Singaporeans’ love for Japanese food is pretty evident and it doesn’t come as a surprise because we often see long queue lines forming outside Singapore’s top Japanese restaurants. Recently, we stumbled upon IZA, a newly-opened Izakaya Bar in the charming Siglap neighbourhood and we totally fell in love with it.
Open daily from 6 pm till 1 am, IZA offers a casual and unpretentious Japanese-styled bar and restaurant that serves affordable kushiyaki fare and drinks amidst a homey but yet modern ambience.
Designed with plenty of group seating that is perfect for families and communal dining, you can let your hair down, bond and celebrate the day over drinks and an amazingly wallet-friendly food menu.
When we were there, we tried 3 of their new and innovative creations that happen to be the crowd favourites and we were told that they sell out pretty quickly each night.
Four-Ton Chawanmushi $4.50***
The only one-of-its-kind in Singapore, the Four-Ton Chawanmushi integrates a blend of century egg, salted egg, quail egg and the traditional chicken egg into an indulgent, steamed four-egg delight.
Fresh Whole Seabass with Home-made Chilli $28***
We definitely enjoyed this one. Oven-baked fresh whole Seabass perfectly complemented with home-made Chilli. This dish has the Sambal Chilli Stringray kind of ‘feel’ that we usually get from East Coast Lagoon Food Village.
Otah Tamago $6.90
Otah Tamago which combines Japanese-rolled omelette with fragrant Otah from Muar. The Otah has certainly overpowered the Tamago. We wonder if IZA is up for an even more quirky kind of local creation like Chicken Rice Tamago?
We also had other delectable dishes such as:
Table Treats
- Grilled Oysters, 3 Pieces ($12)***
- Grilled Avocado ($5.00)
- Grilled Pineapple ($2.00)***
- Stuffed Taupok Special, 1 Piece ($3.00)
- Deep Fried Chicken Soft-Bone ($6.00)
Skewers
- Fresh Prawns ($3.50)***
- Hand-made Chicken & Pork Meatball ($3.50)***
- Chicken Mid-Joint ($1.90)***
- Bacon Wrapped Lychee ($2.80)***
- Lady’s Finger ($1.90)***
Carbs
- Hae Bee Hiam Spaghetti ($11.90)***
***must-try dishes!
We probably don’t have to tell you how good the food is because it is seriously damn good. You just got to try it for yourself to believe.
What We LOVE About IZA
Wallet-Friendly Food & Beverage Menu
For the fresh and tasty food that patrons are getting, the prices are seriously very affordable and furthermore, there’s no service charge unlike most other dining establishments in Singapore. This thus makes IZA an ideal dining place for couples who are on a budget.
Wide Selection of Alcoholic Beverages Including Japanese Craft Beers & Sakes
There’s a wide selection of alcoholic beverages that IZA serves and they include Japanese Craft Beers like Coedo Beniaka (best paired with meat) and Coedo Shiro (best paired with seafood and vegetables). For Sake, IZA serves the Tengumai Junmai Daiginjo and Fudoh Special Junmai.
Warm and Welcoming Service Staff & Ambience
The service staff were really attentive and responsive to our needs. Needless to say, it was such a pleasant dining experience that we will definitely be back for more. The best part of the dining experience? You won’t leave smelling like a grill after dining at IZA!
IZA
695 East Coast Road
Singapore 459059
Opens daily from 6 pm to 1 am
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iza.bar.siglap/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iza.bar.siglap/
For those who are new to the Japanese food culture, here are some definitions of commonly-used Japanese food terms:
Izakaya: a type of informal Japanese gastropub where a variety of dishes and snacks are served to accompany alcoholic drinks.
Chawanmushi: egg custard dish
Kushiyaki: grilled meat or vegetables on a skewer
Kushiage: fried meat or vegetables on a skewer
Sake: Japanese rice wine
Yakitori: grilled skewered chicken
Yakiton: grilled skewered pork
