My third visit to Hokkaido Marche and I was excited. I had recommended so many friends to this wonderful Japanese marketplace located in B2 of Orchard Central. I just couldn’t get enough of it.
My first stop was Sapporo Kaisen Natsume, a stall that serves sushi rolls, unagi don and special kaisen don (chopped sashimi on a bed of salad). I opted to start with the Kaisen Don as it was the special of the day.
Sapporo Kaisen Natsume
As all donburi dishes are served with miso soup and ginger, it is a full meal that is very satiating, well priced at a reasonable $17.50.
Especially in Singapore where temperatures are high, this is an amazingly refreshing meal to have. Cold rather than hot, raw rather than cooked, I had the choice of four dressings to top this donburi dish.
My favourite Japanese dressing is gome (sesame) so I heartily squeezed some of this onto my sashimi and savoured every mouthful. So many wonderful bits of different sashimi sat on this bed of salad. This is one for sashimi fans - a light and healthy lunch!
Donburi Maruya
If you are a “katsu” fan like I am, Donburi Maruya at Hokkaido Marche whips up so many varieties, the most famous one being “special black pig loin katsu don”.
A mouthful to pronounce, it was more than a mouthful to eat! The crumbed pork loin had a sweet onion gravy on top of it which oozed down the bed of rice.
I love the way Japanese cook rice. Soft and sticky, the sauce of this katsu dish soaked into it. So full of taste this was a large meal I would recommend for someone with a healthy appetite.
Priced at a princely sum of $19 this would be a great dish to share with another, after a salad or starter. Donburi Maruya also serves a variety of curry donburi bowls (for those with a higher appetite for spice this might suit you better).
There are options for the more adventurous patrons to try the grilled salmon head or belly set, all of which looked very appetizing.
Soba Maruki Cold
I had been eyeing the Maruki stall on all my visits (Soba Maruki) to Hokkaido Marche as the tempura displayed looked very appetizing. This third generation business has been making soba for 130 years!
An outlet that everyone should certainly visit as they obviously have passed recipes down the generations. When you get to this stall you need to first choose from the more than ten varieties of tempura.
I decided on the prawn, lotus root and mixed vegetable fritter tempura. Next to choose my noodle – hot or cold then soba or udon. First tip when eating soba noodles.
Have it as soon as it hits the table. It’s al dente at its best. Next pick up a small amount of noodles with your chopsticks. As noodles are long, this might see your chopsticks high in mid-air.
Then dip half the length of noodles into the dipping sauce so the taste of the sauce does not overpower the noodle and slurp it all the way. I tried doing this. Not very successful I might add.
There is obviously an art to eating like this and a level of comfort in slurping at the table, quite contrary to my table manners rule book my parents ingrained in me!
My experience was yet again fulfilling. If you have not been to this Japanese enclave at Hokkaido Marche I believe it maybe time to…..
Synonymous with astounding sightseeing spots and stunning landscapes which attract countless visitors annually, Japan’s northernmost island has the ideal environment for producing crops and raising livestock. And now, expats, Singaporeans and visitors to our awesome Island can enjoy some of Sapporo, Hakodate and Asahikawa’s most well-loved food stores in Orchard Central at the Hokkaido Marche.
At this marketplace-style food hall, you can enjoy a variety of authentic Hokkaido farewithout burning a hole in your pockets. The seven shops offer yummy donburi - "a rice bowl dish" consisting of fish, meat, vegetables or other ingredients - topped with fresh seafood and pork, curry rice, soba, udon and not forgetting to mention a delicious slurp-worthy ramen.
More about Hokkaido Marche HERE
