Junshin Express

So I heard about this new Halal sushi place at Bedok Mall selling sushi that costs only 50 cents.
That's right - FIFTY CENTS!! But the catch is that it's all takeaway so don't have any ideas about sitting down and picking sushi up off a conveyor belt.

The worst thing is - it's so close to my workplace!!
Normally that's a good thing right? Well, for some reason, the closer something is to my workplace or home, the more likely I'm not gonna go to that place for some time. Not on purpose or anything but I guess I just happen to pass it by because I think I can always go another time since it's so close to me.

Well, I finally managed to make my way down to Bedok Mall one morning.

So the concept is really simple - Sushi is 50 cents and it's all takeaway.
They also have stuff that costs more (between $1.80-$4.80) but that's big stuff like Temaki (Handrolls), Sashimi and even Chuka Idako.

But I'm guessing we're all gonna be like sharks going after the 50 cent Sushi.

Imagine like 7 or 8 of those displays for you to choose from!

You have your pick of familiar favourites like Sake Sushi (Salmon), Maguro (Tuna), Red or Yellow Ebiko (Capelin Roe), Kani Salad (Crabmeat), Shiromi (White Fish) and Tamago (Egg) among other things.

But there are also some other sushi which is definitely not something you come across everyday.
More on that later.

One of the things I noticed about the Sushi at Junshin Express is how neatly everything is packed. So Easy to just pick up and go. Smaller sushi like the Gunkan and Nigiri Sushi are individually packed in plastic and the bigger ones like the California Roll are packed in plastic boxes.

Besides the usual Sushi, they also introduce new items on the menu from time to time.
Specials like the Teriyaki Salmon and the Aburi Black Pepper Salmon Sushi are two of the best-sellers!! Don't worry I get to try them later.... hehehe

And even the special Sushi is 50 cents each!!!

Even the Gari (Pickled Ginger) and Wasabi are 50 cents each!!
Don't worry you get some Shoyu and Wasabi when you buy your sushi but if you're hardcore like us, you're definitely gonna want a lot of Wasabi!!

But ready-to-eat Sushi is not all that Junshin Express has to offer -

Teriyaki Sauce ($4.60)

Shoyu ($3.60)

Sushi Vinegar ($3.30)

If you're into making your own Sushi or into some Japanese masak-masak, they also have some Halal-certified ingredients for you too! No need to hunt so high and low anymore!

Anyways, enough build-up because it's time for the Sushi!!

Remember that I mentioned that they have some Sushi that we probably familiar with and then they also have some Sushi that may be new to us because they're actually pretty unique. Well, they were nice enough to let me sample some of the more unique types of Sushi they had and here I am to tell you more about it!

Junshin Express actually has a whole range of Sushi which is pretty much fruits and/or vegetables.
That's right. It's not a typo. FRUITS AND VEGETABLES SUSHI!!

But before that, I simply had to try 2 of their best-sellers...

Aburi Black Pepper Salmon Sushi ($0.50 each)

This is supposed to be #1 and the most popular Sushi they have and it's quite easy to see why.
'Aburi' basically means 'Grilled' so this salmon is cooked. The black pepper give it a nice kick but it is not too overpowering so you can still enjoy the flavour of the salmon and the sushi rice as well.

This would actually be a great start especially if you're having sushi for the first time. I think even those people who are afraid to try Sushi would have no problem with this!

Teriyaki Salmon Sushi ($0.50 each)

The salmon here is also cooked and coated with some yummy Teriyaki sauce.
A definite must-try for Teriyaki lovers (like me!!)

And then I started on the more unique ones...

Shimeji Mushroom Sushi

Burdock Sushi

Mountain Vegetables

Firstly, let me assure you, these are not as scary or unusual as you might think.

Burdock is a root and the Mountain Vegetables is made up mostly of mushrooms so there's nothing to be worried about. In fact, after you take a bite, you'll actually see they are really tasty. If you are fans of mushroom and the woody flavour you normally get with mushrooms, then you'll definitely want to try these three.

Yellow, Red and Green Bell Peppers Sushi ($0.50 each)

Bell peppers drizzled with some Teriyaki sauce. It's not as spicy or overpowering as you might think. But I guess this is more for the health conscious who wanna stick to all-veggies only!

Enough veggies how about some fruits!!

Strawberry Sushi

Kiwi Sushi

Red Apple Salad Sushi

Green Apple Sushi

Dragonfruit Sushi

Aburi Banana Sushi

I know you're probably had those fruits before but can you tell me that you've had those fruits as sushi before?? Well, here's your chance!!

The sweetness of the fruits versus the slightly-sour vinegar flavour of the Sushi rice is actually quite a good combination! And when they brulee fruits like the banana, it unlocks even more sweetness!

To be perfectly honest, I actually could not believe that they had sushi made up of fruit. I only realized how great it was when I actually tried it. It may seem like a strange idea but it's actually really good! Affordable and healthy and something new for you to try! I'm pretty sure the kids will love it! (Especially the Aburi Banana Sushi!!)

They even have other fruits like Rock Melon and Jackfruit Sushi!

But don't worry! I also bought some of the more usual (or maybe not all so usual) Sushi to being home and sample just to confirm that Junshin Sushi was the real deal!

California Maki ($0.50 each)

Chuka Idako (Baby Octopus)

Wakame Sushi

Sake Sushi ($0.50 each)

Kani Tamago

Otah Sushi

That's right. Otah Sushi!
The Otah itself actually had a bit of a spicy taste to it which was really tasty/ Definitely not something you see on Sushi everyday am I right?

The usual suspects like California Maki, Sake Sushi, Chuka Idako and Wakame (Seaweed) Sushi all make an appearance on the displays but they also mix things up a little with classic Sushi.
For example, instead of just Kani (Crabstick), they add some Tamago in and make it a 2-in-1 Kani Tamago Sushi.

And by the way, they also have 2 types of Crabstick sushi.
One is the Crab-flavoured fish sticks and the other is the real deal crab meat. So you have a choice depending on your preference.

I guess whether you are a seasoned Sushi eater or something just starting out (maybe even trying for the first time!), you definitely would not mind dropping by Junshin Express for some sushi.

It's convenient, the quality is good and of course - the price is really affordable.
You can even grab a whole boxful and bring it home for the family or even back to the office to share with colleague for lunch!

It's nice to have an alternative Sushi place where we need a quick on-the-go Sushi fix when we don't have the time to sit down and have a proper Sushi meal. Think Express... Junshin Express!

Junshin Express

Bedok Mall
311 New Upper Changi Road
#B2-20

Tel: 6844 9448
www.junshinexpress.com.sg

Operating Hours:
10am to 10pm Daily

Yureka Teppanyaki

A long long time ago, someone told me about a place in the northern area of Singapore that served 'Halal Teppanyaki'. That's right. Halal Teppanyaki.

My first instincts were to say " Sure or not...".
And all those years ago, I never got a chance to explore this claim of what might have been the only place to serve Halal Teppanyaki in Singapore.

What exactly is Teppanyaki?
Well it's basically a Japanese style of cooking food on a griddle or a pan and this is normally done in front of the diners. Food is served fresh off the grill and may also add an element of entertainment I guess. I mean, how much more freshly cooked can you ask for without having to cook it yourself?

I'll be honest and say that we here at The Halal Food Blog have had teppanyaki before but it definitely was not certified Halal. And it definitely didn't have any entertainment factor to it.

And what exactly do I mean when I mention "entertainment"?
Well a little bit of research online says that they added a little bit of showmanship when it came to teppanyaki in the 70s onwards. The chef would not only cook your food for you but also put on a little show while you waited for your food.

When I think of this, I remember that scene from Police Academy 2 at the teppanyaki place.
If you're still not sure what I mean, you can go to YouTube and watch some videos including the Police Academy one and some real-life videos taken by diners.

Well anyways, back to the review.
Many many many years after first hearing about it, I hear again about this Halal Teppanyaki joint and even better news this time - they had an outlet in the East!

They have an outlet in Springleaf in the North-side but us East-siders are lucky they opened up an outlet at Jalan Masjid near Kembangan.

So we made our way excitedly to Yureka...

The first thing I have to point out is that they don't just sell teppanyaki only.
They have other things like Sushi, Syabu-Syabu Mini Steamboat among other things if you're into the whole Japanese thing. But if not, they also have other more traditional stuff including some Thai Cuisine too!

But we're here for the Teppanyaki!!

They have sets already prepared for you to choose from so it depends on what you feel like having and also how many people will be eating. They have sets catering for diners ranging from 2-8 pax and items also range from seafood like lobster to premium Wagyu beef so take a close look at the menu before you choose.

We decided to have the Family Teppanyaki Set for 4 pax ($80.00).
It came with Chicken, Cuttlefish and a choice of 2 additional items like Chicken, Salmon, Scallop, Prawn, Beef and Cuttlefish. There's also (strangely) Seabass which you can have either Sweet & Sour or 3 Rasa.
By the way, all sets come with Japanese Rice, Miso Soup, Vegetables and hot Green Tea.

We decided to top-up and upgrade to Fried Rice plus we added some Mix Mushrooms .

And boy were we in for a treat.

Our chef for the evening was this guy called Farid.
He did a whole range of tricks with the ingredients he was cooking and the utensil he was using.
Flipping this and throwing that! Knocking this and slicing that!

Okay okay call me a jakun but this was the first time I was experiencing this and it was actually really fun!

Chef Farid frying up some veggies for the Fried Rice

That's an EGG he's flipping!

Nifty knife-work before slicing up the meats

Chef Farid tells us it took him 4 years to learn all the skills he has today.

Yeah that's some really fancy stuff there buddy.
But is the food any good?

Miso Soup

Stir-Fried Vegetables

I can't say much for the Miso Soup to be honest. It was actually pretty bland.

But, it may look pretty simple but those bean sprouts are pretty tasty.
Errr if you're not much of a taugeh fan then maybe you can opt for Chye Sim or mushrooms instead?

Mixed Mushrooms ($8.50)

This wasn't part of the set meal but we added on anyways.
My darling wife and I are such big fans of mushrooms so we can never resist.
Totally worth the top-up!

Garlic Fried Rice ($3.00 for Upgrade)

We also upgraded to the Garlic Fried Rice.
I was actually expecting a really strong garlic taste but definitely not the case here so if you're ordering it for the garlic then maybe you better let the chef know to garlic the bugger up.

Salmon

I actually enjoyed the salmon to be honest but I'm not sure about the rest.
It's simply grilled and then the chef tops it off with the teriyaki soy finish which he also prepares there on the grill. And I was amazed how simple it was.

Basically he mixes up some butter with the teriyaki soy sauce he has and done!
He just lays it on that fish for you and it was delicious to me. He also does this for the chicken and I'm sure some other meats as well.

Cuttlefish

The squid was actually very well cooked.
But I didn't care very much for the sambal which coated it. It was way too asam pedas-ish for me.

Beef

Tender beef steak grilled on the hot pan with some simple seasoning and sauce.
Simple and nothing too spectacular. We did ask for the meat to be cooked medium-well and it was cooked to exactly that but.... I think next time we'll ask for well done.

Chicken

You know what? The chicken was probably the best meat dish I had there.
The chicken was PERFECTLY cooked so that it was still juicy and super tender while you still get some crisp skin and all covered in that butter-teriyaki magic sauce.

Tiga Rasa Seabass

Okay so this dish actually didn't go with the seat meal.
In fact, it's the only main dish that wasn't at the teppanyaki grill but the Thai kitchen instead.
And it wasn't bad but it didn't really go with the rest of the food so it was just kinda odd.

And in case you were wondering, the '3' in Tiga Rasa refers to the 3 flavours of sweet, sour and spicy.
If you go anywhere and you get other things like 'salty' or 'bitter' then I think they're bluffing you lah.

Mean Mango & Red Passion ($3.50 each)

Not part of the meal but some fun-sounding and tasty sodas to wash down the food.
They have a whole list including some called 'Black Ocean' and 'Arabian Nite' among other things.

Adam's Verdict: 4.5/5
Maryah's Verdict: 4/5
Guest Reviewer #1: 3.5/5
Guest Reviewer #2: 4/5


We went to eat there with some special 'Anonymous' guest reviewers.
We may all have different tastes but we all agreed on one thing - Yureka is definitely a great experience once in awhile especially if you have someone like Chef Farid to not only cook tasty food for you but also entertain you with some fancy antics while he's at it.

It's some place where you can bring the whole family and everyone has something to enjoy even if they don't like Japanese food. And I've read a lot of critics online saying Yureka is "not authentic" and all that but to me it's a great place to have a decent meal with family and friends. Plus, it's still the only Halal joint of its kind as far as I know.

Chef Farid tells me to video him in action the next time we go down for more.
And it looks like we'll be doing just that.

Yureka Teppanyaki

10 Jln Masjid
Tel: 68427317
www.teppanyaki.com.sg

Operating Hours: 11am til 10.30pm (Daily except Friday 3pm til 10.30)