MaguroDonya at Eat at Seven @ Suntec has invited us for a tasting twice but we rejected it, preferring to pay for ourselves and visit anonymously to write a fair and honest review.

MaguroDonya’s claim to fame is that they are tuna wholesaler at Misaki Port, Japan, and they manage the entire process from fishing to importing to putting food on the table. They fly in the seafood three times a week from Miura Misaki Kou (Misaki Port at Miura). Because they are the wholesaler and cut off the middlepersons, and because they select their own seafood, the food here is supposed to be cheaper and fresher than elsewhere.

Maguro means tuna, which is one of Japanese’s favorite and prized fish. (In fact, traditional Japanese food doesn’t include salmon; salmon is a “newish” fad that came from Europe.) They use hon maguro or bluefin tuna, which unfortunately is endangered. Animal activists should probably not eat it.

Tuna, like steaks, has different cuts, including akami (lean), chutoro (medium fatty), and otoro (fat fatty). You can enjoy all three cuts at $38++, or 5 cuts at $52++. That day, we decided to go big or go home and ordered the most prized cut, 0toro ($58) for 5 thick slices, serrated to increase the surface area for soy sauce to permeate through. As you know, salt gives fat flavour.

It tasted good. Not too bad.

We also ordered the monstrous maguro uni ikura misaki maki (2-3 pax, $64++), which is basically stacks of rice with negitoro (minced maguro toro), nama Hokkaido sea urchin, and salmon roe in between.

The rice is quite hard and can be moister. I thought the uni is a little fluid, and I prefer it to be firmer; but there are different species of uni so maybe this is the watery kind. With ingredients like these, the dish is hard to go wrong. It feels like a luxurious don but with ingredients mixed in.

For the sake of variety, we ordered the tori kaarage (5 pieces for $9). As you can see, you shouldn’t order it.

They have a number of types of sushi on their menu.

Besides that, their lunch sets which include a number of donburi also pack good value. The otoro don set that is slices of otoro on rice, served with salad, soup, chawanmushi, and dessert, goes for $39++. The special maguro set with different cuts for $44++. And the Hokkai don set, with uni, for $44++.

On the whole, it is a satisfying experience. The food and service are good, and the setting, though casual, is neat and clean. Just order the raw stuff. We paid $155 for three persons. Not cheap, but it’s worth a splurge once in a while.

Food: 6.75/10
Price/value: 6/10
Decor: 6/10
Service: 6/10

You may be interested in…
–Shiraishi, Ritz Carlton: Strangely, Tempura is Better Than Edomae Sushi
–Yuzu Japanese Restaurant, Holland Village: Great Food and Four Cases of Carelessness
–Kappou Japanese Sushi Tapas Bar, Fortune Centre: 23 Year-Old Female Chef Serves Excellent Modern Japanese Food
–Shima, Goodwood Park: New Value-for-Money Kaiseki Set Meals

Written by Dr. A. Nathanael Ho.