Onigiri Gon: New dine-in onigiri shop at Fortune Centre with over 20 filling choices

Sushi choices abound in Singapore, but when it comes to the humble onigiri, there have only been a handful of speciality concepts — such as the new-to-Singapore Kyoto Onimaru and Mr. Onigiri — in recent years. 

The all-new Onigiri Gon at Fortune Centre looks set to change that. 

Tucked along a first-floor alleyway already brimming with some of the complex’s best eats, this small eatery serves freshly handmade onigiri. 

If you’ve never had one, onigiri are Japanese rice balls, typically shaped into a triangle, wrapped with seaweed. Its name comes from the Japanese word “nigiru”, which means “to grasp” — a nod to its handheld convenience. 

It’s a modest Japanese staple, often made by mothers packing bento boxes for their children, or easily picked up from convenience stores. Even our own 7-Elevens carry a decent selection.

But a dedicated onigiri shop, with counter seating, where someone prepares each piece fresh in front of you? It’s probably something you haven’t quite seen in Singapore, yet.

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Onigiri freshly made 

The man behind the onigiri is Takamasa Suzuki, 41, who you may find a tad familiar, especially if you’re a regular at Fortune Centre. 

He was most recently at Sakedokoro Eizaburo, located on the third floor, and was part of the launch team when it opened in late 2024, before he took a short break to care for his two young children. 

Taka, as he prefers to go by, spent nearly a decade as operations director with the Shunsui Group — which owns Sakedokoro Eizaburo, Shunsui, and the now-defunct Kyuu by Shunsui, among other concepts — before deciding to strike out on his own. 

When asked about why he’s chosen onigiri, he observed that there hasn’t been a concept where diners can sit down and enjoy the dish freshly made.

Onigiri Gon’s unique concept becomes clear the moment you step into its space. It’s set up almost like an omakase counter, with Taka preparing each order right in front of you. 

The 12-seater shop is relatively spacious, though those seated further in may need to shuffle a little when others pass through. 

The setup is no-frills: You wait to get seated, order from a QR code, and wait and watch as Taka prepares the onigiri. 

Onigiri Gon is also very much a one-man show, with every onigiri hand shaped and made to order, so come with a bit of patience. 

Onigiri Gon’s menu

Despite this, Taka isn’t holding back when it comes to variety — we counted a staggering range of 23 different ingredients (on the menu, that is) that you can choose from. 

Factor in add-ons that aren’t on his physical menu, such as ranou shoyu (or soy-marinated raw egg yolk) or tobiko (flying fish roe), and the number of possible combinations becomes almost dizzying.

I marvel at Taka’s ambition, but his reasoning is simple: More options mean more reasons for diners to return to. That, I can relate to: Everything sounds incredibly tempting, but there’s only so much rice one can eat in a sitting.

Onigiri Gon’s menu is tiered, starting with a S$4.90 tier, and goes up to a more premium S$12.90 range, with options such as bluefin tuna.  

At S$4.90, you’ll find everyday Japanese staples such as ume (sour plum), konbu (soy-simmered konbu seaweed), and okaka (soy-marinated bonito flakes). 

These are simple, yes, but done well. We especially loved the ume — he chops the sweet-sour plums up into an almost paste-like consistency — and the nori tsukudani (soy-simmered nori seaweed paste). 

It was my first time trying the latter, which had a look reminiscent of Marmite, but is actually made by simmering seaweed into a sweet-savoury, umami-rich paste. It’s so delicious that I wonder why I hadn’t known about this sooner. 

Moving up, the S$5.90 tier features more familiar picks such as sake (salmon flakes), mentaiko (spicy cod roe), and tuna mayo. Taka is quick to chime in that he uses real mentaiko rather than mentaiko paste — and the depth of flavour shows.

This tier also includes heartier options such as niku soboro (a soy-glazed minced mix of beef and pork), buta kimchi (spicy pork kimchi), and even tori kara (chicken karaage, available spicy or with mayonnaise). 

Raw options can be found in the S$6.90 tier, with selections such as spicy salmon, toro taku (fatty minced tuna with pickled radish), and hotate wasabi (soy wasabi-marinated sashimi scallop), among others. 

Higher-end options include ikura (salmon roe, S$10.90), alongside the decadent otoro zuke (soy-marinated bluefin fatty tuna, S$12.90) and wagyu sukiyaki (S$12.90).

When you order via the QR code, you can also add toppings such as tobiko (flying fish roe, S$1.50), cream cheese (S$1), taberu rayu (chilli oil, 50 cents), or ranou shoyu (soy-marinated raw egg yolk, S$2.50), though your topping choices vary depending on what Taka feels will pair well. 

While you can order onigiri a la carte, the set meals offer better value. Combo 1 (from S$13.90) comes with two S$4.90 onigiris, a soup, and pickles, while combo 2 (from S$15.90) gives you a choice of two onigiris priced at S$5.90 and above, with the same sides.

There are three miso soups, but the tonjiru (S$4.90 a la carte, 60 cents extra with combo) stood out, with the sliced pork and vegetables adding a layer of umami depth to the usual miso soup. 

For pickles, you can choose between the kyuri shiokouji (picked cucumber, S$2.90) or yuzu hakusai (yuzu pickled long cabbage (S$2.90), or mix both for the same price. 

Interestingly, despite opening only for lunch, Onigiri Gon offers a small selection of alcoholic drinks, ranging from a lemon sour (S$8.90) to a Premium Malts beer (S$13.90).

All things considered, a meal at Onigiri Gon feels like I’ve stepped into a small back-alley shop in Tokyo, where the locals would weave in and out for a quick meal — comforting, homely, and a little rustic.

Taka encourages diners to eat in when possible, so the onigiri can be enjoyed fresh — he’s fastidious about this, even declining takeaway for onigiri with raw ingredients. 

If anything, it’s a gentle reminder to slow down — something I’m guilty of forgetting when I let my takeaway meal sit while answering one more email— and to savour the moment, bite by bite (and maybe with a drink, too).

For more Fortune Centre eats, check out this wallet-friendly izakaya, or this modern zi char eatery!