Kimoto Gastro Bar (The Sail)

Kimoto Gastro Bar is a place that has been in the list for me for quite a while to check out — set in its own space within The Sail@Marina Bay, Kimoto Gastro Bar occupies a ground level unit in the building. Wasn’t really aware about this, but Kimoto Gastro Bar is operated by the same folks behind The Drug Store as well as Three Hands Coffee; all three establishments being situated within the same building. By far, the facade of Kimoto Gastro Bar is probably the most aesthetic of the lot — the dark blue walls on the exterior is a big contrast to the largely grey colour scheme of the building; the shopfront also bears foldable windows above its windows that can be opened up and used as a bar table when the restaurant is open for the day. Serving up two different menus throughout the day, Kimoto Gastro Bar serves up a variety of Kushiyaki, Sashimi, Tempura alongside salads, Donburi and small plates during dinner service — they have also streamlined their offerings during lunch service to better serve the office folks in the area where a menu that focuses more on Donburi offerings.

One of the items that was making it rounds around social media when Kimoto Gastro Bar had first started its operations was their Tempura Don — their Tempura Don comes with elements such as prawns, chicken breast and vegetables as described in their menu. Each Donburi also comes served with a side salad, as well as a bowl of Miso Soup — the former being a refreshing break from the Tempura Don if one chooses to have it mid-meal; comprises of leafy greens drizzled in goma dressing and crispy tempura bits, while the latter comes with cubes of tofu and kelp. In actuality, the Tempura Don does come with vegetables such as corn, eggplant and carrot — there is also the inclusion of the tempura egg here which isn’t actually listed in their menu as well. Digging into the Tempura Don, it is noticeable how their rendition doesn’t carry as much sauce as some other Tendons which we have had at other locations before — that being said, we did find their variant still pretty palatable at the least; didn’t feel that their Tempura Don was too dry, and the fluffy short-grain rice was actually pretty flavourful on its own with the inclusion of shredded strips of seaweed. The tempura pieces here are freshly-fried upon order — those seated at the bar counter facing their food preparation area will be able to watch how they deep-fry the tempura and grill the kushiyaki behind a glass wall. Thought the tempura pieces were actually pretty well-executed; the golden-brown batter was light yet crispy — the various produce being quite fresh such as the prawns that carried a good bite whilst being naturally sweet, while the tempura egg deserves a mention for how it comes with molten egg white and egg yolk that can be mixed around the bowl of rice. At $16.80 before service charge and GST, the Tempura Don here is one that comes at a decent quality that would most certainly match those served at other Tendon specialty stores around.

Aside from the Tempura Don, Kimoto Gastro Bar does serve up some other Donburi items for lunch that also piqued our interest — think items such as their Kushiyaki Don, as well as the Kimoto Chirashi Don, though the latter is slightly higher priced in comparison at $25.90 before service charge and GST. Sure, the prices of the food at Kimoto Gastro Bar does suggest that it is a spot more for the occasional splurge during lunch, but with food of a good quality and at a relatively decent price, they do make for a worthy destination for a wind-down after an intensive work week with drinks and delicious Japanese cuisine for the office folks and expats in the area.

located in the cbd, these lunch bowls were rly rly good. wld def recommend. preferred the tendon slightly more as the sauce wasnt too sweet and it was easy to finish the whole bowl. perfect tempura runny egg is always a plus in my books! for the skewers, rly like the cherry tomato with pork one but felt like it was not as worth it as the tendon

It comes with generous number of grilled skewers: meat ball, chicken, pork belly-wrapped tomatoes, zucchini, and mushroom. The meat skewers were substantial, well-grilled and drizzled with copious amount of sweet tare sauce. The tempura egg is da bomb! So crisp, flavourful and soft on the inside. Each set comes with sesame salad and miso soup.
Pro tip: Lunch happy hour (1.30-3pm) 20% off.

Happened to be around the area and popped by this stall which was recommended by my Cousin. Cosy little shop with only bar seats, they have modest servings with the rice seemingly acting as a cushion for all the skewers. I got the chef’s special set which consisted of mostly grilled items along with an abundance of teriyaki sauce that I love so much 😍 To top it off, I got the OCha to wash all them grease down. Satisfying meal indeed 💯

This lunch set for $14.90++ comes with a salad and soup to start. The main dish then arrives warm with two plump tempuras, chicken (was a tad dry), mushroom, eggplant, carrot, sweet potato and egg. It went really well with the rice and seaweed too!

This new Japanese kushiyaki bar at The Sail @ Marina Bay serves up amazingly smoky and yummy kushiyaki (skewered sticks), but that's not all — they dish out some stellar rice bowls too. There are only counter seats, so come solo or bring just one friend. Get acquainted with their style through the Kushiyaki Omakase ($22), which gets you six skewers that are grilled till they sport a lovely char. Expect the likes of pork, chicken, and chicken with leek, all of which go very well with a drink. Portions run small for the rice bowls like the Kushiyaki Don ($14.90) that is served with four assorted sticks atop a bowl of rice, along with a fried onsen egg; or the Special Tempura Don ($14.90), which sees the chef's selection of ingredients battered and fried till crisp golden. Order the free-flow Ocha (hot tea, $2) to wash it all down.
Avg Price: $15 per person
Photo by Burppler chutoro eats