There is no shortage of Japanese joints serving yakitori here, but Sumire Yakitori House is a new specialist in Bugis Junction which is serving food quality yakitori.

With 15 outlets in Japan, Sumire has started in Singapore about a month ago. It’s not a franchise, but a direct management from Japan. They serve a range of yakitori, agemono (fried item), rice, udon, ramen & dessert. And what gives the restaurant its edge is that its chefs are trained in the kitchens of the Sumire restaurant in Japan.

They have a iPad ordering system on each table.

Each table has a bowl of free cabbage served with Shiodare, japanese salt dressing.

At Sumire Yakitori House, it’s all in the grade of meat and the grilling technique. Of course, the fattier the better. The meat can be drizzled with sea salt or dipped into teriyaki sauce to create a delicate aroma.

One of its specialties would be its grilled sticks of chicken parts. For the chicken parts, almost every part of the meat is served, for about $3 a stick. We particularly its Chicken shoulder ($4.90 with salt or teriyaki), which is so juicy.

Another pleasing choice is the Chicken Meatballs which they take pride in. To cater to different crowds, the restaurant created meatballs for men and women. Men’s meatballs is served in pairs, with each size slightly bigger. Women’s meatballs come in threes, with each size smaller. The meatballs can be prepared with teriyaki sauce ($3.90), Teriyaki sauce & mayo ($4.90), Teriyaki Sauce, mayo & cheese ($4.90).

Being a fan of tomato wrapped with bacon skewers, this is something I will definitely order in every yakitori place I visit. I can’t help but to compare it with my favourite yakitori place – Nanbantei. While the pork belly is grilled to perfection, the tomatoes, unfortunately were still as raw, hence it did not give the burst-in-the-mouth effect. Whereas in Nanbantei, the tomatoes were grilled till a soft state, so when I pop them into my mouth, the tomato juices burst immediately without much biting.

For more unique skewers, there’s Japanese green pepper & cheese wrapped with bacon ($5.90), Pork belly rolled with mint leaf ($3.90), Oyster mushrooms ($2.90), Avocado with horse radish cream ($3.90), Eggplant with chicken miso paste ($3.90) etc. They only have chicken and pork for now but they are plans to introduce grilled seafood soon.

Tamagoyaki ($7.90) reminds me of a scene in Jiro Dreams of Sushi movie. This handmade omelette comes in varying flavours. We had the one with Mentai Cheese. It has a good balance of the sweet and savory.

One appetizer that I strongly recommend is the Homemade Potato Croquette ($6.90). Potato Croquette is not something I would usually order in restaurants because it is usually very heavy and very filling. But the staff here told me that their potato croquette has a surprise, so I tried it. True enough, the croquette is crisp on the outside and filled with creamy mashed potato. BUT, on top of the creamy mashed potato, when we pry open the croquette, the egg yolk within oozed out!

Some of the dishes in Sumire Singapore are only created especially for the Singapore outlet. One of them is the Fluffy Egg Udon ($8.90) which looks abit like souffle. Made with egg white and some egg yolk, when you scoop some udon from the pot, there is the sweetness from the soup combined with aroma from egg white. But they can probably have more ingredients besides the beancurd and japanese fish cake.

On top of all this you’ve got draught beer and sake and, at the end, several tempting desserts. If you love taiyaki, try the Mini Taiyaki ($4.90), a warm and crispy fish waffle that is filled with red bean paste and with vanilla ice cream.

They also have set meals starting from $49.90. The menu is abit hard to read though.

Some hits and misses for the skewers, but Sumire is definitely a new restaurant that has its potential. I wished they had a more extensive yakitori menu.

Sumire Yakitori House

Address: #01- 88/89, Bugis Junction, 80 Middle Road
Tel: 6338 9963

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