I love stuff like this, I kid you not. I go to the ballet with Amy & Jude one Saturday. On our way back home we walk past the hawker on the corner of Jln Tua Kong and see this new sign… It mentions Wagyu. It mentions Japanese Wagyu. It mentions Kobe Japanese Wagyu. You are sort of up there when you start to talk this grade of Wagyu. But to see this on a sign at a coffee shop in Siglap truly made me stop in my tracks. Then you see the brand name, who also turns out to be the proprietor, Mr Big Kodo. And so I had to write this – Mr Big Kodo – Japanese Wagyu @ the Hawker
One amazing thing to call out is that his stall is at the very same location as one of our old favourites that sadly closed. It’s amazing. It’s sure fate. He is also 52 born in 1968 the year of the monkey – so apt!!! Remember our trips to the boys who opened up another unique stall doing that wonderful Coconut Steamboat? Well, that is where he is now, right smack bang in the same stall.
Have you ever seen such a sign outside a coffee shop encouraging you to explore inside? In my 13 years in Singapore, the only thing that comes close would be Chef Greg and Khun Mookata, which was in Siglap again funnily enough.
This is a FIRST in Singapore. This is bloody unique. We HAVE TO explore as a family. We also have to try his local fair of third-generation hand-down recipes of carrot cake, beef kway teow and the like… It’s a smorgasbord all right.
One of those – “hold on a minute” moments as you meander past your local hawker joint… How could you ignore this sign? It literally stopped me in my tracks to take a snap and then converse with wifey to create an immediate action plan of engagement…Right between Wifey & #1 you can see the stall. Full of local promise PLUS the roast options including the Japanese Wagyu, chicken, salmon and even oysters… I think we are all rather eager to explore this place today.If you see this on a wall in a hawker. As a foodie surely you must get excited… It’s in a HAWKER!!!But up first. #1 get stuck into the black & white carrot cake and this comes out with a massive thumbs up. Like he was super happy with it, comparing it to the best he has had. Always a good sign. Super spicy chilli sauces accompanying every dish too. BOOM!!! Looks pretty damned good right? Well it is Grandad’s recipe after all.Up next is Wifey and her Hokkien Mee. She also gave this as a thumbs up OK. Nothing amazingly outstanding. But good.And then here comes this. Jude Jude and I are sharing. Kodo came out 1st to show the meat and said he’d cut it in half to get to the 150g. Sod that!. Don’t ruin a piece of art mate, we’ll have the full 300g steak thanks very much. I did need to ask for a little salt and bless we got sent salt & black pepper. Yep, he knows his steaks. This was medium-rare perfection. Buttery beef steak. Stunning tastes and textures. This would be comfortable on the table of any fine dining restaurant, and here we are sat in a coffee shop. A variety of sauces from black pepper and brown (gravy) to accompany this. Jude Jude and I only wanted salt & pepp. The chips as well. The chips. WOW!!! Double-fried with some batter or baking powder on there for double crunchiness. And with some cute little crab claws too. Stunning steak. Just absolutely stunning. Jude Jude and I were very happy campers for lunch today. VERY happy!!!Strawberry Blonde up next with her ‘well-done’. I loved the fact that actually it wasn’t and Amy just went for it. It was a perfect medium and she loved it. Just goes to show, eat with your mouth, not eyes. It’s all about the taste!!! A beautiful Australian Wagyu this time for Strawberry. Again cooked beautifully.Then I spotted this on the wallboard and saw a few people ordering it too – so saw it plated as it was walked past me. I was intrigued. Prawn Fritters. He kept the full recipe secret, as he should, but did let on there are three types of flour in this. You know I am not a seafood person. I don’t mind the occasional prawn it has to be said, as long as I am in the mood for it. And boy was I in the mood for this. Come on deep-fried crispy, chewy, crunchy beansprouts, fresh prawn in the middle snack food goodness. AMAZEBALLS street food style snack from this guy. Wifey and I had flashbacks to Vietnam & Hanoi and a certain restaurant that is made up of many hawkers and street carts altogether. One of those street carts made this prawn crepe/pancake thing like this. So many memories came back because of this wonderful little prawn fritter. A cracker!!!I have to show you this and I hope Kodo does not mind me sharing. This is the MasterChef kitchen hawker style. That tiny little charcoal BBQ with the griddle pan is the steak pan. A little salt & pepper and butter were all it had to keep it company and rightly so. But, the call out is the space they have to turn out this amazing steak and accompaniments whilst doing all the local dishes too. It’s mind-blowing when you compare the big restaurant kitchens with 10-20 staff all prepping and cooking to throw a steak out which is on par. Be proud Kodo and staff. The steak was off the charts guys!!!The main man himself came and joined us for a few beer glugs after. Great to have a chat.Watch this bag folks. You’ll be seeing this a lot I reckon whizzing around the island. This will also be coming to a ChillaxBBQ near you soon. These are the home delivery bags. Inside here are two pieces of steak ‘gold’ about to go in my fridge for my next creative adventure with Wagyu.He is one quirky and loveable bloke. Just look for the guy in the cowboy hat. We shared a few beers and chats today. We bonded. His history is quite amazing from being a model to a dancer to Chef with heaps of grandkids and tattoos to celebrate those stories.
The food was incredible and we will absolutely be back very soon to see the main man. He cooks at the coffee shop. He has a ‘marketplace’ for ordering and delivery online. It is exceptional and it is local and it is all in a bloody coffee shop. Get on it East-Siders. Here he is – THE BIG KODO. Come and say hi. It’s bucket-list stuff here folks. Just try it, even if just once. You will not be disappointed!!!
Tel; +65 6988 7866
Mob; +65 9140 0009
Email; kodo@mrbigkodo.com
Website; mrbigkodo.com
Let’s get back out there folks and support our local restaurants, hawkers and coffee shops. They breathe life into Singapore.
All I can do is reaffirm the fact that you just have to come here. From exceptional ‘grandfather’ recipes for local dishes to top-grade Japanese Wagyu & Australian Wagyu, with the occasional ‘surprise’ dish thrown in there like the prawn fritters. It’s absolutely brilliant. He even has steak knives. Bucket-list hawker experience this is folks!!! This really is a must-try and is up there on the family Kennett must-do again, and again list. Whilst all about us were tucking into chicken rice, and other local fares we dined on A5 Japanese Wagyu Striploin, the best ‘chips’ ever, incredible carrot-cake, Hokkien mee and prawn fritters this day. This was Mr Big Kodo – Japanese Wagyu @ the Hawker!!!
