There's a new Japanese charcoal grill seafood and meat gastrobar in town, and that's Guriru (which means grill in Japanese)! Situated at the back of the Alumni Medical Centre as alfresco dining beside a swimming pool under bright lights, I think you won't find anything experience as cool as this (it literally gets nice and windy after the sun sets!). It's also helmed by Chef Teppei Yamashita of Teppei fame, so you know you're in good hands.
The food is prepared with the distinctive "hamayaki" style, which uses a binchotan charcoal grill to present a simple, rustic fisherman cuisine which is where Chef Teppei's hometown is from. Other than fresh seafood, there's also a small selection of land food (chicken, beef, pork and vegetables) from the live charcoal grill station.
Here's their main charcoal grill menu. As you can see, prices are super duper affordable!!! The same price range applies for their drinks and other food as well. I doubt you can find elsewhere that has $10 for 3 fresh or grilled oysters, or $12 for pork belly.
There are also some snacks to munch on. By the way, the service here was impeccable. The staff was attentive but not overbearing. It made the dining experience even more enjoyable!
The non-grilled items contain a mix of carbs and salad. Again, most are under $20.
We had an ice cold Asahi to start. SO REFRESHING.
On to the food, with the super creamy and juicy fresh Hyogo oysters ($10 for 3). We opted for raw so we can savour it in its original form, and boy were they creamy. For oyster fans, they are for you! The briney aftertaste was a bit strong for these and we should have gotten some other dishes to chase it with. 3.5/5
We also got some Kawa Ebi ($10) which saw small river shrimps battered and fried, perfect as a drinking snack. They were salty, crunchy and umami, though a bit heavy on the batter's oily aftertaste! 3/5
Some of the must-tries come from the charcoal grill of course. The grilled Gindara (American Black Cod) was only $16, for a perfectly executed rich and fresh cod. 4/5
There's also the Unagi (S$22) which was grilled to perfection with a sticky sweet teriyaki sauce. Even though I wish there's a bit more smokiness to it, for a non-unagi fan like me (cos of the tiny bones) I still really enjoyed it! 4/5
Then there's the Chirashi Don (S$18) with sashimi grade salmon, swordfish, tuna, whelk, scallops, ikura and Japanese rice. For that price, it is a good deal. However, even though there's a signature icon next to the dish name in the menu, I felt like diners should go for their grilled items instead or try the Guriru Oyster Rice. That's because the chirashi don was the least impressive dish of the night (a tad too fishy and the rice texture was also not that refined) and so gets only a 2.5/5 from me.
PS: they also serve sake, and have Nanbu Bijin on the menu, which is a great sake to pair with raw seafood.
Two landfood dishes made up for that - firs, the A4 wagyu Meltique Beef (S$18) which did what the name suggests. It was melt-in-mouth joy, plus the sauce and crispy garlic chips just elevated the fatty mouthfeel. Gently grilled, it was an unexpected surprise! 4/5
Then came the star of the night - the Kurobuta Pork Belly (S$12). The black char on it looked daunting and over the dish does not inspire confidence, but all three of our eyes widened involuntarily when we popped a piece of the pork belly into our mouths. It was an alchemist moment when chef was able to turn pork belly into a magical moment of salt, fat and smokiness in our mouths. A 100 must-order! 5/5
We also had a side of grilled Green capsicum (S$8) which lent some freshness amidst all the debauchery.
We ended the meal with a spicy but really seafoody pasta - the Seafood Aglio Olio (S$22) with prawns, squid and clams was the most expensive dish on the non-grilled menu but it was well deserved with so many fresh ingredients in a umami sauce that isn't too oily nor salty. The birds' eye chilli padi also gave a surprise kick. 4/5
Guriru already has more than 20k views on my TikTok and I can see why so many people like and bookmarked it! I really enjoyed my experience there, elevated by the chef's generosity and the staff's warm service on top of the grilled seafood and meat! I would highly recommend it to everyone!
🙅 Thank you, next
🤷 Try if nearby
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Guriru
2 College Road, Singapore 169850
(Not pet friendly for the moment but might change in future!)
Mondays to Saturdays 12pm-10.30pm (11.30pm on Fri-Sat)
Closed on Sundays
Reservations on Chope
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