There are days in the CBD when you just want something fast, comforting, and properly satisfying. Not a sad desk lunch. Not another overpriced café plate. Just a solid bowl of rice done right.
That is exactly where Ryokudo lands.
The Jakarta favourite has opened its Singapore flagship at Pekin Street in Far East Square, and the focus is refreshingly simple. Honest Japanese donburi, executed properly, priced for everyday lunches.
Every bowl starts with Japanese short grain rice cooked in seasoned stock, then mixed with a house made furikake blend. Even the tare sauces are made in house. It sounds small, but you taste the difference immediately. The rice alone has flavour.
Signatures cover all the classics and then some. The Katsu Toji Don layers crispy chicken thigh cutlets with silky eggs and dashi. The Gyudon piles tender beef short plate, caramelised onions and buttery mushrooms into a rich, deeply comforting bowl. If you want something more indulgent, the Steak Don comes with sous vide Australian ribeye, seared for that proper crust. The Salmon Aburi Don is torched to order and finished with mentaiko mayo for a smoky, creamy hit.
Add sides like chawanmushi, ebi croquettes or white corn tempura and it quickly turns into a full meal without blowing your budget.
Here is the smart part for office crowds. Weekday lunch diners can upgrade any donburi to a set for just three dollars, which includes chawanmushi, miso soup, pickled tomato and hojicha. It is a serious value move that makes this one of the better lunch deals in the area
Comfort food. Properly made. Priced like a regular lunch. Hard to argue with that.
Pekin Street. Far East Square. Weekday staple sorted.
Ryokudo
20 Pekin Street, Singapore 048749
Right in the Telok Ayer and Raffles Place pocket, so it is an easy 3 to 5 minute walk from both MRT stations. Basically prime CBD lunch territory. Perfect for weekday donburi runs.
