The grill master

Craving for a taste of traditional Japanese kushiyaki? With all travelling plans currently on hold, the next best thing is to head down to Matsukiya

There is perhaps nothing more pleasing than the taste of perfectly grilled meat. The traditional Japanese way of turning the finest ingredients into tasty skewered bites of meat and vegetables — also known as kushiyaki — is perhaps one of the best ways to enjoy it. At the newly opened Matsukiya in Paragon Mall, you get to enjoy premium ingredients such as Miyazaki wagyu rib-eye grilled over binchō-tan (a prized Japanese charcoal which does not release smoke or odours into the ingredients).

The restaurant is a new concept by one of Singapore’s well-loved Japanese chain restaurants Sushi Tei. The establishment has been in Singapore since 1994 and has been serving up fresh, quality food along with exemplary customer service at an affordable price.

Expect the same kind of high quality at Matsukiya. Here, all of its meats, seafood and produce (except chicken) are imported directly from Japan. This gives you the most authentic and highest quality version of the dishes possible. For example, the pork served here is flown in from Kagoshima — Japan’s leading pork producer — while the A4 Miyazaki Wagyu is used to present grilled cuts that boast the perfect balance of lean meat and fat.

Matsukiya also serves only French certified humane chicken, which is raised in Johor Baru, Malaysia. These fowls are ethically bred with plenty of space to roam freely, and reared for 90 days under a 100% natural and vegetarian diet (compared to the typical 30 to 40 days usually practiced in other farms). Try it in a variety of kushiyaki or in the restaurant’s signature Matsukiya Poulet Soup.

The best way to enjoy what Matsukiya has offer is if you order one of the three weekday set lunches, which start from $25

But the best way to sample the finest things on the Matsukiya menu has to offer is to opt for the executive set lunch, that serves premium meats, appetisers and soup together with a special blend of rice.

The first set puts the kushiyaki skewers front and centre. At just $25++, start your meal with the appetiser of the day, followed by a serving of aka misoshiru soup. This soup is a special blend of sweet prawn broth and red aka miso, served with shimeji mushrooms and chives to deepen the flavours.

For the mains, take your pick of three kinds of kushiyaki made from thigh meat, chicken wings, gizzard, heart, skin, pork belly, bacon or asparagus or bacon with skin. Meat-free options include enoki mushrooms, ginkgo nuts, shiitake mushrooms, asparagus and Japanese green pepper. Whatever your choice, it will pair well with the gobou gohan rice, served with burdock, dashi and pickles.

The restaurant’s premium set, which starts from $30, featured grilled tontoro pork cheek which is added with chilli and garlic to let its natural flavours to shine through

Another set made of premium meats from the charcoal grill are available from $30++. Start off with the appetiser of the day, followed by a chawanmushi (silky steamed egg with minced Kagoshima pork and a dash of truffle oil). For the mains, we recommend either the classic grilled unagi with shio and tare (grilled freshwater eel with salt and sauce) or opt for the chef’s recommendation of tontoro pork cheek, which is grilled to juicy, smoky perfection — only chilli and garlic are added to let the meat’s natural flavours shine through. These are served with the delicious gobou gohan rice.

Both set lunches also come with a scoop of seasonal premium ice cream for dessert. But if you are extra hungry — or are just out for an indulgent afternoon — complement your set lunch with some side dishes that showcases the chef’s talent in grilling. I especially like the ika ($18), a whole juicy and meaty squid that is expertly grilled. The squid had a good charred flavour to it and was served with a side of black mashed potatoes, darkened with natural squid ink.

Complete your meal with some premium alcohol, available exclusively at Matsukiya. The Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt Whisky is among its finest, made by carefully blending new and old casks from Nikka’s two distilleries in northern Japan. It is served the proper way here at Matsukiya — with round ice balls made with award-winning Japanese Premium Water.

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Matsukiya
290 Orchard Road,
#05-04 Paragon,
Singapore 238859

Opening Hours:
Daily 11.30am-3pm; 6pm-9.30pm