Kaen: Under-the-radar cosy izakaya spot with Japanese dishes & $30 alcohol buffet

If you’re walking or driving along Lavender Street, you might blink and easily miss Kaen, an elusive hole-in-the-wall Japanese spot that opened in Nov 2023. Before you even step inside, an adorable Totoro figurine greets you outside.

As you enter through the sliding door, a warm and romantic ambience instantly puts you at ease, with Japanese tunes serenading you from the airwaves.

If you’re hunting for an ideal venue to chill and catch up with your tribe, the bar at Kaen has you covered with a truckload of beer, spirits, cocktails and sake, allowing you to grab your poison of choice. It can also cater to private events with a maximum capacity of 35 pax.

Wouldn’t it be cool if you could drink as much highball as you want? All you have to do is order a minimum of 3 Kushiyaki sticks (starting from S$3.50) and spend S$30 to be eligible for a bottomless supply of Jim Beam Highball (worth S$12) and Suntory Kakubin Highball (worth S$15.80) for 2 hours!

What I tried at Kaen

Instead of settling for one large rice bowl, Kaen offers 10 kinds of Mini Don (from S$6) that lets you sample multiple flavours without getting bloated— because variety is the spice of life!

If you’re dining with friends, you can purchase 6 bowls of mini don and get a 9-piece salmon sashimi platter that’s served on ice. The salmon slices were some of the thickest cuts I’ve ever had. As a sashimi fan, I was hooked!

Now let’s take a look at some of the mini don options. If you don’t particularly enjoy raw items, the Garlic Chicken Don (S$6) is perfect. It has tender fried chicken chunks served with tamago cubes over a bed of Japanese rice. 

I also loved the Unagi Don (S$6) which had 2 slabs of buttery and delicious eel that had the perfect amount of glaze, served with Japanese pickles.

The Maguro Ikura (S$12) came with chunky slices of tuna sashimi accompanied by salmon roe over a bed of rice topped with furikake. The tuna was so fresh and I loved the tiny pops of rich briny essence that unleashed in my mouth.

Meat lovers can try the mini Gyu Don (S$6) which comes with luscious slices of beef and slivers of onions that add a tinge of sweetness.

Salmon aficionados can also savour an assortment of mini don such as the Salmon Ikura (S$8), Salmon Mentaiko (S$8), Spicy Salmon Goma (S$8) and Salmon Teriyaki (S$6).

As the sun prepares for its daily slumber after 5pm, the charcoal grills are fired up, ready to give a smoky makeover to a lineup of 20 skewers.

Everyone knows that beer and skewers are a match made in heaven. With every minimum order of 3 kushiyaki sticks, you’ll be able to snag a 330ml bottle of Asahi (original price: S$13) for just S$3 each (limited to 2 hours)— score!

We tried the Shishito (S$4), Prawn (S$5.90) and Unagi (S$4.90) which came with a sprinkling of togarashi (Japanese chilli powder) and a lemon wedge.

The Unagi had the same luxuriousness as the Unagi Don I had earlier while the Shishito was aromatic from the charcoal grill. It also had a mild sweetness and packed some heat.

One of my favourites was the Bacon Wrapped Cherry Tomatoes (S$3.50). A cherry tomato is encased within a charred slice of bacon and upon savouring it, a tangy, juicy explosion took place in my mouth, with the delicious pork bacon being both fatty and smoky.

For a limited period, Kaen is offering a Truffle Lover Set (S$66) consisting of a plate of Uni Truffle Wagyu Don With Ikura (worth S$68) and Kaen Truffle Japanese Somen (worth S$16.80)— that saves you a total of S$18.80!

Sethlui.com readers who flash this article will be entitled to an additional 100g of wagyu beef for free! That’s 200g of pure beef bliss. Hold on— I’m not finished! You can also get 3 more slices of hotate (scallops) for the Kaen Truffle Japanese Somen.

The Kaen Truffle Wagyu Don was a bowl of opulent ingredients filled with succulent pieces of Wagyu beef (200g worth), black truffle slices, sea urchin, ikura and right in the middle, a jiggly poached egg rests delicately.

The Wagyu beef was the fulfilment of my gustatory dreams; tender, fatty and an instant melt-in-your-mouth. However, take it one step further by destroying the egg and smothering the luscious golden yolk over the meat— I ascended to culinary heaven and returned.

The surprises kept coming! I paired it with the uni and rice below and the creamy richness just soared even higher. The rice also had furikake and crispy Sakura shrimp which injected hints of smoky umami-ness and texture.

The cold silk-like strands of the somen were refreshing and took on the earthy flavours of the truffle really well. It harmonised perfectly with the scallops which were plump, fresh and possessed a good mouthfeel.

The Uni Bara Chirashi Don (S$28) looked like one of the exhibits that was stolen from MoMA (Museum Of Modern Art). The colourful masterpiece had an assortment of sashimi cubes, uni, salmon roe and edamame, adorned with edible flowers and red sorrel microgreens.

The bowl would make all sashimi fans go weak in the knees with the varying level of creaminess emanating from each fish variety. There was also a hidden discovery of tiny radish cubes that were embedded within the rice, which added an addictive crunch to the dish.

Final thoughts

With a medley of Japanese sashimi and booze with a cosy ambience to match, Kaen is an excellent spot for casual meetups and company events, ideal for bonding over good food and drinks.

So swing by and warm up this hidden gem with your presence.

Expected damage: S$10 – S$33 per pax

* This post was brought to you in partnership with Kaen.

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