Vivocity is one shopping mall that always update their retail offerings. This may be bad news for retailers but good news for end customers like us. As long as the store is not popular, the mall will change to a new retailer once the lease is over. Part of the Sushi Tei group, Hokkaido Ya is a casual dining concept outlet just next to Sushi Tei. They offer affordable rice and noodle meals.
There are 2 self-service machines at the front of the restaurant for customers to put in their orders and make payment. Once you are done with the order and payment, you have to tag one of the electronic buzzer to your order before you take your seat. When you meal is ready for pick up, your buzzer will ring and you can pick it up at the counter next to the cashier. For those customers who prefer not to use the self service machines, there is a cashier inside the restaurants where you can make your orders and payment as well.
The restaurant itself has the seating capacity of approximately 40 persons with a very simple and casual decor. The lighting is bright with a warm glow and is very suitable for quick dining. You can get utensils and condiments from the counter next to the cashier as well. Seating in the restaurant is also self service so you can make sure you get a seat before making your order.
The price range of the items are from S$9.90 to S$15.90. There are only a few category of items on the menu; Donmono , Noodles, Salad, Side dish and Beverage. Some of the popular don items are salmon don, chirashi don and pork cutlet don. They also have specials like Hokkaido white curry rice and unagi and hotate tamago don. I ordered the unagi and tori tamago don at S$10.90. The serving is pretty decent but I found the tamago quite dry. The taste is very general like what you can find in most food court Japanese stalls. My friend had the Hokkaido buttercorn hotate ramen which cost S$12.90 where the soup was too bland for my liking.
We also ordered the chawanmushi which is very decent for the price of S$3.00. I have to say this is the best dish of the meal as the egg is very smooth and the flavours are great. We noticed that the croquette is very popular and looks very good too.
Overall conclusion: If you would like to bring your family out for a simple casual Japanese meal without the hassle of fighting for seats at the food court and minus the high price point of the regular restaurants, Hokkaido-Ya is a good place for a quick meal and yet friendly on the wallet. Visit with an open mind and do not expect restaurant grade meals.
Address: 1 Harbourfront Walk, #02-153 VivoCity, Singapore 098585
Operating hours: 11.30 am to 10 pm
Nearest MRT : Harbourfront
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