Teppei

The Japanese restaurant is located in the middle of a row of restaurants, at the ground floor of the hotel. It looks rather dull looking, comparing to its neighbouring restaurants. But its $ 80++ omakase (multi course) dinner is so highly in demand that one has to book about 3 months before in order to dine in there. The restaurant sits about 22 people around its counter table. The seats are quite close to each other. One could only leave bags under the stools or with the cashier. For dinner there is 2 time slots: 6.30pm and 8.30pm.
Assorted Appetiser Platter
The edamame bean was nutty. The deep fried fish skin was quite crunchy.
The lotus root salad was crunchy.
The in house made bean curd was light and smooth.
The spinach was light and crunchy.
The fishcake was crunchy.
The unagi maki was a bit too plain.
Assorted Sashimi
There was salmon, tuna, snapper, scallop, and seaweed, served with fresh wasabi. Felt the tuna was not as fatty and melt in the mouth as before.
Chawamushi
Quite smooth in texture.
Mini minced raw tuna roll
Since I’m a female, I got the mini size version. Guys will get the big size version. There was crispy tempura crumbles in the roll which made the roll quite crunchy.
Mini Taro
Served on a stick.
It looked like a nut but really tasted like taro.
Monk Fish Liver
Served on spoon.
Wrapped with crispy beancurd skin, it tasted quite rich and creamy.
Braised Snapper
As I was served the tail part, the meat was juicy but a bit quite boney.
Raw Tuna, Salmon Roe, Uni on Sushi Rice
Served on a spoon.
Fish Cake Mochi
Served on a spoon.
Served with a bit of sweet savoury brown sauce on it, it had a chewy mochi like texture with a fish cake like taste.
Pickle
Served on a stick.
It was served to act as a palate cleanser.
Foie Gras on Salmon Sashimi
Served on a spoon.
Quite melt in the mouth combination.
Roasted Monk Fish Skin
Its chewy texture kind of reminded one of dried cuttlefish.
Crab Leg
Served with a light sauce on top.
The meat was sweet and juicy
Raw Monk Fish’s lip
Quite crunchy in texture.
Saga Beef
The beef looked a bit bloody but tasted quite smooth. For this course, if one did not take beef, it was replace with braised pork. The pork looked dry but had a melt in the mouth texture.
Pork bone soup with Mochi
The mochi looked like kway chap but was quite chewy in texture. The soup was quite porky.
Tai (Snapper) ‘s Belly on Cream Cheese
Served on spoon.
Interesting experience of having sashimi with cream cheese. It kind of balance the rich taste of the cream cheese.
Main Course: Sashimi Rice Don, 4 Kinds of Sushi, Uni Fried Rice, Wagyu Beef Fried Rice, Fish Ocha Zuke, Hiyajiru
Mom tried Ocha Zuke which reminded one of teochew fish porridge. It was actually rice in hot soup with snapper sashimi, shredded ginger and fresh wasabi on top.
If one was having birthday, you could change the main course to sashimi cake. Remember to inform the staff in advance. The staffs around will also sing birthday song to the birthday guy in lighted eye-​wears, with the lights off. The sashimi cake was actually cubed sashimi and crunchy pops served on top of seasoned sushi rice, with a candle lighted on.
Dessert was a scoop of ice cream with choice of flavour: Calpis, Durian, Green Tea, Sesame, Salted Caramel, Yuzu.
The black sesame one was rich and creamy. The green tea one was not bad too. But my favourite was the calpis version.
Overall the food was a lot for a $ 80++ meal. I could see a number of guys having problems finishing their main courses. The staffs were quite funny. We got to be spoon fed by the staffs for certain course served spoon. As I had the 6.30pm dining slots, at around 8pm the cashier already started going around with the bill. 15 minutes before the end, one could see the staffs preparing food the next time slot diners.

Just absolutely amazing authentic Japanese food served with top-​notch quality and service! I can eat here everyday! The staff are friendly and the sashimi are fresh. The place is clean and cozy and the sake, OMG! out of this world!!! The chef will cook and serve and make eye contact with Each Customer! It’s unbelievable! I went back three times within 2 weeks! We enjoyed every moment of watching the chefs cook with such finesse as much as savoring every bit of the dishes. And if and when you managed to get a reservation for their Omakase dinner, you’ll be in for an adventure of your lifetime! The food is top notch and he presentation is PLAYFUL! Be ready to have fun!!!

Ok… I read the reviews, was really interested, tried to get a reservation for two for dinner with no success, went there and check the place out and the lady said reservation are full till goodness knows when (ok… She didn’t say that, I did, cos I really don’t remember what she said…)… So there. Was still interested but was rather put off. It’s the thing about wanting what you can’t have? I don’t know.
So one day during lunch after I got my hair done I just walked pass and looked in and asked for a place for one. Yay! One was available!
So I sat next to an initially empty seat (lady was waiting for her man) and the other side of me, shortly came a lady who does not know what personal space is. Granted though, the space is tight and almost impossible to move.
Looking at the menu, I actually have no idea what to have. Nothing seems appealing. Went with the basic bara chirachi. Portion was not that great, sashimi was ok. Served with soup and a gold green tea.
The eating experience itself though, is not something that I would recommend. I was comparing to friends after my meal and they said — sounds like Japan. I have not been but this would really put me off… Or maybe it’s just my luck to sit between two persons who lift their arms up to the chicken wing state to eat, without regard for me. I am not a small woman and sitting like that and eating? Not a good feeling…
After I was done, went to the cashier and paid… And was given a 1kg pack of sushi rice some anniversary deal… Now I feel bad giving this review… Or maybe not nice gesture but I stand by my review. If you get a chance to try and wanna experience it, by all means. But if you don’t get to, try the other jap restaurants around, some others are really good :) bottom line — don’t be too bummed out if you don’t get a seat, you most likely won’t me missing much

For lunchtime with about $ 17.50 inclusive of tax all in, you get:
1) A bowl of sushi rice with heaping mixed cubed sashimi. This is the famous Bara Chirashi and often consists of the small scallops (the muscle bit which is chewier and bouncy), tuna, salmon, various white fish sometimes, kelp and ikura, all marinated in the Teppei special sauce.
2) Free flow ice tea — This is a nice one that tastes like the toasted rice type.
3) Free flow side dishes — Usually 2 types, sometimes 3. The most popular seems to be the braised white raddish, carrots with mackeral and other oily fish.
4) Free flow miso soup — yummy and nice to sip in between all that rice.
Now, if you’re on a low carb kick or just find the above barrage too heavy, ask for the sashimi salad. It’s the same but served on salad and extra kelp instead of rice. AND you will save a dollar or two :)
Another tip for you, it’s always crowded with a queue. So your best bet is to go closer to 2pm or go to the restaurant next door Hana-​Hana which serves the same thing and is owned by Teppei.

I was first served with complimentary miso soup. Something inside the soup interfere strongly with the taste of miso, not a good start. It also becomes obvious that one do not usually serve miso with ice fruit tea. As the taste of miso will override the flavor of cold drink. My main course is sashimi over rice. The seasoning process the chef used to prepare the food took less than 40 sec. And the taste was average at best. As for the customer service, I was asked to change seat 2 times after being seated and any food is served. Seriously…

Novelty novelty novelty. Food was not great, as they seemed mostly pre-​prepared. I felt like there was some mass production behind the counter and the kitchen was like a conveyer belt machine playing dish after dish in quick succession. I only enjoyed the sashimi and sashimi rice because the fish was fresh. Ok the ala mode cooked beef was also not bad because the beef was quite fatty. But I felt cooking in a sauce killed all the beefy flavor. Best dish for the friends — beef fat fried rice with sunny side up. Make that choice, no regrets.

Once you get over the far-​reaching reservation lists, you’ll be rewarded with the most gratifying meal that will make you want to go through the tedious waiting process again.
Was lucky enough to catch dinner reservations from last minute cancellations (Teppei posts such information on their FB page, so good to turn on your notification for their page). Omakase style dining works terribly well for me who just cannot bring myself to order out of the usual. Served dishes of otoro sashimi, sushi, uni, grilled beef, and the best gingko nut I’ve ever tasted.
Their famous Chirashi Don is available for takeouts during dinner time as well.

Brought 3 other friends here to try. Had the Anago and Big Prawn Tempura to share with our own Bars Chirashi Don. Very casual setting with counter seating and most people here are probably regulars. Check out their special of the day (Higawari) which differs everyday. Only downside is that you have to queue before they open if you want to get the first sitting.

I think that whether you like this place or not depends a lot on your personality and your dining expectations in general. If you are into no frills dining, and love getting a ton of food for the buck, and generally care about nothing else but the food, this place might be one that you’ll like. It’s funny, I have never thought of myself as someone who cares about service or ambience at all, I care mostly about the food, but there is just something about the delivery of this place that doesn’t sit well with me. First things first though, the food was pretty good. We got the 80 dollar omakase, and it came with more food than we can handle. Some of the dishes stood out more than others, like the wagyu beef, the tuna temaki (and I’m not even a fan of tuna, but it was well seasoned and balanced), the sashimi and fish were generally fresher than most joints in Singapore. Some of the dishes do err on the salty side, but it wasn’t horribly so. What I found lacking in this place is the lack of enthusiasm on part of the staff. Our names got called one by one, and we sat in order, and food is rapidly served without any form of explanation. The cooks behind the bar are cooking and talking amongst themselves and generally ignoring everyone in the restaurant. The sashimi and some dishes are in general served too warm, maybe because the restaurant is in general a tad too warm. Generally, the seats were just a tad too close together, it was just a tad too warm, the staff were cordial but just a tad unfriendly, and the food was just in general good but a little shy of being actually great. Hence, I would rather take the 80 bucks and go somewhere, eat less food, but enjoy myself a little bit more. Plus the call in to make a reservation for this place is 3 months, and only available at certain months for you to call in to make that reservation.

Okay okay, maybe my previous lunch pick was an aberration. After picking the bara chirashi special today I was definitely well sated, so either I now eat less, or that previous set just wasn’t as filling.
I’ve now also tried the ‘legendary omakase dinner’, and… okay. It’s nice enough.
Is it «five stars as good as it gets»? For value yes, but I tend to rate restaurants relatively independent of value, and more for «what are they trying to serve/​trying to do as a restaurant».
I suppose it’s actually debatable whether Teppei tries to be a restaurant. I suppose, like Otawa, my beloved yakitori joint, this place isn’t meant to be fancy-​smancy. It’s a counter, you’re going to smell (of oil and grease, very very badly), but the food being churned out is of excellent quality, generally delicious, and I can see why people keep going back.
Okay I suppose for a «casual Japanese eatery» this is as good as it gets and Teppei deserves five stars (yes I just decided that as I was writing this).
I would actually say that while the omakase is enjoyable, it wasn’t very filling (again with this filling thing, I’m quite the black hole when it comes to food), but some of the dishes were very creative and overall the meal is rather enjoyable especially since you’re paying between $ 60-​$ 80 dollars for it.
But really. Bara chirashi bowls. That’s really where Teppei shines, and frankly, I don’t think I’ll ever order anything else.

this is my favorite japanese restaurant in singapore.
for the price and quality, you would be hard-​pressed to find another place that can offer you both… or either, at times. the downside is that dinner is strictly omakase (though it doesn’t break bank, waiting time hits an upwards of 5 months?) and they don’t take reservations for lunch. it’s also tiny (less that 20 seats, all by the counter) so the lines can be very long. however, if you do get a slot for either, go for it!
went there for lunch on on a saturday. since the line starts at around 11.30 and stays pretty lengthy till 1+, the 2 of us got there around 1.45pm and only had 2 other people in front. score! we ended up going with the barachirashi ($ 16, the most popular dish), which was a HUGE portion of sashimi marinated in sauce on top of japanese rice (specially flown from japan). it also comes with japanese tea and miso soup. was fun to watch the chefs preparing the meal and their overall camaraderie. always nice to see folks who care about their craft and making a good meal.
the sashimi was incredible and paired very nicely with the delicious rice. i believe if you pay $ 5 more, you can add on toro and tempura flakes, something we only discovered by enviously staring at our neighbor’s bowl. it also came with complimentary sides (veggies, salmon broth, pickles, which change daily) that were in communal bowls shared with the other customers. overall, it was a complete steal for the quality of fish and definitely sets the bar high for a good japanese meal. also the staff is super friendly, total plus.
can’t wait to try the omakase next!

was able to get in line and be the first one in for lunch. I am proud to say that I made it here and of course it was well worth the patience and the wait.
The special was sort of like chirashi except that the the toppings were fatty tuna and belly.
Packs a crowd. Portion is just right. The whole experience with the chef prepping your food is a must see and try.,

Teppei and its Japanese Omakase experience is taking Singapore by storm. If you think that the rumored 2 – 4 weeks wait for a table is long, you would be in for a shock because they are actually full for the rest of the year. That was when i called in… May? Well… the trick to getting a table is to just put your name on the wait list first, and call them a couple of days before to check if people have canceled their reservation. Well, at least that’s how i managed to sample the 13 – 15 course meal for a steal at 60 bucks! There is also a $ 50 omakase option that excludes the Wagyu beef and Toro. Needless to say we chose the more expensive option.
Love the coziness of the bar setting at Teppei. I love watching my food being prepared. It’s great entertainment and there’s always this anticipation of the next dish.
Some highlights–
Rice roll with a minced fish paste that was mixed with tempura batter to give it that light crunch. I’m not sure what paste this is (probably minced tuna belly) but it sure was yummy, especially with the light spicy spring onions. We noticed that people came in to take away some awesome don made with similar ingredients, which i suspect to be the Negitoro Kaisen Don ($ 14.95). Now that looked really mouthwatering with the generous chunks of marinated sashimi, minced tuna belly, salmon roe and tempura batter. ZOMG. Definitely coming back for this.
If a fish is good enough for me to pick off all the meat from the bone, it is good enough for anyone. Hur. The charred soy bits on the exterior of the Hamachi slice was so good with the fatty collagen from the cheek! I’m dreaming of fish tonight.
The sashimi was fresh, sweet and buttery. What more can i ask for! Absolutely worth my 60 bucks.
Barnacles. I’ve seen plenty of them during my dives and they always look really gross. But after Teppei, i’m seeing them in a different light. It tasted like any other crustacean but i think it’s most similar to the tail part of the crab claw (which i love). It’s soft, briny and has a slightly roe-​ish texture.
I’ve never had unagi tempura before and i guess there is a reason for that. The moisture in the unagi softens the batter quickly so it kinda spoiled the crunch. But if you love unagi, this 10x4cm parcel is gonna make you very happy. The tempura course changes so you may not get this.
A rather substantial portion of stir-​fried Wagyu cubes which i found to be on the powdery side. Hmm.
For the main course, you should only order 1 thing, and that is the Sashimi rice. Trust me you won’t regret it. Fresh seafood was paired with Japanese Koshihikaru sushi rice from Toyama. The uni was to die for.
Wait no longer. Ok actually you have to wait a long long time. But make a booking and i swear you wouldn’t be disappointed.

It opens at 11:45, not 12pm. Get there around 11:20 AM on Thursdays because the queue will be long at 11:45. We got there at 11:30 and had to wait for the second round of seating (only 18 seats inside). Thursday lunch is different because they offer a chirashi don as the special. Get it. I can’t tell you exactly what is in there besides some sashimi pieces and a bunch of goodness but trust me. You will love it. The only bad thing I have to say about this place is that it is pretty warm in there and I always question warm places that serve fish. But you know it had to be good if I gave it 5 stars.

Oh my goodness. I finally had the omakase dinner here at Teppei. Opted for the $ 60 menu, which was excellent value for 20, good quality and interesting dishes. The food was as expected, good.
What I enjoyed about dining here was Chef Teppei’s enthusiasm, energy and his initiative in providing his diners with new experiences. Have you eaten barnacles before? Neither have I, until I ate at Teppei. Dining here feels like dining in a masterchef’s kitchen. I loved watching the kitchen in action, although this meant that it felt kind of like «street» dining (as compared to fine dining). That’s fine by me, though.
Back to the food. Please, please bring an appetite or be prepared to be overstaffed. I must admit that I’ve a small appetite and was almost keeling over mid-​way through the meal. Regrettably, I could not finish many of the dishes and had to pass on several of grilled /​fried items as my stomach really couldn’t take anymore!
Memorable dishes: cold noodles with edamame beans for one of the starters — very light and refreshing, a good palate cleanser. sashimi platter (but of course) — loved the tuna (belly?) sashimi, which was the first time trying this. the AWESOME chopped tuna belly handroll with tempura flakes (genius) — amazingly soft rice which I loved and delicious crunch from the tempura flakes, which provided a great texture against the melt-​in-​your-​mouth tuna belly and rice, sesame tofu (very interesting, smooth texture), wagyu beef cubes and cold soba noodles which was garnished beautifully.
I’m not a fan of fried items so while my dining partner loved the tempura cod, I was actually quite naughty and removed the tempura batter from mine (oh, the irreverence before the chef!!). I also could not finish the fried & grilled items like the tempura crab stick, crab leg and chili squid. But they were all tasty, to be fair!
BIG TIP on choosing your carbs: you get a choice of sashimi rice, spicy fried rice, udon (hot/​cold) and soba (hot/​cold). GO FOR THE sashimi rice, which is elegantly served on three spoons and topped off with sashimi, UNI and roe. Especially if you’re keen on getting the «best value». I opted for the cold soba which was very good and a much needed light ending to my meal but secretly wished I had enough space for the sashimi rice. We had no idea that the innocently named sashimi rice would pack so much punch and wished we were informed its contents by the servers when we were asked to choose.
To me, what I loved about Teppei is getting to try new ingredients in small servings within a reasonably priced omakase set menu. Would love to go back for the set lunch or a la carte menu next.

Let me join in the chorus of praises. I ordered the chirashi-​don, and for $ 16, the quality of food is astounding. Fresh tuna, salmon, whitefish (could be yellowtail?) and super juicy ikura, along with some freshly grated wasabi?! My tastebuds were in for a treat that day, and I didn’t know if I deserved… After all, I was originally on my way home to reheat some leftovers when my mates rang me up with this good news.
Of course the omakase dinners are always over-​subscribed, so that means a one/​two-​month wait, but since one of our gang was chummy with the chef, he rounded up some chairs for us outside the restaurant. Yes, outside. And by the time I arrived, it was clear that there were more of us than there were chairs, but no matter, they served our crew anyway, seated or standing, as we were.
Out came some cold iced teas, on the house, and those dons… Delicious. Disappeared in no time, as well. Somewhere in the middle, chef Teppei sent out some bowls of soup, laden with kelp, with a hunk of salmon swimming in the broth. Those were also promptly devoured, and I should let it be known that it was certainly for its tastiness, and my our state of ravenous-​ness that they went quickly!
I kinda liked how casual they were about it all, despite us looking like a gang of drifters (the business get-​up ones amongst notwithstanding) hanging out outside their shop in the not-​so-​posh part of Tanjong Pagar. They served us great meals anyway, and it shows me that as long as the chef is willing, great food can be had at decent prices, and he’ll serve you inside or out.
Three cheers for Teppei!

One of my favourite japanese spots in Singapore — well I guess being a regular on a first-​name basis with chef Teppei Yamashita helps. But seriously the food is great, and it’s good value.
The Omakase will set you back SGD50 — 60, which is a steal considering you’ll be getting alot of food — sashimi, clams, wagyu beef, etc etc etc — which of course is seasonal depending on the freshness of the ingredients.
At dinner, if you order ala carte, go for the bara chirashi — can’t go wrong. Many pieces of salmon, ikura, tuna, yellowtail, etc, and fresh wasabi on glorious Japanese rice from a special place in Japan that apparently has the best japanese rice. It’s already marinated in shoyu so you don’t need to dip at all.
At lunch, they have tempura sets and a daily special — and if you are lucky to be there when the daily special’s the sashimi on rice, you’re set. Having said that, the tempura is pretty good too. Crisp and light.
Lovely place overall — five stars, unequivocally.
Update, 4 Dec 2012;
Went to Teppei again for their Omakase set — and wow was it delicious. Salad of lotus roots and lettuce; Octopus with roe; Puffer fish sashimi in a light soy broth; the freshest sashimi platter comprising octopus, a very sweet scallop, tai, oily swordfish replete with fish oils, tasty salmon, and buttery fatty toro; pork knuckle with a light vinegary sauce; chawan mushi with cheese; puffer fish deep fried; wagyu beef stir-​fried yakiniku style; monk fish; clams in dashi broth; okra tempura with whale sperm; fishcakes; sashimi rice featuring uni sushi, barachirashi and salmon ikura — all for just SGD50++. And believe me, notwithstanding the price, the food was great in and of itself. Absolutely scrumptious — the low prices (for the amount of food) just makes the experience even more pleasurable.

Thursday Lunch Set is seriously heaven for me. First of all, you get unlimited refills on chicken stew braised with lotus, carrots and radishes. Second of all, you get free salmon pieces. Third of all, you get free iced barley tea. That alone gives this place 5 stars for me.
Now onto the main event. Thursdays the lunch special is the sashimi on rice event. You get a generous amount of toro, salmon, ikura, tuna, nori, anchor, wasabi, and tempura flakes for crunch all on a pillow of warm, fluffy japanese rice. Seriously, AMAZING. It was so delicious.
I almost didnt want to post just so the Q wont be that long, but since today is Thanksgiving I am in a generous mood.
Happy Eating!

We finally managed to get a reservation here on a weekend. With only 18 seats plus lots of great hearsay, this place fills up fast. Despite calling 2 weeks earlier, I can only get a 6.30pm seating for 2 on a saturday evening, and we need to empty our seats by 8.30pm.
We had the $ 60 omakase. Small dishes: some hits, some ok, no big misses. The entire restaurant is an open kitchen and the seats are lined up around the cooking area. I think there are many regulars here and the chef tend to provide a few other little tidbits for the regulars. (eg. the people sitting next to us had the same omakase dishes, plus some other little bites that included a big spoonful of uni topped on something! ennnvvvyyyy)
At the end of the omakase, you would be asked whether you’d like rice or noodle to end your meal. Noodle includes udon or soba, served hot or cold. I picked the cold udon which was nice, but the rice set was much better value as it comes with 3 small dishes: marinated sashimi, small rice with ikura plus a uni sushi. So if you still have tummy space, I would suggest to end with rice.
For dessert, you also get to pick from several ice cream flavors. We tried black sesame (I tend to find black sesame ice cream oily except in Aoki and this was no exception) and green tea (a tad too sweet for me). The ice creams are scooped from a tupperware so they do look homemade which is great.
Great service. The waitresses are constantly topping our drinks and clearing our plates.
For the price, I think this is good value. I should probably return with my friends who are regulars to see if I can get more hits than ok-​dishes for my omakase. To be updated when that happens!
Tip: due to the open kitchen, it can get quite hot. I usually like having hot green tea with my japanese meal, but we ended up ordering ice water half way through the meal, and we are not the only one who did it. Yes, it does get stuffy when the restaurant is full and the stoves are boiling. Dress light.
Tip 2: make reservations early!
Note to self: try the ramen place next door! Even on a F1 weekend in tanjong pagar, there was a line around the block at 6.30pm.

Whenever I miss the Izakaya-​style dining in Tokyo, my friends and I will plan a visit to this little quaint 18-​seater japanese restaurant. Often, I feel that I am back in Tokyo whenever I step into this restaurant where the clientele seems to be 70% Japanese and 30% Locals.
Chef Teppei (the head chef/​owner) is very passionate about his hometown and often surprise us with his hometown specialities. He and his assistant always whip out very ‘Oishi’ dishes in their open-​kitchen. Amongst all their delicious eats, here are some of my all-​time favorites are Buttered Asari Soup, Bara chirashi don, Wagyu Beef with Yuzu-​Chili Paste and Maple Ice Cream. Each time we are here for his 13-​course Omasake set consisting of a spread of seafood and meats, we often prepare to ‘roll out’ of the restaurant happy and
satisfied.
If you are looking for authentic japanese eats, this is one restaurant definitely worth checking out! If the feast is too much to handle, you can always order their al carte dishes.