This was recommended by a friend who tried their grilled skewers and sashimi (among other things), and kept raving about it, so i was dragged down here to try their food. Izakaya culture, in Japanese cuisine, is where people gather together, over small plates of grilled and fried items, coupled with a few bottles of quality sake, and catch up on lost times.
typical Jap decor
As the prices were not cheap, and we were both famished, we decided to try their sets first, to fill our tummies up.
Sashimi set ($14)
Salmon, tuna and squid sashimi
Beef teriyaki set ($15)
beef teriyaki with garlic mustard sauce
Honestly. their set meals were nothing much to rave about, and i can definitely get better ones elsewhere for that price. The sashimi were of mixed standard, the salmon was ok, properly thawed, but not sweet; the tuna was NOT properly thawed, and probably one of the toughest cut of raw tuna i have ever eaten, and not sweet; the squid was the worst, hard and chewy, i can only muster 1 piece, and gave up on the rest. The beef teriyaki was ok, but too over-cooked for my liking. All-in-all, i will not try their set meals again.
Grilled beef skewer ($12)
However, we refused to give up just like that, and decided to give them 1 last chance by trying 1 of the skewered items which my friend was drooling about that brought us here, the grilled beef skewer (beef kushiyaki i think). After all, a izakaya restaurant should be famous for their grilled items and sake right?
At last, something that didnt fail us! The beef was nicely cooked, probably medium-rare with some amounts of blood and fat oozing out from the middle, once you sink your teeth into it. Worth a try for beef lovers, albeit a little pricey.
Although they are supposedly famous for their roasted chicken, we can't stuff a bird (or even a quarter of it) into our stomachs anymore, so we decided to try their desserts instead, as their next-door neighbour, I-Caramel is packed with a waiting list.
Vanilla Bourbon & Earl Grey (can you tell which is which?)
Charly T's Waffles with Honey, Fig & Dates ($5.50)
As i can't take chocolate yet, we went for something healthy, which came in the form of waffles with fig & dates. The waffles were supposedly freshly baked, but it was a little hard when it arrived, and got harder as the time passes, if not for the saviour of sticky honey to soften it. Fig & dates in waffles is not a common sight, but unless you are really trying to be health-conscious and must have some form of fruit in your dessert, i think a chocolate and banana waffle with ice cream is still the best. :)
Izakaya Nijumaru Restaurant
5 Koek Road, #02-10
Cuppage Plaza
Charly T's
20 Handy Road, Nomu Residences
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