Review: Moss Cross Tokyo – French Japanese Omakase With 9 Starters Served in a Box

Moss Cross Tokyo, the highly rated omakase restaurant in Tokyo, Japan, has opened its first overseas outlet here in Singapore at Capri by Fraser China Square. The restaurant serves French-Japanese cuisine, with lunch sets starting from S$69++ and dinner from S$128++.

I visited Moss Cross Tokyo recently and tried their 7-course Wakon Yosai omakase which is priced at S$150++.

One of the defining dishes at Moss Cross Tokyo is their Shokado-9 which is served in all of their lunch and dinner sets. This is quite a photogenic assortment of 9 dishes in a square wooden box with 9 compartments. 

The assortment may change slightly depending on the season. At the time of my visit, I had the Tomato Raspberry, Chutoro from Aomori with Tartar Sauce, Seared Madai from Ehime with Herb Dressing, Firefly Squid Basil Sauce, Crab from Hokkaido and Potato Mousse, Corn Jelly with Caviar and Yuzu, Steamed Chicken with Fig and Sesame Dressing, Vegetable in Herb Rice Ball and Roasted Wagyu with Seaweed Sauce and Avocado. I was advised to eat the starters in a top – down fashion, moving from right to left, with the flavors moving from light to heavy as I progressed. 

The next course or the first entree was the Scallop Spring Roll, Mushroom Sauce. French sensibilities really kicked in here as the spring roll took the form of a flaky pastry shell with the filling within comprising a mixture of scallops and ground meat. I liked the overall flavor profile of the filling and I couldn’t help but compare it to Fuzhou-style oyster cakes. 

For the second entree, the Crab with Chawanmushi, Lily Bulb and Bisque Emulsion was both familiar and novel at the same time. On one hand, there was the custard-like chawanmushi but this was topped with the western sensibilities of an emulsion made from crab bisque. The egg was soft while the bisque emulsion lent a stronger seafood taste profile to the dish.

The next course, the Tokachi Herb Beef from Hokkaido, came with tomato Worcestershire sauce. Tokachi herb beef is not something one usually gets to taste in Singapore. It is named as such as the cows graze and feed on the herb-rich pastures in Hokkaido. The meat is noted for its sweet flavor and rich body. One of the highlights of the course for me was the crispy breading made from parsley and breadcrumbs. Overall, it went well with the Worcestershire sauce. 

Diners get to choose between 2 fish dishes for the 5th course. During my dinner, it was either the Kujirabuttai from Okinawa with sake cream sauce or Buri from Kochi with Agrume sauce. I had a bite of the 2 options and both were quite heavy on the sauces which balanced the texture / cooking method of the fish.

The carbohydrate dish of the night was Somen Noodle from Nagasaki with Mozoku from Nagoya. This was a most delightful and nourishing course. The noodles were done extremely thin which went well with the soup and mozoku (brown algae).

For desserts, we again got 2 options, either the Mizu-Yokan with Elderflower or the Sweet Tomato, Cream Cheese and Lemon Granite. 

Of the two, I preferred the sweet tomato dessert. I just love the refreshing taste of sweet tomato. However, I would have to say the Mizu-Yokan was the more inventive dessert with a beguiling jelly roll interspersed with sorbet and sliced strawberries.

In a dining scene where most omakase meals are priced at several hundred dollars per person, Moss Cross Tokyo positions itself competitively with its sub-100 lunch sets and dinner omakase priced at S$150++. Do note however that this is a French-Japanese concept so you won’t really get to see the chef in action and there are slight European subtleties that come with the dishes as well. 

Moss Cross Tokyo
181 South Bridge Road
Capri by Fraser China Square
#02-01
S058743

Opening Hours: Tuesday to Saturday – 12pm to 3pm, 6pm to 10pm