Yayoiken, Singapore

I was happy when I saw Yayoiken the other day at the basement of Liang Court outside Medi-ya, as there was one branch near where I lived in Osaka – I would go there occasionally when I didn’t feel like cooking, wanted some rice and didn’t want a combini or supermarket bento.

And when I saw the prices, I got really excited as their fish items were way cheaper than that of Otoya’s (which is actually cheap in Japan; cheaper than Yayoiken).

I returned on Thursday and was surprised to find myself needing to queue for a table at 7pm. Seems like word spreads fast – who the hell goes to Liang Court? – and that Singaporeans really love their Japanese food.

We ordered the Tonkatsu set and Saba Miso set, both of which I didn’t try:

I had the Miso Katsu set ($13.90) – I loved the runny egg yolk and the potatoes - which had the nice ‘skin’ you get on the surface of potatoes when they’re roasted right. The miso wasn’t too salty and was good with rice, although the spinach did look a bit pathetic.

We also ordered a Saba Shio Yaki (ala carte $6.90, set $9.90). To me, an indication of whether a Japanese place is good is if they can grill their saba to perfection – moist and juicy meat (not dry like so many Japanese restaurants here, e.g Shinkushiya), crisp skin and just the right amount of saltiness. Yayoiken had good saba in Japan, and it’s just as good in Singapore. 

At only $9.90 for the set, the saba at Yayoiken is half the price of that at Otoya – a very good deal. Granted, the saba at Otoya is of higher quality (oilier and more tender flesh) but there’s absolutely nothing to complain about Yayoiken’s saba – it’s good on the tastebuds and good on the wallet.

Japanese family restaurants like Otoya and Yayoiken are meant to provide hearty, wholesome meals at a low cost and with minimal fuss anyway, so Yayoiken gives exactly that feel. In fact, it kinda reminds me of how it used to be like eating there in Japan, so that’s a plus for me – Otoya didn’t exist in Kansai :)