Kobe beef shines at Nikuya Tanaka

NEW RESTAURANT

Nikuya Tanaka

Level 2, 1 Teck Lim Road

Singapore 088379

Tel: 8280-8860

Open for lunch and dinner from Mon to Sat: 12 to 2 pm; 6 to 8 pm.

[SINGAPORE] Suffice to say, Nikuya Tanaka is not your average yakiniku joint.

Then again, at first glance, it doesn’t seem like a restaurant at all. Hidden on the second floor of a Teck Lim Road shophouse with hardly any signage, it feels more like we’ve stumbled into someone’s secret lair by mistake – with four knife-wielding Japanese men staring at you like you owe them money, and you’re not leaving until they collect it.

Rest assured that any cutting will be limited to the slabs of perfectly marbled wagyu that sit on the counter like displays in a jewellery store, complete with certificates of authenticity.

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The four chefs – who look initially intimidating – are here to replicate the experience you would otherwise find only in Nikuya Tanaka’s flagship restaurant in Tokyo’s Ginza district.

That means prime Kobe beef from extra-virgin, 100 per cent Tajima cattle aged 36 months at the time of slaughter – impressive credentials that you can actually taste, if you can stomach the price tag in the first place.

The cheapest meal here is a S$350 lunch omakase. Expect to pay at least S$420 for dinner, or S$550 if you want the full experience.

If you want to hedge your bets, take the S$420 menu, which gives you a good enough introduction into the upper echelons of wagyu dining. Consider also that a meal at the Ginza branch costs upwards of 50,000 yen (S$415) – so the premium pricing isn’t unwarranted.

And yes, the beef quality is right up there. Shiny, supple, with a clean finish, it’s easily among the best wagyu we’ve had. There’s no cloying aftertaste from the fat – but of course, like wagyu in general, the emphasis is on texture rather than beefiness. 

Nikuya Tanaka serves a fair bit of raw beef, which is a sign of confidence in its produce. The first standout is a maki that layers glistening meat and white fish (hirame) with chives, shiso leaf, shredded ginger and pickled strips of turnip. Rolled in nori, it’s a satisfying jumble of textures and a clever mix of surf and turf.

Not every course is a meaty one, though. There’s sweet Gifu persimmon with caviar and tofu cream to start, while the maki is followed by a comforting bowl of dashi housing a delicate ball of hairy crab (kegani) meat. It’s served piping hot, decorated with yellow flower petals.

Next up is a velvety, textured tataki of short rib, salted and cooked over charcoal and straw. It’s still very raw in the middle and slightly chewy, but the more you work it, the more flavour is released. 

The personable chefs fry up a mean beef tempura – juicy tenderloin slices in a light battered crust that you dip in mild Japanese mustard. They also make a show of frying up a big pot of dried chillies and plonking in the tempura in hopes of transferring some heat. It doesn’t really work, but it’s fun to watch the chefs pretend that they’re in Sichuan.

Showmanship is part of the meal, as one of them deftly shaves a block of ice into a bowl to hold cold, chewy somen in a light dashi broth infused with sudachi lime. It’s pretty ordinary, but top marks for presentation.

The highlight of the evening is also the simplest – tenderloin speared and held over the fire for an even crust, revealing perfectly rare flesh within. It’s buttery soft with no sinews at all, and needs nothing else apart from crisp garlic chips and just a dab of wasabi.

The ending is slightly anti-climactic – a rather nondescript bowl of rice with pickles and stir-fried beef slices. 

To round off the meal, one of the chefs makes warabi mochi by hand the way you might expect sticky muah chee to be prepared, but with soybean powder instead of peanuts.

What strikes you about Nikuya Tanaka are its chefs – skilled, proficient and very entertaining. They help to bring a level of authenticity to the meal – you could close your eyes and feel like you’re in Ginza. The bill at the end of it is certainly something you would get in that neighbourhood, anyway. 

So, is Nikuya Tanaka worth the price tag? The quality is definitely there, as are the presentation and ambience – but ultimately, it’s more of a nice-to-have than a must-have.

Rating: 7