Magosaburou

While the meeting time and venue was fixed a few weeks ago, my dining companion and I did not settle on the restaurant to eat. So it was a last minute decision to try the only one in Singapore that imports the whole cow and serves rarer cuts of meat not usually available locally. From its entrance on the 4th floor of Ion Orchard, we were led down a long corridor and up the staircase to the 5th floor. Considered ourselves lucky to get a table without reservations, especially for dinner on a Friday, but did not manage to secure window seats looking out to the cross-junction of Orchard and Paterson Road. Modern touches atypical of Japanese restaurants could be seen in its luxurious interior design with comfortable leather high back chairs and lots of wood that combined to give the dimly lit place a warm and cosy ambience. An extensive menu meant we could have a well-balanced meal of meat, seafood and vegetables. And wash the barbequed food down with Kirin Ichiban beer.

1st to arrive was Mixed Sashimi Salad with sweetness of fresh sashimi slices – salmon, tuna and scallop, and roes balanced by crunchy greens in a tangy sauce. Wanted to order Single Diners Platter (mostly beef with some pork and chicken) but was recommended its Rib Eye Steak, a 120g portion, instead. Full of juice and flavour bursting in the mouth with a heavenly taste of tenderness and just the right amount of marbling. Yummy! Also ordered Kurobuta Pork Jowl with Spicy Salt, which was too salty for our liking though still fresh and sweet. In comparison, King Size Scallop from Hokkaido lacked lustre. We also had King Prawns with 3 Kinds of Mushrooms Wrapped by Seaweed with Garlic, a Wow!Gyu Dome (roasted food covered with Himalayan rock salt). There was a faint taste of salt and seaweed in the succulent prawns not overwhelmed by garlic, unlike the raw-tasting mushrooms. Fine-dining for beef lovers as only wagyu (just different cuts of the meat) is sold here.