Located at a quiet part of Orchard Road, Shinjuku Japanese restaurant is cosy which is under the same management as Nanbantei (my favourite yakitori restaurant). The first time I was there, I was quite overwhelmed by the menu because it has a huge selection of dishes, but there wasn’t any images and it comes in Japanese and English. But thankfully, I went with an experienced diner, so I just leave the ordering to her. During my subsequent visits with my better half, we repeatedly order the same few dishes.

Although there are temptations everywhere on the menu, I always order Mentaiko Cabbage ($10.60) whenever we dine here. Sure it looks like a plain plate of cabbage, but the addition of mentaiko sure works wonder and brings this dish to the next level. Their Gyoza ($8.70) is pretty decent too with the pork filling is encased in thin, stretchy skin and panfried till the bottom becomes crispy. I like the fact that the filling was chunky and juicy. Beancurd with onion ($6.60) comes with beautifully and finely sliced onions.

Yakiniku Set ($20.50) is a tasty beef stir-fry which comes with rice, soup and fruit. Not the best beef quality and didn’t like my beef to be drenched in a pool of gravy, but it works well for a filling set meal. The Chirashi don ($26.50) is packed with goodies like tuna, salmon, amberjack, flounder, squid, omelette and salmon roe. The different fish offer varying textures and is worth the money. We also ordered a plate of Panfried Bittergourd, sausage and bean sprout ($10) to pair with our mains.

If you would like better quality of beef, go for their Wagyu Steak ($69) from Kagoshima, located on the southern tip of Kyushu island. The meat is lightly grilled to give it a light smoked flavour. Preserving the integrity of the meat’s flavour, only minced garlic is paired with the beef, and what you can get is chewy piece of meat that is so tender that it melts in your mouth.

During my few visits here, there are quite a lot of Japanese who dine here as well. Probably because the menu wasn’t easy to understand for the locals. But the staff were pretty patient in explaining the dishes. We love it here, because we felt Shinjuku has got some character and you get to enjoy a quiet meal amidst the hustle and bustle of Ochard Road. And the prices are reasonable, so we won’t break our piggy banks while having a meal here. They also have a nice sake menu, and if you are a regular here, you can choose to leave your sake in their lockers.

Shinjuku Japanese Restaurant

Address: #01-01, Cuppage Plaza, 5 Koek Road
Tel: 6734 8436
Opening hours: Mon – Sat 12pm to 2.30pm, 6pm to 1am.
Sun & PH 12pm to 2.30pm, 6pm to 11pm.

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