It's been awhile since I actually last did a food review on the blog, but today we're back for one!
Paid Zipang Japanese Dining and Bar a visit a few weeks ago for some authentic Japanese food. Japanese cuisine is one cuisine I can have all the time without getting sick of. Simply because it is healthier (most of them are) than some of my favorite foods, and because the range of Japanese food is just insane.
Googled for the meaning of "Zipang" and it apparently means "Island of Gold" in japanese. That explains the incredibly posh interior of the restaurant, clad in gold and red accents.
While the interior of the restaurant looked posh and expensive, I was really surprised to find that they actually serve pretty affordable food!
For those that like japanese alcohol, Zipang has a wideeee range of it haha. A pity I didn't get myself a glass of japanese whiskey because I was driving that day. But I would recommend you guys to check it out if you can!
Let the food do the talking..!
Ebi Tempura Maki (Special Order)
We singaporeans should be familiar with this dish. I love how crispy and juicy the tempura prawns are in this dish, soggy prawns in a maki is the worst. This was the first dish served to us and we knew that the rest of the meal was gonna be good because I've tried countless of bad ebi tempura maki(s) before to not have my expectations too high.
This one from Zipang is fresh, crunchy, and flavorful.
Would make an awesome sharing dish. This wasn't on the menu, but you can order it specially from the chef!
Zipang Kama Meshi ($12)
This was my first time trying Kama Meshi, Japanese Kettle Rice. It was served to us in this really cool personal-stove kinda thing and a timer was presented next to it. The kind waiter instructed us to only open the lid after 30 mins so that the rice would be infused with all the goodness of the ingredients.
Waiting was bad because the aroma of the rice that escaped was SOOO GOOD but we couldn't eat it yet. This dish is unlike the usual japenese rice dishes as it is more moist than usual.
The chicken meat flavoured the rice really well, and I liked that it was gentle on the palate, but not too bland either.
At only $12, this is enough to feed 1-2 pax. How worth it is it!
Ten Don Set ($19.80)
Set comes with Chawanmushi, Appetiser, Pickles and Dessert of the Day
Tempura Dons have been the talk of the town these days, and to me, what makes a good tempura would be one that isn't too bland (accompanying sauces have to complement well). Zipang's Ten Don was pretty generous and the tempura pieces consisting of Prawns, and assorted vegetables was fried to perfection without being too oily. The accompanying sauce that was drizzled over the rice was also enough to bring out the freshness of the tempura without drowning its flavor.
For less than $20 in the orchard/dhoby ghaut area, this is really amazing value!
Can I also say that the chawanmushi was super smooth and good too? I would totally get it as an ala carte. So this set is super worth it!
Table slowly filling up.
Handmade Soba Noodles ($15)
This soba noodles is only limited to 20 plates a day only.
These buckwheat noodles were super refreshing for the humid weather. The dipping sauce on the side was tasty and yet subtle. Soba water was also given to us at the end for us to add to the Soba sauce to drink it like a soup which I thought was really attentive and cool (Y).
A pity I didn't get to try it because I was too full LOL.
Wondering how we're gonna finish this amount of food LOL.
Chirashi Don ($25)
I personally love chirashi dons and would order them whenever I visit a Japanese restaurant, so I was really excited to see how Zipang's Chirashi Don would fare compared to the other big names out there, and Im very proud to say that it is really not bad at all!
Generous chunks of Sashimi on top of a bed of comforting japanese white rice. I loved their choices of Sashimi and how generous they were with the Ikura (salmon roe) that provided the crunch and burst-in-your-mouth flavors with every bite.
The most important part about a good Chirashi Don is definitely the freshness of the ingredients used, and Zipang's Chirashi Don did not disappoint at all.
Time for desserts!
I love how affordable Zipang's desserts are, they are mostly priced at $5!
We tried 3 desserts, in a clockwise manner, Vanilla Ice Cream with homemade Strawberry Jam ($5), Purin, homemade custard pudding ($5) and Warabi Mochi ($8)
Can I just say that I loved them all?
The biggest surprise of all was the vanilla ice cream with homemade strawberry jam because my first thought was "how different and how good can vanilla ice cream be?" but no.. the star wasn't necessarily the ice cream, but the homemade strawberry jam!
It was made with real crushed strawberries that complemented the vanilla ice cream so well, providing a little texture and real strawberry taste.
Overall Review
All in all, I think Zipang Japanese Dining Bar is a very underrated restaurant that serves not only good, but affordable Japanese food. Tucked away inside Hotel Chancellor @ Orchard, it is good for quiet and peaceful meals. Well, hurry check them out before people start to discover this gem of a place!
Zipang Japanese Dining Bar
28 Cavenagh Road, #01-05, Singapore 229635
Hotel Chancellor @ Orchard
Lunch: 12pm - 2.30pm | Dinner: 6pm - 11pm
Mid Night Bar: 11pm - 3am
Love
Mong
