Wagatomo, located at the Guoco Towers in Tanjong Pagar, is a Japanese concept restaurant recently opened by Chef Tomoyuki Kiga. He introduces his modern interpretations of Japanese cuisine, focusing on the open charcoal grill.
I love open kitchen concepts, especially where I can sit at the counter and watch the workings in a live kitchen but note there are no counter seats at Wagatomo. The seating is perfectly ok for this restaurant, and the full-height glass frontage adds to the openness of the venue. The dark stone walls accentuate the minimalist décor and are ideally suited for this dining experience. You will find an excellent selection of sake on display, too.
Now to the food. You will discover some exciting culinary twists, and one that you must order first is the A5 Wagyu Pizza. It has a crunchy base and toppings, but you haven’t had this kind of pizza before. The skinny crispy crust is layered with thin slices of A5 Wagyu and complemented with ponzu mayonnaise, pickled, and yuzu kosho cream before being finished with a drizzle of truffle oil. Presented and cut like a pizza, this is a great way to start your dining journey. Unique indeed.
Next was a small dish of tomato in dressing. After eating this, to say it is just a tomato is a severe injustice. The Momotaro Tomato is a refreshing starter, tossed with a fuji apple vinaigrette, a sweet corn puree, and finished with a dash of amazu, a sweet Japanese vinegar. The humble tomato has been elevated to new flavour heights.
If you are a scallop lover, what Chef Tomoyuki does here is different. Not the char-seared versions you usually see. Here the Hokkaido Scallop is served raw with mango sambal, grated daikon and nanbanzu, a delicious emulsion between ponzu, a citrus soy sauce and amazu, an unseasoned rice vinegar sauce. For me, the mango sambal dominated the dish, so I suggest eating the mango sambal separately, as the scallop without the mango was genuinely delicious.
I talked about the open grill, so where’s the grill food? It’s worth the wait. I chose the Ume Miso Glazed Pork Chop is rubbed with ume miso before being grilled and served with an apple fennel slaw. I loved this dish. Apple and fennel slaw, with the chargrilled pork, was the right choice. Oh, so tender slices of grilled pork. I loved it. The A5 Tri Tip is slowly cooked for six hours with a delicious and intriguing sansho spiced rub accompanied by charred onion puree. Both grilled dishes are excellent, different in taste profiles and definitely worth savouring.
Being in the busy Tanjong Pagar commercial district, there would be many people looking for a quick lunch, and at Wagatomo, there is a selection of donburi sets made for easy, fuss-free lunch eats. Each donburi comes with a house salad and a monaka dessert.
The donburi selection includes a Don Tomo, slow-cooked Wagyu, and a Buta Don pork special, and you’ll also find fish, chicken and vegetarian options. Based on the prices listed in the menu, I think this is reasonably good value for a quick and satisfying 3-course lunch.
The beverage menu of Japanese craft beers and sakes is essential to the Wagatomo experience. The extensive selection of sakes, umeshu and craft beers complements every Wagatomo dish, perfect for a truly elevated dining experience.
Chef Tomoyuki has a winner, and for a twist on grilled Japanese cuisine, the Wagatomo should be on your must-try list.
a. 5 Wallich St, #01 - 12 Guoco Tower, Singapore 078883
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