Yokozuna Stall Review: Restaurant-Quality Japanese Food At A Kopitiam In Toa Payoh

We found Japanese hawker stall Yokozuna Stall in a small coffee shop beside Lorong 8 Toa Payoh Hawker Centre. A distinctive brown tray sat on the tables of most of the people dining there. Cheap Japanese Food At Yokozuna Food at Yokozuna Stall We heard the Tataki Salmon Roll ($6) is one of the more popular items on the menu.

The smoky slices of salmon topping the rice were coated in a layer of mayonnaise. The sushi was stuffed with crab meat in mayonnaise and tiny chunks of cucumber, which lent the roll a juicy crunch. The second appetiser, Yoko Yoko ($6) , is also the stall’s speciality.

It’s name gave no explanation as to what it is, so I just assumed from the picture that they were dumplings. It was only after the smiling stall owner recommended it to me that my interest was piqued. ‘It’s not a dumpling,’ she stated, ‘ It contains tilapia fish and crab meat.

The lady boss’ husband, and co-owner of Yokozuna Stall, Mr Francis Lee, came out of the kitchen to have a little chat with me later. He explained that the Yoko Yoko contains two different kinds of mayonnaise.

The first coat on top is a tangy blend of mayonnaise with avocado, leeks, carrots and onions. The second type of mayonnaise is mixed together with shredded crab meat and stuffed within the Yoko Yoko.

Winding round the Yoko Yoko are long slices of tilapia fish and seaweed. We ordered the Beef Curry Bento ($6.80) first, which came with beef skewers stuffed with leeks atop a base of Japanese curry.

The curry, which contained carrot and potato cubes, was a little salty, but that no longer became a problem after mixing it into the rice. Finally, we tried the last set meal of the day- the Butter Yaki Seabass Bento ($6.80) . The seabass came with rice and a dollop of mashed potatoes topped with flying fish roe.

On the outside, it was a little crispy, and slathered in a sweet sauce, while the meat within was tender and milky from having been infused with butter. The owner of the stall, Mr Francis Lee, has been a chef for close to 18 years now.

He used to own a restaurant known as Yokozuna Japanese Restaurant, but ever since it ceased operations a while back, he threw open its doors Yokozuna Stall right here in the heart of Toa Payoh. But most importantly, it’s since I’ve always been a diner on a budget, and everything at Yokozuna Stall costs below $10!