Aka Sushi Bar: Omakase from S$38 in Punggol restaurant that only Punggol-dwellers know of
Unless you are studying in SIT or working in the area, Punggol Coast Mall is probably one of the last places you’ll ever consider going — it’s nestled deep inside Punggol, in the Digital District.
Recently, though, we heard about Aka Sushi Bar, an under-the-radar Japanese restaurant that boasts value-for-money deals.
Most of the diners are likely Punggol residents, Punggol Digital District staff, or SIT students.
The restaurant is located on the first floor of the quiet mall, but business was actually quite brisk — the sign of a beloved local hidden gem.
The mall itself is connected to Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), making it a good spot for students who are craving Japanese food, too!
Affordable omakase in Punggol
One of the reasons to visit is the value-for-money lunch offerings, with lunch sets starting from S$15, including options such as tonkatsu set (S$15) and sashimi tempura set (S$18).
But the real bang for your buck comes from its omakase section: The lunch Aka Sushi course (S$38) and lunch omakase (S$68).
S$68 lunch omakase
The S$68 option includes an appetiser, chawanmushi, five kinds of sashimi, a cooked dish, three types of sushi, a chef’s rice bowl, soup, and dessert — a total of seven courses.
We started off with an ankimo (monkfish) appetiser, which was soft and slightly fatty.
Its third course was a highlight, with five kinds of premium sashimi, including a smoky torched madai (sea bream) and sweet and silky amaebi (sweet shrimp).
Most importantly? It also includes a slice of thick and indulgent ootoro (fatty tuna) — our favourite.
Aka Sushi Bar also flies its fish in from Japan four times a week, so you know it’s as fresh as it gets!
Another surprising highlight was the cooked dish of grilled pork, which Aka Sushi Bar cooked perfectly.
The texture was tender, with a meaty springiness, and it was delightfully juicy and well-seasoned.
Of the lot, our favourite dish arrived after the sushi course — an engawa rice bowl as the chef’s rice bowl.
Engawa (flounder fin) isn’t commonly found outside of premium omakase experiences, so we were pleasantly surprised to see it served here.
The engawa were gelatinous, velvety, and immaculately torched — it goes very well with the piquant sushi rice!
Nigiri-focused S$38 lunch
Meanwhile, the S$38 option includes an appetiser, seven kinds of sushi, maki roll or hand roll, soup and ice cream.
For this, we were treated to seven well-crafted pieces of nigiri sushi, with a diverse selection of toppings ranging from ika (squid) and hokkigai (surf clam), to salmon and tuna.
Our verdict after the meal? It isn’t a mind-blowingly luxurious omakase, but definitely has good value.
Maybe not worth travelling all the way if you stay at the other end of Singapore, but if you stay in the northeast, Aka Sushi Bar is probably somewhere you should bookmark.
It’s not easy to find good Japanese options in Punggol, after all.
You can also visit at night where omakase prices start at a similarly affordable S$88, and go up to S$198 for the Aka premium omakase, if you want something fancier!
For more ideas on what to eat, read our stories on the Tanjong Pagar F&B owners that make the area so vibrant and McDonald’s new collab with Old Chang Kee for National Day!
Tue 11.30 am - 2.30 pm, 5pm - 10pm
Wed 11.30 am - 2.30 pm, 5pm - 10pm
Thu 11.30 am - 2.30 pm, 5pm - 10pm
Fri 11.30 am - 2.30 pm, 5pm - 10pm
Sat 11.30 am - 2.30 pm, 5pm - 10pm
Sun 11.30 am - 2.30 pm, 5pm - 10pm
- Punggol Coast
Evan started off writing about food on Instagram, before joining outlets such as Buro and Confirm Good to pursue his passion. His best work usually comes after his first whisky shot in the morning.
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