Malaysia
Singapore
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You’ve had your fair share of gyudon or beef bowls, but at Sandaime Bunji, you’ll get to enjoy an experience like never before. Sandaime Bunji is an authentic Japanese restaurant specialising in all things beef; I love beef and when I found out about this place, I had to pop by for a visit.
Having opened several restaurants in Japan, this branch in Singapore is one of the first attempts at expanding out of Japan and into Asia. The hidden gem has already been open for six years at Millenia Walk.
In the restaurant, I’d recommend grabing seats on the traditional Japanese Tatami, where you can sit seiza, or in a kneeling posture and savour your meal. Otherwise, regular seats are also available, so do request according to your preference.
First up, we had the Gyutan Steak Sendai Special 6P ($28.90), a dish comprising of grilled beef tongue that is sliced. The beef tongue was grilled over a charcoal stove before being sliced. Spicy miso and handmade cabbage pickles were served as accompaniments to the dish.
The tongue has a special marinade from Sendai, and is one of the first restaurants to serve this dish in Singapore.
The beef tongue had a nice crunch but was still easy to eat. Even though it was our first time getting beef tongue, it was still palatable without a strong gamey flavour. While the spicy miso added a nice kick to the dish, the one that stood out most was still the pickles, which was refreshing and acidic.
For extra spice, add some chilli pepper on your tongue for another dimension of flavour. Even with the powder, it wasn’t overly spicy and still pretty enjoyable; make sure to get some beef tongue when visiting the restaurant.
Crown as the star of the restaurant, Wagyu Round Roast Beef Set ($19.90 during lunch, $24.90 during dinner); what we dub as the ‘XXL Wagyu Beef Don’ comes with a mountain of beef piled atop rice. Unlike your usual dons that come piping hot, this one is served at room temperature to maintain the integrity of the beef.
The beef takes up to five hours to prepare, including it’s marination in the house marinade, cutting and cooling. Knowing that it has gone through such meticulous preparation, we were salivating when it was served to us.
The bowl comes with wasabi and an egg that you can mix in (or not) according to your personal preference. The beef was tender, savoury, succulent— everything you’d expect in a perfect roast beef. The sesame seeds lent a nice earthiness and nuttiness to the dish.
Overall, each bite had a good balance of tastes and highlighted the flavour of the roast beef, along with it’s marinade. For you carnivores, or people who wanna lay low on the carbs, you can request to have it without rice, the staff are more than familiar with such a request.
Sandaime Bunji offers affordable, beef-centric, Japanese Cuisine, which I guarantee you’ll fall in love with after trying it. Go there expecting nothing less than perfection and you’ll not be shortchanged. In a nutshell, one of the best gyudons that I’ve had.
Don wait, head down to Millenia Walk today for some beef tongue and your very own ‘XXL’ Wagyu Beef Don!
Expected Damage: $20 – $40 per pax
