Nikutosake opens at Paya Lebar, an izakaya with Japanese hotplate, dry ramen and kimchi gyoza, by Aburi-En

Looking for Japanese food options at Paya Lebar?

Sure, there are a slew of casual dining options for ramen, yakiniku and other stuff, but there’s an interesting new addition to the ‘hood with Nikutosake, an izakaya-style concept that serves teppan hotplates, which opened just two weeks ago!

Nikutosake is actually the latest concept from En Group, the prolific restaurant group behind popular brands such as Aburi-En, Tempura Makino and Monster Curry.

The restaurant is located in PLQ Mall and faces outwards, in between Chimichanga and Wursthans. The seats are mostly al fresco, too.

As its name suggests, it focuses on meat (“niku” is meat in Japanese) and sake.

Except this establishment is a bit different from the usual — Nikutosake also specialises in teppan hotplate dishes.

Tummy-warming hotplate and ramen

The menu at Nikutosake varies, depending on when you visit — the day-time menu is geared towards the lunch crowd, with more donburi options, while its izakaya fare comes out after 5pm.

It’s probably better to go for dinner, if you want to check out its unique dinner-only dish: Teppan hotplates, which come with sides of baby potatoes, sauteed onions and corn.

Options range from simple teriyaki chicken teppan (S$11.90), to more luxe dishes including premium beef teppan (S$22.90) and mix kaisen teppan (mixed seafood, S$19.90).

Or, if you’re a fan of mentaiko, a safe bet would be Nikutosake’s signature mentaiko chicken teppan (S$11.90), where the juicy chicken is covered in a layer of creamy torched mentaiko mayo.

Besides the teppan hotplate, another recommendation is the Nikutosake signature dry ramen (S$10.90), a hearty dry ramen dish that comes with slices of tender grilled pork belly, glazed with a garlicky yakiniku sauce.

Nikutosake also serves up a bevy of mazesoba, which are served with additional ingredients such as corn and sous vide egg to give it more texture and variety.

The mazesoba is available with four different hero proteins, including chicken (S$12.90), beef yakiniku (S$17.90), Hokkaido buta (pork) yakiniku and unagi kabayaki (S$16.90).

Unagi with ramen? Not something you see very often.

Other than dried ramen, Nikutosake also offers piping hot tonkotsu broth ramen — these are available in both regular and small portions, depending on your appetite!

Besides the original buta bura tonkotsu ramen (S$15.50), there is also the spicy tonkotsu ramen (S$15.50) and black garlic tonkotsu ramen (S$15.50), that’s pleasantly jazzed up with garlic fragrance.

There’s also the kimchi grilled gyoza (S$6), if you’re keen on something more unique. This entails your usual grilled pork gyoza, enlivened with a nice burst of acidity from kimchi — quite different from the usual.

For Japanese-food lovers staying or working in the area, maybe Nikutosake can be an interesting option to explore for after-work drinks?

For more ideas on what to eat, read our stories on the first outlet of a popular Chinese tea and ice cream brand with S$1 matcha ice cream and all the best spots to hit up at Fortune Centre.

Do explore the new GrabFood Dine Out service for awesome deals.

You can also book a ride to PLQ Mall to check out Nikutosake.