Salmon mentaiko + fried ebiko don ($8.90 + $5.80)!
Chinatown Japanese — torched salmon mentaiko don twin order plus fried ebiko side, with chuka wakame, corn, cherry tomato, ajitama, miso soup. $8.90 each + $5.80.
Lunch with BB at a Chinatown Japanese counter — twin salmon mentaiko don ($8.90 each) + a side of fried ebiko ($5.80). $23.60 total. The torched mentaiko fish theatre. 😋
What was on the tray ($8.90 + $8.90 + $5.80):
- Two salmon mentaiko don bowls (black bowls) — large torched salmon fillet standing on top, the surface covered in mentaiko mayo blow-torched into the signature striped pattern (the marks come from the torch passes), served over rice with sides of chuka wakame (seasoned seaweed), sweet corn kernels, cherry tomatoes, half a soft-boiled ajitama egg.
- A small dish of fried ebiko (top-right plate) — fried prawn roe / cod roe pieces in tempura batter.
- Two small black bowls of miso soup on the side.
The torched salmon mentaiko don is the SG-Japanese hawker-counter signature — instead of raw salmon sashimi-style, the salmon is partially cooked + topped with mentaiko mayo + blowtorched for the smoky charred outside + tender medium-rare inside. The diagonal stripe pattern comes from the torch passes (not grill marks).
Mentaiko = spicy cod roe (Hakata speciality), blended with kewpie mayo into a pink savoury-spicy spread. When torched, the mayo bubbles + the mentaiko roe pops + browning happens. The aroma transformation is the whole appeal.
The don bowl assembly is the SG-style Japanese rice bowl — rice base, big protein on top, chuka wakame + corn + cherry tomato + ajitama as the rotating-cast sides. Every Japanese hawker counter does this format.
Fried ebiko side = panko-fried ebiko (capelin roe) pieces, the textural counterpart to the torched salmon main. Crispy outer batter + the pop-pop of the roe inside.
Miso soup is the obligatory Japanese set closer — light dashi-miso broth, palate cleanser.
At $8.90 per don bowl in Chinatown = the right price point for the value proposition (premium-feeling Japanese at hawker pricing). Worth the queue.
Total: $23.60 for two mains + side.
Overall: 4.5 / 5. Torched salmon mentaiko was the visual + flavour showstopper, mentaiko mayo had proper salty-spicy roe depth, sides were generous, fried ebiko was the bonus textural side. Will queue again. 😍👍🏼
