Sumo Bar Happy: New Mexican Menu at Japanese Eatery Near Bugis

I’ve never been one to frequent Mexican eateries even before the Circuit Breaker, with the exception of Guzman y Gomez. Even though I don’t particularly love Mexican food, I know I’d definitely be up for some when the cravings arise.

If you’re familiar with Sumo Bar Happy, you’d know that it’s a comfy Japanese eatery just up along Waterloo Street. Due to Circuit Breaker complications and the banning of dine-ins, Sumo Bar Happy decided to switch to delivering Mexican food instead of the usual Japanese cuisine to provide their customers with quality deliveries that travel better. 

One thing to note about Sumo Bar Happy’s delivery was the strong ambrosial scent of Mexican food that immediately whetted my appetite as soon as I brought it into the house. 

Starting off with Sumo Bar Happy’s Steak Teriyaki Quesadilla (S$18), I noticed that the tortilla wraps were grilled to perfection, and served alongside a container of salsa and lime. Stuffed generously with sliced, grilled U.S. beef steak with onions tossed with Sumo Bar Happy’s in-house teriyaki sauce, the large and fluffy tortilla wrap was also filled with cheese. 

For any meat lover, this would definitely hit all the right spots. With no vegetables in sight, this would surely be the best option for picky eaters. 

Personally, I tasted mostly lean meat in this beef steak quesadilla, but there is still a fair amount of fatty portions for those who look forward to that. The tortilla wrap was extremely fluffy and smelt of fragrant butter. However, as a cheese lover, I was a little disappointed that I couldn’t really detect the cheese. 

Next, I dove into the Char Siew Unagi Burrito (S$22). Drawing inspiration from their previous widely-loved Japanese menu, the Char Siew Unagi Burrito is a fusion delight that features slow-roasted unagi glazed with Sumo Bar Happy’s special char siew sauce.

I absolutely loved how Sumo Bar Happy was able to incorporate Japanese and local flavours into a Mexican dish. Surprisingly, char siew went pretty well in the burrito for me. As much as many might argue that it’s a weird combination, I thought that the flavours mixed well together. 

However, I felt that the taste of the unagi wasn’t as strong as I had hoped it to be, and it seemed to be masked by the char siew sauce. If you really love unagi, this might not be the dish for you to savour just because of how the unagi is overshadowed. It’s a little confusing with all the different flavours meeting your taste buds at once, but I appreciated that I could detect the sweetness and saltiness of the dish in one mouthful. 

Moving on to the Mentaiko Salmon Burrito (S$19), I could already smell the fragrant aroma of mentaiko wafting through the air upon unwrapping it. Packed with fresh, cubed salmon sashimi tossed in Sumo Bar Happy’s signature mentaiko sauce, guacamole, cheese and sour cream, the burrito was, once again, wrapped in a soft, fluffy and buttery tortilla wrap. The crunchy lettuce added a nice texture to the burrito, and it complemented the mixed rice exceptionally well. 

Personally, I loved the fresh and tender salmon, and how the rice bore a hint of sweetness to go so well with the mentaiko. If I could choose which burrito I’d like to have again, it’ll definitely be this one. 

The Butter Teriyaki Chicken Burrito (from S$16) smelt particularly fragrant and looked absolutely tantalising. The additional cheese and chilli (S$2.50) top-up might have contributed to how mouth-watering the burrito looked, but it may also have been because I simply adore melted cheese. 

Marinated with Sumo Bar Happy’s house butter teriyaki sauce, the chicken cutlet chunks were served with some of the same ingredients I had with the previous burritos including the lettuce, signature mixed rice, guacamole and sour cream. Because of that, it got a little repetitive for me. 

I don’t know if my spice tolerance got weaker over the years, but I felt that Sumo Bar Happy’s salsa was mouth-numbingly hot! I’ve never really had Mexican cuisine with this level of spice before, so it felt new to me. 

Now available for islandwide delivery as well as dine-in during Phase 2, grab some aromatic Mexican cuisine online or at the National Design Centre shared space with Tanuki Raw for takeaways or a dine-in experience. 

If you’re ordering online, you’ll be able to find Black Dot Boba Tea under Sumo Bar Happy’s website for your bubble tea fix! 

Expected Damage: S$16 – S$22 per pax