Shop Reviews

My first visit to my favorite kopi stall at Toast Box Punggol Coast. I requested more "C" (evaporated milk) in my kopi C, but the staff seemed reluctant and gave excuses instead of accommodating the request. It was a bit disappointing, especially since a small adjustment like that can make a big difference to the customer experience. That said, the outlet itself is lovely—both the interior and exterior are decorated in a pinkish, cute theme that makes the space feel welcoming and pleasant. I hope the staff can be more receptive to simple customer requests and continue to improve their service. Looking forward to a better experience next time.

I paid $9.80 for a pork cutlet rice meal that's so damn small. Taste was nothing out of the ordinary as well. Waste of money.

I really don't think corn should be in tonkotsu ramen. Anyway, it's priced decently for Japanese food in Singapore. However, the broth was bland, and there was very little protein. The pork belly don's egg preparation wasn't ideal, and there was too little sauce, resulting in most of the rice not complementing the flavor of the pork belly.

Tried Hokkaido-ya at Punggol Coast Mall recently, and honestly, it was a massive disappointment. I ordered the pork katsu curry rice, and it turned out to be one of the worst renditions I’ve ever had. Even generic food court versions do a better job. The curry was watery and bland, like it had been stretched out way too much. The pork cutlet was a complete letdown. It had that unmistakable frozen smell and tasted off, like it had been sitting around too long. The breading was limp and soggy instead of crispy, and the meat itself was dry and tough. To make things worse, the miso soup tasted like hot water with a whisper of miso and was completely forgettable. Even the truffle curly fries, which I had some hope for, were a flop. There was barely any truffle flavor, and the fries were soggy and sad. Service didn’t help either; the staff seemed indifferent, even borderline rude. Definitely wouldn’t recommend this place. For the same price or less, you could get a much better meal elsewhere. 🫤

The miso ramen plays it safe and lands somewhere in the middle. The soup has potential but lacks miso depth; the noodles are serviceable but marred by kansui bitterness; and while the chashu lifts things up, the overall experience feels like it’s missing soul. Functional, yes. Memorable? Not really. Read the full review on my blog.

Sadly, they oversold their offering. At most, the recipe ranks only at food court level. I felt sad that the panko breading was not as light and fluffy as expected, but rather like dense bread crumbs. The curry sauce was Japanese, but it lacked the dark roux that Japanese curry is typically made with. They might as well just use instant curry cubes. I was appalled by their tiny serving of cabbage compared to the mountains of shreds I was expecting. To be fair, they did not undersell me on the vegetable serving; it's just a very inauthentic Japanese serving of shredded cabbage. 😁 The only saving grace was the soothing music, the quiet environment, and the lack of a service charge. To salvage their reputation, it may require a major price revision or massive recipe improvement. I wish them the best, as I am unlikely to be a returning customer.

No crowd despite it being a Sunday lunch. It's located near MRT Exit 1 (on the side that leads towards the outdoors). We ordered the pork belly rice set, ebi curry, and a croquette and egg as sides. The Ebi curry was decent. The batter was crispy and not overflowing with oil. The prawn was springy and juicy. The curry itself was not bad – sweet and spicy. The rice was bad though, very clumpy. However, you won't feel it because the amount of curry is generous, so we just ate it like porridge. The pork belly was very average and won't melt in your mouth. Give it a miss. The rice with this set was also very clumpy. The corn cream croquette had a crispy batter, and the cream was smooth. The Ajitsuke Tamago was $2.20 for one egg. The 7-Eleven one tastes better and offers more value for money, to be honest. It was quiet, spacious, and nice to dine at since there was no crowd, but I can't imagine the place surviving for long. All in all, the fried items were decent, but give the rest a miss. It felt like a private dining experience since you were almost the only one there. The place was also clean. Service was almost non-existent, as you order and pay via kiosk, collect your own food, and return your own tray. Staff will greet and bid you farewell, but that's about it.

Nice Japanese style food, but the meat was a tad dry. Nice ambience, but the staff was not too friendly. We also noticed that staff handling food did not wear hairnets or head covers, and one was seen touching her hair before serving food. Suggest that the company review its food handling policy.

The sides taste better than the main dish. To use 'Hokkaido' in a restaurant's name sets a high bar. Singaporeans go to Hokkaido so frequently that they can tell the difference between ramen from Osaka, Hokkaido, and Tokyo. They are currently running a free promotion: on weekends, if you buy a meal, you get a free chawanmushi. The chawanmushi has crab sticks and is delicious. 10/10. The miso soup is also delicious. 10/10. These are the sides that taste good. Now onto the reviews of the main dishes. The Chaysu ramen is a 6/10 at most. The broth is not satisfying enough and, to be fair, it is priced appropriately at $11.90. However, it does not taste remotely like the ramen found in Hokkaido. The second dish we ordered was pork katsu curry rice. The breading on the katsu is thin. The curry is Japanese curry, which mostly can't go wrong. I’ll rate it a 5.5/10. They need to improve the quality of the food to match Hokkaido’s standards, as many Singaporeans are well-traveled and know what Hokkaido cuisine tastes like. A suggestion to make it authentic is to include soup curry, which is a native Hokkaido dish.

Reasonably priced, with a decent to good balance of flavours. Good value for the price. Avoid the frozen gyoza. Fried Chicken was well marinated and cooked. A little too heavy on the curry udon but still a good slurp. Yakiniku rice was again well seasoned. Soft jazz also played for BGM, very Japan-esque. Service was enthusiastic and helpful enough. You order from a screen, so not too much staff interaction anyway. People bitching about Hokkaido are the same people who complain about having laksa at a shop named Katong.