Izakaya Yoppi

Get this Carpaccio as the appetizer to share. It is fresh and thinly sliced.

The tangy Aburi Shime Saba (torched vinegared mackerel) $12.80 is worth a mention too.

Overall, the food and service is not bad. But the vibe is more like a Japanese family-friendly restaurant. Expect decent sharing platters. Don’t expect Izakaya vibes.

Wilkie Edge had recently seen a bit of a change in the tenants occupying its space — while the Han’s Cafe had since moved out of the building since 2022, the space previously occupied by Han’s Cafe had since been taken up by two new Japanese establishments — one being Izakaya Yoppi. Being an Izakaya, the entire establishment is decked out in a style that is undeniably Japanese — whilst there are seats located outdoors of the Izakaya both within Wilkie Edge and outside of Wilkie Edge, the highlight about dining in at Izakaya Yoppi would be the Japanese-style seating area featuring wooden furniture and fittings where one would sit on a cushioned platform; there are only three tables of such within the premises that seats six pax, while the remaining seats within the Izakaya (apart from the private room) are counter top seating. The menu at Izakaya Yoppi can be said as pretty extensive; it is being split into sections dedicated to Appetisers, Sashimi, Sushi Rolls, Makimono, Agemono, Don, Yakitori, Yakimono, Noodles & Soups and Desserts. Whilst Izakaya Yoppi is an Izakaya, they do offer a small variety of non-alcoholic beverages — the section being comprising of Yuzu Citron, Green Tea and Calpis Soda; it is also noted that alcoholic beverages was not a must-order at Izakaya Yoppi when we made our visit on a weekend lunch service.

We have actually managed to try quite a number of dishes during our visit to Izakaya Yoppi — it would be really difficult to pinpoint and exact item that we had enjoyed considering how they were all considered pretty well-executed. That being said, the Tosa Tofu from the Appetisers section of the menu likely left a stronger impression since it was one of those items that we were trying for the very first time at a Japanese establishment. For those who are unaware, Tosa Tofu can be described as a deep-fried, Japanese-style tofu that is wrapped with Bonito Flake. A notch above the usual deep-fried Japanese-style Tofu (i.e. Agedashi Tofu), the Tofu comes with bonito flakes around the fried batter, while the variant of the Tosa Tofu at Izakaya Yoppi also came with teriyaki sauce at the bottom rather than that of the usual hot broth (i.e. Tentsuyu) and a mound of grated radish (i.e. Daikon Oroshi) over the top. Whilst the batter of the usual Agedashi Tofu is usually airy and light crisp, the batter of the Tosa Tofu is crisp much in the same way that we would expect from the beancurd skin that comes with our local Ngoh Hiang (i.e. Five Spice Rolls wrapped with Beancurd Skin); shattering crisp and a pretty different experience from the typical Agedashi Tofu whilst still being free from grease. Inside, the tofu still retains its moisture being soft and silken — especially smooth, with the teriyaki sauce helping to add just a bit of savouriness for flavour. If all that fried stuff gets a little overwhelming, one could just get nib of the Daikon Oroshi — helps to wash away that feeling with its neutral flavours and inherent moisture within. Definitely something which helped to opened up the tastebuds for the experience that came later for the other dishes.

Apart from the Tosa Tofu, other items which we had that we found pretty well-executed included the Pitan Tofu, the Cha Soba and the Wagyu Don. The Pitan Tofu came with an incredibly rich Pitan cream that provides so much oomph and umami flavour to the dish, while the century egg jelly and the Ebiko provided a varying contrast of textures that made it an interesting eat. On the other hand the Cha Soba showcased their attention to detail not only in the flavours and textures of the dish, but also in the presentation of the food at Izakaya Yoppi — the Cha Soba being served up in a bowl of ice, sitting above a bed of ice accompanied with a bowl of dipping sauce, wasabi and spring onions on the side. Whilst it did carry the looks, we were also impressed with how the Cha Soba came with a chewy and springy texture; the wasabi also being with a mention for its freshness and complexity in flavour as well as opposed to the generic ones that one would often get from lower-priced Japanese establishments. While the Wagyu Don is probably not considered a wallet-friendly item when compared to the other Dons offered given its price point at $28.80, it could be considered very value-for-money considering the portion of quality Wagyu that was executed so well, not to mention how it also features bits of truffle as well. With prices of most dishes at Izakaya Yoppi hovering around $12.80 to $22.80, Izakaya Yoppi does deliver a lot of bang for the buck; well-executed Japanese cuisine with quality produce at quite an attractive price. It is needless to say that we enjoyed our experience at Izakaya Hoppi; most certainly a spot that we would be happy to make a return visit some day to give more items a try!