Strategically located on the ground floor, modern Japanese restobar Ohayo Mama San has opened its doors at 313@Somerset. With its hallmark blue and orange colour scheme, this eatery marks the first fusion Japanese all-day brunch and resto-bar concept by the team behind “House of Sushi Warriors” Takeshi-San at Holland Village. A brand thoughtfully built on flavours and culture, Ohayo Mama San captures the best of modern Nihon and Asia to offer diners an experience, unlike others. Its comprehensive menu consists of selections perfect for anytime of the day – from all-day brunch sets, Japanese tapas, Fusion mains, classic rice bowls and ramen, high tea sets, and more.
Ohayo Mama San – The Space
Occupying the area beside the entrance, the 1,700 square foot features a luxurious marble Japanese bar and colourful booths with golden arches. Accommodating up to 70-seaters, the retro space offers diners alternatives to suit the occasion, including bar seats for first peeks at one’s cocktails, long tables for a gathering, and spacious square tables to people-watch. Couples on the hunt for the next date venue would also be delighted to find intimate booths available for their meal out together.
Ohayo Mama San – The Menu
Begin Ohayo Mama San hospitality and fare with the selection of light bites: Empowered Pappadams (S$20 for 10 pcs) with a generous drizzle of Ikura and Tobiko, and Foursome Crabmeat Nori Tacos (S$20 for 4 pcs) – a marriage of crunchy, creamy textures with a touch of light seafood flavours. A new presentation of canapes with exquisite Japanese ingredients.
Available from 11am to 6pm daily is Ohayo Mama San’s signature All-Day Brunch, inspired by the Japanese Bento culture and the well-loved brunch menu Singaporeans are familiar with. Madam Benedict Egg Brunch (S$24) is a visual spectacle of eggs benedict on sourdough, blueberry-topped honey yoghurt, sauteed mushrooms, seafood and vegetable chowder, complete with a miso sauce salad. The Nishoku Tamago Total Satisfaction Brunch (S$34) offers a satisfying serving of the traditional Nishoku Tamago, paired with crusty, buttery mini croissants with the sides of sauteed mushrooms, chowder, salad and yoghurt.
For every Japanese cuisine lover, sushi is always a must-have. At Ohayo Mama San, a healthier version of the sushi is born in Ohayo Mama San’s signature Riceless Sushi rolls with pure proteins and greens. Tuck into the Dancing Geisha (S$24) for a bite full of fresh salmon and tuna, with the umami burst of fresh ikura, or the Forbidden Love (S$24) with semi-peppery notes of kaiware and crunchy tempura bits.
True to their name of creating playful and delicate offerings, Ohayo Mama San has also refreshed their fresh sashimi offerings on top of their usual menu. Uni Garden (S$228) is presently on pre-order basis, pairing a selection of decadent and highly nutritious Uni (Sea Urchin) with an array of premium ingredients: snow crab, shiro ebi, botan ebi, oysters, and more.
For diners in-between afternoon shopping sprees, tea time is a celebration of flavours and presentation at Ohayo Mama San with a selection of two quaint Tea Party Sets for two – Sweet Time Tea Party or Mixed Messages Tea Party. Sitting atop a charming bench platter are toothsome sweets and savoury bites fresh from the kitchen, one can pick between having their tea time bites with three sets available, either accompanied by a fragrant pot of TWG’s best tea selections (S$38), two glasses of Ohayo Mama San’s own cocktail – Passion Mimosa (S$58), or one carafe of House Sake (S$65).
After all, it is never too early for indulgence with Ohayo Mama San’s extensive Truly Happy Hours running from 11am to 8pm from Mondays to Saturdays, and all-day on Sundays. Fresh beers begin from S$8/pint, and House Sake by the glass start from S$10. Take a sip of Ohayo Mama San’s exclusive sake-based Geisha Selection of cocktails at this time for $12 each, with sultry, refreshing notes of mint, bubblegum, citrus and more – living up to their legendary Geisha inspired names like Ruby Rose and Madam Butterfly. After 8pm on Mondays through Saturdays, the Geisha cocktails are available at S$18 each.
For the Sake enthusiast, Ohayo Mama San impresses with its vast selection of Sakes, including Japanese classics and limited expressions like the Dassai (from S$42), Katsuyama (from S$98), and Tenbu “The Gift” (from S$42). An exclusive seasonal selection with the Four Fox Junmai Daiginjo (S$168) and Kikumasamune Junmai Kojo (from S$36) is also available for lucky guests. Fruit sakes (from S$30) that are friendlier and sweeter on the palate for exploring drinkers are also available, alongside taster sets (S$18 for taster of 3, S$35 for taster of 5) to ease into the complex notes of the Japanese alcohol.
Rounding up the experience in the evening, Ohayo Mama San offers a hearty selection of contemporary Japanese fare. Ramen is revamped as aromatic Truffle Dry Ramen, with melt-in-your-mouth Wagyu (It-Truly-Melts Wagyu Truffle, S$40) or select King prawns (Hail-the-King Prawn Truffle Onsen Ramen, S$24). For a truly cosmopolitan experience infused with Southeast Asian flavours, Ohayo Mama San has also introduced a fusion menu with delights like Wagyu Cubes Nyonya Rendang in Baked Onion with Jap Garlic Rice (S$26) – an interesting play of homely spice and aromatics within Japanese ingredients.
Play continues even at the end of one’s meal with desserts that play with the form and textures of Japanese presentations. Is it cheesecake? Is it Tempura? (S$14) offers a curious ensemble of creaminess and fried textures to close off the meal, while Melt the Chocolate Tokyo Dome! (S$14) unveils a selection of dainty delights for a sweet ending to the feasting.
