Cheap Cheap!

Ah so, you heard right! Despite the common associations of pricey and minimalist Japanese portions, at Sumo House you can snag a bento set meal, meaning your main course with 2 slices of orange, sour pickles, miso soup and free flow green tea for only $3.05, and that includes GST.

We’re not talking about a road-side cart where you take your food to go or stand and eat, but a clean, air-conditioned seating area for you to dine in comfort. And did we mention the relatively fast service? No wonder the patrons have helped expand this chain from 1 to 3 outlets in 5 years.

Before you decide to survive on Sumo House’s bento sets for a complete year so you can save up to afford flashy new designer wear from Topshop’s Kate Moss Collection, here’s UrbanWire’s analysis of what you’re getting for a few dollars.

The Taste Test

Our meal for 2, comprising a Katsudon bento set, Curry Udon and sides of Gyoza and Yakitori came up to only $13.25! UrbanWire was even more impressed when the meal was served. Instead of measly servings, which one would expect from suspiciously cheap meals, the portions were rather generous.

The Katsudon ($3.05) was a tad disappointing though. The egg was slightly overcooked, unlike the original version where a runny egg covers the chicken and rice like a comforting blanket. Thankfully, the rice is almost like the real deal, and not like the dry beads of rice left refrigerated for hours in most sushi vendors. Moist, and slightly chewier than regular Chinese steamed rice, it supplements the lightly-scented onion omelette. The miso soup was yet another surprise as it is far from bland, and in fact sufficient for that little umami rush! Although it isn’t an entirely authentic Katsudon, it is a rather interesting fusion of the Chinese scrambled egg that Mum cooks at home, paired with chewy beads of Japanese rice.

The Curry Udon ($5.15) will leave chicken lovers swooning! With generous bits of grilled chicken, starchy Japanese curry sauce, soft vegetables and oodles of thick noodles, it’s enough give you that carbo rush. The chicken is delightfully charred and succulent. Of course the curry isn’t fiery enough for your Singaporean taste buds. As you know, even the spiciest of Japanese curry can’t compare to any spicy local dishes.

The side dishes are really value for money as there are 5 fried dumplings in a serving of Gyoza ($2), 2.5 times the usual serving at other restaurants. While the Yakitori ($3.05) isn’t that authentic, as it looks more like it is fried than grilled, the serving size compensates for it. The amount of chicken on 1 stick is equivalent to that of 4 sticks of Satay [grilled pieces of meat on a bamboo skewer] compressed into one. Which translates into almost 12 Satays on 1 protein-packed platter for you!

UrbanWire was offered Sumo House’s signature dish, Tempura Moriwase, courtesy of Mr Lim, the business manager. For $8.30, the assortment of prawn and vegetable tempura was more than satisfying. The batter is light and crisp. The prawns have a fresh pinkish tinge and give a slight crunch when you sink your teeth in it. Most importantly, the vegetables don’t soak up oil like a sponge, unlike those you may taste elsewhere which can be quite distasteful and even rather nauseating after several bites. In fact, the Tempura Moriwase dunked into the salty sweet mix of soy and mirin is so light and refreshing that it’s dangerously addictive.

The Final Verdict

If you think you’re paying less for the same thing at your regular kopitiam [coffee shop], think again!

We’re talking about quantity, quality, atmosphere and service here. This means you get generous servings of tasy Japanese food served to you while you dine in air-conditioned comfort, plus free flow of green tea. Compared to having to order your own food in a stuffy kopitiam with sticky seats, hastily put-together meagre portions, Sumo House is more than satisfactory. And who can beat the free flow of green tea

Mr Lim stresses on how Sumo House tries to give good quality food at minimal prices. It is easy to see how much passion and energy is put into the business as the Ang Mo Kio outlet is elaborately designed with bright, cheery colours and cute little Japanese décor touches. The vibrant and youthful service staffs that look like students working part-time are actually all full timers who are dedicated and are like one big family.

Despite being around for more than 5 years and having a huge dinner crowd (the restaurant was almost full), Sumo House is relatively unknown and it is only with the recent spate of advertisements that even residents in Ang Mo Kio know about this hidden gem.

Ming Wei, an Ang Mo Kio resident and Sumo House patron marvels, “I’ve been staying here for many years and it’s only last month that I found out that Sumo House exists! It’s a really good deal for big eaters like me.”

UrbanWire gives Sumo House 4 out of 5 stars.

Operating Hours:

Sun to Thu, 11.30am to 8.30pm

Fri to Sat, 11,30am to 9.30pm

Outlets:
Ang Mo Kio Central

Blk 710A

Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8

#01-2633

6453 2489

Clementi Central

Blk 451 Clementi Avenue 3

#01-309

6777 5664