Aburi-EN (Isetan Scotts)

Pork loin and grilled eel on rice
At $22.00++

The meats were tender and satisfying - specifically, the pork loin took me by surprise with its tenderness and juiciness! It was flavourful. I was half expecting it to be tough and chewy, given how thinly sliced it was. It does take skills to have it cooked to such tenderness! I was very much looking forward to the unagi, which was served with a light char. The tender unagi was fresh too - my spoon could easily slice through its skin! This combo jyu was a worthy combination of the best of both worlds and in a way, value for money. Particularly so given that there aren’t many places that offers combi dons. It’d have been better with an onsen egg thrown into the mix (comes at additional price point of $1.50), especially when the rice was a tad plain and bland due to the lack of glaze.

Grilled Australian Wagyu on rice
$23.50++

Overall, I’d think the dons at Aburi-en are priced more steeply that other Japanese restaurant counterparts. At this price point, one could easily get a little more greens and an onsen egg too! Here, onsen egg comes at an additional cost of $1.50. The Wagyu was grilled to tenderness and tasted decent - meeting expectations in overall. The amount of glaze over the rice could be a lot more generous tho!

Just like you and I, not all pork are made the same! Kagoshima Buta is known for its fine-textured, tender meat and clean-tasting fat. Due to the pleasant weather at Kagoshima along with the unique diet of one of the prefectures top products, sweet potatoes, Kagoshima Buta gains its distinctive clean-flavored fatty meat that is well loved by many.

I recently had the opportunity to try one of Aburi-En’s new seasonal menu item, the Kagoshima Buta Tonteki, that features the succulent and tender Kagoshima pork slices imported directly from Kagoshima, that is grilled before being served in a sweet sauce topped with ginger slices that are almost caramelised. Pairing this with a bowl of premium Japanese white rice was more than enough to brighten up my day after a long day at work. We also paired the meal with a glass of Autumn Apple Sui Soda that helps to refresh my palates between bites. Apart from the new seasonal items, we had one of our familiar favourite dish, the Premium Buta Bara Don as well.

If you wish to try one of Kagoshima’s most famous export right here in Singapore, head over to your nearest #aburiensg now!

The seasonal menu is available for a limited period only. #engroupsg

If you're looking for sustainable meats, look no further as Next Meats is now in Singapore & serving up the world's first plant-based Yakiniku Meats!

This collaboration between @nextmeats_singapore x @aburien.sg brings you plant-based NEXT Kalbi (boneless short rib) from now till July at all Aburi-EN stores!

You can try your meat in 2 forms, of which, one of them is the Stamina Teishoku ($15.80), pictured here!

This set comes with a stir-fried version of the NEXT Kalbi, sautéed with cabbage, carrots & shimeji mushrooms & topped with an egg imported from Okinawa - bringing you an authentic Japanese Don experience!

This alternative is not only environmentally friendly, but it also comes with health benefits, such as double the protein & half the amount of fat! So you've got yourselves yakiniku, without the guilt! 😉

The slices was rather thick as compared to the usual thinly sliced meat but I’m not complaining. It was yummy and well marinated. Had this and 2 dons (pork and wagyu) and a bucket of Asahi. Damaged: $100

When it first came, the meat was tough and impossible to chew off. Got it sent back. The second time around it was much better. But I would stick to the pork dons.