Everyone loves a good bbq - especially if it's Japanese, you get to sit at a table by the waterfront, and meat is the main dish on the menu! I love Aburiya - the table bbq is wonderful. Savoury pieces of beef, lamb, pork, seafood, mushrooms all waiting to be barbequed over your very own charcoal pit in the middle of the table. The marinades and seasoning used here are definitely right up my alley .... even the salads taste great (which is saying a lot for me!). If you are hoping to get some sushi or sashimi as well, sorry! That's not available here, although there are some special wagyu beef sushi which look interesting! Order up some kimchi fried rice, edamame and sake to go along with the bbq, and you will go home happy.

I haven't been to Aburiya in a few months and approached with some apprehension, afraid that standards may have gone down and I would leave with great disappointment. After all, I count it as one of my favorite restaurants in Singapore.

I'm happy to say that Aburiya is still firmly entrenched within my Top 5 list. Great meal yesterday!

I have always found the meat at Aburiya to be well marinated and flavorful (I usually take it done in shio). The cuts are good - not like the mince meat-like nonsense that is served at some places. My favorite is really karubi - it has just the right amount of fat and portions of it crisp nicely when grilled. Hmm....I think Aburiya is also about the only place that I eat strange things like beef cheek and tongue.

The garlic fried rice is great as a carbo for the meal. I also usually take the karubi soup - try it! I bet most people overlook it in the menu, but the spicy and almost Korean-tasting soup really does add an interesting dimension to your meal. The pieces of meat floating in the soup are little bonuses - how can meat be so tasty??

Aburiya and its divine grilled wagyu! Yes, this is the way wagyu is meant to be eaten. Sliced into thick cubes, lightly seasoned with salt and gently seared on each side. The result is buttery, aromatic, char-grilled heaven, the kind that makes you close your eyes and go, "Mmmmmmhhh!"

Most people already know about this place - it's packed on weekends. Aburiya is a Japanese charcoal grill restaurant that lets you BBQ your own meats.

If you come to Aburiya and eat only one thing - make it the wagyu ribeye. Unfortunately the price has gone up quite a bit - from S$17.90 the last time to about S$25. Ah sigh. But it's still worth it. The jo karubi is not bad either. Tender and tasty. Just don't order the harami (outside skirt - very tough meat).

Of course, they have many other cuts (tongue, loin, karubi, innards) in addition to various kinds of meat - pork, lamb, seafood, duck, chicken - plus vegetables and rice (you must try the onigiri). On top of that you frequently get a choice of different sauces/seasoning - shio (salt), tare (BBQ), wasabi shoyu, miso, etc.

The other outstanding thing about Aburiya is the service. So far in all my visits, their staff have been very gracious, humble and attentive. The atmosphere is invitingly casual, you can choose to dine indoors or al fresco.

More photos of the food here.

Recommended by fussy Japanese food lovers (who are constantly in search of authentic Japanese food in Singapore), Aburiya has turned into my all time favourite restaurant in Singapore.

Never fails me. If the Japanese frequent it, it can't be bad.

Food.
The cuts of meat are pricey but divine. Believe me when I say people will pay for good meat. I often have the beef tongue and pork belly - both just melts in your mouth like a marshmallow (allow me to be overly dramatic).

Must have: The S$2/bowl of well cooked Japanese rice. Trust me. It's heavenly. You'll taste the difference.

Aburiya has a wide variety of meat, vegetables, salads and side orders to choose from.
The bilingual (English & Japanese) menu offers pictures that do not deceive.

Ambience and Service
As the dining area is small, the service is quite pleasant. Staff are ready when you need them, and not in your face all the time. Try to get a table indoors. The fans outside tends to blow the smoke in your clothes, and you end up smelling like grilled meat after dinner.

If you're looking for BBQ beef, you gotta try this.

The meat are marinated a number of ways. Try the "Shio" version. It's only lightly marinated, which allows the aroma and taste of the beef to truly stand out.

The meat is served in slices; not too thick as to make it chewy (as long as you don't overcook it), and not too thin that it'll start breaking up as you flip it over the grill. In other words, basically a no-brainer cooking the morsel, and it's tasty too! Oh, don't forget to ask for special sauces (not those on the table) to go with the meat. Honestly though, they should have served them with the meat in the first place...

We ordered beer for drinks while we're there. Can't think of anything else that'll go with BBQ meat. I think it's an Ozzie thing... But it really went down superbly with the food.

The spinach salad is good and fairly generous, and a nice complement to the otherwise heavy, meaty fair. Of course, if you ask a true blue Ozzie, he/she'll say you're not drinking enough beer...

Some gripes: service can be a bit slow sometimes. They look a bit short-handed. For the price I paid, I wish they have more beef slices per serving. But then again, for S$30+ per pax you'll get a pretty full meal.