitement to a boil.
Wine Culture’s Sakurazaka, the newest addition to the quiet enclave of Greenwood in Bukit Timah, offers diners a taste of the finest cuts of Japanese pork, beef and seafood, served shabu shabu style. The restaurant’s upmarket, starkly-lit décor might belie a fine dining establishment, but it bills itself as casual, communal dining instead. Sakurazaka distinguishes itself by taking a slight departure from traditional shabu shabu; the restaurant’s Chef Masashi, a Fukuoka native, has infused his shabu shabu and sukiyaki offerings with a dash of European flair, most apparent in the use of unconventional broths and desserts.
Our tasting began, not with steaming pots of broth, but with beef ishiyaki, a large hot stone served with slices of paper-thin wagyu beef, sweet sukiyaki sauce and onsen-cooked egg yolk. It was simple, primal cooking: we simply laid the paper-thin slices of beef on the stone for mere seconds before dipping it into the runny egg and sauce. While certainly a tasty treat, what we were really here for was the shabu shabu.
Out came two pots (each containing two soup flavours) along with pork, beef and seafood shabu shabu platters. Japanese classics were represented by the ago dashi (dried flying fish, a Fukuoka signature) and pork bone tonkotsu soups, while European influences were evident in the beef consommé and fish bouillabaisse soups.
While you’re free to mix and match meats with broths, we took a fairly conservative approach and tried the Kyushu Japanese pork belly dipped in tonkotsu broth. The tender slices of pork belly took mere seconds to cook, and we paired it with the robust, flavourful goma sauce. The sauce, a mix of sesame and espelette pepper, was divine paired with the pork belly. Next, we tried the Aomori Japanese rice-fed ribeye cooked in the beef consommé and dipped in shiyu ponzu dip, a sudachi and seaweed salt dip. It was a much lighter sauce that really let the quality of the meat shine through.
The following shabu shabu platter was truly a pescatarian delight: filled with treasures like tiger prawns, clams, scallop, red snapper, squid and mussels. We opted to cook the seafood in the dashi and bouillabaisse broths which both had a distinct seafood umami taste. We chose to dip these in the tamari ponzu sauce; its yuzu notes pairing nicely with the fresh seafood. It’s worth noting that with shabu shabu, especially when cooking seafood, it’s important not to let your meats cook too long. Don’t get distracted!
Now, if you happen to have some rice and broth left over, you’re in for a treat. A member of the staff came by and scooped what was left of the rice into portions of the soup, now much more richly flavoured thanks to the meats and vegetables. Along with that came scoops of various cheeses. Figured it out yet? Yeap! What you’ve got now is a Japanese-inspired risotto. Talk about food hacks!
We were absolutely stuffed by now (they aren’t stingy with portions), but we couldn’t help but anticipate the kakigori dishes. If you’re unfamiliar with this icy treat, it’s similar to ice kacang, but made with extremely fine shaved ice. Here, Chef Masashi’s European influence makes itself apparent once again, with unconventional flavours like tiramisu and port wine. If you, like us, find yourself absolutely stuffed here, opt for the port wine kakigori. It’s light, fruity and just a wee bit boozy. Definitely our favourite way to end off this meat-heavy feast.
Sakurazaka, 24 Greenwood Avenue, Singapore 289221. p. 6463 0333. Open daily 6pm-10.30pm.