Aburi-EN (VivoCity)

Pros: taste ? soft meat on top of soft Japanese rice Cons: small portion even for ladies, won’t make you full unless you order sides. They refused to serve water.

I'm not a great meat eater but when I saw that this restaurant had buta don, I just had to try it. Having had the perfect bowl of buta don many years ago in Obihiro, Hokkaido, I still dream of finding something similar in SG that would make my tastebuds sing and my eyes close. I chose the pork loin buta don at Aburi-EN, hoping it would be lean with a firm bite. But the meat that was served had a slippery texture that made me wonder if the cook had used some sort of chemical tenderiser like sodium bicarbonate. It didn't have that chargrilled flavour, and there were layers of fat on some pieces of pork. The seasoning could have done with some caramelisation but it was just a coating of sauce on meat. Not bad but not good either. Forgettable at best. My daughter had the wagyu beef udon. She tried to like it but couldn't, leaving behind half the meat. The chunks of beef should have been sliced more thinly and seasoned better. The stock didn't taste beefy nor Japanese. Staff were robotic. Maybe they were new, this being the busy holiday season, but please remind them to smile.

Didn't research on this but gave it a try anyway. Glad we did. Grilled pork slices were mostly tender & slightly juicy with some slivers of fat still intact, while the sauce imparted appetizing flavors. Will be back to try other menu items.

At least the fish is fresh. But way too overpriced. Counted exactly 10 thin slices of salmon. Service and communication was so bad. Came at 916pm and the chinese cashier just said theyre closed when i still see empty tables. She made an attempt to communicate in english but later switched to chinese when i asked when are they closing. Infuriating how they just reject customers without considering their needs, and even when the restaurant is far from their closing time. She made no effort to get out of the cashier counter to check the back of the restaurant. I insisted on waiting as there were a few customers who were already done but arent leaving and dilly dallying. I then offered to order and pay my bill at the same time. I was done eating within 15 minutes. Last order is at 930pm. $13.90 for aburi salmon don. It was not torched enough. Wish they bothered to put seaweed flakes to enhance the taste. The wasabi seems very artificial. Total was $16.24 including GST and service charge. Its atrocious how they charge for service yet dont even serve water, and their service sucks. Convert that price its 1483¥, hardly even worth it. As someone who lived in Japan for a few years, one can get better food quality and service for just 550 to 880¥. Unlikely to visit again.

Ordered a grilled fish and the fish was still raw in the center when it was served to us. No apology from the staff at all. They just took the fish and then re-grill it. Kinda ruining the experience where I had to wait for the fish to be grilled again while my rice got cold. Not expecting a 5 star service, but a simple apology and giving a heads up for the customer of what is going to be done next and how long that action will take, would allow the customer to be at peace instead of waiting around for the food which has to be cooked a 2nd round due to the incompetency of the chef. That’s not fair. We all paid the same amount as other customers, why are we being short changed?

Solid place. Didn't manage to take a picture of the Don and Ramen that we ate, cos it was so good and we gobbled it up too quick. Did take a picture of the side dish, charcoal grilled chicken. Super tender and juicy, loved it. Checked past reviews on it, and realised that they have probably improved a lot. Good sign that they listen to feedback and improve! Kudos to the staff on Feb 18, prompt and great service. Food arrived what felt like 3 minutes from ordering, how sick it that? Thanks for the great experience.

Good place to eat if you like Japanese type pork dish. I'm skipping the vegetables but those pork belly was really good! Combined with onsen egg is perfect at the end! If you don't like raw egg yolk, maybe skip the onsen eggs. All order made by QR scan so it's faster. Nice place for alternative Japanese restaurant ??

The services offered by Aburi-En was the best. The service staffs were attentive and accommodating. The two ladies were quick to offer recommendations as I highlighted that it was my first visit. Wow, the food was so yummy that immediately after my meal, I look forward to my next round. This is the place to go for a quick and delicious meal. Thank you!