We Tried XL Japanese Don At This New Izakaya In Fortune Centre

Sakedokoro Eizaburo has affordable XL don at Fortune Centre

Whenever I come across eateries touted as “hidden gems” on TikTok, I can’t help but wonder if the title still holds any significance, especially because it’s overused. Sakedokoro Eizaburo is one such place that’s dubbed a hidden gem on social media platforms. Headed by the same team behind the Michelin-approved Shunsui, this newly opened Japanese restaurant at Fortune Centre serves up wallet-friendly sashimi, XL Japanese don and more. Curious to see if it deserved the title, we decided to visit and try their offerings.

Food at Sakedokoro Eizaburo

We were most excited to try the Mega Chicken Karaage Don ($13.90++), known as the standout item here. At first blush, we were a tad disappointed as the portion served appeared to be almost half the size of the image shown on the menu. But after digging in, we realised that there was a decent amount of fried chicken chunks hidden underneath, so for the price paid, the karaage don was worth every buck.

The fried chicken was slightly tough to chew on, and we found ourselves dipping the crispy pieces in a significant amount of mayo to counter the dryness. Nonetheless, this dish was great value for money, even though we wished there was a drizzle of sauce on the chicken for more flavour.

The Premium Fujiyama Kaisen Don ($28.90++) was similar to its more affordable counterpart, the Regular Fujiyama Kaisen Don ($16.90++). However, the former comes with a side of uni atop a mountain of other delicious ingredients, justifying its heftier price tag. The premium version was also slightly bigger than what you get in a regular kaisen don!  Similar to the Mega Chicken Karaage Don, this dish didn’t have a towering appearance like we had hoped for.

Besides uni, it came with crab meat, ikura, diced salmon and seabass sashimi, tamagoyaki, nori, a dollop of wasabi, and a generous amount of negitoro.  Altogether, this don was absolutely delicious, as each bite came with the perfect combination of fresh seafood. We also enjoyed the mix of textures here.

There was also a good ingredient-to-rice ratio, leaving us with sufficient seafood even when we were down to our last scoop of rice.

Unfortunately, the Mega Chicken Nanban Don ($15.90++) wasn’t available during our visit, so we made do with the Mega Katsu Curry Rice ($22.40++), featuring Japanese curry, two thick and meaty cuts of katsu, and a halved hard-boiled egg.

At first glance, the curry didn’t seem enough for the portion of katsu served, but after digging in, it was actually more than sufficient. The Japanese curry boasted a thick consistency with a kick of spice, and just a dip of this sweet-savoury sauce was good enough to zhng up the crispy, golden brown katsu. Though the pork katsu wasn’t the most tender, the crispy batter made up for it.

If you prefer something more affordable, get their cheapest mega don, the Mega Chicken Karaage Curry, for $10.90++. This comes with a crispy fried chicken atop a bed of warm rice and Japanese curry.

Slightly pricier than the other donburi, the Mega Unagi Don ($28.90++) came with two huge pieces of unagi that were firm on the outside and soft inside. These huge unagi pieces were stacked on top of nori, tamagoyaki, and Japanese rice, and a sweet-savoury eel sauce was drizzled on top of everything.

Taste-wise, this was an average unagi don comparable to the ones we had in other Japanese restaurants in Singapore. But there’s no denying that the pieces here were a lot bigger than what we were used to seeing elsewhere! If you’re a fan of unagi but want something that won’t break the bank, get the regular Unagi Don ($15.90) instead, which comes with a large piece of unagi instead of two.

Here’s the catch: customers need to order at least two drinks per person to dine here. Grab your friends and get ready to give your best kanpai! We opted for their most popular drinks, the Green Apple Soda ($2.40++) and Calpis ($2.40++). In case you didn’t know, the latter is a popular Japanese fizzy drink made using fermented milk and sugar.

Though refreshing, we wished the Green Apple Soda had a stronger apple flavour. The Calpis had a familiar Yakult-like taste, and we appreciated that it had a nice level of sweetness that wasn’t cloying.

Lunch menu aside, Sakedokoro Eizaburo has a separate dinner menu. For meat lovers, try the Omakase 5 Yakitori ($12.90++), a surprise selection of smoky grilled skewers. Alternatively, try the Korobuta Pork Loin Steak, Wagyu Hanger Steak and Wagyu Dice Steak at $9.80++ each, which are priced reasonably in our books. 

Ambience at Sakedokoro Eizaburo

Sakedokoro Eizaburo has limited seats indoors but their al fresco dining space is huge enough to hold their lunch crowd. The atmosphere was bustling within the eatery, with Japanese pop music playing as waiters shouted “irasshaimase” in unity whenever a new diner walked in, while dishing out a freshly made don once every few seconds. At first, we were slightly overwhelmed by the dynamic atmosphere, but quickly felt that this was the charm many diners look for in an izakaya.

BTW, a snaking queue formed shortly after we arrived, so we recommend coming earlier to snag a table.

The restaurant is a five-minute walk from Bencoolen MRT Station.

The verdict

To answer the question we posed earlier in the opening paragraph, Sakedokoro Eizaburo comes pretty close to what we consider a hidden gem. While we didn’t exactly get mega don as promised, the portion sizes here were still considerably larger than most Japanese restaurants we’ve been to. I’m looking forward to trying their dinner menu the next time I’m in the area!

For more Japanese food in Singapore, check out Yakiniku Gyubei, Japan’s first nose-to-tail yakiniku restaurant with $50++ Wagyu omakase. Alternatively, check out our Fortune Centre food guide for vegetarian zi char, affordable Korean food and more.

Address: 190 Middle Road, #03-16, Fortune Centre, Singapore 188979
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 12pm to 2pm, 6pm to 11pm, Sat 6pm to 11pm
Website
Sakedokoro Eizaburo is not a halal-certified eatery.

We Tried Japan’s First Nose-To-Tail Yakiniku Restaurant With A $50++ Wagyu Omakase

Photos taken by Marcus Neo.
This was a media tasting at Sakedokoro Eizaburo.