Opened in November 2020, Maruhachi Donburi & Curry is a hawker stall which started at Edgefield Plains in Punggol which offers restaurant-quality tonkatsu at very affordable prices. It has since expanded and there are 5 outlets across in Singapore.
The chef-owner is Indonesian-born Singaporean PR August Wijaya, 38 who used to be the head chef of the now-defunct Ginza Bairin—the famous Tokyo-based tonkatsu restaurant at ION Orchard—for almost nine years. Now, you know what that means?
You must try his tonkatsu.
Most of the katsu dishes on Maruhachi’s menu are priced between S$9.80 to S$14.80. They may not be cheap by “hawker standards”, but the quality of the food is very close to what you would get at most of the tonkatsu restaurants in Singapore.
Some of the dishes on Maruhachi’s menu include:
- Pork Katsu Don (S$9.8)
- Oyako Don (S$6.8)
- Tonkatsu Set (S$11.8)
- Black Pig Katsu Set (S$14.8)
- Tonkatsu Curry (S$9.8)
Maruhachi uses premium ingredients including thick-cut tenderloin and fillets of pork from the USA and Canada, while the katsu is breaded in fresh white bread crumbs that are imported from Japan.
With such quality, one would wonder if he is even making money with that kind of prices he is charging!
The Tonkatsu set (S$11.80) comes with a pretty huge slab of tenderloin that is evenly breaded with panko and deep-fried to a beautiful golden brown. Premium Japanese rice is also used, and there is also a side of freshly-shredded cabbage.
Honestly, we have nothing to pick on this straight-forward classic Tonkatsu set. And we would go back for it again and again.
The Pork Katsu Donburi (S$9.80) is also an option to love. With a generous slab of tonkatsu sitting atop a bed of Japanese pearl rice, sweet egg and onions, this donburi is a comforting bowl of happiness that we would enjoy any day of the week.
For the price point, Maruhachi is definitely one tonkatsu place you have to try soon.
It is advisable to go earlier when they open at 11am for lunch and 5pm for dinner to avoid the long queues. The average waiting time during peak hours is at least 30-45 minutes.
Maruhachi Donburi & Curry
671 Edgefield Plains
51 Havelock Road
373 Bukit Batok
429 Jurong West
365 Sembawang Crescent