Takada Grill & Bar, Tanjong Pagar Centre: Charcoal Grill Restaurant by Japanese Chef

By Rubbish Eat Rubbish Grow on July 19, 2021 • ( 2 Comments )

Takada Grill & Bar at Tanjong Pagar Centre is a Western charcoal grill restaurant created by Japanese chef Masahiro Takada who also owns Ristorante Takada at Alexandra road. Japanese ingredients are imported twice a week.

**Grilled meat platter** ($88): you get to choose 4 out of 6 grilled items, **prime ribeye**, **prime striploin**, **tenderloin**, **pork loin**, **lamb rack**, and **chicken leg**.

The menu is streamlined but has some varieties including pastas (all pastas priced at $22); salads (all salads priced at $12), burgers (all priced at $16), mains (all at $28) such as pan seared salmon, poached seabass in crazy water (what is crazy water?!), lamb shoulder; and grills (all at $28). The six choices of grills include prime ribeye, prime striploin, tenderloin, pork loin, lamb rack, and chicken leg. There is also a porterhouse ($58 for 500g, $108 1kg).

There is also a good-valued grilled meat platter ($88) with 4 choices of the 6 grilled items listed above. It also comes with a tangy, appetising, addictive salad and really kickass crispy wedges. This platter is suited for 3-4 pax although we two people finished it.

Using the method of elimination, no way in hell were we gonna pick chicken leg as one of the 4 options. We are cheap! We want expensive items.

The first option we chose, the lamb rack, is over-salted although the salt brings out the umami in the fats. Although it is fat, it isn’t greasy and jerlat. When you eat it, you can identify that it’s lamb, but it’s not overly gamey. Excellent! We like this.

The pork loin is done nicely. It’s slightly tough but that’s how pork loin is. The exterior is crispy and inside is moist.

Ribeye is one of the most flavourful beef cuts. Strangely, it isn’t as flavourful as the one I usually cook at home. It also doesn’t have the charcoal aroma. Still it’s beautifully cooked medium raw. PS: those roasted garlics are delicious.

Experts say that tenderloin, although a lean cut (meaning that it’s not tender because fat=tender), gives a lot of flavours. In my experience, I don’t think it’s true. I feel that it’s a lean cut without much flavour, I know this but yet I always order tenderloin because it is healthy. It’s cooked nicely to a medium raw here but it tastes as what tenderloin should taste.

I expected the beef (both ribeye and tenderloin) to be better because beef seems to be their speciality. But perhaps because their goods aren’t moving quickly, the quality of the beef is so so.

Furthermore although we were the only two guests in the entire establishment, the food took 40 minutes to arrive.

We paid $104 for two persons, but the platter could have served 3-4 pax, so it is quite worth it. If you’re craving for inexpensive meat, this place is great. PS: they also have freeflow beer pre-COVID, they stopped the promo to prevent gatherings. Call them to find out if they will resume the promotion soon.

Menu

Takada Grill & Bar
Tanjong Pagar Centre #01-12, 5 Wallich Street, Singapore 078883
t: +65 6241 1030
M – F 10.30am – 10.30pm
Sat 3pm – 10.30pm
Closed Sun & Ph
facebook