Ms Skinnyfat

MoboMoga welcomes all you modern boys and modern girls (the name actually means that) at its dark and eclectic sake-bar/izakaya with a speakeasy vibe. Located along the main Mohamed Sultan road side of UE square, you would probably miss this sake bar if you do not spot the red lantern hanging outside. Duck in through the door within a door (note it's the smaller one) and scoot onto a seat around the bar counter for your Japan experience in Singapore (since we can't travel). 

You may feel a little out of place, just like you would at a local Japanese bar where no one speaks English. We were told by friends that we should ask the pretty Japanese service staff for recommendations for food and sake and we dutifully heeded the advice. It would otherwise be daunting to pick something from the vast collection of sakes here.   

Not fans of innards, we skipped the recommended sweet shrimp shiokara ($12) and low temperature cooked chicken liver ($14) and went straight for the izakaya defining tsukune ($12), which sadly lacked the crunch of the cartilage. Instead, you get some nutty bites (probably from some form of nuts like gingko or peanut). The grilled chicken meatball is doused with a sweet tare and topped with a whole creamy egg yolk.

The sweetness is tampered by our order of Shizuoka oden, which is made using a darker dashi typically enriched with beef and soy sauce. It's definitely more savoury than sweet, and richer in flavor than it sits milder Kanto or Kansai area counterparts. The items cooked in the brother also turned out darker and deeper in flavor. We had the daikon ($5), rolled cabbage ($7), Camembert cheese ($10), and mentai fish cake ($4). 

The rolled cabbage was surprising, and came stuffed with minced pork and topped with salty salmon roe. We definitely enjoyed the juicy vegetable here. 

Being the adventurous folks we are, we picked the camembert cheese, just to see how it would taste in the broth. The mushroomy and nutty cheese actually took on the bite and flavor of mochi-like tofu and was quite enjoyable. While the broth is quite thirst-inducing, it is balanced with a touch of mustard. 

What's an izakaya experience without some fried food. The breaded ham cutlets with blue cheese ($16) were absolutely lovely and the pungent cheese did not overpower the dish. There was also a touch of sweetness in the center of the cutlet (i couldn't be sure if it's a sweet pickle or some jam) which helped balanced the saltiness. If you require more balance, add on a touch of honey on the side, just don't dunk it in. 

The Chicken Karaage ($12) is another crowd favorite and we can see why. This is definitely not your usual pathetic pieces of pre-packaged and frozen chicken bites; these are proper chicken thigh pieces. We enjoyed the distinct peppery yuzu kosho flavor and the batter was also super crunchy (i brought home the leftovers and Jr confirmed that it was still crispy and juicy). If we had more stomach space, we'd probably have gone with the grilled Kagoshima black pork with aged shoyu malt ($25) too. 

We chose to have the carafes of sake (180ml $28) instead of a big bottle as it allowed us to sample different sakes. Tell the server what you’re in the mood for – sweet, floral, fruity, dry, rich or whatever you prefer, and in whatever temperature you choose and she returned with perfect recommendations. Our favorite was the first one we started with, a slightly floral and refreshing sake. 

As we were catching up on life over dinner, we lost track of the 2 hour dining slot and had to quickly finish our sake at the end and were chased out of the "disco party" when our time was up (the mirror ball started spinning without music towards the end of our meal). Making a mental note to book a later slot at 8pm so that we won't be rushed. 

MoboMoga is definitely a place that i'd return to. The prices were reasonable and there's no service charge or GST and for a meal with alcohol, we only spent $75 per pax. Now all i need is to set my alarm to book my next table- the seats are super hot.  

#01-58, UE Square River Wing

207 River Valley Rd Singapore 238275