As a Japanese person living in Singapore, I find that one of the most frequently-asked questions is, “which restaurant do you recommend for authentic Japanese food?” Not all of the “Japanese” restaurants in town necessarily serve authentic Japanese food – for example, I was surprised to find cucumber tempura and fried chicken-teriyaki (I believe it’s a similar picture for the cuisine of other countries, not just Japan!).
While there are several Japanese restaurants run by Japanese chefs and their dishes are great, they’re often quite expensive. So I rarely go to those restaurants, and I hesitate to casually recommend to others.
Hamburger steak cooked exactly how the Japanese love it
That said, there is one exception. Steak & Hamburg MASA. They serve Japanese Wagyu as grilled steak and hamburger steak. There are two specialty worthy trying here – Japanese hamburger steak and yukke (raw beef topped with an egg yolk). Sure, neither of these originally hails from Japan – hamburger steak comes from Germany and yukke is from Korea; however, they are both quite popular and routinely cooked in Japan. Hamburger steak especially, as a patty of ground beef, while not exactly Japanese food, is very popular for both cooking at home and as a premium dish at fine dining restaurant in Japan.
It’s normal to see it served with a special sauce made according to a mother’s or chef’s secret recipe, for it to comes with special toppings such as cheese or a half-cooked egg, and stuffed with a surprise such as melted cheese or avocado. Japanese people enjoy hamburger steaks with the surface grilled a beautiful brown color and the meat tender inside, the juices flowing out when cut with a knife. This type of hamburger steak is exactly what you can expect at MASA. Order the MASA Hamburg Steak with the “MASA Original Sauce.” As you put the sauce over the patty, the sizzling sound as it touches the hot plate will surely fire up your appetite!
Because the quality of the meat and the way they grill it are so amazing, it’s the best to enjoy the hamburger steak plain to start. However, if you visit several times, it’s also a good idea to try it with a topping, such as cheese and egg.
They also serve wagyu steak & grills of various cuts of beef. However, I strongly recommend trying their hamburger on your first visit.
Must-try appetizer – yukke
Another speciality at MASA is their yukke – seasoned raw beef topped with an egg yolk. Sadly, the tighten regulations to prevent food poisoning from raw beef means that, yukke has become quite expensive in Japan, and it’s difficult to find a restaurant that serves it. However, you can always find quality yukke here. The meat is quite sweet, and the sauce brings out the sweetness further, with the long green onion and sesame perfectly setting off the sweetness from the sauce and the egg yolk. The idea is to mix it first, then eat it. Cooked white rice makes an ideal accompanion.
As you’re eating a lot of meat, they also serve several different vegetables for a balanced meal. Try one of their salads or vegetable side. One of their old menu item, which I loved but they no longer serve, is Squid Ink Garlic Fried-rice. I miss it so much! However, even without this particular dish, MASA is still worth visitinf for their hamburgers and yukke made with quality wagyu beef!
Steak & Hamburg MASA: 11 Unity Street #01-03 Robertson Walk Singapore 237995
Getting there: It’s at Robertson Walk, which is 3-5 min walk from Clarke Quay or 5-10 min taxi from Orchard.