A Slice of Wagyu Nirvana @ Tajimaya

28th March 2011. Written by Vinleon & Xin Li.

Restaurant Week. Xin Li and I met for their Restaurant Week special (which was at a bargain, considering the price I was looking at while waiting to be ushered to my seat), and since I arrived earlier, I settled down first. First impression was BAM! Impressive! Xin Li didn't manage to see this, but the waiting staff moved like ninjas, setting up the tables (it was empty at first) in a flash (literally), even before I could plonk my butt on the cushy seat. And when I look up, they were already (gasp) gone! So Xin Li came shortly, the hostess swiftly took our orders, and before we could catch up, the first course was served.

The Wafu Salad was refreshing. The savoury sesame dressing went well with the sweet, crisp, fresh leaves without robbing the vege of their natural flavours. The highlight, personally, was the leek, which was unusually sweet (instead of being spicy). The Miso Soup was nothing to rave about, but I felt it tasted a little better than those I had before.

The Garlic Rice left a lasting impression (even hours later, I can still smell it whenever I... okay let's not get into the gross details). The rice was garnished with fried garlic, with bits of coarsely chopped garlic peeking here and there as you dig your way through the fragrant grains.

And now, introducing the star of the set lunch, the Assortment of Meat (and veg, which there's nothing much to comment on).

First, the Marinated Chicken (they didn't mention this in the menu). We believe they used chicken thigh, so it was rather tender and strangely reminiscent of Seoul Garden's. But of course, this is so much better.

Two parts of Kurobuta Pork were served, the Jowl (?) and the Belly respectively. I believe by Jowl they mean pork collar. This part was a little chewy, and required a little more cooking to make it easier to masticate. The Belly literally melts in your mouth and personally, I recommend you to brown till a little crispy before chowing. Mmm mmm...

And the soul of the star of this lunch – the Wagyu Beef. Two parts were offered, and both of them deserve their own paragraphs just because it's the best beef I've ever tasted.

The Rosu Wagyu appears less marbled, and of a darker shade of red. In both our opinion, we felt it is more palatable if we cook it a while longer, as it tends to be very chewy in the medium rare state. Nonetheless, it was still juicy, but not as juicy as the...

Karubi Wagyu. IT. WAS. MIND-BLOWING. Okay, I've to declare, I've never eaten Wagyu, so I might be overreacting, but IT. WAS. Can I use the word here? =/ never mind, you get what I mean. The pinkish, well marbled bite-sized piece of succulence sizzled above the charcoal grill (did I mention they use charcoal grill at the start?) and it was given the respect it deserved. 100% attention on it while it crackled towards perfection. As it slowly transforms into a light brown piece of delight, quickly pick it up when there's still a little hint of pink left. This, in my opinion, was the best doneness to provide the greatest titillation to your palate (ooh i'm getting goosebumps writing this. Ooh...). It was juicy, tender and pleasantly sweet without the unpleasant beefy taste.

There were actually three types of dips provided, but the meat were good enough by themselves. The dips were shoyu (for beef), lime (for seafood) and miso (for chicken and pork). Xin Li was telling me about his experience at the LUXE Taijimaya in Osaka, Japan. Curious whether there might be a possible connection, he decided to ask the hostess if there were any relation to that in Osaka, which she replied that the chef came from that restaurant!

In conclusion, the lunch was a sensory treat. The furnishing created a warm and cosy space, the service staff were attentive, the fragrance of the barbecue wafting throughout the restaurant, the warmth of the grill and the taste of fresh grilled meat. Both of us would definitely come back again, but the next time we'd have to watch our wallets – food here isn't cheap!

Xin Li: This meal evoked memories of my first encounter with Omi beef in Hikone, while it may not be as great as the wagyu in Japan, it is definitely the closest I got to wagyu in Singapore. Besides the delightful wagyu, I must recommend the garlic rice which was very tasty especially with the nicely fried browned bits of garlic. Comparing LUXE Tajimaya in Osaka and Tajimaya in Singapore, I enjoyed this meal more than the Osakan one.

The service here was very good. The staff were very friendly and efficient. Last but not least, I really enjoyed my meal at Tajimaya partly due to the ambience (you could see the straits) and the experience of grilling vegetables and meat together with friends, making the meal more interactive and adding an element of fun to the whole dining experience, making it a perfect venue for casual gatherings. If budget allows, I will like to go back there again.

Tajimaya 1 HarbourFront Walk #01-102 VivoCity

Tel: +65 6377 0070

Opening Hours Mon–Fri: 11.30am–2.30pm, 5.30pm–10.00pm Sat, Sun & PH: 11.30am–10.00pm