The Place Opened a year ago, I checked out Sake Labo recently, a modern Japanese izakaya concept along Stanley Street which specialises in Japas (Japanese Spanish Tapas) and its namesake, Sake. The space of Sake Labo is contemporary and cosy, mainly split into a private dining area at the mezzanine level and the main dining space with tables and bar seats. There is also a retail section at its entrance where you can pick up sake bottles.

The Food The dishes are mostly tapas style and are curated to go well with the wide range of sake available. I started with the addictive OFC (S$12) aka Our Fried Chicken which comes with sazon mayo dip and furikake. The interesting bit on the menu is that it stated that if you do not like it, you don’t have to pay. Not sure if it was meant to be a joke, but this fried chicken is good! Love that crispy batter and juicy meat, along with chef’s special mayo sauce. 

If you are a sake lover, the restaurant has a wide range of sake to choose from.  

Next up was the Tamago Estrellados (S$15), a take on the classic Spanish tapas, and comes with chorizo, egg and potatoes. Served on a hot pan, this is a hearty carb dish great for sharing and goes very well with sake as well. 

Another unique dish I had was the Unagi “Sushi” (S$18), a different take on sushi rice where the grilled unagi is served on a bed of rice crisp. Topped with assorted caviar along with torches Mentaiko sauce, I like the sauce on the unagi which lends its flavourful profile. 

A more substantial dish is the Chilled Truffle Kombu Udon (S$35) topped with ikura, sous-vide egg yolk and crispy Sakura ebi. I love the fine texture of the Inaniwa udon, and it is also good that the truffle taste is not too overpowering. 

The restaurant also opened for lunch recently and serves S$15 udon bowls. I tried the Hae Mee Udon (S$3 supplement) which comes with josper-grilled Kelong jumbo prawns where the flavourful prawn broth is simmered for 6 hours. Hot udon aside, there are also cold udon options for lunch. 

Rants The portions are generally not huge for each dish, so be prepared to order quite a couple of dishes to be filled.

Will I Return Again? The dishes I had at Sake Labo are quite good, and I like that the design of the space deviates from the traditional izakaya vibes. Sake and tapas bites are a perfect wind down combination after work or on weekends and this is a restaurant worth returning. 

This was an invited tasting, though all opinions expressed are our own.

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

Sake Labo 
29 Stanley Street 
Singapore 068738 
Tel: +65 8764 6758 

Opening Hours 
Monday to Saturday: 12pm to 2:30pm; 5pm to 10:30pm  
Closed on Tuesdays & Sundays 

Ranted by The Ranter