Izakaya or Japanese gastropubs are casual watering holes where diners enjoy bar bites and drinks.

Naturally, when Hararu Izakaya in Kampong Glam opened last month, the Muslim-owned restaurant attracted much buzz among diners, even though no alcohol is served there. Hararu means halal in Japanese .

Instead, co-owners Wahida Wahid, 27, and Diet Hidayat, 35, hoped to re-create the fun and convivial atmosphere that is often associated with the izakaya experience.

Ms Wahida says: “Halal Japanese food options in Singapore are rather sparse and do not go beyond the usual sushi and sashimi. A lot of Muslims are curious to try what authentic Japanese food is like.”

And the response has been good. The 80-seat restaurant is “overwhelmed”, she says. Reservations are recommended.

The menu comprises about 60 tapas-style dishes that are grouped according to yakimono (grilled dishes), kushiyaki (skewers of grilled meat or vegetables), agemono (deep-fried dishes) and nimono (simmered dishes).

Popular dishes include gyu nitsuke (miso-seasoned beef shortribs, $14), surume ika (grilled squid, $16) and mixed seafood nabemono, or hotpot, with daikon, leeks and Japanese mushrooms ($22).

The menu is the brainchild of Mr Diet, who was an operations manager and chef at an izakaya chain here for 5 1/2 years.

About 90 per cent of the ingredients are imported from Japan.

Drinks-wise, diners can sip on Nippon-inspired mocktails such as The Matcha Egg ($14), a concoction of matcha, hazelnut, egg white and lemon juice; and the Japanese Twisted Chendol ($14), a blend of non-alcoholic Blue Curacao and macadamia syrups, Calpis and mango and orange juices.

The two-storey 2,700 sq ft shophouse unit is covered in murals of geisha and Japanese streetscapes by artist Belz Hermann. On the second floor is a tatami seating section adorned with lanterns.

How to cook Japanese food without one of the most fundamental ingredients, sake?

That was the question that plagued Madam Wang Yanli, 53, owner of Japanese restaurant Santaro by Gion in Amara Singapore hotel, for two years. The 70-seat restaurant received its halal certification in October last year.

The restaurant, formerly known as Gion Dining, operated at Royal Plaza on Scotts for two years before relocating in the middle of last year.

Madam Wang, who used to run a chain of Japanese restaurants in her hometown of Beijing, was not satisfied with the halal versions of soya sauce and mirin as they are “too sweet”.

Instead, she decided to tweak them.

After numerous experiments with former head chef Matsuno Mikio and spending $300,000 on ingredients and equipment, she found a solution.

She cooks a mixture of fruit and carrots till they turn into a pulp. The natural sugars are extracted and added to the commercial halal sauces.

She says in Mandarin: “The natural sugars accentuate the fragrance of the sauces.”

She adds that her journey cooking halal Japanese food was “fraught with many challenges”.

“Before we managed to tweak the sauces, our food was in limbo. Chinese diners commented that it didn’t taste like Japanese food, while Muslim diners suspected they were not getting the real deal.”

On going the halal route, she says: “The local Japanese restaurant scene is already saturated, so this is one way to set myself apart.”

Over the past two years, she has seen a threefold surge in business, with Muslim diners making up half her customers.

She plans to sell her blends of halal condiments to diners and restaurants and is working on dishes such as ramen and unagi donburi.

Halal cafe Hyde & Co has a new online ordering platform, Take Hyde Out, to cope with the manpower crunch and greater demand for takeaways during Ramadan. Customers can order their food at order.hydeandco. com.sg

The new mod-Sin menu includes dishes such as Gnocchi “Mee Rebus” ($21.90), which has the dumplings and sambal sotong drenched in fermented bean sauce; and Satay Capellini ($19.90), with the pasta tossed in satay sauce and served with ngoh hiang (five-spiced meat roll), lemongrass satay and morning glory tempura.

For takeaways from tomorrow to June 25, order online by 4pm and pick up between 4.30 and 7pm. You can get 10 per cent off with the promo code “IFTARHYDEOUT”.

785 North Bridge Road

Hilton Singapore debuts its halal-certified Ramadan pop-up buffet restaurant (from $58++ a person) in a 170-seat function room on the 24th storey.

Dig into more than 90 dishes, including ikan masak assam pedas, beef rendang and Penang assam laksa. Look out for live carving stations with whole roasted lamb and ayam percik. There are also prayer rooms for guests.

Level 24, Hilton Singapore, 581 Orchard Road

This Muslim-owned pizza buffet restaurant allows diners to make as many 10cm pizzas as they can eat within 90 minutes, at $15 a person.

Choose from about 15 savoury and sweet ingredients, such as satay beef, pepperoni chicken, shrimp, blueberries and marshmallows. The buffet comes with mushroom soup and chicken Bolognese spaghetti. Reservations required.

#01-02 WIS@Changi, 116 Changi Road

Tuck into creative dishes whipped up by Muslim-owned cafe The Lab. New dishes created for Ramadan include Tam Lauk Quiche ($9) stuffed with beef keema and egg custard, Teriyaki Beef Wraps ($9), Mediterranean Meat Goulash ($17) with couscous and salad and Itik Percik ($17), grilled duck basted with sweet and spicy sauce and served with mashed potatoes and sauteed vegetables.

#01-01, 1 Jalan Pisang

This offshoot of burger restaurant Fatboy’s, which is co-owned by rapper Sheikh Haikel, offers two new Ramadan specials.

The R&B Burger (from $20) has a beef patty, cheddar cheese, beef ribs, onion rings and pineapple salsa smothered in barbecue sauce, and the Together-Gather Platter ($99 for four people) includes a slab of country fried steak, beef ribs, chili chicken boners, chili queso, two burgers and French fries.

17 Bali Lane

Text: Kenneth Goh/Straits Times