Sushi Tei — tonkatsu pork with kake udon!
Sushi Tei Singapore — kake udon (clear dashi-soya broth with naruto and wakame) plus a side of tonkatsu pork sliced on a wire rack.
Lunch at Sushi Tei — kake udon + tonkatsu pork side. Japanese chain comfort. 😋
What was on the table:
- A blue-pattern ceramic bowl of kake udon — clear amber dashi-soya broth with thick udon noodles, two naruto (pink-swirl fishcake) slices with the pink spiral pattern, wakame seaweed ribbon strips, chopped scallions floating, black plastic spoon resting in the bowl.
- A small grey rectangular plate of sliced tonkatsu pork — golden panko-breaded cutlet sliced into strips, sitting on a small wire rack (the rack keeps the bottom from getting soggy from condensation), garnished with a sprig of parsley.
- A green ceramic cup of tea at the back.
Sushi Tei is one of SG’s longest-running Japanese chains — sushi-focused but with a full hot menu (don, udon, ramen, tempura, katsu). The classic outlets cover the SG mall food court alternative to the dedicated single-dish chains.
Kake udon (かけうどん) = the simplest udon style — thick udon noodles in clear dashi-soya broth, garnished with naruto + wakame + scallions and nothing else. The Japanese minimalist udon: lets the broth + noodles speak. Contrast with the loaded versions (nabeyaki, kitsune, tempura udon) where toppings dominate.
The broth is the test of kake udon — it’s literally just dashi + soya + mirin + dash of sake. Without good dashi (kombu + bonito-flake stock), the bowl falls apart. Sushi Tei’s version had clean amber colour + proper umami depth, no oversweetness.
Naruto is the visual signature — the pink-spiral fishcake (named after the Naruto whirlpool in Japan, hence the swirl). White fishcake with pink food colouring rolled into the spiral. Decorative but adds a soft chewy texture pop.
Wakame is the seaweed standard — adds the mineral-ocean depth + visual green contrast.
Tonkatsu side = the side menu order — sliced pork katsu on a wire rack (the rack is the dedicated Sushi Tei tonkatsu presentation, keeps the panko from softening on contact with plate condensation). Eaten with the table’s tonkatsu sauce + mustard.
This is the value combo at Sushi Tei — kake udon as the cheap base + tonkatsu as the protein side = full meal at lower cost than the full tonkatsu set.
Total: probably around $14-18 for this combo at Sushi Tei pricing.
Overall: 4.1 / 5. Kake udon was the clean comfort, tonkatsu side stayed crispy on the rack, broth had proper dashi depth. Sushi Tei reliable. 😋👍🏼
