Isetan Japanese Food Fair Is Back At NEX With Mentaiko Takoyaki, Shine Muscat Tanghulu And More

NEX Food Guide: 21 Places For Tteokbokki, Mochi Buns And More ICMYI: check out last year’s Sakura Matsuri edition ! We began the feast with some Mentaiko Mayo Takoyaki ($9) from Nakayama Shokuhin . Each box comes with six tako balls packed with fresh and chewy octopus, and then topped with mildly spicy mentaiko mayonnaise.

This was a great snack to share with my colleague while we were exploring the fair. As we were getting our takoyaki, the Egg Hashimaki ($6) from the same booth caught our attention.

If you’re not familiar with this Japanese street snack, just think of okonomiyaki wrapped with a pair of chopsticks. We highly recommend this if you’re a fan of this classic sweet-savoury pancakes, packed with lots of cabbage and egg! We then came across the adorable Assorted Japanese Sweets ($6) from Yakimono Club —a booth selling dango and warabi mochi.

A box comes with two dango sticks of your choice. We went with the three-coloured and purple sweet potato dango! The former is your regular Japanese rice dumplings with no filling within, while the latter is a white rice flour ball coated with purple sweet potato.

Here’s another sweet treat for those with a sweet tooth: Fruits Cafe TOKIO is back with their popular crepes. Last year, their Shine Muscat Crepe was a crowd favourite; this year, they are back with the Strawberry Crepe ($12) , a thin crepe brimming with milky cream and fresh Japanese strawberries. Tanghulu made waves on the Internet of late, and so Stone River came through with a selection of candied fruits.

For those working or studying in the area, consider getting the Braised Bento Box ($15.80) from Ijima . The Japanese food fair is held on level one of NEX in front of Baskin Robbins. In Japanese food-related news, read our Beyond the Dough review for Tokyo Neapolitan-style pizza by a Japanese chef in Bugis.

Alternatively, read our guide to the best Serangoon food places for Korean braised spicy chicken and more. Address: 23 Serangoon Central, NEX Atrium Level 1, Singapore 556083 Opening hours: Sun-Thurs 10:30am to 9pm, Fri-Sat 10:30am to 9:30pm Website ISETAN Sakura Matsuri Fair is not a halal-certified fair. 16 Best Serangoon Food Places For Korean Braised Spicy Chicken, Champagne Ribs And More Photos taken by Hor Kia Ee and edited by Melvin Mak.