SINGAPORE – When design takes centre stage at a restaurant, the camera eats first, right at the entrance.

Two-month-old Japanese restaurant Tonkatsu Daiki at Ngee Ann City has been gaining traction, not just for its juicy tonkatsu, but also for its train-inspired facade that diners have to walk through. 

Phones are whipped out as the door slides open to reveal a brightly lit JR train “cabin” that includes plush seats and an LED screen showing a typical town scene in Osaka. 

Music chimes through the sound system, with an automated female voice saying: “Next station, Osaka.” 

Arriving at the 26-seat restaurant feels like entering a cosy Japanese izakaya, with a view of the city’s famed Dotonbori street displayed on a screen, complete with the iconic Glico Man. 

On creating this unique entrance, Tonkatsu Daiki Singapore’s co-founder Vivien Han says: “In Japan, trains are deeply connected to daily life and food culture. Many memorable meals happen after work, after a train ride home or while exploring small alleyways near train stations. 

“We wanted to recreate that emotional transition – the feeling of leaving Singapore briefly and entering a small corner of Osaka.”

The restaurant is part of a growing number of eateries that are going beyond offering a pleasant ambience with good food and drinks. 

They also transport diners to another world, offering brief respite, even if just for the duration of a meal. 

Over at Orchard Towers, which is still undergoing a transformation, one restaurant has been immersing diners in rich Peranakan history and culture for the past three months.

The Peranakan Club is...