Tamago-EN: Okinawa Egg Dishes from $5.80 and Egg Yolk Milkshakes

Food trends come and go, but eggs have particularly stood the test of time and have been reinvented in food and drinks in several interesting ways. Tamago-EN continues to bring creative touches to their egg-based dishes and don’t seem to be stopping soon, at least with their third and latest outlet at Tampines Mall.

As with their other branches at NEX and Novena Square, the design at Tampines remains the same: egg-looking lights and orange walls to reflect a delicate Okinawa yolk.

Tamago-EN specialises in using eggs only from Okinawa, which might explain why the yolks in some of the dishes are orangier and fluffier than usual. The menu runs the gamut, from omelette and skewers to desserts and even Tamago Kake Gohan, a traditional Japanese rice breakfast.

We went ahead with the 5-kind Japanese Omelette Skewer ($8.80). Each stick contains a different topping, such as tomato sauce, seaweed pasta, salmon flake & ikura, cod roe & mayo and crab meat.

The eggs are a little sweet, but when eaten together with the condiments, the sweet and salty flavours balance out well.

Those who love bonito flakes must go for the Hashimaki with Cheese & Mentaiko ($4.80/pc). This popular festival food is basically okonomiyaki on chopsticks with a wobbly egg on top. Plus points for when the yolk breaks — when that happens, eat it with the generous serving of bonito flakes. The pancake, however, was flavourful enough and could do without the mayonnaise drizzles, but we reckon no one would complain about having extra mayo.

The restaurant has several mains, but the Beef Stew Rice with Omelette ($16.80) would be a good option. While the beef could be a little more tender, the sauce wins with its fragrant salty flavour.

Clean eaters aren’t left out as well. Go for the Ultimate Egg Rice ($5.80) — it’s essentially Japanese rice with an egg whipped into a fluffy cloud-like texture. Add on $3 for a set which consists of a salad, Japanese pickles and a bowl of soup.

Toppings from $1.50 are available too. We went for avocado ($1.50) and marinated salmon ($3).

Even their drinks are nutritious as well — we went for the Hazelnut Tamago-EN Milk Shake ($6.20), which has fresh egg yolk with Haagen Dazs ice cream. Very sweet and thick; enjoyable if you have a sweet tooth.

For dessert, there’s the Berry Souffle Pancake ($13.80) which’s as soft as a sponge cake. Easy to finish within seconds, and we like how they didn’t scrimp with the strawberries.

If a whole plate of pancakes for dessert is too heavy, try the Yogurt Peach Mousse Parfait ($7.80). This rich dessert, layered with slices of peach and crunchy cereal at the bottom, makes for a good meal finisher as it isn’t too sweet.