Fukuda ふく田 @ Cuppage

I was helping Princess with her photography project in Orchard till late, and we went over to the little Japanese enclave at Cuppage. My new favourite izakaya in Orchard Plaza was full so we went to this hole-in-the-wall yakitori place next door.

Fukuda ふく田 is an authentic Japanese yakitori-ya run by Chef/Owner Eric Kawasaki, who has dedicated 30 over years of his life grilling chicken skewers. The whole place is operated by him and his superwoman assistant who prepared all the appetisers and other dishes.

A la carte is available after 10pm, but the omakase is really what we are after.

前菜5種 5 Kinds Appetiser

There were already four of them on one plate. From right, サーモンの醤油卵黄のせ salmon marinated with shoyu egg yolk was a winner right off the bat. The creamy yolk coated gave the normal salmon that “wow” factor. Next, 雲丹のせクリームチーズ豆腐 Nara-zuke cream cheese tofu topped with sea urchin was a crowd-pleaser, and I never thought Philadelphia went well with tofu. And then 鶏レバーのパテ chicken liver pate (on a cracker) was OK, very rich and powerful taste balanced with balsamic vinegar reduction. The last one was a seasonal special, the skirting of the scallops in sesame oil dressing, tasted like it came from Don Don Donki.

After the first four small bites, the fifth appetiser was a filling bowl of shredded chicken with goma (sesame) ponzu sauce. Again, the sauce tasted like the ones you get in supermarkets, but the concept was really delicious which gave me ideas for my next BBQ at home.

串10種 Omakase Kushi 10 Kinds

The skewers came fast and furious even though it was full house and there was only one guy at the stove. The pace was a bit too fast for my liking, but Princess and I were hungry so we didn’t care. Most of the skewers were OK, nothing really stood out as exception until the tsukune.

自家製つくね Tsukune (Chicken Hamburg)

The tsukune was on point with the raw egg yolk. A good mix of crunchy bits and minced chicken, it would be perfect if it was slightly bigger.

砂肝サラダ Chicken Gizzard Salad

The gizzards were grilled and then put into the salad. This and the zucchini that followed were the only greens in the omakase. I wished there were more vegetables in the omakase. The gizzards were not grilled well, tasted like boiled.

御食事 Small Rice Bowl With Soup

After all the skewers (and the a la carte ones) were served, it was time to round up the dinner with a rice bowl and soup.

そぼろ丼 Minced Chicken Rice Bowl

Soboro-don そぼろ丼 is minced chicken on rice and you have a choice for it to come with egg or no egg. I wanted to taste the original chicken flavours, so I opted out on the egg (which will turn it into a donburi). It did not disappoint with its sweet and savoury seasoning.

鶏出汁 Chicken Consomme

The chicken clear soup was rich in collagen (which left a sticky mouthfeel) but super light with very little savouriness. I didn’t like the strong ginger taste but was happy how generous they were with the white part of the scallions.

甘味 Ice Cream

They had only two choices – either the yuzu or black sesame. We took one each, and Princess preferred the yuzu while I liked the black sesame. That’s why we never fight over dessert.

アラカルト A la Carte

We were never satisfied with only the yakitori from the omakase and usually added a few more of our favourite items.

The only one that disappointed was the gyutan (cow’s tongue). It was described as thick cuts , but it turned out to be quite thinly sliced.

There’s no privacy whatsoever given the tight space in the restaurant. They have two seatings, and reservation (via WhatsApp) is a must to get seats for the seatings. I recommend to go for the second seating if you want to stick around for more a la carte orders and drinks. Overall, it was a cosy place that reminded me of those back alley yakitori-ya in Akasaka. But the standard of the yakitori was not on part with Mitchy’s just across the street.

Fukuda Yakitori Dining Singapore 鷄匠ふく田
150 Orchard Road #01-39 Orchard Plaza, Singapore 238841
Tel : +65 9119 3760

Visited Jul 2024