The Modern Izakaya is located in the heart of the city at CHIJMES, just within reach from City Hall, Esplanade and Bras Basah area. So you can expect the area to be filled with people coming in search of a drink with such a central location.
With a nice neon blue lighting, it gives off a cosy and tranquil vibe. The ambience at The Modern Izakaya is casual, making it a great place to catch a drink with friends. They offer a large variety of food ranging from yakitori, maki, sushi and even mains like dons and noodles.
Mixed Platter ($36++)
We decided to grab one of their specialty yakitori platters and ordered the mixed platter. The yakitori here were nicely grilled and marinated well, being appropriate for snacks at a bar.
The beef yakitori was especially juicy and tender and had a nice savoury mouthfeel with each bite. The quail egg was the most interesting with a well marinated outer layer and a light and creamy yolk, having slight similarities to ramen eggs.
Chicken Karaage ($12++)
The karaage was decent, with the chicken itself being tender and juicy. However, with it looking nicely fried, we had expected more of a crisp on the outside which made this a little of a disappointment.
Minced Chicken ($4++/skewer)
The minced chicken was meaty and tender, it captured the sweet and savoury yakitori flavour that suited our taste. The skewers however came shaped like meatballs which surprised us considering it looked really different in the menu compared to this.
Tempura Maki ($12++)
The tempura maki had a tempura prawn within and was a great mixture that paired prawn, sushi and vegetables into a well balanced taste. While it looked simple, it had a different taste profile compared to the usual tempura makis that were found elsewhere.
Hotate Miso Maki ($18++)
The hotate miso maki looked really impressive and interesting, leaving us with high expectations for the dish. It however turned out to be the biggest disappointment of the night.
The spicy miso sauce was strong and overpowered the taste of the whole maki, leaving no taste of the scallop saffron, roe and other ingredients. The strong overpowering taste kept the whole maki from being much of an experience and reduced the dish to just a spicy tasting maki.
Bara Chirashi ($25++)
The bara chirashi came with large cubes of sashimi, crabsticks, egg and scallop. It had nice and fluffy soft Japanese rice that went well with the sashimi cubes. While the sashimi slices were nicely portioned, the sashimi could have been marinated more to provide more contrast between the flavours of the different ingredients.
Wagyu Brisket ($22++)
The wagyu brisket was soft and tender with a light texture that befits wagyu. The soup had a strong beef taste that went well with the other ingredients. However, in comparison to the other dishes at the modern izakaya, you might want to give a pass on this one.
Nanbubijin Junmai Daiginjo Sake 700ml ($108++)
We ordered a 700ml bottle of sake based on the staff recommendation and it was perfect, being slightly sweet and light whilst also being smooth. With a polishing rate of 50%, it had a warm finish that did not feel dry which went well with the food we had.
Assorted Dishes
While we ordered many dishes, we didn’t order the dish that the staff recommended which they mentioned was also one of their best selling dishes. The recommended dish was Aburi Spicy Tuna Maki, so you may consider ordering that.
They seem to have an interesting take on their different maki types and we’d like to be able to try more of their maki. The two maki we had both had an interesting take to it. Only the spicy miso sauce proved to be a disappointment which when removed, seemed to improve the taste of the hotate maki more.
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The Modern Izakaya
Being located in CHIJMES where there’s always lots of people looking for a place to chill at, you can expect The Modern Izakaya to be relatively filled up. Fret not as there are many other options at CHIJMES so you may just drop by CHIJMES to take a look around. If you’re around and you’re unsure of what to order, don’t hesitate to ask the staff around for recommendations.
Price:
Bara Chirashi – $25++
Chicken Karaage – $12++
Hotate Miso Maki – $18++
Mixed Platter – $36++
Nanbubijin Junmai Daiginjo – $108++
Tempura Maki – $12++
Wagyu Brisket – $22++
Minced Chicken – $4++/skewer
The Modern Izakaya
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📍 30 Victoria Street, CHIJMES, #01-18, Singapore 187996
🕒 12pm–10.30pm (Daily)
