Kimoto Gastro Bar is a place that has been in the list for me for quite a while to check out — set in its own space within The Sail@Marina Bay, Kimoto Gastro Bar occupies a ground level unit in the building. Wasn’t really aware about this, but Kimoto Gastro Bar is operated by the same folks behind The Drug Store as well as Three Hands Coffee; all three establishments being situated within the same building. By far, the facade of Kimoto Gastro Bar is probably the most aesthetic of the lot — the dark blue walls on the exterior is a big contrast to the largely grey colour scheme of the building; the shopfront also bears foldable windows above its windows that can be opened up and used as a bar table when the restaurant is open for the day. Serving up two different menus throughout the day, Kimoto Gastro Bar serves up a variety of Kushiyaki, Sashimi, Tempura alongside salads, Donburi and small plates during dinner service — they have also streamlined their offerings during lunch service to better serve the office folks in the area where a menu that focuses more on Donburi offerings.

One of the items that was making it rounds around social media when Kimoto Gastro Bar had first started its operations was their Tempura Don — their Tempura Don comes with elements such as prawns, chicken breast and vegetables as described in their menu. Each Donburi also comes served with a side salad, as well as a bowl of Miso Soup — the former being a refreshing break from the Tempura Don if one chooses to have it mid-meal; comprises of leafy greens drizzled in goma dressing and crispy tempura bits, while the latter comes with cubes of tofu and kelp. In actuality, the Tempura Don does come with vegetables such as corn, eggplant and carrot — there is also the inclusion of the tempura egg here which isn’t actually listed in their menu as well. Digging into the Tempura Don, it is noticeable how their rendition doesn’t carry as much sauce as some other Tendons which we have had at other locations before — that being said, we did find their variant still pretty palatable at the least; didn’t feel that their Tempura Don was too dry, and the fluffy short-grain rice was actually pretty flavourful on its own with the inclusion of shredded strips of seaweed. The tempura pieces here are freshly-fried upon order — those seated at the bar counter facing their food preparation area will be able to watch how they deep-fry the tempura and grill the kushiyaki behind a glass wall. Thought the tempura pieces were actually pretty well-executed; the golden-brown batter was light yet crispy — the various produce being quite fresh such as the prawns that carried a good bite whilst being naturally sweet, while the tempura egg deserves a mention for how it comes with molten egg white and egg yolk that can be mixed around the bowl of rice. At $16.80 before service charge and GST, the Tempura Don here is one that comes at a decent quality that would most certainly match those served at other Tendon specialty stores around.

Aside from the Tempura Don, Kimoto Gastro Bar does serve up some other Donburi items for lunch that also piqued our interest — think items such as their Kushiyaki Don, as well as the Kimoto Chirashi Don, though the latter is slightly higher priced in comparison at $25.90 before service charge and GST. Sure, the prices of the food at Kimoto Gastro Bar does suggest that it is a spot more for the occasional splurge during lunch, but with food of a good quality and at a relatively decent price, they do make for a worthy destination for a wind-down after an intensive work week with drinks and delicious Japanese cuisine for the office folks and expats in the area.