Yappari Steak Review: Famous Okinawan Lava Stone-Grilled Steaks In VivoCity

Yappari Steak from Okinawa opens in VivoCity

Singapore’s largest shopping mall, VivoCity, has a new eatery calling it home: Yappari Steak. A popular steakhouse from Okinawa, Yappari Steak has over 100 restaurants in Japan and other countries, with this being their first outlet in Singapore

What sets Yappari Steak apart from other steakhouses is that lava stones from Mount Fuji are used to grill their meat. To see if this interesting grilling method lives up to the hype, we dropped by the restaurant to try it ourselves.

Food at Yappari Steak

A must-try here is the Yappari, a thick piece of top blade steak. Prices start from $19.90++ for 150g, $23.80++ for 200g, and $33.80++ for 300g. Each portion also comes with free-flow Japanese rice, salad, and egg-drop soup.

The steaks are served sizzling on hot lava stones to ensure that customers enjoy juicy and steak. The steaks here are also meant to be slightly thicker than usual, but don’t worry because they still retain a melt-in-your-mouth feel. 

Here, you’re able to cook your steaks to the doneness of your liking. I prefer my steaks cooked somewhere between medium well and medium for a good balance between tender and firm.  The steaks are also seasoned well and super juicy. We could taste the slight aroma of herbs such as rosemary and thyme, which enhanced its flavour.

For an extra oomph, pair your steak with their wide array of sauces such as teriyaki sauce, wasabi, and even raw garlic. The staff suggested we add a little steak mix seasoning for a more savoury flavour, and we were not disappointed!

The staff recommended we try the Garlic Butter Rice ($6.80++), served on a hotplate with a slab of butter atop the rice. 

Eat this together with the steak for an extra umami kick! We recommend letting the rice sit on the hotplate before mixing it to get a nice, charred flavour!

Besides that, we also tried their Japanese Beef Tendon Stew and the Japanese Beef Tendon Curry, both priced at $5.80++. 

I appreciated how the beef tendon in both dishes was chewy yet had a melt-in-your-mouth feel. However, my colleague and I found both the stew and curry to be too salty, but eating this with rice helped reduce the saltiness. 

Ambience at Yappari Steak

Yappari Steak is located on level 2 of VivoCity, five minutes from Harbourfront MRT Station. The restaurant is spacious and has tables accommodating groups of six to eight. Decor-wise, the restaurant has an orange interior with warm lights and various Japanese paintings hung on the walls to mimic a Japanese steakhouse. The staff is also friendly and approachable; they’ll gladly help if you need anything! 

However, the restaurant can get a little stuffy when everyone’s cooking their food, so be prepared for the smell to cling to you. 

The verdict

If you’re looking for a place with delicious and value-for-money steaks, try Yappari Steak! The steaks are seasoned well and are very juicy, and the sauces provided add an extra layer to the flavour. 

Do note that there might be a queue during lunch and dinner hours, so head down early! 

For more steak-related eateries, check out our The Feather Blade review for a restaurant selling affordable beef steaks in the East. For more food options around the area, take a look at our VivoCity food guide! 

Address: 1 Harbourfront Walk, #02-110, VivoCity, Singapore 098585
Opening hours: Daily 11am to 10pm
Website
Yappari Steak is not a halal-certified eatery. 

Photos taken by Maisie Chong.
This was a media tasting at Yappari Steak.