In July, a new cluster of 16 Japanese restaurants will open on the fourth floor of the Isetan
department store in Wisma Atria, many of them the first overseas branches of popular eateries
in Japan. Called Japan Food Town, its tenants include Sushi Takewaka, which is opening its
first outpost beyond the 28-year-old shop in Tokyo's famous Tsukiji market. The Singapore
outlet will serve sushi made using more than 20 types of fish, including hon-maguro and
sea bream. Another highlight is udon restaurant Sato Yosuke, which has a 150-year-old tradition
of serving handmade Inaniwa udon, a thinner version of the noodles. There is also Nabe
Seizan, an offshoot of two-Michelin-starred kaiseki restaurant Seizan, which is in Mita,
Tokyo. It serves Japanese hotpots featuring a dashi stock. Diners can also tuck into fried
chicken from Rang Mang Shokudo, a Tokyo chain known for its buttermilk-marinated chicken;
or sip sake from Dassai, a prestigious sake brand from Yamaguchi Prefecture, which will
open its first overseas bar here.
The restaurants have been selected out of more than 100 shortlisted ones in a Japan-wide
search last year. So far, all but one of the 16 eateries have been confirmed. Japan Food
Town aims to showcase the best of Japanese food culture. The $8.5 million project is
a collaboration between the Japan Association of Overseas Promotion for Food & Restaurants
and the Cool Japan Fund. The fund, which is backed by the Japanese government, supports
projects that promote Japanese goods and culture overseas.
More than half of the set-up cost of Japan Food Town were borne by the Cool Japan Fund,
says Mr Nobuyuki Ota, 62, its chief executive. The restaurants were chosen for their heritage,
service, quality of food and speciality dishes, he adds.
Japan Food Town joins a crowded dining scene in Singapore, which has more than 1,000 Japanese
eateries. But Mr Makoto Yoshikawa, 39, Japan Food Town's managing director, says through
a translator: "I feel that there's still space to showcase authentic Japanese food." To differentiate
Japan Food Town from its competitors, about half the ingredients will be imported from
Japan. Seasonal specialities and other new Japanese food products will be a regular feature.
Examples include Matsusaka beef, bluefin tuna from Osaka, Inaniwa udon and Kinmemai rice
polished with a special technique. Mr Yoshikawa says that Japanese food is expensive in Singapore
- meals at izakayas (Japanese pubs) here cost more than twice the price in Japan. Prices
at Japan Food Town, however, will be affordable, he says. Prices start at about $10 for fried
chicken to about $100 for Matsusaka steak. Despite the competitive food and beverage
scene here, he says the business is in it for the long haul. He says: "We will persevere;
we are committed to making this a success."
1. ANZU This eatery uses fresh produce from Kyushu
and serves signature dishes such as deep-fried black pork.
2. BONTA BONTA This shop, which is from Tokyo, sells onigiri
(Japanese rice balls) which are made with Kinmemai rice, a low-calorie brown rice.
3. DASSAI BAR Sip on sake such as Dassai 23, which has peach
and melon notes, and sake-based cocktails such as the Sakura Sling, which commemorates
the 50th year of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Japan this year. It will also
be served in the Long Bar at the Raffles hotel.
4. HOKKAIDO IZAKAYA This off-shoot of a restaurant in Tanjong Pagar offers Hokkaido delicacies using produce
from towns such as Yakumo and Akkeshi.
5. MACHIDA SHOTEN Slurp up its signature ramen, cooked to diners' preferences in a tonkotsu shoyu broth, and
served with a bowl of rice.
6. NABE SEIZAN This eatery, which specialises in nabe or Japanese hotpot, is an offshoot of two-Michelin-starred
kaiseki restaurant Seizan in Tokyo.
7. RANG MANG SHOKUDO The Japanese-style fried chicken chain from Tokyo serves double- fried chicken that has
been marinated in buttermilk for six hours.
8. SABAR Savour saba or mackerel from Aomori Prefecture here.
9. SHABU SHABU TAJIMAYA Started in 1997, this eatery serves hotpot
dishes such as shabu shabu and sukiyaki.
10. SATO YOSUKE The shop specialises in Inaniwa udon which is known for its smooth texture. The thin
and chewy noodles are handmade in Akita Prefecture.
11. SUSHI TAKEWAKA The 28-year-old sushi shop from Tokyo's Tsukiji market serves 30 to 40 types of sushi using
more than 20 types of fish. It also serves deep-fried items such as sea urchin tempura.
12. TEMPURA TSUKIJI TENKA This restaurant, which serves tempura and
donburi, is run by the Tokyo Sushi Academy, a sushi school in Chinatown Point.
13. OSAKA KITCHEN Get transported to Osaka with dishes such
as teppanyaki-style wagyu beef and okonomiyaki (savoury cabbage pancakes).
14. YAKINIKU HEIJYOEN The restaurant is known for yakiniku using
quality beef such as Matsusaka beef from Japan.
15. YOMODA SOBA The noodle joint, which attracts long queues at its Tokyo store, serves soba bowls topped
with vegetable tempura.