Boat Quay is better known for tourist traps and watering holes than top restaurants these days. Which is why this 62-seater is quite a gem of a find.

Yakiniku takes centerstage at YAKINIQUEST. Opened by yakiniku lover Suguru Ishida and helmed by head chef Yuki Tsukamoto, the three-year-old restaurant imports A4 wagyu beef from Miyazaki prefecture in Japan—A5 is too fatty, we were told—and serves it yakiniku style—i.e. grilled to order over charcoal at the table by well-trained servers. But instead of the repetition that one might expect, dinner at YAKINIQUEST is a creative, multi-faceted gastronomic journey.

The menu changes on occasion, but if you are lucky, you might start with the sinew stew with its tangy robust flavours to wake up your tastebuds. There’s also beef tongue paired with yuzu kosho, that’s tender and smooth; and the signature wagyu “beef noodle” niku somen, with fine neat slivers of beef masquerading as noodles, bathed in a sweet umami laden broth. Beef sukiyaki, too, gets an elegant upgrade with thinly sliced, beautifully grilled sirloin dipped in raw egg and special sauce. Then there are the tenderloin and striploin, best enjoyed unadulterated straight from the grill to savour their pure rich flavours.

YAKINIQUEST offers an a la carte menu, but the set courses—starting from $98—are far better value. For a complete tongue-to-tail experience, we recommend the special Wagyu Fanatic Omakase.