Japanese

The eels at Xi Man are crazy good. They use eels that are firmer than places like Man Man, but the crispy as heck skin works well together textually. It's served on a bed on Niigata rice with shoyu tare made from the shoyu from Marunaka, a brewery with 200 years of history. There's a regular and sweet version, but I loved the spicy tare the best, with just a bit of tingliness and heat.

Finally, a decent spot for bak kut teh in Tanjong Pagar! They serve up both the peppery and herbal broths so you can take your pick. In fact, they have a Lamb-Kut Teh ($16) that combines both versions, for a different take on bak kut teh. Love how the meat isn't gamey but instead elevates the taste of the soup. They also have zi char classics here, really like the Thai-style Steamed Sea Bass ($15).

Tanoke, launched by the same people behind the popular Kabuke, has a lot going for it. There's over 50 labels of sake at any given time, with seasonals hiding in the fridge if you know where to look for it. Food wise, think premium Japanese ingredients simply prepared to showcase its natural flavours. Our table loved the Hamachi Carpaccio ($28) with ikura, fresh shaved black truffles and truffle shoyu, but nothing beats the Coastal Lamb Rack ($38), aged with koji, slathered in sweet onion marinade, and then fired up over a shichirin bincho tan grill. Smoky, flavourful, and incredibly tender!

Used the Burpple 1-for-1 rice bowl deal to try their Gyudon and Fried Tofu Bowls. Beef slices are juicy and tasty with well-cooked sides. The Fried Tofu is very impressive too, crispy on the outside and very soft inside, sitting on top of scrambled eggs. Sat outside as inside was very smoky in smell.

Cool place for tasty aged dishes. The aged swordfish has a very pleasant fatty sweetness, while the dry aged beef gyudon has a round beefy flavour that goes great with the truffle sauce. Mono also does interesting fermented drinks.