Lunch at Japanese Restaurant Suju, Singapore

We had lunch recently at Japanese Restaurant Suju, Singapore in the Mandarin Gallery along Orchard Road. It is the Singapore branch of a restaurant from Japan which was started in 2005 by Suju Masayuki in Karuizawa, Nagano prefecture of Japan. According to the Japanese Restaurant Suju, Singapore website, they focus on traditional Japanese food and the basics of Japanese food culture such as miso and shoyu. The Suju Japanese restaurant in Singapore “began with the hope to introduce this natural Japanese taste to the global customers.” We can say with certainty after our lunch that we are glad they decided to set up in Singapore!

Japanese Restaurant Suju, Singapore Menu

Japanese Restaurant Suju, Singapore takes up a medium-sized space on the fourth floor of Mandarin Gallery, right next to famous ramen place – Ippudo. They have a very extensive menu.  What was particularly interesting about the menu was the wide selection of teishoku which typically consist of rice, soup, pickles and a main course (usually fish or meat).  Here are pictures of the set lunch special and some pages from the main menu.

There were two items on the “Today’s Recommendation” menu which looked interesting – charcoal grilled whole fish teishoku ($38)  and Iberico pork simmered in soy sauce ($26).  For drinks we had a Suntory draft ($15) and tea (complimentary).  We also wanted to try one side dish and decided on the tamagoyaki – rolled grilled egg ($12).

The tamagoyaki is a simple dish which is basically an omelette.  But making the egg in thin layers and rolling it up takes some effort and skill.  We are happy to say that this was one of the better specimens of this dish that we had tried in a long while. The omelette was light and the seasoning was suitable for us, just mildly sweet.

After a while, the teishoku sets arrived. Both the main courses looked interesting, particularly the Iberico pork which was served in the form of pork ribs. The Japanese rice that was served had a good taste and texture. The miso soup was served in a generous portion.  First impressions were positive.

We are not sure what kind of fish was served, but it looked ferocious. More importantly the fish was fresh. The flesh was sparkling white and had a firm texture. Grilled with a bit of salt, it was good enough to be eaten on its own or with a dash of soy sauce and grated radish.

The Iberia pork ribs looked lovely. The two pieces of ribs were accompanied by big chucks of carrots, potato and onion, stewed for a long time with a sweetish dark sauce. The result was pork ribs that were soft and falling off the bone and vegetables that are saturated with the tasty broth.  No “porky” taste at all.

Overall, lunch at Japanese Restaurant Suju Singapore in Mandarin Gallery was a different experience. This was not a meal of expensive exotic items or rare types of fish or beef. Yet it was highly enjoyable. It felt like the type of  home cooked meal that we find in a family run restaurant in a small town in Japan.  Somehow it made us think of the show Midnight Diner although the place and dishes here at Suju are definitely more sophisticated.

Ratings:
Food: 5
Service: 4
Value: 5
Atmosphere: 3
Overall Rating: 5 TOPs 

Japanese Restaurant Suju
Mandarin Gallery 333A Orchard Rd #04-05
Singapore 238897

Tel: +65 67377764

LUNCH　 11:30～16:30
DINNER　16:30・22:30（LO22:00）