Hachi Tei Japanese Cuisine in Singapore

One reason why I love being part of the corporate world is being able to build relationships with the people that I work with. To those who are just about to join the workforce, here's one advice that I can give you -- value your colleagues and never (ever ever ever 1000x) burn bridges. People may think that your relationship with your colleagues ends as soon as you clock out everyday. However, what we all have to consider is that being able to have a good working relationship can make your work feel like a walk in the park as they're there to give moral support rather than to feel alone and isolated in such a big, busy and crazy world.

Anyway, during one of our lunch outs, my colleagues and I tried this Japanese restaurant called Hachi Tei which is located right behind our office. Have I told you all how much I love my new office? Aside from the fact that the people I work with are really cool and talented, our office alone is located at the heart of a foodie land! There's a soup kitchen right next door, a yummy kopi tiam a few steps away, 7-11 at the other corner, a hawker center behind us and I can just go on and on. I guess I'm really destined to work here, huh? :) It's like match made in foodie heaven. 

On my first visit, I followed the my colleague Komal as she ordered the Sake (Salmon) Don (S$13). It was abstinence day then and while there were a number of seafood and veggie dishes available, the thought of having fresh salmon sashimi on Japanese rice just appealed greatly to me. I love how lovely my bowl looked! They were very generous with the cuts and the salmon was definitely very fresh. I was indeed very happy with my choice and as they say, first impressions definitely lasts. 

I paired my Sake Don with a bowl of Edamame (S$3). This actually goes well with sake as it's the Japanese's answer on the usual bar nuts that Singapore, Pinoys or the Chinese would have. Lightly salted on the outside, you open the thick, hard covering to produce 2-3 beans inside. I like slightly covering my beans with the salt before popping it into my mouth. On days when I'm lazy, I just gently bite the covering to push the beans out and before I know it, I have a huge pile of edamame "shells" in front of me. Friends back home can testify how much I love these beans as I normally would have an entire bowl all to myself. 

As I went home to Manila for a few weeks, I began craving for Hachi Tei's Sake Don so much that I would have salmon sashimi any chance I get. Finally, I'm back and on my first day back in the office, I told Komal about it and she was so sweet to invite me to lunch at Hachi Tei the following day. 

We got there a bit late for lunch and the place was already packed. It's a good thing we were still able to find a table for three. The service was very fast and efficient, the servers friendly and attentive too. As I browsed through the menu, I decided to try something else and went for the Chicken Teriyaki Bento Box (S$10). My set comes with a solo serving of sweet Chicken Teriyaki, Japanese rice topped with nori strips, a slice of watermelon, Japanese cabbage salad and miso soup. I had a very photogenic set making me so excited to dig in. 

Sadly though, I wasn't as blown away by the Chicken Teriyaki set compared to the Sake Don. The chicken was tender and sweet but I have to admit I've tasted way better versions back home. It was lacking in flavor that even when eaten with rice, all the more I can taste the blandness of my food. I had to pour some miso soup in hopes to save it somehow. The cabbage salad would have been better had they used the famous sesame creamy dressing. I hate to admit this but I was only happy about the juicy watermelon slice that was quite refreshing to counter the intense heat outside. I'm skipping this next time and will stick to my Sake Don. Lesson learned. 

Hachi Tei is your casual Japanese go-to place should you want to enjoy fresh sushi and sashimi at very reasonable price. Expect that more authentic restaurants in Singapore would probably charge the same dishes for double or triple the price at Hachi Tei. I'd still go back though for my Edamame and Sake Don. 

Hachi Tei is located at 147 Telok Ayer street, Singapore 068606. Call them at +65 6535 2988.