I remember Tampopo quite fondly from my younger days as being the authentic Japanese restaurant with a relatively affordable menu in the Japanese populated mall Liang Court. Not taking into consideration the small Japanese restaurants at Cuppage, Tampopo is probably one of the most visited restaurant by Japanese expat families for their ingredients which are freshly flown in from Japan. In those days, not many Japanese restaurants dared to put up this claim.
15 years has passed and it is sad to know that the original Tampopo at Liang Court has closed down and they are now down to only 3 outlets in Singapore. 2 outlets under the Tampopo name and a Tampopo Grand located in Takashimaya mall which is under the premium brand of the group. Nestled amongst a group of restaurants on the 4th floor of the mall, Tampopo Grand is at an obscure corner that you might miss it if you are not looking for it intentionally
With a simple light wood and warm ambience, Tampopo Grand is like your family to go to Japanese restaurant. With neat cubicles and standard tables, the capacity of the restaurants is only about 40 and probably lesser with safe distancing rules
In comparison to the old Tampopo at Liang Court, Tampopo Grand has a more concise menu offering their signature shabu shabu sets and kaiseki styled dishes. They also offer Etanbetsu soba made from 100% Hokkaido buckwheat for noodles lovers
A favourite starter everywhere, their fried crispy salmon skin came with a drizzle of spicy mayonnaise sauce which nicely balances the oiliness of the fried salmon skin. Their salmon skin is not as crispy as other restaurants as their version has more meat but at the same time it is not as dry as the meat provides some moisture
We ordered the smallest sashimi set which has 5 types of raw fish and prawn and 2 pieces for each type which is just enough for 2 to share. The fish is generally fresh and has good texture like other general grade sashimi offered in restaurants
The yasai tempura ( vegetable ) tempura came perfectly fried and crispy with 2 pieces each of sweet potato, pumpkin, mushrooms and long bean. The vegetables might change accordingly to the season
For mains, we had the Nabeyaki udon set which comes with a fried tempura prawn and udon soup in clay pot. The udon was soft and bouncy and paired well with the light yet savoury soup base. The udon was also topped with a nice raw egg yolk which can be mixed into the soup for extra flavour
I have a soft spot for sukiyaki so I tend to order the sukiyaki set if I am looking for a filling meal. The sukiyaki set came with a bowl of rice, raw egg, pickles, mixed vegetables and the sukiyaki broth heated on a gas stove
Most restaurants serve the sukiyaki with beef and since I do not take beef, I asked for the meat to be changed to pork and they had it changed to Kurobuta pork which has perfect marbling in every single slice
Overall, my dinner at Tampopo Grand was pleasant with the friendly and helpful staff as well as the delicious dishes served to us. Rather than a premium high end Japanese restaurant, I find that eating at Tampopo Grand has a comforting effect just like dining at your favourite family restaurant with pocket friendly prices and proper Japanese dishes
Address: 391 Orchard Road #04-28, Takashimaya Shopping Centre, 238872
Operating hours: 11 am to 3 pm and 6 pm to 10.30 pm ( Opened throughout the day for Sat and Sun)
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