Tora Tora Tora Japanese Restaurant
62 Ubi Road 1
#11-19 Oxley BizHub 2
https://www.toratoratora.sg/
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| Sashimi Moriawase 8-Kinds (SGD $98) |
Humble Hidden Izakaya
(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 7
Ambience & Setting: 8
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 7
Value for Money: 8
Spent about SGD $75 per person.
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Established in November 2020, Tora Tora Tora Japanese Restaurant is a hidden gem that might be challenging to locate for first-time visitors. This Japanese izakaya is located on the rooftop of an industrial building, and there's almost no way to stumble upon this place by chance, so people that visit mostly hear about Tora Tora Tora Japanese Restaurant through word of mouth.
Ambience at Tora Tora Tora Japanese Restaurant is styled like a traditional izakaya, dimly lit with sturdy wooden furnishings. Clever use of fairy light and empty whisky bottles to create a soft and attractive decor, while the open kitchen and bar means there's a slight cooking odour lingering in the air. Bonsai plants complete the zen vibe.
Service at Tora Tora Tora Japanese Restaurant is efficient but transactional. The relatively young staff move quickly, be it taking orders or cleaning up, but there's little engagement when ordering, and not much demonstration of product knowledge. Staff aren't quite as proactive as I'd hoped, but they do fulfil requests decently.
Food at Tora Tora Tora Japanese Restaurant is traditional Japanese kushiyaki cuisine, featuring grilled dishes. Quality and execution is good, no complaints about any of the dishes thus far, most are tasty and delicious. Portions are sized for sharing. Prices are reasonable, budget about SGD $75 per person.
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| Tora Tora Tora Japanese Restaurant Signage |
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| Tora Tora Tora Japanese Restaurant Exterior |
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| Tora Tora Tora Japanese Restaurant Interior |
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| By Dusk |
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| Open Kitchen |
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| Decor Whisky Hibiki Japanese Harmony |
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| Decor Whisky Yamazaki Distiller's Reserve |
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| Decor Whisky The Matsui Mizunara Cask |
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| Us |
The Hojicha (SGD $3) or Roasted Green Tea can be served either warm or chilled, we opted for the latter. Served in a distinctive glass bottle, the roasted green tea carries robust smoky savoury earthy sweet flavour. Good!
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| Hojicha (SGD $3) |
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| Hojicha |
The Beer Sapporo Premium Black (SGD $11) is a Schwarzbier style, dark leather black lager, brewed by Sapporo Breweries Limited in Shibuya, Tokyo, in the Kanto region of Japan. It has mild aromas of espresso, chocolate, hops, and roasted malt, with a smooth, toasty, and light body texture. Flavours of roasted coffee beans, toasted bread, raisins, and caramel, with a foamy head. Finish is quick, clean, with little bitterness but slight floral undertones, yet still remains refreshing.
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| Beer Sapporo Premium Black (SGD $11) |
The Sashimi Moriawase 8-Kinds (SGD $98) or Assorted 8-Kinds Raw Seafood dish is the premium option. As such, this features thick juicy succulent cuts of fresh fish and seafood, including shake harasu / salmon fish belly with fatty sweet savoury flavour, hotate / scallop with briny salty sweet flavour, hamachi / yellowtail fish with savoury sweet flavour, kanpachi / greater amberjack fish with savoury sweet flavour, shime saba / cured mackerel fish with salty savoury sour flavour, mekajiki / swordfish with sweet oily savoury flavour, awabi / abalone with briny salty sweet flavour, and bafun uni / horse **** sea urchin with briny salty sweeet flavour. Completed with juicy cucumbers with vegetal sweet flavour, and a lemon wedge for a zesty tangy sour kick. Highly recommended!
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| Sashimi Moriawase 8-Kinds (SGD $98) |
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| Sashimi Moriawase 8-Kinds |
The Fugu Mirin (SGD $15) or Grilled Dried Pufferfish features soft chewy sticky strips of dried pufferfish marinated in a sake / rice wine, grilled to perfection. Has an addictive smoky sweet salty savoury earthy flavour that entices you to reach for more. Served with a creamy dollop of Japanese mayonnaise topped with tobiko / flying fish roe that lends milky sweet briny salty flavour. Highly recommended!
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| Fugu Mirin (SGD $15) |
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| Fugu Mirin |
The Tamago Yaki (SGD $10) or Rolled Egg Omelette features that signature spongy soft moist texture, with a distinct taste of the dashi broth that results in this egg omelette carrying an earthy savoury sweet flavour. Completed with juicy grated daikon radish for vegetal sweet flavour. Good!
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| Tamago Yaki (SGD $10) |
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| Tamago Yaki |
The Tori Karaage (SGD $13) or Fried Chicken features juicy tender chunks of boneless chicken, coated in a crisp crunchy batter, carrying savoury salty sweet flavour. Hot and fresh, yum. Nice snack to pair with drinks. Good!
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| Tori Karaage (SGD $13) |
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| Tori Karaage |
The Yuki No Yousei (SGD $12) or Grilled White Corn is sourced from Hokkaido, Japan. This carries a distinct smoky vegetal sweet flavour that's pronounced, bursting with a juicy crunchy chew to texture. Highly recommended!
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| Yuki No Yousei (SGD $12) |
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| Yuki No Yousei |
The Shake Ikura Mentaiko Makimono (SGD $27) or Salmon Fish Loin With Salmon Fish Roe With Cured Pollock Fish Roe Roll, has tightly packed soft fluffy vinegared rice wrapped with crisp lettuce, tender crab stick surimi, and crisp dried seaweed sheets / nori, topped with tender flaky salmon fish loin / shake, juicy globules of salmon fish roe / ikura, and creamy thick cured pollock fish roe / mentaiko sauce. Bits of crisp tempura batter complete. Bite in, and you get vegetal grainy sweet sour earthy meaty savoury salty briny smoky flavours all at once, complex and tasty. Worth ordering!
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| Shake Ikura Mentaiko Makimono (SGD $27) |
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| Shake Ikura Mentaiko Makimono |
The Oden Moriawase (SGD $19) or Assorted Fish Cake Stew features a warm dashi soup / broth that carries lovely savoury earthy sweet flavour. There's 8 pieces within, including soft stewed daikon radish with vegetal salty earthy sweet savoury flavour, bouncy satsuma-age / fried fish cake with savoury herbal sweet flavour, and spongy soft money bag tofu puffs stuffed with chewy rice cakes with grainy sweet earthy flavour. I rather enjoyed this. Good!
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| Oden Moriawase (SGD $19) |
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| Oden Moriawase |
The Tontoro (SGD $28) or Grilled Pork Collar is fatty and juicy crunchy, with smoky meaty savoury salty flavour. Addictive, we kept reaching for more. Highly recommended!
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| Tontoro (SGD $28) |
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| Tontoro |
The Surume Ika (SGD $23) or Grilled Common Squid is lavishly marinated with teriyaki sauce, lending this a smoky sweet salty savoury flavour. The squid is fresh with a bouncy springy chew to texture, garnished with spring onions and fried shallots. Good!
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| Surume Ika (SGD $23) |
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| Surume Ika |
The Hamachi Kama (SGD $23) or Grilled Yellowtail Fish Collar is large and chunky, with a generous portion of fish meat on the bone. It flakes off easily, and carries smoky meaty salty sweet savoury flavour, fresh and yummy. The fish skin carries a punchy salty smoky taste, making this enticing. Good!
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| Hamachi Kama (SGD $23) |
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| Hamachi Kama |
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| Hamachi Kama |
The Kaisen Chawanmushi (Hotate, Ebi, Awabi, Ikura) (SGD $14) or Seafood Egg Custard is among the most luxurious and delicious renditions we've had. The large helping of soft wobbly steamed egg custard with eggy savoury sweet flavour, is packed with premium seafood, including 2 bouncy deshelled prawn / ebi chunks with sweet savoury flavour, 2 springy scallop / hotate pieces with briny salty sweet flavour, half of a chewy abalone / awabi with meaty sweet savoury flavour, strips of crunchy green onion with vegetal herbal sweet flavour, generous juicy globules of salmon fish roe / ikura, and 1 slice of tender crab stick surimi with sweet savoury flavour. Hearty and satisfying gourmet choice. Highly recommended!
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| Kaisen Chawanmushi (Hotate, Ebi, Awabi, Ikura) (SGD $14) |
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| Kaisen Chawanmushi (Hotate, Ebi, Awabi, Ikura) |
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| Kaisen Chawanmushi (Hotate, Ebi, Awabi, Ikura) |
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| Kaisen Chawanmushi (Hotate, Ebi, Awabi, Ikura) |
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| Kaisen Chawanmushi (Hotate, Ebi, Awabi, Ikura) |
Loved the reasonably priced Niku Udon (SGD $18) or Beef Udon Noodles here, which has a warm and comforting dashi soup / broth with earthy savoury sweet flavour. The thick chewy udon noodles carries grainy sweet flavour, the juicy tomato chunks lend vegetal sweet flavour, the crisp leeks lend vegetal bitter sweet flavour, and the tender chewy beef strips carry meaty savoury flavour. Completed with a wobbly onsen egg, mix it into the soup / broth for added eggy sweet flavour. Highly recommended!
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| Niku Udon (SGD $18) |
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| Niku Udon |
The Wagyu Yakimeshi (SGD $30) or Wagyu Beef Fried Rice features Kagoshima wagyu beef chunks stir-fried with chicken eggs and Niigata white rice. The result is a plate of fluffy chewy tender goodness, bursting with deep meaty savoury grainy sweet eggy salty earthy flavour. We all loved this. Highly recommended!
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| Wagyu Yakimeshi (SGD $30) |
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| Wagyu Yakimeshi |
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| Wagyu Yakimeshi |
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CONVERSATION