'Very atas': Ghib Ojisan reviews $13.60 chicken rice and $6.80 otah in Japan

Despite being Japanese, YouTuber Ghib Ojisan is known to love Singapore — so much so that he even moved here, married a Singaporean and bought a 4-room HDB resale flat. 

And he adores our local food so much that he decided to visit a Singapore-style restaurant with his wife and younger brother when he went back to Japan, he shared in a YouTube video that was uploaded onto his channel on Wednesday (June 22). 

However, it definitely wasn't the usual hawker centre pricing — after a hearty meal, the bill came up to 7,315 yen (S$75) for three pax, which Ghib Ojisan remarked as "not too bad". 

The place is aptly called Makan Makan, which means "eat" in Malay. According to Ghib Ojisan, the restaurant, which is run by a Singaporean called Chef James, is located in quite an "ulu", or out of the way, location in Yamato, Kanagawa. 

To give it a more Singapore touch, the eatery is also decked out in kopitiam-style tables and the cutlery is even similar to those that you can find in a hawker centre. 

Here's what to expect if you, too, are craving some Singapore fare while you're in the area.

$13.60 chicken rice, $6.80 otah and $11.30 Hokkien mee 

A quick glance at the handwritten menu reveals that Makan Makan sells a range of Singapore classics like chicken rice, har cheong gai (fried prawn paste chicken), carrot cake and even siew mai (pork dumplings). 

The first dish served was satay with a side of pickles, which cost 605 yen. 

Ghib Ojisan noted that the satay looked a little different because the peanut sauce — which usually is presented separately on the side — was poured over the satay. 

Satay is also known to be a tad bit sweet, but Ghib Ojisan and his dining companions described it as salty. 

"It tastes like curry, almost," quipped his wife. 

Next up, they had paper-wrapped chicken (660 yen) and while they all unanimously agreed that it was delicious, they felt like something was a bit off. 

"It's almost like a different dish in my opinion," said Ghib Ojisan, adding that it reminded him of siew mai. 

Another appetiser they enjoyed was otah (660 yen), which they all praised.

"Wow, this is very authentic," said an impressed Ghib Ojisan when he took a bite out of the fleshy otah. 

"Takes me back to Singapore." 

After the plate of otah had been wiped clean, they were served the mains, with the first one being chicken rice (1,320 yen). 

Such costly chicken rice isn't a common sight in Singapore and Ghib Ojisan seemed a little taken aback. 

"Very atas," he whispered into the camera, which is Singlish slang for expensive. 

However, he did note that it was "very high quality" and his wife added it was "double the portion", which probably explained the steep price. 

Additionally, Ghib Ojisan shared that this chicken rice wasn't your typical rendition of the dish as it came with a side of Chinese vegetables and tofu. He also realised that the soup was a little different and even said that it looked "so much better than Singapore."

Like the other dishes, everyone unanimously agreed that the chicken rice was good and Ghib Ojisan added that he suspects they use a special "high-quality chicken". 

However, his wife pointed out that one lacking component was the chilli, which could have been a bit spicier. 

The second main they tried was the bak kut teh (1,540 yen). 

Singapore usually sells Teochew-style bak kut teh, which is made with garlic and pepper. However, the bak kut teh here was Malaysian-style bak kut teh, which has a more herbal taste. It also came with noodles, which isn't usually found in bak kut teh.

However, despite the differences, they really enjoyed the dish.

"It's not the usual bak kut teh, but it's so good. Lots of meat too," Ghib Ojisan praised. 

The final dish they had was the Hokkien mee (1,100 yen), which Ghib Ojisan said was "so difficult to find in Japan". 

This isn't your typical Hokkien mee either. All three of them agreed that it "[tasted] like chow mein (fried noodles)" and instead of the usual yellow noodles, thicker and flatter noodles were used instead. 

Ghib Ojisan's wife also pointed out that no pork lard had been used to cook the dish, hence the difference in flavours and textures. 

"Which is actually healthier. If not, Hokkien mee is actually a very high-calorie dish," she added. 

While Ghib Ojisan enjoyed the dish, he felt the Hokkien mee would be better with some chilli padi. 

To his surprise, Makan Makan actually had some on hand and the waitress even remarked that no one had requested for chilli padi before. 

"Some customers asked for chilli pastes, but chilli padi, you're the first," she elaborated. 

This isn't the first time Ghib Ojisan has hunted for hawker fare overseas. When he visited London last year, he went to the Singaporean-founded stall Mei Mei at Borough Market to try its offerings, which included $16 chicken rice and $20 nasi lemak. 

melissateo@asiaone.com