Teppei - Singapore

If you only can afford one omakase experience in your whole life, come to Teppei. You won't be disappointed! Every dishes are very unique and the staff pay extra attention to details. They even ask customers want extra, normal, small portion of rice to accommodate different stomach capacity. Furthermore, wide selection of the main dish to end the night.

It has been more than 2 years that I visited this restaurant again. I am glad that they survived the pandemic. The food is great as usual but sadly the tempura menu is reduced. I ordered the Wagyu beef rice bowl. The beef is tender and tasty. The staffs are courteous and responsive. I will visit it again as it is a place to go for good food at a decent price. Be warned that there used to be long queue pre pandemic. The queue will come back.

This visit was in July 2021. Heard much about the SG$100 Omakase served at Teppei and have always wanted to visit but seats are always taken so quickly. Also, back in July, there was a limit to 2 per person for Dine In, so the available seats were in even more short supply. Checking the restaurant's booking website daily, a much desired spot was suddenly available for the following week. Without much of a thought, and a couple of quick clicks, the seat was soon secured, albeit with a credit card for 100% charge in case of no show or cancellation within 72 hours. The open kitchen and counter concept is typical of traditional Japanese eateries but due to the ongoing pandemic, a clear tarpaulin was placed between the guests and the food preparation area. Being able to see the food prepared is a joy and reassuring too as one is able to know what goes in. This Omakase set is served one dish at a time and consists of 1 Main, 14 Small Dishes, 1 fruit and 1 dessert. The taste profile is slowly layered upwards and the designs of the dishes are really interesting. Using seasonally available ingredients, the dishes are flavourful and fresh. 2 of the small dishes involves the guest being fed from metal spoon by the cooks. Haha. Don't worry, it is a new spoon for each guest. The affordability of the meal, given that most Good Omakase meals starts at SG$250 , has allowed a lot more people to enjoy the meal. Yes, there are Omakase at $50 or less, which does not make what they serve cheap or bad, just that you do not get the same amount of food. A common saying goes, you get what you paid for. The price point, the amount of food served and the quality of the dishes here definitely makes this SG$100 meal a firm favourite for a return down the road. General Verdict: Simple Japanese eatery serving great food at an affordable pricing. The restaurant serves only the Omakase menu for dinner and each dinner caters to a seating at 6:30pm and another at 8:30pm. If you want something in between, you will have to look elsewhere. Otherwise, work your schedule to fit this meal into it The menu changes on a monthly or seasonal basis so it is a new experience if visiting once every couple of months. Opening Hours: Monday Friday 11:45am 2:30pm (Lunch) 6:30pm 10pm (Dinner); Saturday 12pm 2:30pm (Lunch) 6:30pm 10pm (Dinner) Closed on Sundays Queue Situation: About 15 mins to 30 mins during lunch time. Only guests with reservations accepted for dinner Dinner Omakase Booking: Reservation slots are released on the 15th or 16th of the previous month (eg. 16th Oct for November slots), so check Teppei's FB page for the announcement. Slots are usually all taken up within 1 or 2 days, after which one can pop in to the booking system now and then to check for cancellations. Available seats are also subject to prevailing government guidelines on Dine In Price: SG$100 (Additional for any form of beverage) Payment Mode: Cash and Visa/Mastercard (Physical and Paywave) Menu in July 2021 1) Okra puree and Scallop bits served with seaweed 2) Abalone served with Kelp and Sea Grapes 3) Diamond Clams 2 ways 4) Hiroshima Oyster served in Ponzu Jelly Sauce with Seaweed Pearls 5) Maguro and Otoro served with Edible Flowers 6) Salmon Tatare with Egg Sauce 7) Sushi Rolls Sea Grapes, Whelk, Tobiko (Flying Fish Roe), Ikura (Salmon Roe) 8) Otoro 9) Crab Mini Don 10) Sea Snail 11) Cherry Tomato 12) Uni Crisp 13) Wagyu on Foie Gras 14) Hokkaido Cream Cheese 15) Japanese Honeydew 16) Yellowtail Sushi 17) Maguro Sushi 18) Chutoro Sushi 19) King Crab Don 20) Yuzu and Black Sesame Ice Cream

The bearing of its humble beginning started in this Teppei restaurant that stalwart into the many other Japanese cuisine concept helmed by Mr. Teppei, we see today. Advance reservation is recommended in this almost post pandemic era. Alternatively, call in to check whether there is any last minute cancellation to secure a seating at the restaurant. Service in general was good with staff noting your main course preference, ensuring water is served and ushering into your seats. Perhaps what was perplexing, would be their sake menu that took forever to arrive onto my table, as I seek to quench my alcoholic thirst, by jumpstarting myself with a highball before sake. In all fairness, their sake offering is reasonably priced and between the sake quality and affordability, is well justified. Food started off with an amuse-bouche followed by the usual series of dishes, kicked off in the usual style of Teppei restaurant. The kitchen comes alive delivering dishes after dishes, to ensure customers appetite of a feast. The highlights of this omakase (indicated in my photos), comprises of smoked fish claypot rice, Hyogo oyster, ikura maki and their wagyu beef. Not all dishes in the omakase menu assembled in the right balance between flavours and taste. The hit and misses in their dishes perhaps amply described like an old wild west movie, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Perhaps what we don’t see nowadays would be fried chicken crown on skewer or maybe fried chitterlings skewer that amazed their crowd spiraling into an episode of fear factor or a rich delicacy, for the adventurous.

We had the most wonderful experience at Teppei. The food was fantastic, the ambiance and vibe of the place are just amazing (thanks to the super skillful staff). Because the dinner is all served at the same time to everyone, with a staff member carefully explaining what you are having, you feel like you are in a large dining room with friends (you end up exchanging some words with the people next to you). The menu changes monthly as a tribute to a Japanese city, so this is a place you can visit repeatedly without feeling it is more of the same. All in all, this is a fantastic experience both in what concerns the food quality and the service. Highly recommend.