Bite-size onigiri sandwiches & yummy $3.50 donburi at Senja Hawker Centre

Newly-opened Senja Hawker Centre isn’t essentially the most accessible round, particularly provided that it’s snuggled in Bukit Panjang. However, its spectacular array of choices, similar to Onigirazu Don, a Japanese hawker stall specialising in onigiri sandwiches, may simply win you over.

Senja Hawker Centre formally opened on 11 Dec 2022, sporting 580 seats and near 30 hawker stalls, starting from Michelin-recommended Heng Gi Goose & Duck Rice to the ever-famous Amoy St Lor Mee.

It was my first time on the spanking new hawker centre and I used to be tremendous impressed. It was brighter and extra ethereal than I assumed, with massively excessive ceilings and huge followers that generated loads of cool air all through the place.

Run by Jacky and Felicia, a husband-and-wife duo, Onigirazu Don was a home-based enterprise earlier than the pair determined to enterprise into the hawker scene. 

Yet, regardless of having well-known hawker stalls as its neighbours, Onigirazu Don appears to be holding its personal completely advantageous. It’s no marvel, as Jacky has clocked over 10 years of F&B expertise, whereas pastry-trained Felicia has labored in locations similar to InterContinental Singapore. 

What I attempted at Onigirazu Don

Onigirazu is a variation of the standard onigiri. In Japanese, “zu” is used to negate a verb, and on this context, it means to kind an onigiri however with out moulding it right into a ball. And there you’ve it— the onigirazu, which is actually an onigiri, however in a sandwich kind.

Onigirazu Don presents 4 kinds of onigirazu, and we determined to order the Spam & Cheese (S$3.50) and Wafuyo Smoked Duck (S$5).

The most cost-effective onigirazu on Onigirazu Don’s menu, Spam & Cheese, got here with 2 slabs of pan-fried spam, a number of items of dashimaki tamagoyaki, cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce, mayonnaise, pickles, all of which had been packed neatly between rice and a sheet of nori.

Though its substances had been comparatively simple, there was simply one thing hearty and traditional about pan-fried spam that made me get pleasure from this onigirazu very a lot. 

The spam had a delectably crisp exterior, whereas its well-needed saltiness went hand-in-hand with the moist and sticky rice. The dashimaki tamagoyaki was mildly candy, whereas the crunchy pickles had been piquant. 

As I had absolutely anticipated the onigirazu to crumble as a result of nature of the way it’s packed, I used to be pleasantly stunned when every little thing was nonetheless intact after a number of bites.

I moved on to my second onigirazu, the Wafuyo Smoked Duck. The main elements of the onigirazu remained the identical, apart from the selection of meat— as a substitute of slabs of spam, I counted 4 thick strips of smoked duck.

While the duck was smoky and meaty, I discovered it barely disappointing as a result of as in comparison with the Spam & Cheese, the Wafuyo Smoked Duck tasted flatter as a complete, and the substances didn’t gel collectively as completely.

After some deliberation, my eating companion and I figured that it should’ve been the saltiness from the spam that saturated the rice round it, creating persistently all-rounded savoury flavours with every chew.

While the onigirazus could be excellent for a mid-day snack and even for brunch, Onigirazu Don additionally presents donburis and Japanese curry for these craving a heftier meal.

We determined to attempt its Oyako Don, which immediately caught our consideration on account of its S$3.50 price ticket. Turns out, there’s no meat in Onigirazu Don’s Oyako Don— simply rice, eggs, onions, pickles, cabbage and rice.

Despite not having any meat, the Oyako Don was nonetheless price its inexpensive price ticket. Not solely was I given a beneficiant quantity of rice, the eggs and onions had been simmered in a dashi-based broth, making a scrumptious savouriness that paired nicely with the white rice.

I’d determine that this might be nice for vegetarians or diners who want to decide out of meat, however when you can’t reside with out your meat, go for Onigirazu Don’s different choices like Yakiniku Beef Oyako Don (S$7.90).

To spherical off our meal, we received Onigirazu Don’s Chicken Katsu Curry Udon (S$6.90), which got here with loads of crispy katsu, udon, pickles and dashimaki tamago.

This was certainly one of our favorite meals of the day. The hen katsu remained deliciously crispy despite the fact that it had been lined in curry gravy, and to not point out, Onigirazu Don had been extremely beneficiant with the quantity of katsu.

The hero of the entire dish, the curry sauce, hit the spot. Rich and flavourful, every slurp of udon was crammed with umami salty notes. Every strand of udon was coated gorgeously in shiny curry, and every mouthful got here collectively in a considerable and savoury manner.

Final ideas

I cherished that Onigirazu Don bought full meals like oyakodon and curry dishes, in addition to bite-sized snacks within the type of onigirazu. This means irrespective of whether or not you’re craving one thing mild to whet your urge for food or a meal that’s filling for lunch, Onigirazu Don’s choices are there to satisfy your wants.

There was one thing so easy in regards to the onigirazu that received me over, and I can think about having this for breakfast on a regular basis. Though observe that Onigirazu Don solely begins its day at 11am, so I suppose that must be for brunch or a tea break as a substitute.

Oh, if solely it wasn’t so far-off within the West of Singapore!

Expected injury: S$3.50 – S$9 per pax

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