Haramiya Japanese BBQ

Ok, this will be a highly contradictory post. Because although they are supposedly a Japanese BBQ restaurant, I opt to call them a... confused BBQ restaurant. But confusion aside. we love their food. We found this place really by roaming through Clarke Quay Central after gym, and settling for this because we were wanting meat, and what better way to satisfy meat craving than a BBQ buffet.

Buffet menu

The reason I call them confused? I'm seeing the standard Korean BBQ food and sides in a JAPANESE BBQ joint. First confusion: spicy bean paste and lettuce for the BBQ meats, kimchi as starters. Whatever happened to edamame, raw cabbage and non-spicy miso paste?

Bean paste chilli, kimchi and lettuce

Then off the cooked food menu comes the next two confusions: bibimbap and kimchi soup. Mainstays of Korean cuisine, in a supposed Japanese restaurant. Contradictions aside, the bibimbap was actually quite yummy. You may be wondering why we ordered rice in a buffet. It's because we came after gym workout and were ravenous! Moreover two person to a bowl of rice wasn't too bad. The kimchi soup was nice too. Warm and mildly spicy, it was pleasant to slurp while waiting for our other food to cook on the grill.

Bibimbap

Kimchi soup

The meats were less confused, although the few I showed here had western influences. Garlic chicken with cheese - we weren't impressed. Kaburi beef with butter garlic - while the Kaburi beef was yum, the butter garlic was forgettable. We did love the scallop though. It grilled beautifully and was sweet and delicious.

Scallop, garlic chicken with cheese

Kaburi with butter garlic

Food not shown included the salmon in foil pack, which ended up very overcooked by the time the accompanying mushrooms were cooked. We really loved the Kaburi beef and Rosa beef. The Kaburi with bone was also nice. These beef didn't dry out into tough pieces after grilling, but retain their tenderness and juiciness. Pork wise we ordered pork toro and Samgyeopsal (Korean sounding again, doesn't it?). Although as far as I'm concerned they both refer to pork belly in different languages, the pork toro came as rectangular slices of well marbled fatty pork, whereas the Samgyeopsal was an entire length of pork belly in its three layers. Weirdest thing is the Samgyeopsal was served on a bed of kimchi. Really? Did they expect me to eat kimchi that had a piece of raw meat sitting on it? Or did they expect me to grill the kimchi? Between the two we preferred the pork toro and spammed it quite a fair bit, as it grills into a very juicy bite. 

Grilling food

We liked their potato with butter. I think we got corn with butter on a separate occasion and liked it too. Their ginger chicken was bland and hopelessly dry. The pumpkin came as slices, which on our first try were too thick and didn't cook through by the time they burnt on the outside. But on a second occasion it was the perfect thickness and cooked nicely.

Potato with butter

We've been there twice, and both times left stuffed and satisfied. They have a 10 items per order rule which they aren't too stringent about. And their grill is the kind with the ventilation vents at the side, so you don't leave smelling like BBQ. Unfortunately our gym had moved to a new place, so chances is we're less likely to be back for post-gym dinners. But I still like it and may just bring my colleagues back.


Haramiya Japanese BBQ
6 Eu Tong Sen Street #03-87

The Central

Singapore 151897

Tel: 6534 9468