Tora Hachi Japanese Grill & Restaurant Tasting Session

Tora Hachi Japanese Grill & Restaurant Tasting Session
29 Lorong Mambong

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 11pm


https://tora-hachi-jp-grill-restaurant.business.site/

This was an invited media review. I did not pay for the meal during the free hosted tasting session.
Attended with representatives from Chubby Botak Koala, and Epicurious Caniggia.

Grilled Skewers

Decent Casual Japanese Izakaya

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 6
Ambience & Setting: 7
Food & Beverage: 5
Service: 7
Value for Money: 6
Budget about SGD $55++ per person.


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Opening in July 2022, Tora Hachi Japanese Grill & Restaurant is a casual Japanese izakaya, located in the busy Holland Village area of Singapore. With a decent variety of kushiyai / robatayaki options, all grilled over charcoal, Tora Hachi Japanese Grill & Restaurant is a good dining destination of choice that's casual and affordable enough for everyday after-work dining.

Tora Hachi Japanese Grill & Restaurant Exterior

Tora Hachi Japanese Grill & Restaurant Interior

Ambience at Tora Hachi Japanese Grill & Restaurant is casual and cozy. The warmly lit place features sturdy wooden furnishings packed closely together, with ukiyo-e inspired artwork adorning the walls, and oriental lanterns hanging from the ceiling. There's indoor and outdoor seating options, though the al-fresco area is best suited for cool nights without rain.

Service at Tora Hachi Japanese Grill & Restaurant is welcoming and warm. While there's little interaction with the junior staff, the restaurant manager and senior staff will engage in banter with guests, demonstrating good knowledge as they describe dishes and offer recommendations. Staff quickly clean up when diners leave, and they occasionally offer to clear finished plates.

Food at Tora Hachi Japanese Grill & Restaurant is focused on Japanese kushiyaki, with skewers, small bites, and donburi / rice bowls. Quality is decent, not terrible, but not outstanding either, rather mid-range. Portions are sized for individuals, but may also be shared. Prices are relatively reasonable as compared to other izakayas, budget about SGD $55++ per person.

Ukiyo-E Decor

Ukiyo-E Decor

Sake Casks

Seating

The Barley Tea (SGD $2.80) is straightfoward, toasty grainy earthy in flavour. Served chilled, it helps relieve the palate from the grilled dishes.

Barley Tea (SGD $2.80)

Likewise for the Soft Drink Coca-Cola Zero (SGD $2.80), the fizzy mouthfeel and herbal earthy sweet flavour helping to refresh the palate.

Soft Drink Coca-Cola Zero (SGD $2.80)

The Beer Asahi Super Dry (SGD $7.90) is a Japanese pale lager, brewed by Asahi Breweries in Tokyo, within the Kanto region of Japan. This bright, clear golden yellow brew has a tame aroma of hops, grass, corn, and apples, with a smooth, refreshing, medium body and medium carbonation. Taste is floral bitter sweet, with notes of wheat, rice, malted barley, and lemon citrus, with a super dry, crisp finish. Very drinkable.

The Beer Asahi Super Dry Black (SGD $8.90) is a Japanese dunkel lager, brewed by Asahi Breweries in Tokyo, within the Kanto region of Japan. It has a chocolate brown colour, aromas of malt, molasses, and smoke, with a medium, smooth, crisp body that has strong carbonation. Taste is of roast coffee beans, nuts, and caramel, sweet and nutty with a tinge of smoky. Finish is quick, clean, and dry. With little bitterness, this is a very drinkable brew.

Beer Asahi Super Dry (SGD $7.90) & Beer Asahi Super Dry Black (SGD $8.90)

Beer Asahi Super Dry & Beer Asahi Super Dry Black

The Edamame (SGD $5.60) is bright and crunchy, with the edamame / immature soy beans carrying light vegetal earthy salty sweet flavour.

Edamame (SGD $5.60)

The Hanetsuki Gyoza (SGD $12.80) or gyoza / dumplings with wings features these pan-fried morsels connected with a lattice base. The thin layer shatters easily, but does little to enhance the straightforward meaty savoury sweet salty flavours of the dumplings. Fairly decent.

Hanetsuki Gyoza (SGD $12.80)

Loved the Chicken Karaage (SGD $7.80), which has crisp and tender juicy chunks of boneless chicken. With the side of creamy mayonnaise, these have a meaty sweet savoury salty flavour that's so satisfying. A good bar snack to pair with drinks.

Chicken Karaage (SGD $7.80)

Chicken Karaage

Tora Hachi Japanese Grill & Restaurant offers a good range of different skewers, all nicely marinated and well grilled. The vegetables in particular were given good attention, turning out better than elsewhere. Loved the Grilled Garlic (SGD $3.20 per skewer), with the garlic being tender and moist with light smoky herbal sweet spice flavour. The Grilled Corn (SGD $3.20 per skewer) was excellent, we got 2 rounds of it, as the juicy corn had enticing vegetal grainy sweet smoky flavour. The Grilled Oyster Mushroom (SGD $3.20 per skewer) was juicy and bouncy, holding its shape well (without looking limp like elsewhere), and had nice vegetal earthy salty sweet smoky notes. Loved the Grilled White Onion (SGD $3.20 per skewer), with the white onion being crunchy and moist with smoky vegetal sweet salty flavour.

The meats and seafood are decently represented here. We loved the Grilled Beef Ribeye (SGD $4.20 per skewer) so much we ordered a 2nd round, as the chunky tender beef ribeye has a light chew and smoky meaty savoury salty flavour, yum. The Grilled Chicken Thigh & Leek (SGD $4.20 per skewer) was chunky crispy and nicely glazed, with the chicken thigh and leeks having robust meaty vegetal sweet salty savoury earthy smoky notes. The Grilled Pork Belly (SGD $9.80) was straightforward good, with a decent ratio of fat to lean pork meat, juicy and tender crunchy with smoky meaty salty sweet savoury flavour. The Grilled Squid (SGD $10.90) was bouncy slippery, with the squid having smoky sweet salty flavour that is nicely enticing.

Grilled Skewers

Grilled Garlic (SGD $3.20 per skewer)

Grilled Corn (SGD $3.20 per skewer)

Grilled Lady's Finger (SGD $3.20 per skewer)

Grilled Oyster Mushroom (SGD $3.20 per skewer)

Grilled Shiitake Mushroom (SGD $3.20 per skewer)

Grilled White Onion (SGD $3.20 per skewer)

Grilled Bell Peppers (SGD $3.20 per skewer)

Grilled Beef Ribeye (SGD $4.20 per skewer)

Grilled Chicken Thigh & Leek (SGD $4.20 per skewer)

Grilled Sesame Chicken Wings (SGD $9.80)

Grilled Pork Belly (SGD $9.80)

Grilled Shishamo (SGD $6.80)

Grilled Squid (SGD $10.90)

We loved the Gyu Donburi (SGD $11.90), with chunks of tender succulent beef ribeye over a base of fluffy rice, topped with crisp seaweed strands and a wobbly soft boiled egg. Mix in the egg to lend a silky texture, with the beef, rice, and seaweed lending pleasant vegetal meaty earthy savoury salty eggy flavour. Yum.

Gyu Donburi (SGD $11.90)

Gyu Donburi

The Chicken Thigh Donburi (SGD $11.90) is straightforward, with the nicely grilled boneless chunks of tender chicken thigh over a base of fluffy rice, topped with crisp seaweed strands and a wobbly soft boiled egg. Mix in the egg to lend a silky texture, with the chicken, rice, and seaweed lending robust vegetal meaty earthy salty sweet eggy flavour. Pretty alright.

Chicken Thigh Donburi (SGD $11.90)

Chicken Thigh Donburi

The Kimchi Pork Donburi (SGD $10.90) differs from the rest with the addition of kimchi, whose vegetal sour spicy sweet taste profile lends a good kick.

Kimchi Pork Donburi (SGD $10.90)

Kimchi Pork Donburi

The Udon (SGD $5.60) features thick chewy udon noodles, a soft boiled egg, and crisp seaweed strands. The egg makes the udon noodles even more silky smooth, and together with the seaweed, creates a comforting grainy eggy earthy vegetal sweet salty flavour, nice.

Udon (SGD $5.60)

Udon

The experience at Tora Hachi Japanese Grill & Restaurant was welcoming and hospitable, particularly from the restaurant manager and senior staff. Tora Hachi Japanese Grill & Restaurant is a good place for a casual after-work dinner of skewers and light bites.


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