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This Japanese hamburg steak specialist, which already has fans queuing at its Resorts World Sentosa branch, has officially landed in the west with a second outlet. Niku Niku Oh!! Kome is one of the many concepts by Japanese F&B giant Monogatari Corporation (also behind Yakiniku King), with over 40 outlets worldwide in China, Hong Kong, Jakarta and Manila. Its claim to fame? Freshly ground hamburg steaks, grilled right before you on a teppan before they're served onto a personal tabletop grill for you to finish cooking the patty to your liking.
At Westgate, the setup consists of 40 seats angled in a semi-circle counter format, where diners face inwards towards the central griddle, so you know you're in for a show. The chain takes its 'freshly prepped' philosophy seriously. The hamburg steaks – a blend of wet-aged ribeye and beef brisket – are prepared, sliced and ground in store, before they're individually shaped into 95-gram rounds. The rice is milled on-site daily from brown rice to polished white rice to retain its moisture and fragrance. And even the water used to cook the rice is a specially selected kind of soft water.
To get started, pick your hamburg steak, ranging from the original to seasonal flavours like avocado, Thai curry or creamy mushroom. There are 10 sets on the menu, ranging from the $16.80 set with two original hamburg steaks, to the $22.80 set with three steaks – original, cheese and seasonal. Each set comes with sides of free-flow rice, miso soup and grilled broccoli. We try three versions during our visit: original hamburg, cheese hamburg and the current seasonal special, tomato hamburg.
Each patty is shaped by hand before meeting the griddle with a loud sizzle. We are told to enjoy the original with a raw egg yolk in teriyaki sauce ($2) perched on top. This right here is also your money shot. As the egg breaks apart, it coats the steak with a luscious sheen and adds a layer of richness and sweetness from the teriyaki sauce to each bite. There's also the option to add on an onsen egg instead. Meanwhile, the cheese hamburg arrives with both a slice of cheese and an extra generous tableside shaving of cheese.
The patty itself is on the chunky, coarse side, with a rather firm, meaty bite. It doesn't have that consistent, fall-apart texture of usual ground beef, nor is it as tender or juicy as we'd expect. Something else to note is they patties arrive medium-done with a pink centre. Personally, we prefer leaving ours on the tabletop grill for a little longer to get a more cooked-through middle and slightly deeper sear. The outer crust isn't as crisp as we'd hope, so having the personal grill definitely improves the experience.
Of the three variations, the seasonal tomato hamburg steak is our clear winner, with layers of demi-glace, tomato sauce, fresh tomato slices, parsley, tomato purée and a final splash of milk. The sauces seep nicely into the patty without overpowering it, and the sweet, sour and savoury flavours do the heavy lifting, so you don't need extra condiments for this combo.
Speaking of condiments, they might be the best part of the experience. Every table comes stocked with an arsenal of sauces and seasonings, ranging from barbecue sauce and onion sauce to Dijon mustard. There's also a Korean chilli sauce and an intriguingly named Spice Mum Chilli Sauce, which packs the fiercest punch thanks to the addition of prawn paste. The aurora sauce is essentially a tomato-mayo blend, and there's also a rather unusual wasabi salt koji that we feel doesn't quite go with the patties.
The restaurant also offers pairing recommendations. For the original patty, mixing the barbecue and Korean chilli sauces creates a spicy, yakiniku-style flavour. Meanwhile, the cheese hamburg supposedly goes best with mustard and aurora sauce. The supporting sides hold up decently too. We like that the miso soup comes slightly elevated, with toppings like kale and even clams. The rice is certainly on the softer side, but the individual grains still come apart nicely. The broccoli, however, could do with more time on the grill and more seasoning – though the latter is probably an intentional choice so diners can season it as they wish.
Time Out's rating: 3/5
Is Niku Niku Oh!! Kome the best hamburg steak we've had? Not quite – we prefer a more tender, juicy and finely ground patty, with the middle cooked through and the edges seared. But the chain scores points in terms of the unique teppanyaki-style dining experience, its commitment to serving ingredients that are freshly prepared daily, its value-for-money sets with unlimited servings of rice, soup and greens, and the great variety of condiments that offer endless customisations. At the end of the day, it's approachable and well-priced. Plus, with the Westgate outlet now up and running, you no longer need to journey to Sentosa just to get your hamburg steak fix.
Niku Niku Oh!! Kome (Westgate) is open daily from 11am to 10pm at 3 Gateway Drive, Westgate, #02-07, Singapore 608532.
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