Well Fed On the Town

As one of the biggest commercial ports in Asia, it is no surprise that Singapore has quite a diverse culinary scene. During a recent (and my first) visit to this island city-state I set out to eat various cuisines in different price ranges. After several days of hawker centre fare, Indian fast food and mid-range Hainanese chicken rice meals, my friend (and host) suggested dinner at more upscale Okonomiyaki restaurant, Nanjya-Monjya, in the Waterfront Singapore complex.

But what is “Okonomiyaki”? It is mostly easily described as a savory pancake made up of shredded yam, flour, cabbage and egg. Often ingredients such as onions, meat (pork, beef, seafood), and pickled vegetables are added. It’s topped with nori flakes, sweet mayonnaise and Okonomiyaki sauce (a thicker and sweeter version of Worcestershire sauce). Generally it is cooked at the diner’s table on a hotplate (similar to one used in Teppanyaki). My first Okonomiyaki experience was in a small low end restaurant in Kyoto, a major city in the Kansai region of Japan, where this dish originated. I must admit it wasn’t a very good culinary experience. I remember eating an overly oily, salty seafood pancake whose taste was drowned by the mountain of mayonnaise poured over it.

When my friend in Singapore recommended eating Okonomiyaki I hesitated, but agreed, hoping that a more upscale destination would produce a more delicious outcome. Nanjya-Monjya is located on the ground floor of the Waterfront Singapore complex, tucked nicely into the building away from the noise of the streets. Patrons can be seated in semi-private rooms that are bordered with dark wooden slats, curtained doorways and with a central hotplate built into the table. The quiet atmosphere reminded me of the temples I visited in Kyoto, where one can walk around the grounds without hordes of tourists buzzing about.

My friend, her companion and I found ourselves in one of these rooms and quickly took to scanning the menu. Aside from the various types of Okonomiyakis, there are an array of appetizers and sides you can order. We settled on an avocado-salmon sashimi dish, lightly fried tofu, and braised eel as well as two Okonomiyakis (beef and seafood).

Wedges of fresh avocado paired brilliantly with fresh salmon slices, doused with just a bit of vinegar, herbs, onion and spice—what could have been overdone was simple yet delicious. It’s a dish I’d love to recreate at home.

Our tofu was fried just enough to have a thin crisp outer layer and soft inner core. The sauce of the braised eel dish was slightly salty and it was the most underperforming dish of the evening. But it didn’t matter as the highlight of our evening were Okonomiyakis that rectified my previous experience.

Unlike my first time, when the Okonomiyaki cakes were pre-prepared and re-fried on a hot plate in front of me (obviously I’ve learned from that mistake), our waiter at Nanjya-Monjya brought to our table two bowls of fresh ingredients: beef, seafood, shredded yams, diced green onions, chopped cabbage, nori flakes and flour. After oiling the hotplate, he started grilling the beef and seafood. While that cooked, he mixed together the rest of the ingredients with fresh eggs and arranged them into pancake shapes on the hotplate. Then, he added the beef and seafood on top of the Okonomiyakis and flipped the giant pancake over to allow them to cook through. I took my first bite into the beef Okonomiyaki and it was a performance on my tongue. The outer layers of the pancake were crispy but not burnt. The inner part of the pancake was soft but still firm. The scallions added depth to the cabbage and yam filling. We had the option of topping them with mayonnaise, which we declined and enjoyed our Okonomiyakis with just a reasonable dose of sauce and nori flakes that added a complementary amount of salty flavor.

Like its culinary cousin, Teppanyaki, Okonomiyaki is as much a performance for the diner as it is a gastronomic delight. The process of watching the dish take shape from a bowl of ingredients to a savory pancake makes it all the more delicious. Therefore, I think my first experience with Okonomiyaki in Kyoto was lacking not only in taste, but in the excitement of watching the dish take shape. Nanjya-Monjya provided a serene atmosphere, a delicious Okonomiyaki and bit of entertainment to an evening in Singapore.