we went on a recommendation from a japanese friend as well as good hgw reviews.
we had fantastic melt in your mouth salmon sashimi, decent tuna sashimi, followed by very good mushroom tempura, the infamous wafu steak (excellent - its a must-have), another veg dish and some rice.
the food is very good value and quality for the price $94 incl 1 asahi for 2 people. probably the best japanese food at this price point in town.

the setting is mixed - we made the mistake of booking outside, where they had a big screen with a japanese movie playing about football (???) as well as fairly loud music. in addition at their own bar 10 yards away they have different music playing - add to that music from other bars and its WAY too loud. come on management at least kill the ridiculous tv screen and turn the music down. eat outside at your peril.

there were tons of mostly japanese staff for that authentic touch - too bad they couldn't bring the food in the order we asked for it. this took the edge off a good evening as we ended up sending 2 main courses back that they served before the sashimi and so we got food in dribs and drabs - they also swooped in to clear plates as soon as the last mouthful was in your mouth. i hate this, especially when the place is 60% full (see my suburbia review where they do the same thing).

go there for the great food but the experience was so-so - management this could be really good if you did some simple things right. until then i won't be back.

I first came to know about En about 6-7 years ago when it was a niche Japanese resto/bar. Today, true to its original form, it is still unpretentious and good quality Japanese food in Singapore. In the last year or so, my boyfriend and I have been a regular fixture at the restaurant every week (mostly Saturdays). It is like an internal body clock that just tells you "It is En time!" and we look forward to it.

The best dishes throughout the year for us -
- Garlic fry rice
- Wafu steak
- Gyutan (grilled beef tongue)
- Wafu Spaghetti
- Any special sashimi - like the current Aji Sashimi which is a whole fish that you can eat the raw sashimi, then they can take the remaining bones and deep fry it
- the fried stuff are good too - like chicken karage or deep fried oysters

A meal for 2 of us usually cost around $80-100 depending on sake/beer consumption. Another worthy note is that the food prices have not changed in the last 2 years despite rising commodity prices! (I hope I don't jinx it with that comment and they up the prices)

The only downside is this place is so well loved that they don't need to offer any credit card discounts or even have any loyalty program. We calculated that we easily have spent close to $5,000 at En last year with no added benefits. But we shall continue to spend such amount despite current market conditions and have opt to cut cost in other ways, but will never trade down our En!

En was actually my alternative to dining at ma maison which only took 3 reservations per day and it was full when i called :S Yet, im so glad that i went to En instead for my 21st birthday dinner with the bf (gb).

I’ve walked past the place many times before during the day but never knew that was actually En. It’s located opposite 'double O' and there are 3 separate 'segments' connected to each other. The two main ones are the dining bar which is quite noisy (extreme left outlet) and the cosier indoor area (middle outlet) which i went to. You can also dine outdoors but its quite stuffy even at night because the day was a Friday night so it was really quite crowded so the air was really quite suffocating so if you can, book a table inside for the aircon !

With regards to the food, normally I’m not a big fan of raw food but the RAW BEEF SALAD with sour sauce blew me away. It actually does not taste raw but somewhat smoked? Moreover, it’s very thinly sliced and easy to chew vs. those kind where no matter how long/hard you chew, its still one big lump. Gb and i ordered the half portion ($9) while you can eat the bigger one for $13.

The SOFT SHELL CRABS were interesting - they're basically tiny individual crabs fried and eaten with the same sour sauce that came with the beef salad. I just wished they would serve more for the price of $13 but it was not swimming in oil and adequately crispy.

Next, we ordered the GRILLED MEATBALLS WITH EGG YOLK $9 (but i still prefer the one from gallery hotel). These were bigger in size and inside you'll find tiny black sesame seeds. It also had a slight peppery taste to it but I was not raving about it cuz every bite i took - i could not help but think about the gallery hotel one.

We also ordered the THIN PANCAKE WITH LEEK and TUNA SHAVINGS - the pancake tasted abit like THOSAI ! Haha that was quite funny but it’s actually leek. So it had this sour taste to it but the brown sauce and the tuna shavings on top takes it away most of the time.

The BEST DISH OF THE WHOLE NIGHT had to be the fried rice (with eel). Every spoonfull was a hit - the small eel bits are so subtle yet you can taste its essence throughout the fried rice. So my $13 was well spent with absolutely no regrets – I dare say it’s the best fried rice I’ve eaten and I rather have this over the typical ‘chinese’ ones anytime.

To sum up the whole meal, we ordered this Okinawa soup soba ($7.50) – there is actually the large version that costs $3 more but we were too full so we settled for the small one. The broth was really wholesome and traditional, the soba isn’t your normal zaru or cha soba – its actually thin flat UDON. The dish comes with a few fishcakes and a slice of pork.

Finally, we had the sesame paste and GREEN TEA PENNA COTTA for desert instead of my usual GREEN TEA ICE and my oh my – the penna cotta was SOOOO SMOOTH like TAU HUAY ! I could have eaten 3 more portions in fact so I’m all for that desert.

The good thing about this place is a. it opens till late and you can even hop over to ‘double O’ after your food has digested but don’t forget to make reservations (I made mine 2.5 days in advance) as it can get crowded on the weekend dinner/late nights.

[pictures coming soon]

Sitting with an old friend, sipping a glass of Umeshu on the rocks, you pick on bold flavoured plates of Japanese tapas in between. Like a comfortable old friend, the ambience is inviting and the food is a combination of rustic homestyle and light contemporary Japanese fare. En is a little gem concepted from the owner's hometown in Okinawa. Not many restaurants in Singapore can survive the intense competition. En is like a strong pillar that still stands in the now much quieter Mohamed Sultant area. Every evening, a bustling crowd gathers at En for beer, food and conversation. Their customers never stop coming, just like an old friend returning to their favourite familiar haunt. The Japanese knows places that are not authentic so seeing them is a stamp of endorsement. I have had many dinners there accompanied with smooth sake, plum wine or ice cold beer. It is not your sushi tei with the usual expected fare. You won't find live lobster sashimi or a sashimi boat extravaganza here. Menu favourites include stuff chicken wings with gyoza, a melt in your mouth pork belly stew, Hamachi Carpaccio salad and fried rice with Unagi. All wonderful tapas style dishes in large portions to go with their wide range of sake. The menu favourites are always executed with such consistency and remained faithful over the years. Most of En's clients like the casual alfresco dining concept with food that is not fussy. Over the years it has gained a firm reputation among the Japanese expatriates and locals alike.

A modern Japanese dining bar well known for its signatured Okinawa cuisine, Yakitori-ya and wide variety of appetisers and dishes, En Japanese Dining Bar carries a wide range of Sake, Beer and other alcoholic drinks in their menu as they are Izakaya-styled, or 居酒屋.

Because of the difference in culture, climate and vegetables, the Okinawan cuisine is very different from the mainland Japanese cuisine. Since Okinawans traditionally practiced Shamanistic religion and not Buddhism, pork formed part of the Okinawan diet while people on the main Japanese islands did not eat much meat until the mid-19th century.

As such, one gets to amuse himself with delicious Enoki Bacon Yakitori ($7.00), where nicely grilled bacon was wrapped around a thick bunch of Enoki Mushrooms that was so juicy when chomped.

Another enjoyable appetiser dish was that of the Japanese Styled Beef Carpaccio ($9.00 for half size), consisting of Thinly Sliced Raw Beef topped with Sliced Onions, Spring Onions and Sour Soya Sauce. It was a great harmony between the meat and the intense flavours of the toppings and sauce – a guaranteed satisfaction for all beef lovers!

Having seen prices of their sashimi gone up and slices of their fishes became thinner, I ordered the Imaiyu Salad ($15.00) for my sashimi fix instead. A Fresh Sashimi Salad with Special Blended Vegetable Dressing, chunks of Tuna and Salmon, among others, were scattered copiously within the purple lettuce, rocket and other vegetables. A generous dash of Tobiko also gave it an additional smoky/salty edge to it.

I don’t remembered En having an extensive Sushi menu when I last went but it seemed that they had a shift from the Okinawa cuisine and decided to cater more to their customers from the main stream. Bored of the usual Salmon Belly Sushi, I decided to go Aburi ($3.00 each) instead and have it slightly seared. By doing that it rapidly heats the fat and made the salmon belly creamier and invoked it’s flavour. One also got to enjoy the omega fats trickling down into the sushi rice rendering it tangier.

If all else fail and one is still hungry, that’s where the Unagi Fried Rice ($13.00) comes in. Although slightly greasier than the normal sort, the Smoked Eel brought to the rice a sweeter, and intense fragrance. Generous chunks of eel were graciously mingled over the rice and the serving is more than enough for two.

By and large HFB have to declare that En Japanese Dining Bar is one of his favourite Jap dining restaurant for the value one gets.

You can view the all photos here.