Doki Doki

It does seem like not too long ago when we had made our visit to Yancha Yancha Izakaya just several months back — Yancha Yancha Izakaya had since ceased operations, and that a new Doki-Doki had taken over its former premises at One Shenton. While there is a change in terms of the naming of F&B establishment, much of the Doki-Doki still looks the same from both outside and inside as how Yancha Yancha Izakaya had been when they had still occupied the premises save for a fresh coat of blue paint on its walls that looks brighter than the black paint which was applied by Yancha Yancha Izakaya. With the change of tenants, it seems that the folks behind Doki-Doki is more tuned towards being an establishment that focuses on its Donburi and set lunch offerings in the day, while the night time sees Doki-Doki become a watering hole for office workers within its vicinity to wind-down after the work day. Open throughout the entire day, the lunch menu (available only from 11am to 2:30pm) revolves around a line-up of Teriyaki Don as well as Curry Don — these are available as ala-carte offerings which comes with a bowl of miso soup on the side , or can also be opted for as a set meal that comes with free-flow green tea and one small plate offering. Some of the Donburi are also available all-day during both lunch and dinner service; items available at Doki-Doki during dinner includes dishes categorised into sections dedicated to Egg, Vegetables, Meat, Seafood and Carbs. The beverage menu at Doki-Doki sees a list of largely non-alcoholic drinks being served up during lunch time — this includes green / yuzu tea, as well as soft drinks and specialty coffee brewed using beans roasted by Allpress Espresso. Come evening, Doki-Doki would also serve up a range of sakes and beers that compliment the selection of food which they have to offer.

Having skimmed through the menu before making our way down to Doki-Doki for lunch on a weekday afternoon, one of the items that seem to have caught our attention very early on would be the Garlic Miso Salmon Don. The Garlic Miso Salmon Don is described on the menu to feature elements such as that of salmon, Hanjuku Egg, Pearl Rice, pickled cucumber and Furikake — the Garlic Miso Salmon Don is also one of the three (3) Teriyaki Donburi items which are available at Doki-Doki all-day. The presentation of the Garlic Miso Salmon Don was fairly simple; the dish pretty much came with everything that is being described on the menu with each element taking up its own place within the rice bowl. Digging into the Garlic Miso Salmon Don, we went for the slab of salmon first — the salmon comes drizzled in a garlic miso mayonnaise; the same one which also accompanied that of the Eggplant Dengaku that is listed on the “Complete Your Meal” section of the lunchtime menu. The salmon here is flaky and adequately moist; comes apart easily and seems to have been pan-fried for a slightly crisp exterior with a light but evident hint of smokiness — the fish also coming with a distinct note that is pretty signature to that of salmon itself. While the bean-y, earthy note of the miso paste used in the garlic miso mayonnaise that is being drizzled atop the slab of salmon and flame-torched wasn’t particularly strong, we were actually very impressed with how there is a distinct garlicky note that perfumes the tastebuds. The pearl rice was well-executed; aptly moist and sticky — not to try considering how there was a very light drizzle of teriyaki which helps to further moisten the rice without interfering the flavours of the entire dish, while the pickled cucumbers provide a good crunch and a sour-ish tang that refreshes the tastebuds. The Hanjuku Egg was decent; came with a creamy yolk with a slightly deep note of soy sauce from its marination process. Overall a pretty decent bowl.

With our visit made during the weekday lunch hour for their lunch time menu that is available only from 11am to 2:30pm, Doki-Doki does seem to serve up pretty fuss-free Japanese fare for the office folks that is within its vicinity. While their operations are primarily focused on their dine-in options, we did notice how Doki-Doki does have some pre-packed Donburi and Bento Sets that are placed right outside the establishment for busy office workers to make a grab-and-go without having to wait for the food to be prepared by the kitchen should they choose to make a quick takeaway. Whilst we would not be able to comment on the quality of their takeaway Donburi and Bento sets given how we had opted to dine-in during our visit to Doki-Doki, we did feel that their Garlic Miso Salmon Don was a pretty decent offering — something which we found to be quite acceptable considering its quality and the price tag which it commands for. We had also given the Eggplant Dengaku a try during our visit to Doki-Doki; a dish which we had opted for to compliment the Garlic Miso Salmon Don that we ordered — whilst it was a little bit of a mistake to order two dishes that is being served with the same sauce, the Eggplant Dengaku features two slices of eggplants that are cooked till soft; features that same garlic-heavy miso garlic mayonnaise that our Garlic Miso Salmon Don came with. Prices of the Donburi items at Doki-Doki ranges between $9.90 to $21.90; the cheapest being the Chicken Teriyaki Don (also another one of the Donburi options available all-day), while the most expensive Donburi item would be the Wagyu Don — our Garlic Miso Salmon Don commands a price tag of $14.90 which we found to be rather reasonable. While the Central Business District is one neighbourhood that is overly-saturated with food options, Doki-Doki is a welcomed addition — one that serves up decent and reasonably priced Donburi which we would not mind having for lunch on a day that we feel like splurging just a little.