Sandaime Bunji at Millenia Walk started as a family business 80 years ago in Ginza, Tokyo. Then, they made kamaboko, a Japanese fish cake which sometimes has pink edges. Singapore is home to their first overseas outlet, specializing in gyutan (beef tongue), and oden (like Singapore’s yong tofu).

The shop is on the outside of Millenia Walk, where the luxury cars are parked. It is dark, and woody, dominated by a signboard, very gorgeous, almost like a samurai den in one of Kurosawa’s films.

The servers wear pink kimonos. An obasan, whose name is Jenny, speaks English, Mandarin, and Japanese. She’s very awesome; like a grandmother, she looked after us, inquired us if the food was to our liking, and made sure our glasses were filled with a mild, refreshing tea. Although she is a bit older than the usual server’s age, she is active and sharp. That said, she was the only server I saw running around the place, and she had to handle both inside and outside the restaurant. I hope they can have some more servers to help her.

The bestseller, wagyu round roast beef set ($19.90 lunch/ $24.90 dinner) comes with salad, tofu, and oxtail soup. The soup is fantastic; it’s clear like water, but has explosive flavors. The tower of beef is about 250g which is a very generous portion. But tastewise, it is a little dry, although the sweet, beef sauce helps the aridity. The quality isn’t perfect too. As shavings of beef, the cutting destroys the proper treatment of steak.

But all that said, the value is fantastic, and tastes ok as a whole. Mr Fitness liked it better than the next dish.

I prefer the miso kaisen don ($14.90/ $18.90 for a set), a rice bowl consisting of maguro (tuna), salmon, and yellowtail. The cubes are fresh and bouncy, and they go very well with the rice.

On the whole, Sandaime Bunji offers an affordable and decent meal. No complaints here. Good times. We paid $41 for two persons. 

Sandaime Bunji
9 Raffles Boulevard #01-14/15, Millenia Walk Singapore 039596
T: +65 6333 1516
M-F 11.30am–3pm, 5pm–11pm, Sat 11.30am–11pm, Sun 11.30pm–9pm
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Food: 6.75/10
Service: 8/10
Decor/Ambience: 7.25/10
Price: 7.5/10
Overall rating: 3.688/5

Written by A. Nathanael Ho.