What To Check Out At Gochi Church Street Japan Kitchen, The Latest Japanese Makan Enclave In Town

With its compact, cream-coloured interiors, this new food enclave doesn’t look very Japanese on the surface — think of it as a humbler, plainer version of Japan Food Town. Occupying the space where Citibank’s drive-through ATM hub used to be, Gochi (short for ‘gochisosama’, which translates to ‘it was quite a feast’ — a term that Japanese people use to express their thanks after a meal) seems more targeted at the office crowd than the avid Japanese foodie. We imagine cubicle rats milling here from nearby office buildings after a long day for a quick bite or after-work drinks. No wonder the place was almost deserted when we dropped by last Saturday evening for dinner. The most interesting openings? An organic fruit ice lolly kiosk and an unagi joint.

#01-02/03 Capital Square, Gochi Church Street Japan Kitchen, 23 Church St, S049481. Tel: 6226-1270. Open Mon-Thu, 7.30am to 11.30pm; Fri, 7.30am to 2am; and Sat-Sun, 11am to 10pm. Last orders Mon-Thu 10.45pm; Fri 1.15am; Sat-Sun 9.15pm. www.pronto.co.jp/global/

This Italian-Japanese casual dining chain founded by a subsidiary of the Suntory Group has a 31-year history and over 330 outlets in Japan alone. Designed to be a café by day and bar by night, it’s the sort of joint you can lounge in from breakfast to after dinner. But take note that table service is only available during the latter – it’s self-service during breakfast and lunch. Like Japan’s Pronto, the one here has rotating menus catering to different times of the day. But Pronto’s fare isn’t exactly the same as in Japan and some items have been tweaked to suit our local palate. The restaurant says the Chicken Nanban ($16) here tastes more like prawn paste chicken, while the Porcini Cream Sauce with Truffle Oil Pasta ($15) does not have truffle oil in its Japan version. The breakfast menu (from $5) has grilled sandwich and croissant sets with coffee or tea. At lunchtime, expect pastas from $11 and salads from $12. There’re also desserts like New York Cheesecake ($6) and Chocolate Truffle Cake ($6), which we didn’t get to try. As dusk falls, the bar menu emerges with a wide selection that includes starters like Salmon & Avocado Tartare ($5), bar bites like Parma Ham Carpet ($14 for full; $10 for half) and Octopus Carpaccio with Shio Koji Dressing ($13), mains like Angus Beef Steak with a choice of 3 sauces ($18), grilled pastas, pizzas, wines, whiskies, sangria, and Suntory draft beer. Particularly noteworthy is the latter, which is dispensed from the eatery’s “Creamy Foam Tap” imported from Japan. The device is supposedly able to deliver a smooth, creamy beer foam in the “golden ratio” of 70:30 (70 percent beer; 30 percent head).

Pronto is the largest joint in Gochi with a seating capacity of 101 (slightly more than half is al fresco). The bar counter greets you on your right the moment you enter Gochi. Although whisky bottles and a highball machine are prominently displayed, the vibe is more neighbourhood café than CBD watering hole. The bar décor jibes with the main seating area — both areas have a homey feel with laminated wood table tops, grey upholstered chairs and green couches. There are even hipster light fixtures and shelves of plants, photo frames, jars and vinyl records in the dining area, not unlike what you’d find at an Ikea showroom. Grab a cosy spot at the sofa seats if you plan to park yourself here for a while.

Brewed at a lower temperature than cold brew coffee (which is brewed at 20°C to 25°C) for over 10 hours, this refreshing java is made using a customised coffee blend. More full-bodied than the typical cold brew, it starts off bitter with a sweet aftertaste. A great energy booster in the middle of a hot day.

As far as draft beers go, it’s quite hard to go wrong with an ice-cold Suntory pilsner. But what makes this really special is the smoother than usual, creamy umami head that complements the crisp, fruity beer.

Clearly suited to the Singaporean palate, this spaghetti number tossed with crab, broccoli and chilli padi was spicier than we’d expected of a Japanese-Italian joint. Only available in Gochi’s Pronto, the crabmeat was substantial but the spice level could have been take down a notch or two. Order this only if you like your pasta fiery.

Served in a cast iron pan, this baked pasta dish comprising tomatoes, mozzarella and tomato sauce is comfortingly scrummy despite its simplicity. We really like the charred bits of cheese-encrusted spaghetti. Reminded us of macaroni and cheese, but a less jelak version.

A decent portion of Angus ribeye for the price, the highlight of this sliced steak dish is the accompanying sauces. You can pick three out of five dips for your meat: yuzu ponzu, sambal shrimp mayonnaise, chopped wasabi, pink salt, and garlic mustard. Our recommendations? The piquant yuzu ponzu, chopped real wasabi root and garlic mustard. The pieces we had were cooked to medium and sufficiently tender if a tad less juicy than we’d have liked.

Pronto’s menu is similar to most casual western food joints in town, except speckled with a handful of Japanese-inflected dishes. The fare isn’t mind-blowing, but it’s of decent quality. Plus, the breakfast sets are good value. We’d drop by if we happen to be in the area, and wouldn’t mind meeting friends here to knock back a tipple or two after work.

#01-06A Capital Square, Gochi Church Street Japan Kitchen, 23 Church St, S049481. Tel: 6226-1278. Open daily 11.30am to 9pm. Last orders at closing. www.paletas.jp/user_data/en.php

Probably our favourite joint at Gochi, this ice pop kiosk is like a pretty candy store with less sinful sweets. It boasts 25 different flavours made with organic fruits and zero artificial sweeteners and flavours. The generously-sized frozen treats are smooth and super refreshing. Read our review of Paletas here.

#01-04/05 Capital Square, Gochi Church Street Japan Kitchen, 23 Church St, S049481. Tel: 6226 1271. Open daily 11.30am to 3pm, and 5pm to 11pm. Last orders at 2.30pm and 10.30pm. www.chojiro.jp/global/

One of Japan’s most popular conveyor belt sushi chains, Osaka-born eatery Chojiro opened its first franchised branch in Singapore at Gochi Church Street Japan Kitchen. It has been awarded Trip Advisor’s Certificate of Excellence for five consecutive years since 2014. Common words used by netizens to describe the fare at Chojiro’s Japan outlets are “fresh”, “good quality” and “great value”. Read our review of its sushi here.

#01-08 Capital Square, Gochi Church Street Japan Kitchen, 23 Church St, S049481. Tel: 6226 1297. Open daily 11.30am to 3pm, and 5pm to 11pm. Last orders at 2.30pm and 9.30pm.

Get your next unagi fix at Unaemon. Hailing from Sakuragi-cho, Yokohama, this live eel specialist restaurant opened just last week — it’s the first branch outside Japan. And this is what we think of its unagi and rice.

#01-06 Capital Square, Gochi Church Street Japan Kitchen, 23 Church St, S049481. Tel: 6226 1295. Open daily 11.30am to 9pm. Last orders at closing. www.morozoff.com.sg

The elegant Japanese confectionery shop has three other outlets in Singapore: at Plaza Singapura, Westgate and Jewel Changi Airport. The 88-year-old brand from Kobe is known for its beautifully packaged cookies and fine chocolates. Morozoff Gochi’s takeaway branch also offers the brand’s delightfully light cream cheese and mascarpone cheesecakes.

#01-07 Capital Square, Gochi Church Street Japan Kitchen, 23 Church St, S049481. Tel: 6226 1296. Open daily 11am to 8pm. Last orders at 7.30pm. www.suageasia.com

At Suage, you can have your Japanese curry and drink it too. Founded in Sapporo 12 years ago, Suage’s curry is more like a lightly spicy soup than the thick stews normally associated with Japanese curry. The takeaway Suage Express kiosk at Gochi has eight offerings that include chicken, pork and wagyu beef, and you can opt for spice levels ranging from one to 20. Almost like a thin stew, the soup base is supposedly concocted from a meat-and-vegetable broth and an original spice blend. The curry is tasty and comforting when paired with fluffy white rice, if a little salty. We had a few spoonfuls of level 20 — it’s not as scary as it sounds — and the heat was tolerable with a mild singe as it went down the hatch. However, when we dropped by again recently, we found this outlet temporarily closed because of a lack of manpower. Instead, its staff were at the two other branches at Capitol Piazza and Jewel Changi Airport

Photos: Mark Lee & Bryan Lim