Asuka N.
Yelp
We ate at Ushidoki Wagyu for our final dinner in Singapore on the recommendation of a friend. I was a bit skeptical of eating a Japanese meal here - mainly because I wanted to sample some local cuisine - but with the high praise, we decided to come here anyways. Making a reservation online was a cinch, and although there was a lot of availability, the restaurant was relatively full by the time we left...so perhaps consider doing one to ensure a spot. The restaurant has an unremarkable storefront, and inside, the dining room is divided into a private dining room, along with what almost looks like a sushi-style bar surrounding the chefs, along with a few more tables. For whatever reason, we got the private room - so we had a large table just for the two of us.
With a wooden enclosure blocking us off, it was a very Japanese-style austere ambiance to the proceedings - but the it made it easy to simply focus on the delicious bites that were being put in front of us. We had the choice of two tasting menus - the base menu with 9 courses, and another one with an extra course and even more premium-level beef being served. In hindsight, I do wish we had splurged, but I also think we might have appreciated the difference only once we had tried the base menu. It is also a S$100 difference, which can certainly weigh on one's decision. Outside of the mid-meal palate cleanser (one served in a square wooden box with sliced grape tomatoes of different colors) as well as the dessert (homemade Hokkaido milk ice cream, which is very good and apparently a thing, based on seeing it elsewhere in Singapore), every dish had some form of beef in it, going from 'head to toe'. The first dish was an excellent soup, served in a miso soup-style bowl but made out of beef consomme, along with a few delicate bites of beef tongue. The texture might unnerve some, but it was perfectly cooked in the broth, and the flavor was firm but subtle. Next up was an assortment of beef served different ways, with some seafood to boot. The uni served in a what seemed like a viscous mochi / beef broth was absolutely divine, and the slices of beef sirloin (I think?) served with a very small dollop of mustard seeds was excellent as well, particularly to show off the aged flavoring of the meat. Our sukiyaki course had perfectly-cooked beef, but pouring a soft-boiled egg over it, combined with the truffle, made it a very rich plate despite it being a bit on the smaller side.
After the aforementioned tomato refresher, we had one of my favorite courses - a serving of braised ribs with a couple slices of onion and green pepper(?). The beef was cooked to perfection, and even without a heavy marinade on it, the flavor was right on point. The next course was 'beef sushi', served on a bowl of rice and with some accompanying flower buds as well. To be honest, I do not remember this particular dish - but it was probably good based on how the rest of the meal went, as well as the fact that I don't have any negative residual memories of the dinner :) We finished off the main courses with chargrilled beef - a bit of American-style grilling, but with no sauces at all - so you simply got to taste the beef as it was, but with a nice, medium crisp on the outer edges. Before dessert, we had a soup served with broth from the tail - quite unique, but also very clean, light, and refreshing.
I have been to restaurants that have concocted a meal from various parts of the cow previously, but this definitely took it to the next level. It was on the smaller side of meals, relative to everything else we ate in town, but I thought it was still a great value, and every bite was absolutely delicious. The wagyu beef here is advertised as being from cows slightly older than convention, and as a non-regular eater of red meat, it's hard to verify that - but it was still excellently prepared, and with a very chill ambiance (despite feeling formal in our own personal dining room), it is definitely a must-visit if you are in town.
