SIN: Saboten

Generous set meals, but the tonkatsu was dry...

Whenever I go to Terminal 1 of Changi Airport, I've always caught a glimpse of Saboten, a restaurant specialising in tonkatsu (Japanese breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet) that offers set meals with free flow rice, cabbage and miso (Japanese fermented rice, barley and/or soybean) soup. The time finally came for my BFF and me to give it a try.

Grated Radish Tenderloin Katsu Set S$26.00

Taste: 6/10

I've been reading good reviews about the tonkatsu served in the restaurant, but I was quite disappointed by the hardly juicy pork tenderloin that was delivered to the table. Thankfully, the presence of the grated radish, ponzu (Japanese citrus-based sauce) and a wedge of lemon did help moisten the meat quite a bit.

Besides the free flow items that have been mentioned above, each set meal also includes pickled radish, seasoned jellyfish and sesame seeds to be mixed with tonkatsu sauce.

Crush those sesame seeds and let them blend to give a nicely aromatic sweet and sour sauce to go with the pork.

That wasn't all. At the end of the day, a small scoop of green tea ice cream was served on a chilled plate as the closure to the set meal.

Salmon Shrimp Curry Set S$22.00

Taste: 7/10

A dish that was slightly more enjoyable would be the curry rice that came with breaded salmon and shrimps. While the salmon was acceptably juicy, the shrimps could be more succulent. The curry sauce was sweet and thick.

Salmon Sashimi (6 Slices) S$5.80

Taste: 7/10

Appetiser or side dish, take your pick, but the raw salmon slices cut no ice. Well, the freshness level was there, but each slice was too thin. 

Melon's Rating

Taste: 6.5/10

Ambience: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Overall: 6.5/10

All in all, I wasn't impressed by the food, leaving the restaurant with a feeling of disappointment. Pika's advice: Perhaps there are some better set meals for you to try, especially those with mixed fried items.

Saboten

80 Airport Boulevard

#03-21 Public Area

Changi Airport Terminal 1

Singapore

(Mon-Thu: 12 noon - 11.00pm; Fri-Sat: 12 noon - 1.00am; Sun: 12 noon - 12 midnight)

*Prices quoted are subject to 10% service charge and 7% GST.

Have a nice meal,

Cliff(y)