Had heard some stuff about Ichi Umai before making the visit to Junction Nine at Yishun for it — this Japanese establishment has taken over the former premises of the now-defunct Folding Rice (a previous concept by the folks behind Arteastiq serving up Nasi Lemak). For those who are unfamiliar with the mixed-use development, the same building also houses other F&B establishments such as Chao Yue Xuan Dim Sum, Overscoop and even an upcoming outlet of Refuel Cafe (yes, the same Refuel Cafe from Bedok Reservoir, that also runs Refuel II and Fuel Plus). Decked out in a style of an Izakaya establishment, the concept is a rare find in a neighbourhood, and serves up quite a good variety of Japanese fare ranging from appetisers, salads, sashimi, sushi rolls, deep-fried/grilled/pan-fried items, rice bowl and noodles, amongst others.

While all of the other dishes were also pretty commendable for an establishment inspired by an Izakaya that is located in the heartlands, it is the Bara Chirashi Don that we were the most impressed with. Described as “Soy marinade sashimi cubes & sweet shrimp on furikake sushi rice”, the Bara Chirashi Don is fairly well-portioned and also well-executed at $15.90. While the portion of rice here appears to be slightly more abundant than other establishments that serve well-proportioned variations of the same dish, we utterly enjoyed how the Bara Chirashi Don comes with pretty well-sized cubes of raw fish that fits great with every spoonful of rice for the best of both worlds. The soy marinade also provided a slight hint of sweet-savouriness for the cubes of sashimi, while the rice came aptly sweetened and chilled — exactly to our preferences for how it is consistent to the cubes of sashimi above. The cubes of raw fish were also pretty fresh as well, and the furikake adds that umami touch to the Bara Chirashi Don.

As far as it goes, Ichi Umai is a pretty decent spot for Japanese food in the heartlands — one that just isn’t that particularly easy to find especially in the northern end of the island. Considering how they aren’t located too far from where I am, I wouldn’t mind making the trip back here for some satisfying Bara Chirashi Don without the queue (for now), since the food here is actually pretty respectable in quality and reasonably priced too. Yishun residents have probably found out about this hidden gem in their neighbourhood considering how they do seem to be near full capacity during meal times, though they are still worth a visit overall depending on where one is located.