Aburi En

Had dinner with a friend at Aburi-En JEWEL not too long ago. 

Had dinner with another friend at another Aburi-En a few weeks after. 

I had grilled (was it grilled?) salmon at JEWEL. 

At Suntec I took the pork. 

The texture's different, of course. 

But the sauce, the garnishings, and the bits of vegetables are more or less the same. 

Aburi-En is one of those in-between places that you either have to plan to go, or, you are there because you're looking for something to eat and just happened to walk by. 

I don't mean the place is forgettable. 

I mean it takes a bit of time before you start to appreciate their signature offerings.

Maybe that's why in recent times they've got a couple of collaborations with the anime side. 

At one time there was Demon Slayer and fans (or family of fans) came down for the meal just so they could collect the merchandise. 

I once saw a family have four different sets of the Demon Slayer offerings because the daughter wanted four of the merchandise.

After Demon Slayer there was another collaboration with another anime- I can't remember which- and chances are, there might be one going on right now. 

I've had a few meals here at Aburi-En. 

But I haven't taken as many pictures as I ought to be. 

Maybe because I am hungry whenever I am there and so I just start eating when the bowl arrives at my table. 

Or if I'm not hungry, the food just looks good (and so immediately I dig in)

We tend to go for the sliced pork.

Sometimes we share. 

Sometimes we go for a bowl each. 

This day when the pictures were taken, we were at the Suntec outlet and we decided to share. 

One of the cool things about Aburi-En is that they're pretty generous with the sizes. 

Maybe the bowl hasn't as many pieces as I would like (I'm hungry, after all) but each piece- beautifully arranged- is large, solidly thick, with a great chewy texture, and grilled in a way that brings out the flavor of the meat. 

It's very nice to alternate nibbling at a piece together with a bit of rice. 

It's also very nice to just keep on the meat until it's finished, and then slather the remaining sauce over the rice below. 

There are no burnt parts (even though) almost all of the pieces look like there're a couple of burnt bits here and there. 

My style alternates a couple of bites with a bit of rice. 

It builds up the flavor, and you're not left with a serving of plain rice that you have to finish when the meal is eaten this way. 

One thing I haven't tried is to separate the sauce from the meat and just have the meat on its own. 

They seem adhered together.

Perhaps next time I'll give it a go. :D 

There're plenty of flavors you can try when you're here at Aburi-En. 

I've had little pieces of (also very tender) grilled chicken served with a dip that (might) have been a combination of yuzu and vinegar. 

I've also had fried food here. 

Like this dish of chicken karaage that at first I thought might be hard and dry, but turned out to be deliciously crispy, tasty, soft, and absolutely not dry at all.