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Monday, 11 July 2022

Guriru – Japanese Charcoal Grilled Seafood [MEDIA INVITE]

Guriru is a new concept by Japanese food guru Chef Teppei Yamashita (Chef and Owner for Restaurant Teppei) in collaboration with Anangram Food Lab. Guriru focuses on charcoral-grilled seafood concept, inspired by Japanese Hamayaki or fisherman’s grill.

Guriru
Guriru is nestled at the poolside of NUS Alumni Association, providing a good place to chill out and unwind after a busy day at work. You can almost treat it like your own poolside BBQ party hosted by a professional chef, loaded bar and seated almost 50 people.

The Poolside View
Following the recommendation from Brenda, our super friendly and knowledgeable service staff, we focus our order on the Hyogo oysters.

The Evening Atmosphere
Hyogo Oyster ($10 for 3 pcs, $19 for 6 pcs). It is served 2 ways, sashimi with homemade ponzu sauce; and grilled with butter or original shoyu sauce.

The Hyogo Osyer Sashimi & Grilled Shoshamo
For the sashimi version, the oysters are fresh, plump and juicy. The shoyu together with the fresh lemon juicy brought up the natural sweetness in the oysters. It was just so “shiok” when you slurped those oysters.

The Hyogo Osyer Sashimi 
Frankly, I am not a fan of grilled oysters. I always find that grilled oysters lost the plumpness and juiciness of oysters. However, it is a good option for those who do not eat raw stuff. You can still taste the natural flavour of the oysters, but the brininess and sweetness seem to multiply a few times.

Grilled Hyogo Oysters
Grilled Hyogo Oysters
Guriru Oyster Rice ($18). Chef Teppei signature dish for Guriru. The rice is soft and tasty from infused with a special sauce created by Chef Teppei. The Hyogo oysters remain plump and juicy, while the subtle aroma accentuates the umami in the overall dish.

Guriru Oyster Rice
Guriru Oyster Rice
Black Tiger Prawn ($6.50 for 1 pc, $25 for 5 pcs). Grilled to perfection with garlic butter. It is crunchy and bouncy, while the lovely smoky aroma just hits when you bit into the prawns.

Black Tiger Prawn
Shishamo ($9 for 5 pcs) - grilled with original shoyu sauce. If you love the deep-fried shishamo, you will love this grill version. The small fishes are plump and their tummy is filled with eggs. The grilled produces a crisp exterior and induced a smoky aroma in the fish. The shoyu sauce removes any traces of fishiness in this dish.

Shishamo
Whole Squid ($16). Highly recommended by our host Eunice. I heard a tale from the fishermen, one way to tenderise your squid is to whack it against the rock. Our squid probably faces a similar fate, though I am sure the professional chefs have their secret. It was nicely grilled, tender and succulent. There was a little chewiness at the end, making it a delicious squid.

Whole Squid
Kurobuta Pork Belly ($12). A must-order here. It is slow-cooked for 4 hours, finished on the grill for the charred and smoky finishing touch with the yakitori sauce. The pork belly is soft, tender, yet with a bit of bite and slowly melts in your mouth. The sweetness of the yakitori sauce gives it a touch of caramelisation plus the delicate sweet ending. Yummy!!

Kurobuta Pork Belly
Meltique Beef ($18). The beef is grilled to medium-rare, delivering a juicy and succulent texture. I like the finishing of the garlic chips, but not so fond of the drizzling of the yakitori sauce as it tasted very salty. Instead of pouring it on the plate, they can finish it by a quick brush of the yakitori sauce on the beef, before slicing.

Meltique Beef
Prosciutto Pizza ($21). Thin and crispy pizza dough, topped with tomato sauce, prosciutto, arugula and travel. The toppings are a tried and tested classic combination, however, Chef Teppei added a truffle twist to it.

Prosciutto Pizza
Prosciutto Pizza
We also tried Guriru snacks such as Crispy Salmon Skin ($9), Fugu Mirin Boshi ($14), Eihire ($12) and Kawa Ebi ($10). The salmon skin is crispy and packed with umami flavour. Once you started in this, you just can’t stop. While the Eihire is light and crispy, I prefer the Fugu Mirin Boshi. The marinated puffer fish slices are slightly sweet, aromatic and chewy. The flavours remind me of Singapore Bak Kwa.

Crispy Salmon Skin
Fugu Mirin Boshi
The Kawa Ebi is just awesome. The mini prawns are plump, crispy and lightly seasoned. Once you drizzle the lemon jus on top, the flavours just come alive. Yum Yum!!

Eihire
Kawa Ebi
For the finale, Chef Teppei serves us cinnamon ice cream with foie gras and drizzle with foie gras sauce. The flavour combination is unique, while the foie gras is grilled till crisp. The sauce is bold and it can easily overpower the flavour of the ice cream. I think this dessert is still a work in progress, it will be interesting to see the final products.

Cinnamon Ice Cream with Foie Gras
For the drinks, I tried their mocktail Aki-Momiji ($8) – Lychee, lime and soda. It is refreshing.

Aki-Momiji
Yuzu Highball
Overall, we enjoy our dinner at Guriru. The food and drinks are great and reasonably priced, plus the service is good. Instead of your traditional formal restaurant, Guriru presents a relaxed and chill poolside ambiance. The fresh Hyogo oysters, Guriru oyster rice, Kurobuta Pork Belly, Kawa Ebi and Prosciutto pizza are our picks. We’ll definitely return to try the rest of their menu. Kanpai!! Cheers!!

The Grill Master
Thank you, Eunice (Eloquence), Chef Teppei and Team Guriru for hosting us!

Food & Drink: 8/10
Value: 8/10
Service: N/A (Tasting Invitation)
Ambiance: 8/10
Budget per Person: $1 1 - $25; $26 - $50

Guriru
2 College Road
Level 1
Singapore 169850

T: +65 9010 7020
OH:
Mon - Thu: 12.00 – 23.00
Fri – Sat: 12.00 – Midnight
Hamayaki menu from 16.00
Lunch menu from 12.00 – 16.00
Closed on Sunday
Menus available online

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