Every Dish is Unexpectedly Great @ Izakaya Hikari, Singapore (+ The Best Donburi in Singapore)
No, Fortune Centre is not just for (Buddhist) vegetarian food. During lunch time, the place gets very busy with office workers (probably because Middle Road is such a dining desert).
Despite the run-downness of Fortune Centre, unexpectedly, on Level 3 is a hidden dining gem.
As the name suggests, Izakaya Hikari has the ambience of a real izakaya. Think dark wood, counter dining and lots of sake bottles on display.
I had what I believed to be the best seat in the house — at the counter! I get to observe the chefs working. I found it very entertaining and relaxing to watch them work (and they are very hygienic).
Umeshu $8
Amazing! It was sour and ice cold. It was a typical Singaporean hot day so it was the perfect refreshing antidote.
Hikari Cracker $3.90
Dried Filefish
I like this. This is a great cracker to pair with drinks to start the experience.
Kawa Ebi $5.90
Crunchy River Shrimps
Salty, only mildly greasy, addicting. I cannot stop eating it. Fantastic accompaniment to drinks. The river shrimps are mostly shells after all. How much oil can they absorb? Moreover, do the shells have calcium?
Tako Wasabi $4.9
Raw octopus with wasabi
Sweet but also wasabi-ish. The one definitely needs alcohol to tone down the zing of the wasabi.
Gyoza $6.90
Deep fried Seafood Dumplings
Crispy but ungreasy. The vegetables in the gyozas and the vinegar help to make it not so sickening.
Surume Ika $15.90
Japanese Whole Squid
Big, impressive, satisfying.
Sashimi Platter $33
Tako (3 pieces)/ Octopus
Aka Ebi (1 piece)/ Red Prawn
Salmon (3 Pieces)
Hotate (3 pieces)/ Scallop
Mekajiki Belly (3 pieces)/ Swordfish Otoro
Is there a greater pleasure in life than sashimi? The hotate and ebi were unbelievably sweet. The salmon is the thickest I have seen.
House Sake (Cold) $10
Nothing wrong here. Perfectly refreshing.
Yakimono Set $22.90
Shishito/ Green Chilli Pepper
Shiitake/ Whole Black Mushroom
Tori Momo/ Chicken Thigh
Tebasaki/ Chicken Wing
Bacon Asparagus/ Asparagus wrapped with bacon
Nankotsu/ Chicken Cartilage
Tsukune/ Chicken Meatballs
Every item is delicious and goes great with drinks. Especially delicious were the green chilli pepper and mushrooms.
Salmon Mentaiko Donburi $16.90
Torched Sashimi Salmon Mentaiko
Unbelievable. The salmon melts in your mouth. The fat, savoury flavour of the mentaiko goes excellently with the sticky rice. The sweet-sour pickles add great balance. I have always hated rice. I have always thought of rice as a boring, utilitarian necessity. However, this is the most delicious bowl of donburi I had. All those wagyu beef donburis can move aside. If we talk about rice alone, the most delicious rice I have eaten would be the Tekeh Masti at Shabestan.
The place is clean and the staff work fast.
True to an izakaya, all the dishes tried would pair excellently with some kind of alcohol. Nevertheless, with or without alcohol, every dish tried is top-notch and can stand on its own. It is very rare that every dish is exclamation worthy. Unexpectedly, despite appearances of the shopfront, it happened here at Izakaya Hikari.
Izakaya Hikari
190 Middle Road Fortune Centre #03-01, 188979
Tel: 8921 3779
