Barbecue Japanese Style At Kuuraku

Always bustling with energy and packed to the rafters with in-the-know locals, Kuuraku is a refreshing new take on Japanese food, and is perfect for taking your food vocabulary beyond sushi and tempura. Traditional low seating, dim lighting and a very expansive menu add to the experience, and the large booze menu on offer further helps you lighten up.

This place is all about the grilling, so start straight with the skewers. The grilled eggplant is smoky and melts in the mouth, and almost emerges a winner despite a slew of chicken and pork sticks. The potato salad with smoked egg is classic comfort food, and pairs well with whatever you order. The grilled pork belly is outstanding, too.

Kuuraku offers large delicious drinks, so be prepared to have a boozy evening. You can play their drinking game called JAN-KEN-PON {which is essentially rock paper scissors}, and if you win, you can get your drink upgraded to super large. I’d recommend the Whiskey Highball, as it complements the grills beautifully.

The place destroys the whole notion of a Japanese dining experience by being staid and formal, as it offers a lot of fun and games to keep you going. Also, the menu is fairly liberal with vegetarian options, which can always be a concern with Asian restaurants.

The service needs a bit of improvement; I wasn’t impressed with the hapless servers who weren’t too well versed with the menu.

Go early for dinner! The service and the availability of the entire menu is a question mark post 9pm, so arrive before that for a more relaxed and enjoyable experience.

They have a cool loyalty programme that starts doling out freebies to you after your first few trips, just ask the host for a free card. Also, sit downstairs if you want to see the grill master in action, and make a reservation if you’re planning to go over the weekend.