I was glad to be invited back to Imakatsu with the launch of their new menu items which includes hot and cold Udon that adds variety to their previous menu which consists mainly of Katsudon and Tonkatsu.
Appreciating Japanese cuisine
I felt that I am starting to appreciate Japanese food better after coming back from my Japan trip to Kyushu where I learnt more about their cuisine.
I am now better able to make comparisons with the Japanese food served in Singapore to the local authentic food served in Japan. It’s indeed quite a stark difference but I believe that the standard and quality of food in Singapore is definitely on the rise.
When I went back to Imakatsu for the second time, I was pleasantly surprised by how authentic and OISHI their new menu items tasted. Since Imakatsu was run by a Japanese with his team of Japanese cooks, it isn’t hard to believe that their food tasted as good as those I had in Japan.
What we’ve tried
Onsen Egg Hot Udon
We were the first diners there on an early evening and the first dish that pops right out of the kitchen was this Onsen Egg Hot Udon that excites my tastebuds and sends my appetite soaring. Things just even got better when other dishes came along.
The Inaniwa udon noodles were so smooth and had this nice chewy bite to it. It’s a little flat as compared to the usual round udon noodles but I was sold when I tasted the udon soup broth with that onsen egg.
Onsen Eggs
I was well-acquainted with the Japanese term, ‘Onsen’ or hotspring while I was in Japan for my very first time. Having this onsen egg or ‘hotspring egg’ placed right in my bowl of udon made me reminisced about those wonderful times I had spent in Japan.
I couldn’t help but wonder if these eggs were really cooked in the onsen since Singapore doesn’t have those Japanese onsens so I asked, ” So, were these eggs cooked in onsen?” Their waitress who served me politely chuckled and replied, ” No. They were cooked at a temperature similar to the temperature of the onsen.” For once, I felt so silly asking that question. I felt like hiding underneath the table at that moment.
But whether it was the real ‘onsen eggs’ or ‘onsen-like eggs’, the egg itself was too perfectly cooked. The whites were cooked with the yolk embedded which was cooked partially to have that thick and creamy consistency. It’s either the chicken that lay these eggs are special or the egg itself is special because I’ve never tasted eggs that could look like the ones found on gourmet books and food magazines. The eggs are insanely delicious too.
Mentaiko ( seasoned cod roe) Cold Udon
This dish was rather exciting because I’ve never tasted cold udon with broth and it tasted very refreshing though I prefer it to be warm.
So my man was slurping up his cold udon noodles while I dig into my hot udon. It must have been so good because he actually finished the bowl of cold udon even though he was already quite full.
We didn’t know we were set for a food coma when all those golden dishes, one by one, started streaming in and I was so excited to try all the meat dishes after missing out on meat for almost a year while I was still a vegetarian.
In the midst of all the excitement, I couldn’t recall all the name of all the dishes and because I was so focused on eating.
Spicy Pork Don
This is another new menu item which has yet to be included in the menu and it is pretty cool that we are the first few to try it and give feedback. It was yummy but we prefer the other pork dish which was served later.
The ONSEN egg appeared again!
Premium Oyakodon with onsen egg
This is by far my favourite Imakatsu dish because it’s truly eggy! This chicken and egg rice bowl is a must-try if the item has been released in their new menu. Chicken meat is so tender and succulent that and when your teeth sink into it, the essence from the eggs and spices oozes from the juicy chicken slices. To make life even better, it’s recommended that you add onsen egg right about those juicy chicken and let the golden essence erupt from the egg and coat all the other ingredients with its goodness.
Egg lovers will fall flat to the ground with this dish.
Cold tomato slices
This is their new added side dish that is a perfect top on to those meat dishes.
Their kimchi is also another side dish that pairs very well with rice and their meat dishes. It’s spicy and very tasty on its own.
This was another soon-to-be-in-the-menu pork dish we tried which was super good as well but we are not sure what it is called.
By then, the whole restaurant was filled with customers who are were for that Imakatsu experience while we were drunk with the delicious Oyakodon.
I brought my man for food tasting for the first time and this is the aftermath – a very satisfied bloated red man who ate like a king.
I can’t wait to be back at Imakatsu again!
Imakatsu Singapore
1 Vista Exchange Green
Star Vista
#01-17
Singapore 138617
