Kiwami Review: Cheap And Good Japanese Food With A5 Wagyu & Snow Crab At Tanjong Pagar

For those unacquainted with gourmet meat, Miyazaki beef is debatably the highest-tier of Japanese, competing regularly with Kobe, Matsusaka, and Omi beef for the title. Dishes like Hokkaido Scallop Fried Rice ($14.80++) and Hokkaido Snow Crab Fried Rice on Tonkotsu Gravy ($13.80++) are not commonly found on the menus of Japanese restaurants in Singapore, and this newly-opened restaurant seems to offer it at affordable prices for seafood of that standard.

Food at Kiwami One of Kiwami’s signatures is the Premium Kiwami Tonkotsu Ramen ($12.80++) . The portion was a little below average for its rate, but I quickly discovered that the noodles weren’t the star of the show.

I’m a bit reluctant to turn my back on one of my old ramen favourites, but I’m definitely going to look for pork cheek chashu the next time I opt for ramen. A little bit of vinegar helped to zhng up the savour markedly, giving it a sharper, sour-sweet taste that made up for the lack of salty kick.

The Miyazaki Wagyu Garlic Fried Rice ($12.80++) was the main thing that drew me in. It’s normal to feel suspicious about $13 A5 Miyazaki wagyu, so I tried to keep my expectations low when I ordered this dish.

The plate was pretty sizable, and the portion of wagyu beef was immediately visible. From the soft, tender texture and the immediate explosion of marbled fats and juice, I could tell it was genuine wagyu. There were still plenty of redeeming factors, like the big portion it came with, and the taste of the rice itself.

Aromatic garlic gave the rice another level of savour, and every few mouthfuls had a burst of rich savouriness in the form of wagyu that was balanced out by the rice. There was enough meat for you to eat every spoonful with a little bit of beef, and not run out. The last dish we got was the Hokkaido Snow Crab Fried Rice on Tonkotsu Gravy ($13.80++) .

The mention of ‘tonkotsu gravy’ caught my eye when I was looking over the menu. The gravy was milder than the pork bone broth of the ramen, despite being made of the same thing.

As for the rice, it was weaker in taste than the wagyu fried rice. It made sense to me, considering the crab had milder flavours as compared to the rich and marbled beef.

The rice wasn’t as smoky, and the gentle flavours of the tonkotsu gravy didn’t overshadow the crab. Considering how equally delicious it was, I’d put the slices of pork cheek on the same pedestal as the beef that we tried.

This Japanese restaurant is proof that wagyu beef doesn’t have to make you go broke for the rest of the month.