Apollon/AM-Bar
Apollon/AM-Bar is a small Japanese izakaya located on the first floor of Orchard Plaza. The restaurant serves up simple pub food and drinks in a cool and cosy vibe.
Friday night and feeling a bit thirsty - the most logical option is to always look for an izakaya. This time we chose Apollon which is a subsidiary of the long running Mobo Moga Izakaya in Robertson Quay.
Apollon is located in Orchard Plaza where so many other Japanese gems are housed. On the 1st floor it is tucked in next to a Japanese 'snaku' bar hidden by a very bland and unsuspecting door.
As you enter you will find a small 10 seater counter with full view of the cook stations. In the room adjacent is AM Bar, owned by the same group, which serves the same food and drinks in a slightly different setting.
Behind the counter was a mix of Japanese and Singaporean staff frantically taking orders and mixing highballs. Proper izakaya vibes.
Apollon is an a la carte menu specialising in oden, agemono and soups/ramen.
We scanned the list and picked a few dishes to pair with our nama lemon sours.
Izakaya food at Apollon/AM-Bar
Oden with daikon, sausage, tamago, tsukune, beef and seafood stick
A common dish you will find in izakayas. Apollon allows you to order oden either a la carte or to choose a 6 piece combo which we opted for. The broth was light and the daikon was perfectly cooked.
Gyu suji (beef tendon stew)
Beef tendon stew is an all-time favorite of mine. There's usually a big bowl of it bubbling for hours behind the counter at any given pub. At $10 a plate, this was the best dish of the night for me.
Negitoro and kimi (egg yolk) maki
I've only seen this type of maki a few times before, but have a feeling it might be more popular outside of the Tokyo region. Nevertheless this was such a tasty maki with the egg yolk cooked perfectly. The mushy consistency of the ingredients meant the whole thing just melted in your mouth.
Hambagu with mashed potato and vegetables
I usually love a hambagu but this dish didn't really impress me. The size of the dish for $30++ was comparatively small to the rest of the menu items, and the sauce was extremely over salted. Definitely give this one a pass.
Gaijin's review
- Food quality: Good, simple izakaya food. Very authentic
- Ambience: Small, cosy
- Value: Some dishes are great value (gyu suji, karagge)
- Overall rating: ★★★★☆ (4.0/5)
- Price: $$
Apollon is a nice little izakaya if you are keen to hang with some friends and have some small bites. Drinking is mandatory in this izakaya. Each guest must have at least 1 drink, or alternatively agree to a shorter seating time. If you are a sake connoisseur, go for a glass of the barrel tapped sake as it's good value.
There's a bunch of dishes that we didn't try on the menu but look good for next time. My biggest regret is not having enough space for the chicken karaage and the croquettes which looked enormous.
All in all, we enjoyed our visit to Apollon. It feels like a good place to take colleagues or visitors for some authentic Japanese bar food and vibes.
Will definitely return.
Apollon / AM Bar
a: 150 Orchard Rd, #01-29 Orchard Plaza, Singapore 238841
