Hokkaido’s Mare Hachikyo opens in Singapore with signature overflowing ikura and Hokkaido produce

Omakases are sumptuous affairs — a way to pamper yourself with the highest quality Japanese produce — and it’s no secret Singaporeans are obsessed with Japanese cuisine.

Even so, these meals can demand a king’s ransom, especially when the best omakases in Singapore can go up to $300 per head for lunch, sans alcohol.

With that in mind, finding an omakase worth your coin requires some judicious selection. But the newest entrant to Singapore might be what some are seeking: Mare Hachikyo.

Hailing from Hokkaido, Mare Hachikyo’s first Singapore (and overseas) outlet is located at Palais Renaissance and takes over the unit left vacant since the closure of prestigious Michelin-starred sushi-ya Sushi Kimura in Nov 2024.

One interesting fact about this brand is that the Hachikyo Group is actually the one that started the IG-worthy “overflowing ikura” bowls that you can find at some Japanese restaurants in Singapore.

It also brings something new to our shores, with its showcase of the best produce from home —  most of its produce is brought in from Hokkaido and, more interestingly, most of the cooking is actually done with Hokkaido spring water.

In the way of pricing, Mare Hachikyo’s menu also comes tagged with more forgiving pricing, as lunch starts from S$68, while also giving the option of a more lavish signature nine-course omakase dinner at S$228.

On top of that, it will also be launching an a la carte option from Apr 1, in case guests don’t quite feel like indulging in an omakase.

Fresh and premium

As mentioned before, Mare Hachikyo takes great pride in its region’s produce, which is why 90% of its ingredients are sourced directly from Hokkaido, which is a first in Singapore.

That means items such as the omakase’s curtain-raising signature Hokkaido temaki — comprising kegani (horsehair crab), ikura (salmon roe) and uni (sea urchin) — come exceedingly luscious, creamy and oozing with briny umami.

The temaki is one of the signatures that Mare Hachikyo has brought over to Singapore — another is the kinki aonori soup, a wrapped serving of comforting dashi broth, embellished with flaky grilled fish and seaweed.

To keep things lively, the omakase also throws in a crunchier element in the form of the hotate kakiage, a deep-fried tempura-battered medley of chopped scallops and vegetables.

Airy and crunchy with fresh vegetable sweetness and onion fragrance, it’s a good way to prime the palate with something heartier.

But the star of the night had to be Mare Hachikyo’s seasonal sashimi, a quartet of fresh fish paired with complementing condiments.

It’s impossible to resist the plump and velvety hotate (scallop) served with salted citrus sauce, while the hirame (flounder) and engawa (torched flounder fin) were delectably fatty and paired impeccably with the intoxicatingly fragrant shio kombu.

Though there’s no doubt the blissfully melt-in-mouth otoro (fatty tuna) will get all the plaudits, especially when topped with the premium and mildly sharp yamawasabi (white wasabi).

The original overflowing ikura

It’s not just all seafood, though, the omakase also includes a Hokkaido Kuroge wagyu tenderloin that’s elevated with a traditional method of snow-aging using Hokkaido snow.

The wagyu is done steak-style and is juicy and tender, but the highlight of the dish is Mare Hachikyo’s accompanying onion sauce — chunky and sweet with a bright touch of acidity that cuts through the beef’s richness.

When all is said and done though, the zuwaigani hon masu ikura donabe is probably the dish that would get everyone’s attention at Mare Hachikyo.

The Japanese-style claypot rice is assembled with zuwaigani (snow crab), trout, ginger and Hokkaido rice cooked with Hokkaido spring water, dashi, kombu, and mirin.

It’s served similar to unagi hitsumabushi as it’s meant to be eaten three distinct ways: First, by itself, then served with tsukko messhi and finally as ochazuke (with broth poured over it).

The second style, in particular, is a Mare Hachikyo signature and was started by the Hachikyo Group’s owner 20 years ago.

“Tsukko messhi” refers to the tantalising act of doling out spoon after spoon of ikura over rice — basically “overflowing ikura” where the chefs bellow with each round of ikura, until you ask them to stop.

By itself, the donabe is starchy and moist, and the seafood punctuates each bite with an assortment of textures, while the underlying ginger fragrance adds a nice contrast.

Once embellished with ikura, the flavour level is boosted to eleven as each mouth comes with bursts of the roe’s flavour. Personally, we like it most in ochazuke form as the clean but rich dashi, popping ikura and rice come together harmoniously.

To end off the night, Mare Hachikyo offers two desserts: A lightly sweet and delightfully chewy azuki warabi mochi monaka and a seasonal fruit, with strawberries served for the night.

All in all, it’s a very satisfying meal with the restaurant doing justice to the quality Hokkaido-sourced ingredients.

If you’re not quite looking for Mare Hachikyo’s dinner omakase experience though, it might still be a good idea to pop by after the a la carte menu is launched or swing by for lunch!

This was an invited tasting.

For more ideas on what to eat, read our stories on the hawker gems you need to visit at Chinatown Complex and the tasties you can expect at the new Bukit Batok West Hawker Centre. 

Enjoy up to 50% off when you dine with GrabFood Dine Out.

You can also book a ride to Mare Hachikyo at Palais Renaissance.