Panko @ Arab Street

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Unlisted Collection's newest baby took me by surprise. Panko is all about kushi katsu - all things skewered, panko-ed and deep fried. This less than a month old bar has been creating headlines for all the good reasons and I was thrilled to nab those counter seats.

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Looking much like dining in a spaceship - there are seats by the bar counter and also tables towards the end of the restaurant. 

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Orders are taken by hand.

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Spot the Panko beer on the tap! There are seasonal draft beers available and  entirely up to luck!

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A pint of house draught. Indo No Aooni Ipa draft.

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No amuse bouche, we dived straight into the meal proper with 4 types of seasoning dished up, salt, housemade sauce, ponzu and soya sauce. Chef would make the necessary recommendations which sauces to dip the skewers too and trust him to give the best suggestions.

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Sushi Black Pork Katsu Roll ($22)

Fried sushi with a delectable cream sauce, pickled ginger and grated wasabi. This filled me up too fast and marginal utility definitely declined but while it lasted, it was really good.

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Young Corn ($2)

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Sushito ($4)

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Eringi Mushroom ($3)

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Japanese Sweet Potato ($4)

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Japanese Leek ($2)

I have a thing for Japanese produce, and the Hubba would scorn - only the Japanese get their vegetables right and he is half right with that. Perhaps the water or air or even TLC that the farmers give to their produce, the Japanese imported ones are exceptionally sweet.  On our own, we have foods for the life of us, we avoid but throw in Japanese produce, suddenly we eat every. single. thing.

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Wagyu Beef with Oroshi Ponzu Ichimi ($6)

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I love my wagyus and having it kushikatsu-ed just meant that doneness is out of the question, except you're guaranteed of a very tender cut. I enjoyed how this was so tender and the pairing with ponzu, top notch deliciosity.



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Pork Collar with Japanese Mustard ($3)

Pork collar was more straightforward with its flavour profile, a firmer cut with a dash of japanese mustard.

Kajiki with Shiraga Negi Ichimi ($4)

There are a number of fish varieties on their menu and kajiki is a first, very tender and almost cottony soft

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Bocconcini Cheese ($5)

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Melty cheese encrusted with panko, I wish I fed myself first instead of my camera since it hardened pretty quickly. 

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Stuffed Squid with Ink Rice ($6)

I've warned you, limited quantities available for this since it was sold out for the evening almost after we placed our orders. I already classify stuffed squid as culinary masterpieces, until having it done kushikatsu style, the crunchy panko crust does up the level of satisfaction but several notches!

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Chicken Nankotsu ($6)

Chicken soft bone remains in the grey area - I don't hate them neither do I particularly love them. Panko does a mean job with this and those crunchy soft bones are crazy addictive. 

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Kisu with Oba, Ume ($4)

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Daikon Radish with Duck Breast Nitsume ($4)

Smoked duck gave this juicy skewer a savoury finish. Once again, blown away by Japanese vegetables.

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Hokkaido Scallop with Sea Urchin ($8)

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Komochi Kombu with Sea Urchin ($8)

We each had our favourites and while mine was the komochi, Hubba's was the scallop. Both were exquisite and the sea urchin certainly got us sold - I would not mind more sea urchin for sure. 

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Foie Gras Sakyo with Miso Blueberry ($8)

As odd as the combination sounds, it works.

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Mochi Bacon with Mentai Mayo ($5)

I wish we had seconds of this, the mochi was on point with the amount of glutinous rice used. Even the one who shuns away from mochi was in love with the texture. So simple, so good.

We were definitely too stuffed to consider dessert, or dessert just did not tempt on paper.

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Oh, Unlisted Collection...when will you stop surprising me? I'm obsessed with their restaurants and it does not help all of them are on my list of favourites.

Panko
33 Arab Street

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