The Place I love yakiniku and I checked out Yakiniquest in Mandarin Gallery recently. The Japanese restaurant has been around for eight years and was previously in Boat Quay, before it shifted to Mandarin Gallery along Orchard Road early this year. Located on level four of the mall, Yakiniquest is run by husband-and-wife duo Suguru Ishida and his wife, Tomoko, where the contemporary space comes with four private rooms.  

The Food The menu is omakase style where prices start from S$88++ for lunch. I had the dinner Omakase Classic Menu (S$138++), where you can expect a series of beef courses and various cuts of beef for grilling. I like that each table comes with ceramic charcoal gas stoves which is pretty much odourless.  

The Omakase Classic menu started with the Tail Soup Chawanmushi. 

The next course is the 3 Kinds of Wagyu Appetiser where I was served a wagyu egg omelette, wagyu ribeye sashimi and a beef tongue oden. I like how the beef is incoporated into each mini appetiser here to give a sense of the flavours to expect for the rest of the meal.   

I then had the Signature “Niku Somen” which is an interesting showcase of striploin cut into somen shapes. Imagine eating “beef” noodles, where the beef here is very well-marbled.  

On to the highlight of the meal which is the grilled meats, one noteworthy mention is that the beef used at Yakiniquest are all from Miyazaki, with the exception of the beef tongue which is from Australia. This omakase menu comes with “Grill Beef 7 Premium Cuts”, which is approximately180-220g of beef in total. 

This is the series of beef cuts I had: 

Hire & Jo Tan  
Both cuts are seasoned with salt and pepper, and I find the Jo Tan quite flavourful, which is the back portion of the beef tongue.  

I was then served a bowl of Japanese Salad, which is a good balance on the palate from the first series of meats.  

Rump  
The rump cute is grilled to a medium-rare texture, though being the rump, it is not as tender and flavourful as the rest of the cuts I had.  

Nakaochi  
This is a part of the ribeye and is grilled to a more charred texture as compared to the rump. It is extremely well-marbled and high in fats, which gives it a very tender texture. One of my favourite cuts on the menu.  

Asazuke  
I was then served with a palate cleanser at this juncture of the meal. 

Signature “Yakisuki” 
This is the centre of sirloin and is a specially seasoned premium cut of meat. It is presented in a sukiyaki-style, where you dip the grilled meat into the raw egg. Expect a very flavourful beef taste and it is amazing with the egg.  

Kaburi  
Down to the last two cuts of meats and the kaburi is the top section of the ribeye where the marbling is lovely.  

Ribu Shin  
The last cut I had was the ribu shin which is the centre cut of the ribeye. This is a flavourful and very well-marbled cut to conclude the grilled meats course. I could definitely still handle another slice of it.

The last savoury dish is a choice between the Beef Curry Rice or the Cold Noodle. 

For dessert, there are various ice-cream flavours to choose from and I do recommend the Black Sesame or Red Bean flavour. 

Rants The dining space is quite open concept in layout so there is not much privacy. 

Will I Return Again? The meats at Yakiniquest are of high quality and I enjoyed my yakiniku experience. The staff is also more than happy to help you grill your meats, so you can really sit back and relax. Give this a try if you love yakiniku.  

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

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

Yakiniquest 
333A Orchard Road 
#04-08/09/10 Mandarin Gallery  
Singapore 238897 
Tel: +65 62234129 

Opening Hours 
Monday to Sunday: 12.00pm to 3.00pm; 6:00pm to 10.30pm  

Ranted by The Ranter