An izakaya is essentially a Japanese version of a pub that serves up alcohol as well as delicious Japanese food to go with your drinks – be it finger foods or main meals. As such, it is a watering hole for families, friends and colleagues to hang out in the evenings. As such, it is a delight that Hitoyoshi Group has decided to start a new restaurant branch, featuring high quality sashimi and meat that perfectly match diners’ taste buds to go along with the sake, whisky highball and other various liquors available at Hitoyoshi Izakaya located at Jewel, Changi Airport.
The “bar” grub
What’s an izakaya without the small bites to go along with the drinks? Even if you’re not drinking, you can treat these as appetisers to share. I highly recommend their Yaki Corn Ribs (S$9) that are grilled corn with Yuzu Miso. Imagine the light smokiness from the grill meeting the natural sweetness of the corn that’s balanced with the salty but yet zesty fragrance of the yuzu miso.
Another unexpectedly addictive starter was the Gobo Karaage (S$15) which is fried burdock. It is usually served as a stewed cold dish in a bento but as a fried dish, the Gobo Karaage is slightly crispy, a little medicinal (as burdock usually is) but I found myself repeatedly gravitating towards it because unlike other fried dishes, the medicinal taste actually helped to cut back on the oily and jerlat feeling. Goes very well with the whisky highballs (more on that later) too!
I also tried the Fried Shrimps (price unavailable)…and while it was tasty, I do think that it is a safe choice to order as it would be what most people would like but it doesn’t quite excite the taste buds as the corn or the gobo.
Hitoyoshi does have kushimono if you’d like your yakitori and other grilled items so there’s definitely something for everyone!
The whisky highballs
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So what exactly is a highball and why is it so-called? If you google the definition, “highball” refers to any cocktail that has a base alcohol, a larger amount of mixer and ice. How did it get this name? Some say that it’s from a 19th century railroad signal – if the ball was raised on the signal post, then the train could pass through it without stopping…so this idea about getting somewhere fast inspired cocktails that can be made and drunk quickly. Another plausible story is that this term was used in gold club bars in 19th century England, where the “ball” referred to whiskey served in a high glass.
Highballs are extremely popular in Japan and was created because the Japanese enjoy alcoholic beverages while they eat but it’s hard to drink whiskey straight with food as it’d kill the liquor’s flavour or the food. Its popularity began after WW2 when the country was recovering and people wanted a cheap way to have a drink.
Black Pepper Highball
Hitoyoshi Izakaya’s take on the highballs is very interesting as they introduce flavours such as Popcorn, Rose, Spicy Mango, Osmanthus and Black Pepper. Yours truly risked walking away tipsy and tried as many flavours of the highball to review. All in the name of good food reporting!
The popcorn was quite nice as it gave a bit of a sweet and buttery aftertaste but I felt that I would need to pair this with something a bit sweet rather than all the savoury dishes that I had. The only dish that went really well with this was the Yaki Corn Ribs.
The Osmanthus was really good in terms of the floral fragrance and as it wasn’t sweet, it went very well with all the fried starters, especially the Gobo Karaage.
I didn’t try the Spicy Mango but I braved the Black Pepper because I was hoping to be surprised – just like how I really do like Black Pepper Potato Chips and Black Pepper Cashew Nuts. However, I was not convinced. The spice from the black pepper was quite nice at the back of the throat as it also adds a bit of a kick to whatever you’re eating and washing it down with, and it doesn’t taste terrible. However, it wasn’t the perfect pairing with any dish and I felt compelled to stir it constantly so that I do not end up with a mass of black pepper towards the end of the glass.
I did try the Yuzu highball as well and it was quite normal. I think I prefer my yuzu wines as the yuzu flavour is more intense. But I think it is definitely a safe flavour to pair with most of the foods.
Nonetheless, love that the highballs start from S$8.90 and they have other cocktails starting from S$8 as well. So while you shouldn’t expect the alcohol levels to be high in each glass, it is reasonably priced and affordable enough for you to get a couple throughout your meal so that it really becomes a chill or hangout session with whoever you bring along with.
The mains
I ordered the Hitoyoshi Premium Bento Set (S$56) which comes with smaller portions of tempura, maki, sashimi and sushi to try a selection of Hitoyoshi’s specialties. It is completed with tofu and soup as well.
The tofu comes topped with the century egg sauce as well as tobiko which is always a delight…but I’m biased because I am used to my own version which is less salty and has more century egg. The rest of the dishes were impeccable. The soba still had a bite, the sashimi was very fresh and the tempura was light and crispy. And who doesn’t love a good aburi maki? If there’s any complaint, it would be that there is too much rice as there is only so much carbs I can eat in a meal. I was so stuffed that I had to politely leave some rice from the sushi behind, although I hate wasting food. Just keep the maki and then add those slices of fish to the sashimi plate onegaishimasu!
I did go to Hitoyoshi Izakaya a second time for lunch and I ordered the Teppan Gyu Teriyaki Set (S$36) to try out something else. The set came with the beef, chawanmushi, salad, rice and miso soup. The beef was very tender and I liked how it came with almond/garlic chips to go with the rice. This set meal is one of the more balanced ones on the menu as it has carbs, protein and vegetables too.
Overall
If you’re visiting during lunch, remember to ask the staff for a portable fan as it can get a bit too warm but no such issues in the evenings. Because it is located at Jewel Changi, it can be a bit far for those who live on the opposite side of the island but this would be a nice place to have meal or hang out for the Easties. While Hitoyoshi Izakaya does not give me the same vibes as the izakayas in Japan do, the spirit of the izakaya (albeit a bit more upmarket) can be felt throughout their menu and it does give a different kind of chill out vibe where you can hear the sound of the waterfall and gaze up into the sky while enjoying one (or two) highballs with your food.
Images: Hitoyoshi Izakaya (header and Teppan Gyu Teriyaki Set) and Melissa Fann
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