Fans of Japanese produce and groceries, rejoice because the premium Japanese supermarket, MEDI-YA has just opened its largest two-storey overseas flagship store at Millenia Walk this week. AVENUE ONE headed down for a tour around the supermarket yesterday, and we’ve got all the details right here!
Even though we’re more than 5,000 kilometres away from Japan, you can still expect to find authentic, high-quality Japanese products in MEDI-YA that are directly air-flown from Japan – that includes fruits, vegetables, meat, and basically everything else you can find at a supermarket in the Land of the Rising Sun itself.
To start, the first level is where you’ll find a bakery and food hall, while the Japanese-style supermarket is housed on the second. A wine and liquor store sits opposite the duplex store, with an impressive selection of over 370 varieties of sake – just take your pick!
Japanese Concept Café & Bar
Grab a cup of organic coffee at the Café Terrace, or wind down in the evening with an ice cold beer at the outdoor Beer Garden at this duo concept Japanese Concept Café and Bar. You can also look forward to indulging in delicious food at affordable prices when you patronise the 88-seater alfresco dining area.
Food Hall
If you love Japanese food, you’ll definitely be spoilt for choice at the Food Hall, which offers an array of delicatessen, Japanese curry, and a Nakajima sushi counter – the latter uses fresh fish that’s directly imported by Nakajima Suisan, the largest fish supplier in Japan! All ingredients are air-flown in from Japan every three days, and shipped by sea every week so you’ll enjoy ultimate freshness in your sushi and sashimi.
We’d especially recommend the fried food from the deli – the potato croquettes (S$6) and fried oysters (S$7) were our favourite. These fried treats have just the right amount of oil and crisp so it’s going to sit well even if you typically don’t go for fried food.
Hokkaido Dosanko Plaza
MEDI-YA will also be bringing a taste of Hokkaido to Singapore via the Hokkaido Dosanko Plaza!
The prefecture isn’t known as Japan’s food haven for nothing – now you can enjoy a slice of Hokkaido right here in Singapore with a delectable selection of Japanese treats and genuine Hokkaido sweets, Hokkaido crab lunch boxes, and soft-serve ice-cream, all directly imported from Hokkaido.
That’s not all – mark your calendars for the Winter Hokkaido Fair, which will be taking place from 28 November to 13 December.
Gokoku Japanese Bakery
Known for its healthy buns made using only the finest Japanese ingredients and hearty grain, you can expect fresh-baked bread and pastries using Japanese flour and traditional ingredients such as brown rice and sakadane (fermented dough) at the new Gokoku Japanese Bakery.
This outlet is also the first Gokoku store in Singapore to feature a dine-in café experience, as well as an exclusive sandwich selection made using the bakery’s signature breads and buns. The Teriyaki Chicken & Egg Sandwich (S$5.50) would make for a convenient meal on-the-go – it’s full of juicy, marinated slices of chicken, creamy egg mayo, and healthy 5-grain toast!
The top bestsellers at Gokoku include the Malt Kurumi Pan, Gokoku Shichifuku Pan, and the Signature Hokkaido Red Bean Pan, and these are definite must-trys if you’re heading down this weekend. As do most Japanese baked breads, Gokoku’s breads have the yummy mochi texture that’s just so irresistible!
International Supermarket
You can also look forward to authentic Japanese food and products plus an extensive assortment of merchandise from intercontinental brands at the International Supermarket on the second floor. The shelves and freezers were stocked full of Japanese produce- think premium Japanese rice, confectionaries, and everyone’s favourite Hokkaido Milk.
We’ll have to admit, walking past the chilled area gave us some serious cravings for Japanese hotpot! You can find meat cuts of any kind, including Wagyu Beef, Kurobuta Pork, and Iberico Pork for hotpot, grilling, etc. and an assortment of fresh Japanese vegetables.
A new feature of the supermarket is the fruit basket counter, where all you need to do is pick out whichever fruits you’d like, and pass them to the staff who will arrange them into a lovely fruit basket for you! Prices for the basket vary according to the size and number of fruits you want in it.
Wine and Liquor Store
As mentioned earlier, you can also shop for booze and bubbly at the wine and liquor store located on the first level opposite the duplex store where you’ll come across popular picks like Dassai sakes which are exclusively imported from Yamaguchi, Japan! You can also check out the most breathtakingly beautiful sake glasses – some are even hand-painted and shaped like the iconic Mt. Fuji.
Health and Beauty Store
In addition to offering fresh produce and household products, MEIDI-YA will also be opening a Japanese Health and Beauty Store, where you will find shelves of Japanese health and nutrition products, beauty products, and toiletries.
MEDI-YA Opening
The MEIDI-YA Singapore flagship store is now open to the public, with its grand opening on 28 November.
As part of its grand opening event, you can look forward to taking home special gifts with purchase, including a limited-edition MEIDI-YA Thermal Shopping Bag with minimum S$200* spent at MEIDI-YA, and a tote bag with a minimum spend of S$20* at Gokoku Japanese Bakery in Millenia Walk.
Millenia Walk =will also be offering free parking for the whole of this weekend (28 and 29 November 2020) to all shoppers. No spending required for full-day free parking, just drive in!
The MEIDI-YA flagship store opens daily from 10am to 10pm, and is located at 9 Raffles Boulevard, Levels 1 and 2, Millenia Walk, Singapore 039596.
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