Onigirazu Don (Senja Hawker Centre)

If there is anything exciting with regard to the local hawker scene of the late, it is probably the opening of the new Senja Hawker Centre (managed by NTUC Foodfare) which had officially opened its doors to the public during the weekend that has just passed — located at Senja Close within Bukit Panjang, the hawker centre may not quite be the most accessible one of the lot, but it does certainly give residents who live within the estates deep within Bukit Panjang a decent spot to dine at to their convenience. With a wide range of stalls serving up various halal and non-halal fare, a lot of the tenants of Senja Hawker Centre are existing stall owners from various other hawker centres across the island — think Munchi Pancakes, Ah Lock Kitchen and Jiao Cai Seafood; all of which originated from Yishun Park Hawker Centre managed by Timbre+, as well as Pin Wei Chee Cheong Fun from Pek Kio Market & Food Centre, and Heng Gi Goose and Duck Rice from Tekka Centre. There are also other familiar names to be found at Senja Hawker Centre — this includes 石年 (best known for their Pig Trotter Rice; from the folks behind 百年 Yong Tau Foo), China Whampoa Home Made Noodles, and Shi Hui Yuan Original Singapore Hor Fun which all have multiple outlets around the island. One of the noteworthy new entrants to the hawker scene at Senja Hawker Centre is Onigarazu.Don — started as a home-based business, this is their very first foray into being an actual brick-and-mortar business; the stall serves up their signature Onigiri, as well as a variety of Oyako Donburi, Japanese Curry, Teishoku (i.e. set menu) and side dishes.

Having made our visit to Onigarazu.Don for their Onigiri offerings, it is noted that Onigarazu.Don only serves up four varieties of the Onigiri — this includes the Spam & Cheese, Wafuyo Smoked Duck, Kare Katsu and the Fish Fillet & Cheese. The Spam & Cheese variant can be said as the most “original” version of what they have to offer, which explains our decision to give it a go eventually. Apart from spam and cheese, the Spam & Cheese Onigiri also comes with shredded cabbage, Tamago and Takuan (i.e. Japanese yellow pickled radish) — all that coming between Nori (i.e. roasted seaweed) and a bed of sushi rice that lines the Nori. The rendition of the Onigiri at Onigarazu.Don can be said to be pretty much akin to the Okinawa-style version that can be found at Mr. Onigiri at Upper Thomson Road, as well as that which are being served at Hitokuchi Onigiri at CapitaSpring. It is noted that they do come in a wax paper wrap originally that absorbs all the grease which we got rid of before taking the photo (since it was pretty much obstructing the view of what is within) — a thoughtful touch so it is actually lesser of a mess to have. Taking a bite into the Spam & Cheese Onigiri, it is noted that the seaweed provides for a chewy texture while the rice is sufficiently sticky — the short grain Japanese pearl rice carrying a really subtle hint of sweetness that runs at the back of the tongue. The sliced-up Tamago rolls provide that familiar eggy sweetness with a soft bite, while the fried spam provided for most of the savouriness and the meaty bite for the Onigiri — the spam slices carrying a crisp crunch whilst at it, providing a contrast of textures to the Onigiri. The addition of mayonnaise in between the layers seem to have gelled on the elements together — providing a creamy texture that brought shredded cabbage, which carried a refreshing crunch, together with the meat and carbs for a rather wholesome affair.

While we do feel that the Onigiri from Hitokuchi Onigiri and Mr. Onigiri were definitely better executed in terms of presentation and flavours as compared to the one that we have had here at Onigarazu.Don, it is noted that Onigarazu.Don is probably the most wallet-friendly spot where Okinawa-style Onigiri is of concern — prices start at $3.50 for the Spam & Cheese Onigiri that we have had; the most basic version which they have to offer, while the priciest of the lot would be the Wafuyo Smoked Duck which comes at the price tag of $5. With the prices of the Onigiri at Onigarazu.Don in mind, they seem to be offering Okinawa-style Onigiris at just a fraction of the price of what other Onigiri-specialty stores have to offer — it would thus also be reasonable to expect a little shortfall in terms of execution and quality as a result, especially considering how Onigarazu.Don would need to find a balance in between serving up something accessible to the crowd visiting the hawker centre as well. We cannot really comment much on the other offerings which Onigarazu.Don has to offer considering how we did not manage to try those — that being said, Onigarazu.Don is likely a gem for the residents living around Bukit Panjang, and especially those who are residing in the Senja neighbourhood; definitely an easy spot for them to get some Japanese Onigiri cravings resolved!