Have visited quite a number of Minor Food Singapore’s new dining concepts of the late including that of Siam Smith at Palais Renaissance as well as Mamma Mia Trattoria E Caffè at Suntec City — the same group is also behind other known establishments such as Go-Ang Pratunam Chicken Rice, Josh’s Grill, Poulet and Sanook Kitchen just to name a few. GyoGyo is the latest concept; situated at Funan and replacing the former premises of Yu Kee Specialties there, GyoGyo specialises in Japanese grilled fish — the menu revolves around offerings with Japanese Grilled Fish Sets as their main focus. The Japanese Grilled Fish Sets are available in Saikyoyaki, Teriyaki, Mayoyaki, Shioyaki and Nitsuke styles, whilst those who wish to have something apart from fish can look into the Teppan Spaghetti and Donburi sections of the menu. There is also a section on the menu that is dedicated to Other Grills & Tempura — patrons can either opt for these as a communal plate for sharing, or add-on a Japanese Rice Set to make it a main; sides and desserts are also available here. Only non-alcoholic beverages are being served up here at GyoGyo — think options such as canned drinks, bottled water and Japanese Tea as some of the options being available here.
Since GyoGyo is all about Japanese grilled fish, we thought it would be good to go for one of the items on the Japanese Grilled Fish Set menu. We found ourselves going for the Grilled Mero Set that is being listed on the Saikyoyaki section of the menu. It is also worth noting that each Japanese Grilled Fish Set also includes Japanese Steamed Rice, Miso Soup, Vegetables of the Day and Pickles. The slab of cod fish that was being served to us look beautiful with the charred edges from the grilling; also does come with skin-on — a plus point for those who will appreciate it. First taste of the grilled fish itself and we really liked the flavours of the fish here — it’s naturally sweet, soft and flaky, though we did wish that the fish did retain a little bit more moisture after all that grilling as we found it a wee bit on the dry side. The skin itself was gelatinous; also sweet, yet providing a slight savoury and smoky note that was rather appealing. The only qualm we have had with the fish was that it was a little bit bony — no doubt these were tiny ones; which wasn’t too hazardous but it is still something which we would prefer not to deal with. The Vegetable of the Day that was served together with our order of the Grilled Mero Set is simple stir-fry of greens, mushrooms and root vegetables; the gravy does give a good savoury note, though we found it to be otherwise decent and nothing too much to shout about — the same would also go with the rice and the accompanying miso soup as well.
Felt that GyoGyo was an establishment that is set up primarily to serve the masses — something which Minor Food Singapore probably does best; a typical shopping mall eatery with interior decorations that can be said as being on the more generic side, whilst serving up a good variety of dishes which the concept focuses on, yet having other dishes that are slightly more irrelevant to capture the wider audience should they prefer something more “mainstream”. GyoGyo isn’t that spot to go if one is looking for something more exquisite — yes, no doubt they do offer a good variety of fish, but being a commercial establishment in its nature their focus is purely on the concept and not the produce they use, whilst the execution is decent at best — a slight mismatch considering the high price point of some of the dishes considering its focus on fish. A spot that is meant to serve the general public and perhaps, bring the idea of Japanese grilled fish to the masses, GyoGyo would probably work for most as a casual dining option available within the mall.
