Morinaga Izakaya Restaurant

Omelette with spring onions ($11). Recommended by Michael, one of the long-time staff . Hot egg dish was slightly moist; suitable at tail end of meal

Unpretentious hole-in-the-wall izakaya . Set up at basement of Midpoint Orchard, we observed regulars — both locals & Japs tucking in honest food & drinks

Salmon yuke ($13). Before mixing all up, scoop some of the soy sauce out if u don’t like dish salty; portion the wasabe if u don’t enjoy the overpowering pungency. U can always add in to adjust

Torotaku yuke ($28). A mix of diced tuna , scallop , pickled radish , with raw egg & spring onions . Served with seaweed wrap & wasabe

Fried potato with butter & salted squid . A unique savoury bar food. So surprisingly yummy that we ordered seconds ????

When making a (dinner ) booking , u will be reminded of a minimum spend of $80 per person — any day. No such rule for walk-ins, who may find it hard to secure a spot for bigger groups ????

Marinated scallops ($10). Appears & tastes to be the same method of preparation & serving as marinated squid . Unique yet tasty cold dish

Enjoyed their sashimi platter . Thick generous cuts. During a promo, we paid $38 for this after ordering a 720ml bottle of sake ????????

Kitchen will pour from their bigger 1.8L bottles if u wish to drink small amounts. Ask to taste for ur preference before ordering ????????

Enjoyed this +2 sake Zaku Ho No Tomo ($120 for 750ml). Fruity & smooth. Wished it was kept & served more chilled

Except for weekday lunch , alcohol is a required order for all meals. After all, it is an izakaya ????

Deep-fried tofu ($6). It may be described as “fried”, but inside, it’s super soft. Lovely!

Truffle-flavoured fine somen noodles was heavenly. Every mouthful was light & delightfully aromatic

Vehicular parking . There is no parking facility @ Midpoint. Nearby there are: The Centrepoint, 313 or even street-side parking along Emerald Hill . Anyway, it’s a bad idea to drink & drive

Beef stewed with tofu ($12). A welcome hot dish in between all the izakaya ‘snacks ’

Wide selection of sake . Unsure what to pick? Ask the staff for recommendations

$43 for this 300ml sake . Pairs well as it’s easy to drink. Recommendation from staff

Eggplant in broth ($5). Good-sized small light dish to balance the more savoury offerings

Haneya Kirabi ($120 for 720ml). Aromatic junmai ginjo sake . SMV +3. Enough for 3 adults over a meal

Spicy konjaku ($8) is creative. The slits soaks in the sauce for added juiciness

Deep-fried sweet shrimp ($8) paired well with beer . Crunchy & tasty

Simmered yellowtail cheeks ($18). Enjoyed this savoury-sweet hot dish. Plump fleshy bits

To make a reservation , call 9101-3016. For Friday nights, the only condition is a minimum spend of $80 per person

Omelette mentaiko w mayo ($11). Tasted like a egg-y version of agedashi tofu . Lightly fragrant, very creamy

Truffle-flavoured somen noodle with ikura ($14). Gone in a minute. Light, easy to eat

A4-A5 Wagyu Ribeye steak ($65 for this serving of 160g). Not spectacular. Just oily & salty — goes well with sake ????

Salmon aburi sushi w mentai ($21). Didn’t leave much of an impression. It lacked the smokiness from the partial grilling

Fried burdock ($7). Sweet & tasty to bite into ????????

Steak . Not listed in the menu. This was cooked well-done although we asked for medium rare. At slightly more than 100g, this serving costed $42

They call this fried small fish ($10) ???? Fried, salty & oily — great as a dish to share over drinks

Calpis sour sochu cocktail ($9) was a refreshing drink . Wish alcohol could be level could be detected

Water. They serve bottled water — the mid-sized ones 600ml, I think — for $3 per bottle

Marinated squid ($9). Lightly sour, lots of chew ????

Their drinks options to go with your meal/snack

Monkfish liver ($8). Buttery. Not enough to go around our table of 4 ????

Monkfish liver ponzu ($11). Acquired taste. Served cold & firm

Fried octopus ($9) came in a small plate but it was enough as a closing dish. Not overly salty

Their beer menu

Operating since 2018. Drawing regulars through word-of-mouth ????????

No draught beer . All bottled

Oolong sochu cocktail was boring. Barely tasted any sochu. $9