The UTW (“Under Ten Words”): Japanese New Zealand beef and lamb restaurant in Marina Bay.

The must-orders (if any): Wakanui Spring Lamb Chop, any New Zealand grilled beef option.

Summary: Hailing from Tokyo and recently-launched at the new Marina One complex near Downtown MRT,  Wakanui Grill Dining is a restaurant which lovingly showcases New Zealand steak and lamb cuts grilled over Japanese Binchotan charcoal.  Wakanui was previously operated at Boat Quay as a joint partnership between the original Japanese concept and a local partner, but this time the concept is operated fully as a franchise, resulting in a much closer alignment to the original Wakanui concept in Tokyo.

The Japanese-influenced interior and lush views from the restaurant make it a lovely choice for both romantic liaisons and blazered business meetings alike. The spring lamb, served by way of a chop as a starter and also fully as a grilled main, is quite possibly one of the best lamb cuts I have had the fortune to encounter, possessing not a smidgen of lamb’s customary gameyness and instead possessing a delectable, almost beefy roasty tenderness. It has redefined what lamb should be like, at least to me. Elsewhere, the various beef choices at Wakanui were excellent – the nicely done Canterbury Grass-Fed Fillet is perfect for the beef beginner, while the Ribeye Bone-in was very well-received by the beef-appreciative, bloodlusty company I had during my meal there. One of the stronger beef concepts launched in recent times.

Wakanui Spring Lamb (Lunch: $32 for half rack for mains; Dinner: $42 for half rack, $82 for full rack).

Hot Smoked Salmon (Lunch: $39 for 3 pieces as mains; Dinner: $24 for 2 pieces as starters).

Seasonal Hassun (Lunch: $24 (2 types); Dinner: $32 (3 types)).

A meat platter consisting of Bone-in Ribeye ($199 for 1kg), Ribeye Cut ($79 for 350 grams, $109 for 500 grams), and Canterbury Grass-Fed Fillet (Lunch: $45 for 150 grams as mains; Dinner: $78 for 250 grams, $138 for 500 grams).

Pavlova ($14).

Hokey Pokey Ice Cream ($14).

Baked Rare Chocolate Cake ($14).


Grade: A2

Wakanui Grill Dining
5 Straits View
#04-02 Marina One The Heart
Singapore 018935

This was a hosted meal, courtesy of Wakanui Grill Dining.

Author

Shawn is a full-time lawyer based in Singapore. Neither a professional critic, blogger nor photographer, Shawn is simply somebody who loves food and luxury hotels very much and (likes to think that he has) a quirky sense of humor. When Shawn is not premature ageing and turning his hair further grey due to stress and vicious deadlines, he is somewhere spending an exorbitant amount of money trying out new dining places and hotels.

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