This intimate 30-seater Tsukada Nojo at Plaza Singapura’s new
extension has proven immensely popular since its opening last
October – they don’t take reservations and weekends have seen
waiting lists maxed out by early evening – even on a Monday night,
we had to wait to get a table. Run by the AP Company, a Japanese
food chain (this is their maiden overseas venture), the hotpot here
is called bijin
nabe (which translated to beauty pot), which forms a
broth by melting down a collagenrich pudding made by stewing
chicken bones in salt water for eight hours. AP owns a couple of
free-range and organic chicken farms in the Miyazaki prefecture,
where the stew is produced. Once the bijin nabe base is formed,
you’re instructed to dunk in a number of ingredients in sequence:
first, the tori
tsukune (chicken meatball) paste, followed by yuzu
zucchini, watermelon radishes, black and white fungus, deep fried
tofu, prawns and some leafy vegetables. You also get a choice of
ramen noodles – thin egg, thick mochi or rice – to toss in at the
end.
Broth The creation of the bijin nabe base is a show
in itself, involving chicken parts mixed with a mound of quivering,
tofu-like white pudding that’s all brought to the table in the pot.
It takes about a minute for it to melt down into a bubbling,
golden-coloured broth, which the waitress quickly ladles into sake
glasses for us to sip the robust, savoury and intenselyflavourful
stock. Soup refills come in the form of more pudding that has to be
melted down.
Sauces You get three authentic Japanese condiments
table-side – yuzu pepper, red chili oil and negi (onion)
ginger oil – enhanced with a dash of chili shoyu (soy
sauce), but it’s really more about the broth here.
Price per person $25 each for the bijin nabe, minimum
two persons. All the items included in it are available á la carte
as well if you’re hungry, but we prefer to save some stomach space
for the nikumaki
onigiri ($3-$3.50) – snack-sized rice balls wrapped in
soy-glazed bacon (the rice is deliberately unseasoned to complement
the sweet pork) with toppings such as cheese and yuzu
mayo.
Verdict The smaller they are, the more popular they
get, it seems – and with only 30 seats, Tsukada Nojo is likely one
of the hottest pots in town. So what else can you do but get there
early? Note, the bijin nabe is only available after 5pm; there’s a
selection of ramen served during lunch hours.#03-81
The [email protected], 60 Orchard Rd (63365003). MRT: Dhoby Ghaut.
Daily 11.30am- 10pm; hot pot is served after 5pm only.
taken from TOS
