Aburi-En

My first time trying Aburi-En was at the Vivocity branch which had a snaking long queue. We waited a long while, watching the cook grill loads of beef and pork, and wondering when it would be our turn to be seated. Food was not bad although I don't remember thinking that it was worth the long queue.

My second time at Aburi-En was at the Suntec City branch. We wanted to go for the Salted Plum but it was crazy crowded so we decided to head to Aburi-En instead.

I always go for the Aburi Salmon Don ($13) since I don't take beef and I have reduced the amount of pork I eat these days too. It was nicely done, with just the right amount of torching. Not too burnt, still a little pink inside and shiny with abundant amount of fish oil released during the torching process.

I chose to add a salad with my Aburi Don which was an additional $1.50. ZG had the popular Buta Bara Don ($15) which was grilled pork belly and he said it was not bad. In addition to a salad, ZG also had an onsen egg which was another $1.50.

My views about Aburi-En remained the same after trying two branches. The food is decent, service is attentive but I will not wait in line for this. This is probably the sort of place you would drop by to have a quick meal in a shopping centre as opposed to a restaurant you would make a special trip to eat their food.

Vivocity #01-159

Suntec City #B1-121 (West Wing)

Opening hours 11 am to 10 pm daily