Ginza Bairin is a casual eatery that serves delicious Japanese “tonkatsu” which are deep-fried breaded pork cutlets. First established as long ago as in 1927 in Japan, they also have a branch in Singapore located on the basement floor (B4) of Ion shopping mall. I always pass by it as it’s near the Food Opera food court which I frequent but I’d never actually dined there before except for picking up a takeaway as they do great Katsu Sando (deep-fried breaded pork cutlet sandwiches) and I’ve also got food delivery from them through FoodPanda before.
They currently have some coupons available on the JPassport app which is a mobile app that recommends Japanese restaurants, services and products in Singapore and always has great offers and discounts and until the 11th of March on weekdays between 3pm and 6pm their Katsu Don (rice topped with a deep-fried breaded pork cutlet, egg and onions) is only $8! This is a great deal considering it’s usually around $17. They also have coupons for Ginza Bairin’s Katsu Curry (deep-fried breaded pork cutlet with Japanese curry and rice), Chashu Udon (udon noodles in soup with pork) and Tonkotsu Ramen Original (ramen noodles in pork bone broth with pork slices), all at $8 as well as a couple of other offers.
I decided to take advantage of their $8 Katsu Don offer last Friday and had a late lunch there at around 3pm. You have to order and pay first at the till at the front of the restaurant and then you’re given a number which you can put on the table of your choice so that the server can bring your food to you. There were already quite a few people dining when I got there, probably also taking advantage of the deals, but there were plenty of tables to choose from as the restaurant is fairly spacious.
Literally within one minute of sitting down my food was brought to me piping hot. The Katsudon didn’t look quite as appetising as the one in the picture on their menu but nevertheless it was tasty. The tonkatsu itself was unfortunately not crispy at all as it was slightly drowned by all the egg and sauce and it was a little bit too fatty but the pork was still juicy and tender. The sauce was nice and sweet and there was a good amount of it on the rice too. The Katsudon came with a bowl of miso soup on the side which was perfect for washing down everything at the end and it was well-prepared and not too salty.
On the whole I had a good lunch at Ginza Bairin, it was excellent value for money with the JPassport coupon and service was extremely efficient. The restaurant itself has a nice relaxed atmosphere and it’s a great place to stop by for a quick lunch whilst shopping at Ion or if you work nearby. They have a big menu of Tonkatsu set meals, Tonkatsu Donburi (tonkatsu rice bowl dishes), noodles and curry. JPassport have coupons for Ginza Bairin which changes on a monthly basis so it’s worth checking out before you visit the restaurant. The JPassport app is free to download and register with in order to access the offers for Ginza Bairin as well as for many other Japanese restaurants around Singapore.
Ginza Bairin also have a small takeaway counter next to it called Ton Kara Ginza Bairin which sells Tonkara (fried pork) and Karaage (fried chicken) as well as my favourite fried chicken wings which is a specialty from Nagoya called Tebasaki and Katsu Sando (deep-fried breaded pork cutlet sandwiches). They even do Unagi Katsu Sando (deep-fried breaded eel cutlet sandwiches) which is something unusual but really yummy!
Ginza Bairin
Address: B4 – 39/40/41/42 Ion Orchard, 2 Orchard Turn, Singapore 238801
Tel: 65098101
Opening hours: Daily 11am – 10.30pm
Hope you’ve enjoyed my Ginza Bairin review, please feel free to leave a comment below with your own review of the restaurant or if you have any questions!
