Update (4th April 2019): ENBU has permanently closed.
Being a fan of Japanese food, I am always thrilled when new Japanese concepts reach our shores. In particular, Eat At Seven was one of the restaurant ventures I was looking forward to because they house seven different Japanese culinary joints under one roof. The first restaurant to launch under Eat At Seven is ENBU – Singapore’s first Warayaki Izakaya. Originating from Shikoku in the Kochi prefecture, Warayaki is a traditional cooking method by searing food over burning straw at 900ºc.
However, after trying ENBU, I must admit that I was confused by the theme of the restaurant. The dishes using the Warayaki method were done beautifully. However, there were many other dishes in the menu that borrowed inspiration from elsewhere, and this resulted in a very strange selection of food that didn’t go with the entire Japanese concept of the place.
I am not quite sure I will return, but if I do – it’s only for the superbly fresh sashimi, and straw-grilled dishes.
Dinner took a turn for the better when ENBU finally served up an item representative of the Warayaki style! This straw-grilled chicken was tender and bursting with fragrant juices. The use of straw imparts a gentle smokiness to the meat, which leaves a luscious aftertaste on your palate. According to the staff at ENBU, you’re supposed to place a piece of chicken on the lettuce, add some shredded leek and cucumber, top everything off with some spring onion sauce, and pop everything into your mouth! I never knew chicken could taste so good, but it was unfortunate how the miso in the sauce completely overwhelmed the meat.
I honestly don’t know how I’ll ever go back to the sashimi platter at Sushi Tei. Apparently, the sashimi we ate was even fresher than what you would typically find at Tokyo’s Tsukiji Fish Market! I guess this is one definite perk of dining at a restaurant co-owned by ANA.
The $120 sashimi platter feeds 4, but you can always opt for a smaller sized one at $60.
Dessert was highly anticipated by all of us, but I think the execution was slightly disappointing. I loved the combination of thin, stretchy mochi, with milky ice cream, and smoky black sugar syrup. But it was a pity the ice cream melted too fast, leaving the mochi skins behind in a gooey mess. This dish would have been so much better if the ice cream remained firm for a longer period of time.
This article is brought to you by Enbu
Summary
Pros
-Good flavours
-Interesting concept
-Very fresh sashimi
Cons
-Some dishes are not very Japanese
-Long waiting time between dishes
-Pricey for the small tapas portions
Recommended Dishes
Sashimi ($120)
Oyster and Spinach Teppanyaki ($15)
Katsuo Warayaki ($16)
Homemade Tofu ($12)
Opening Hours
Mon – Sun: 11:00 am – 10:30 pm
Address</br/>
3 Temasek Boulevard, Suntec City, Singapore 038983
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