Overview
⭐ Name: Aburi-en
📍 Location: Takeaway
🗓️ Date of visit: 21 May 2021
📋 Click here to view menu
💰 Estimated cost per pax: SGD 15 – 20
Food Review
3-Kind Buta Combo Jyu ($21.20)
This was a Chef’s Recommended donburi that offers their signature tender chestnut pork in three cuts: pork belly, pork loin, and pork jowl. This donburi comes with an onsen egg that is packed separately so it doesn’t break during delivery. Since I was sharing it with my family, I only sampled each of the three meats.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t tell you which cut was the best out of the three because I couldn’t differentiate them. However, what I can tell you is that all the cuts were very tender. They all had a sweet flavour and a smoky char from the grilling process. One of the cuts had a bit more fat and that was my favourite cut.
Original Maze Soba ($12.80)
Their takeaway menu has a limited time selection of maze sobas, which is a break away from their traditional offerings of grilled meats. I opted for the original maze soba which came with minced pork, mu-er, crispy batter bits, spring onion, and shallots. This dish also came with a raw egg yolk which was kept separately. I put the yolk into the dish and tried to give it a good mix.
I have to be honest, I was slightly disappointed because the noodles were quite starchy by the time it was delivered. I guess it’s just what happens when noodles are left out too long. The ingredients individually are good, and they go well together to lend an interesting texture to the dish. One hack I found was that adding the vinegar dipping sauce, originally meant for the gyoza, helps to break up the noodles. I think it made the dish more refreshing and less cloying. I was a happy camper after that! 😝 This dish is similar to the bak chor mee you can get at a coffee shop, just with a Japanese twist.
Pork Gyoza ($8.20)
This side dish came with six pieces of pork gyoza and a vinegar-based sauce. The gyoza filling was pretty standard to me. I liked that the skin was just the right thickness. One regret I had was eating it only at the end of the meal. By then, it had already lost its crispiness, possibly from sitting in the juice that had leaked out from the other gyozas.
Final thoughts
A lot of my minus points about this meal were due to the fact that it was a takeaway meal. Upon delivery, it was no longer as warm as it should have been. A lot of the ingredients, especially the fried batter and the noodles, had also become slightly stale. I’m not sure if these meals would stand up to re-heating at home.
I think the safest thing to order as a takeaway would be any of their rice bowls with their signature chestnut pork. You could probably choose to heat these us and even if you choose not to, the meat would still have a great flavour and texture.
If I were ordering from aburi-en again, I would just go for their specialty donburis so that I can have one to myself. 🤭
💜 jy
Note: According to their website, Aburi-en is doing 20% off takeaways until 13 June 2021. The prices stated in this post are for delivery via foodpanda.
About Food Reviews
My reviews will be based on the date and outlet of the visit, the dishes I tried, and the overall dining experience. Ratings are just for fun and may not be an accurate reflection of a food establishment’s entire repertoire. I just hope to share some food memories with you!