Multi-concept Japanese eatery to open at Suntec City

A new draw for lovers of Japanese food is coming up at Suntec City.

Eat At Seven, opening by the end of the month, is a 12,489 sq ft space on Level 3 of Suntec City which will house seven Japanese restaurants.

This 600-seat multi-concept restaurant is run by Global Retail Partners, which comprises Komars Group that operates the Ramen Champion chain and ANA Trading, the trading arm of Japanese airline All Nippon Airways.

Eat At Seven's founder is Mr Andrew Tan, 54, owner of Tomo F&B, which runs Tomo Izakaya.

Enbu, a warayaki and charcoal grill izakaya, opens by the end of the month. Warayaki is a traditional cooking method with roots in Kochi prefecture on Shikoku island. Food is grilled over straw on a charcoal grill, infusing the ingredients with a smoky aroma.

Three other restaurants will open next month - Megumi, NikuNoHi and Nigiro Cafe.

Megumi in Japan is located at the Miura Misaki harbour in Kanagawa prefecture, known for its fresh maguro, or tuna. The restaurant has its own fleet of fishing trawlers and the fish will be flown directly to Singapore.

Nigiro Cafe, as well as NikuNoHi, are both headed by chef Kensuke Sakai, who started out as a food-cart operator and was the youngest challenger, at age 26, to have competed on reality cooking-competition show Iron Chef.

The more casual Nigiro Cafe serves Japanese-Italian cuisine, while NikuNoHi specialises in choice cuts of premium meats. Signature dishes include gyu don and foie gras salad.

The last three restaurants will open by the fourth quarter of the year.

Calling the concepts chosen "recession-proof", Mr Tan, Eat At Seven's director, says: "The offerings are affordable and each concept boasts a strong reputation in Japan.

"Japanese cuisine has long been popular in Singapore and now Singaporeans can enjoy it all in one place."

This article was first published on June 4, 2015.
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