Matsukiya Paragon - New Kushiyaki Restaurant by Sushi Tei

Matsukiya Paragon Singapore is a new Japanese restaurant by Sushi Tei. It is a kushiyaki restaurant which features skewered and grilled meat and vegetables. Matsukiya is located on the fifth floor of Paragon Orchard, next door to their existing large sushi restaurant. We were there for lunch recently.

While many of us are familiar with Sushi Tei, the sushi restaurant, I did not know that it has over 80 outlets in 9 countries, with 14 in Singapore! Its sushi restaurant at Paragon is probably its most prominent outlet with its long bold shop front. In contrast, its kushiyaki counterpart Matsukiya Paragon has opted for a more discrete presence. The dark wood entrance to the restaurant is understated and the small signboard with its name could easily be missed.

The restaurant looks classy and first impressions were good. A long counter provides diners with the option of ringside seating and observing the chefs do their thing over the charcoal grill. There are some tables at the end and a private dining room at Matsukiya Paragon.

Matsukiya Paragon Menu

Here are pictures of the Matsukiya Paragon menu. Two set lunch menus were available. They cost $25++ and $30++ and have kushiyaki or a grilled item as the main dish resepctively. We decided to have one of each and a few a la carte items

Matsukiya Paragon - Kushiyaki Restaurant menu

Some edamame beans were served at the start of the meal. These were complimentary but hot Japanese tea costs $4 per person.

Matsukiya Paragon Set Lunch

The kushiyaki set lunch (picture below) was served on a tray with rice, prawn broth, three types of kushiyaki and a soft egg. There was a choice of kushiyaki and we picked chicken wing, thigh and asparagus with bacon. We liked all the components of this set. The prawn broth in particular was thick and rich, like the soup of a very good prawn noodle.

The charcoal grill set lunch (picture below) was served with chawanmushi instead of the soup. For the main dish, there was a choice of unagi or pork cheek. We decided on the latter. The chawanmushi had a topping of minced pork with lots of truffle oil. The truffles taste was too overwhelming. The grilled pork did not have much taste or texture. The almost sambal-like chilli paste salvaged it somewhat. We liked the other set lunch better.

The Other Dishes

We had mixed feelings with the other items that we ordered. The grilled squid ($18, picture above) with the squid ink paste was quite enjoyable. We thought that the wagyu beef ($35, picture below) was ordinary.

We were glad we ordered the inaniwa udon ($12, picture above) and the truffle tori omu rice ($22). They turned out to be more memorable than the grilled items. The udon was slick and delicate as they should be. The flavour of truffle was more controlled in the omu rice and everything blended very well.