The Place Located at Robertson Quay, Dashi Master Marusaya is one restaurant which slipped my radar all these years only until recently where I managed to dine in right before circuit breaker kicks in for Singapore. The Japanese restaurant is the flagship restaurant of the Marusaya Group, and has been around for close to six years. The interior of the restaurant reminds me of the old school Japanese restaurant I come across when in Japan, where the dining space is mainly open concept, along with a few private dining rooms.

The Food Dashi Master Marusaya specialises in Shabu-Shabu, and they do offer a few types of Dashi Shabu courses, starting from S$88++ per person depending on what type of meat you opt for. The special Signature Dashi Shabu Course includes a seasonal appetiser, chawanmushi (steamed egg custard), assorted sashimi (3 kinds), seasonal dish, dashi shabu, udon or porridge and dessert.

The Katsuobushi used to prepare the dashi here takes two years to process, and it is good to know that there is no MSG or other artificial seasoning in the dashi broth.

My meal started with some appetisers like the Taberu Katsuobushi (S$15), basically half dried bonito fish jerky which reminds me of cuttlefish; Ohitashi (S$9), where the spinach is blanched with dashi sauce; and the Agedashi Tofu (S$12), deep-fried tofu with dashi sauce. I actually like the dashi sauce in every dish here.

The Dashi Oden (S$20) is another comforting and healthy starter to have, where you get an assortment of vegetables soaked in the clear dashi broth.

On to the main highlight of my meal, the Dashi Shabu. I had the A4 Wagyu Dashi Shabu (S$68 per person) and it also comes with shredded vegetables such as Chinese cabbage, carrot, kale, tang oh, leak, shimeji, shiitake and myoga – Japanese ginger. The beef is relatively tender and well-marbled, served with a few types of sauces to go along with the beef like ponzu sauce. As expected, the dashi broth used is comforting to sip.

After I was done with the meats, there is an option to choose udon or porridge to be cooked in the remaining broth. I opted for porridge, and no regrets! Each grain of the rice soaks up the dashi broth so well, and even though I was already quite filled at this point, I still managed to finish the porridge cooked in the dashi broth.

If you are not a beef eater, the Pork Dashi Shabu is priced at S$48++ per person.

Rants The dining ambience comes across as dated.

Will I Return Again? Not many Shabu-Shabu specialty restaurants focus on its dashi, and Dashi Master Marusaya is a noteworthy Japanese restaurant to experience the Japanese hotpot in Singapore. While the price to enjoy this authentic Japanese shabu-shabu experience is slightly steep, it is not at all surprising in Singapore context with specific reference to Japanese hotpot.

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 4/5
Hole in the pocket: 4/5
Ambience: 3/5
Overall Experience: 4/5

Dashi Master Marusaya
86 Robertson Quay
#01-01 Robertson Blue
Singapore 238245
Tel: +65 6732 0383

Opening Hours
Monday/Wednesday/Thursday/Friday: 12pm to 2:30pm; 5pm to 10:30pm
Tuesday: 12pm to 10:30pm
Saturday/Sunday: 12pm to 10:30pm

Ranted by The Ranter