Quick answer: Mukai is a popular kaisendon restaurant from Shibuya, Tokyo known for its tall, mounded seafood rice bowls. They opened their first overseas outlet at Plaza Singapura (#B1-07, 68 Orchard Road, Singapore 238839, a short walk from Dhoby Ghaut MRT). Bowls run from $19.90 to $79.90, with set meals priced between $68 and $99++, and the restaurant is open daily from 11:30am to 3pm and 5:30pm to 10pm. It’s worth a visit for solo lunches, seafood lovers, and anyone curious about trying the brand’s first branch outside Japan.
Mukai is a well-known kaisendon restaurant from Tokyo that just opened its first restaurant outside Japan, at Plaza Singapura. This joins a growing list of Japanese restaurants on Orchard Road, but it offers a premium experience with generous portions of fresh seafood and housemade condiments.
What Is Mukai?
Mukai is a kaisendon brand originating in Shibuya, known for its picturesque seafood bowls piled high with fish.
They call their bowls ‘kaiho don’ instead of ‘kaisendon’. The word ‘kaiho’ means sea treasure, a commitment from Mukai to use fresh, seasonal fish.
The fish used in the Singapore outlet is flown directly from Japan to ensure the same taste and quality.
Where Is Mukai Located?
Mukai is located at B1-07 of Plaza Singapura, conveniently located near the travelator beside. It’s also connected directly to Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station.
While their original Shibuya outlet has tatami mats, this space is modern, clean and minimal.
There’s counter seating where you watch the chefs prepare every bowl fresh, alongside communal tables for group lunches. The space is solo-dining friendly as well.
What Is Kaiho Don?
Kaiho don is Mukai’s version of kaisendon, with seafood chopped and piled into a tall mound over seasoned sushi rice.
The restaurant offers a two-part eating ritual: eat the sashimi cold first, then pour warm dashi over the rice to turn it into ochazuke.
There are also condiments like seaweed and housemade dashi soy sauce, which you can enjoy with your rice.
Every order of kaiho don is customisable, including the rice portion (150g – 350g), rice type (white or mixed grain), vinegar (white or red) and dashi choice.
What’s On The Mukai Menu?
The Mukai menu features over six types of kaiho don, each featuring a combination of fish like tuna, salmon, sea bream and amberjack.
Every kaiho don comes with an appetiser, miso soup, broth (afterwards) and complimentary dessert.
Here is a preview of their menu:
| Category | Item | Price | What Is it |
| Kaiho don | Kaiho Don Nami | $28.90++ | MUKAL’s Classic Seafood Bowl. Includes tuna, tuna tataki, salmon, sea bream and amberjack. |
| Kaiho Don Jo | $32.90++ | Includes toro (fatty tuna), tuna tataki, salmon, sea bream and amberjack. | |
| Kaiho Don Goku Goku | $79.90++ | MUKAI Signature luxury bowl with toro (fatty tuna), tuna tataki, salmon, sea bream and amberjack. Topped with extra sashimi, salmon roe, uni and shiso leaves. | |
| Sides | Maguro Gobo | $15.90++ | Singapore-exclusive. Made with blood muscle of tuna simmered in a rich sauce. |
| Maguro Namero | $11.90++ | Minced Maguro tuna seasoned with miso and herbs. |
You can check out their full menu here.
What We Ordered
Kaiho don
We tried two of their signature bowls: the Kaiho Don Tokujo ($40.90) and Kaiho Don Kiwami ($52.90).
Both bowls have the same combination of fish, except the latter has extra sea urchin (uni) and salmon roe.
It’s an interactive eating experience: you can enjoy the fish alone with seaweed or season your bowl to taste with a housemade dashi soy sauce.
We found the bowls fresh and generous, but not mindblowing. The fish itself didn’t have a strong, sweet flavour, so the soy sauce helped boost the overall taste. We wished the fish quality could be better, especially for the steep price point.
The cucumber and radish provided a refreshing crunch, while the uni and fatty tuna elevated the experience.
The ochazuke experience stood out to us. We opted for the dashi broth with clams, which soaked the rice in a comforting, umami-rich soup that helped settle the stomach.
Side Dishes
The Maguro Yukke ($11.90) was reminiscent of the Korean version with beef, except made spicy with a gochujang sauce and creamy soy-cured egg yolk.
The Maguro Daikon ($9.90) featured a sweet, almost meaty radish stewed with soy sauce and tuna cuts. This was simple but flavourful, a unique way of enjoying radish we hadn’t really seen before.
Is Mukai Worth It?
If you are a seafood lover looking for a heartier kaisendon, Mukai is worth one visit. They provide a novel dining experience and a generous amount of seafood, although the quality of fish could be improved for better flavour. The steep price point also makes it hard to justify a dedicated visit, but we are curious to see how Mukai can maintain the same quality here.
Our rating of Mukai is 3.5 out of 5.
Mukai: Key Information
| Address | Plaza Singapura, #B1-07, 68 Orchard Road, Singapore 238839 |
| Hours | 11:30am–3pm, 5:30pm–10pm, daily |
| Nearest MRT | Dhoby Ghaut |
| Price | $19.90–$99++ |
| Cuisine | Japanese, kaisendon/seafood rice bowls |
| Halal-certified | No |
| Reservations | Not accepting reservations, walk-ins only |
| Contact | +65 6219 4846 |
Frequently Asked Questions on Mukai
What is Mukai?
Mukai is a kaisendon (seafood rice bowl) restaurant from Shibuya, Tokyo, known for its “kaiho don”: seafood chopped and piled high over seasoned rice. Its Plaza Singapura outlet is the brand’s first restaurant outside Japan.
Where is Mukai located in Singapore?
Mukai is at Plaza Singapura, #B1-07, 68 Orchard Road, Singapore 238839, on the basement level near Dhoby Ghaut MRT.
What is kaiho don or kaisen don?
Kaisendon is a Japanese seafood rice bowl. Mukai’s version, kaiho don (“sea treasure bowl”), chops the seafood into smaller pieces and mounds it over rice rather than laying out fanned sashimi slices, and finishes with a warm dashi broth poured over the remainder to make ochazuke.
How much does a bowl at Mukai cost?
Kaiho don bowls range from $19.90 for the kids’ Kodomo bowl to $79.90++ for the Goku Goku, which is limited to 30 servings a day. Set meals go up to $99++.
Is Mukai halal-certified?
No, Mukai is currently not halal-certified.
Does Mukai take reservations?
Mukai does not take reservations, but the space is walk-in friendly.
Is Mukai good for solo diners?
Yes, there are solo-friendly counter seating. Menu items are served in single-serving sets
What are Mukai’s opening hours?
Mukai is open daily from 11:30am to 3pm and 5:30pm to 10pm.
*This article is based on a media tasting, but all opinions expressed about the food are entirely our own.
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