The Place I miss Kyushu region in Japan, having gone back to Fukuoka twice in a year during summer and winter. The food in Kyushu is a big draw for me, I confess; Horse Sashimi, Kagoshima Wagyu Beef, Miyazaki Wagyu Beef, Tonkotsu Ramen, not to mention the Kaiseki meals at the Ryokans. Mizutaki, another famous export of Kyushu, is a hotpot style of using high collagen Chicken soup base to cook Chicken and other ingredients. When I knew that there is a Mizutaki restaurant in Singapore along Bukit Timah road, it didn’t take me too long to check out Torikin. Located in the nondescript Crown Centre building, the restaurant is not big, split into the bar seats, Japanese style communal rooms, normal dining tables and outdoor seats. I would recommend making a reservation if you do not want to end up sitting at the warm outdoor area with the background traffic noise of the busy Bukit Timah road.

The Food I zoomed in to the Mazutaki on the menu, which has various sizes to suit different party size. For two, go for the small Mizutaki ($70) which comes with vegetable sides as well. I was initially disappointed that Torikin doesn’t use Chicken from Japan, but rather Sakura Chickens from Malaysia which the staff explained has the closest resemblance in taste to the Kyushu version.

There are a few steps to enjoy the Mizutaki, which the staff will render their assistance. I had the chicken collagen soup in its pure form first after around seven hours of cooking. While the taste of the soup was not as rich as the version I had in Hakata, it was comforting enough to make me feel gratified.

Next, I had the cooked chicken and drizzled with some ponzu sauce (Japanese citrus vinegar), which went well with the chicken meat.

The vegetable and chicken minced meat were then added to the hot pot, including mushrooms, tofu, cabbage and vermicelli.

After soaking so much meat and vegetables in the collagen soup, it is usually not the Japanese style to waste the remaining soup in the pot. Hence the staff added rice and egg into the rich collagen soup to make porridge, which was so tasty.

If you are still not full from the hotpot, I would recommend trying the Miyazaki Chicken Nanban ($14), fried chicken drizzled in mayo sauce.

Rants Prices are not cheap at Torikin, especially the Mizutaki. That said, there is definitely some price to pay for a pseudo Mizutaki experience in Singapore, and this is probably the closest experience I can get.

Will I return again? By Singapore service standards, the professional service at Torikin made it a very pleasant dining experience for me. To all who love Japanese cuisine and especially Hakata style Mizutaki, there is probably nowhere else in Singapore to experience such authentic dining experience. Do let me know if I am missing out on something, much thanks in advance!

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 4/5
Hole in the pocket: 4/5
Ambience: 3.5/5
Overall Experience: 4/5

Torikin
#01-14/16 Crown Centre
557 Bukit Timah Road
Singapore 269694
Tel: +65 6465 5908

Opening Hours:
Mon – Fri: 6pm – 11pm
Sat – Sun: 12pm – 3pm; 6pm – 11pm