Uoharu Singapore: Famed kaizen izakaya from Tokyo opens first Singapore outpost at Shenton Way

There’s a new opening in town: Uoharu — a renowned kaizen izakaya hailing from Tokyo, Japan. 

It’s a distinguished Japanese restaurant with outlets anchored in Hong Kong and Tokyo, so the name may ring some bells.

Now, the brand has finally landed in Singapore and is conveniently situated too, in the heart of the Central Business District. 

Opened on Jul 31, the local establishment brings its mouthwatering izakaya fare to our shores and marks its second international outpost.

The hype behind Uoharu 

But what, exactly, is the reason for all the hype surrounding Uoharu? 

If you’ve been to its stores in Hong Kong and Tokyo, you’re probably familiar with how difficult it is to clinch a reservation. You’ll have to get on the guestlist, where its waiting times span a month or longer.

It also crafts its dishes with produce from world-famous Toyosu Market, a wholesale market complex in Japan revered for its fresh seafood, fruits and vegetables.

Uoharu prides itself on cherry-picking its produce. But instead of picture-perfect, unblemished ones, the team selects less-than-perfect ingredients to prepare its nosh — think undersized fishes, crabs with miscounted legs and more — so that no resources are wasted. 

And despite working with “ugly” produce, the quality and flavours of its food remain impeccable. 

With a restaurant now in Singapore, you won’t have to book a flight overseas just to savour its cuisine. You can do so right here — though admittedly, with all the eager foodies waiting in line, we can’t guarantee seats anytime soon. 

The space

Naturally, Uoharu’s Singapore outpost’s aesthetic leans on its Japanese predecessor, with traditional izakaya elements such as rustic wooden floorings, sprawling communal tables and vibrant hand-drawn posters. 

The reason behind the setup is to foster a sense of community and togetherness among diners, where they can gather around a shared table to imbibe in tipples and izakaya bites. 

You’ll have plenty to ogle at when you’re visiting Uoharu, too. 

Every night, when the crowd is at its peak (when the restaurant is the most crowded, according to staff!) — and in their highest spirits — the chefs will put on a mesmerising act.

Dubbed the katsuo warayaki show, it’s a fiery showcase where they sizzle up a grilled bonito fish on a traditional straw fire. It’s a sight to behold. 

Afterwards, all diners are treated to a complimentary sample portion of the dish so that they can taste the fish in all its smoky goodness.

Uoharu Singapore’s menu

A snack that comes highly raved by the staff is the seared miso sashimi tartare (S$14.80). It stars a blend of fresh sashimi — made with seasonal fish — stirred in a miso-based sauce before it’s lightly grilled aburi-style, for a smoky, charred top. 

The treat comes with a side of runny egg yolk, for dipping the tartare into for an extra creamy richness. But that’s not all: It’s also served with crispy nori seaweed to wrap the tartare in. 

It’s a winning combination that’s layered with various flavours and textures and we found it to be so delicious that we devoured the dish within seconds.

It’s not just light bites on the menu. If you’re craving a substantial dish packed with flavour and heart, get the homemade snow crab croquette rice (S$29.80). It’s cooked to order and served in a piping-hot stone bowl for maximum freshness and oomph.

It features crispy snow crab croquettes on a bed of fluffy Japanese rice, and you’re to savour it with the different ingredients thoroughly mixed, just like how you’d enjoy our local claypot rice. 

You can also break the snow crab croquettes into small bits for an equal ratio of crab to rice in each bite. And for the last touch, the dish is spruced up with pearls of ikura for a sweet-briny tang.

Uoharu also has the tantalising soba with karasumi (S$20.80), which the team says is one of their signatures. 

The soba noodles have just the right amount of chew and density, and with its smooth texture, it goes well with the crunchiness of the karasumi (dried mullet roe) bits that it’s peppered with. 

Every mouthful gives you a good morsel of soba and karasumi — an addictive pairing that will have you reaching for a second helping.

Another item that goes wonderfully with drinks is the manzoku tuna and sea urchin sushi roll (S$28.80), which is a loaded snack that’s crowned with a generous heap of fresh toppings: Uni,  negitoro (minced tuna), maguro (tuna), crab meat and ikura. 

While the sushi was adorned with a myriad of premium ingredients, we did find it a tad small in terms of portions. Given its price point, we were expecting more heft.

Before we wrapped up the meal, we went for the baguette ice-cream sandwich with matcha ice cream (S$6.80). 

We’ve had our fair share of waffles with gelato, but never baguette with ice cream — talk about a unique combination. 

To our surprise, the creamy, roasted matcha ice cream was the perfect accompaniment to the crispy baguette. The former carried subtle earthy notes and had a smooth, velvety texture. And matched with the crunchy bread beneath, each bite was pure indulgence.

This was a hosted tasting.

For the latest eats, read about the reopening of popular Taiwanese diner The Salted Plum and artisanal udon restaurant Haruyama Udon’s newest flagship store at Tampines. Alternatively, check out the newest openings in Singapore here. 

Do explore the GrabFood Dine Out service for awesome deals.

You can also book a ride to Uoharu Singapore at Shenton Way to try its izakaya fare.