omakase

Tentsuru is a tempura restaurant located in level 2 of St. Regis Singapore. Opened in 2022, the restaurant took over what was previously Italian restaurant LaBrezza. Unlike its predecessor however, Tentsuru is a tenant of St. Regis Singapore rather than a component restaurant of the luxury hotel.

tentsuru

Tentsuru fulfills a gap in an otherwise overcrowded omakase scene in Singapore by instead offering a tempura-focused set for both lunch and dinner. The lunch omakase starts from S$120++ while dinner omakase starts from S$280++. 

In Tentsuru, there is a strong focus on condiments and unlike other tempura restaurants where the usual condiment is just the tempura sauce, here they provide so much more. Each dish in the omakase menu clearly indicates the suggested condiment. These other tempura condiments include lemon juice, plum sauce, yuzu pepper, curry salt and sea salt.

…

Read More »

Unkai Sushi, a Japanese restaurant located inside Orchard Rendezvous Hotel, has unveiled their seasonal 8-course omakase lunch menu and it is priced at only $68.

Unkai Sushi is helmed by Chef Eugene Lam who used to come from prestigious restaurants such as Hide Yamamoto, Ashino and Sushi Mieda, where he trained as a sushi and kitchen chef. This is  a cozy space hidden deep within the ground floor lobby of Orchard Rendezvous Hotel. The 30-seater restaurant offers omakase as well as ala-carte sashimi and sushi offerings and comforting rice bowls. Ingredients vary depending on the season and are typically sourced at the peak of their freshness. 

I recently dropped by to try Unkai Sushi’s S$68++ omakase. The price range is a welcome addition to the range of omakase options in Singapore.

…

Read More »

Kappo Shunsui is a Japanese restaurant located in Hongkong Street, Singapore. The restaurant specializes in kappo-style cuisine, which is a traditional Japanese dining style that emphasizes the use of fresh, seasonal ingredients and simple preparation techniques.

Getting here requires a keen eye for detail. Just like some of the other establishments located in the Hongkong Street stretch, the entrance to Kappo Shunsui is via an unassuming door, with just a delicate flower hung at eye level to distinguish it. Once inside, diners will have to journey through a darkened corridor to reach the 12-seat dining chamber. 

Compared to other omakase places, Kappo Shunsui deliberately wants diners to see the preparation process in detail. The chef’s preparation area is akin to a performance stage, where his every slice and chop is projected on two screens for diners to see. 

The menu at Kappo Shunsui features a variety of dishes, including sashimi, sushi, grilled meats, and seafood. The restaurant also offers a selection of sake to complement the food. The dinner omakase experience ranges from the S$280 Minamo Course to the S$380 Kacho Seasonal Omakase to the S$480 Premium Omakase Shunsui. For this particular occasion, I tried the S$480 menu which came with sake pairing. 

…

Read More »

Hanazen by Yukuse Takada is a new concept opened on the 12th of March 2023 in Chijmes. The restaurant was founded by Chef Yusuke Takada who is known for the 2-Michelin starred La Cime in Osaka. While La Cime is a French brasserie, Hanazen takes on a different approach. In Hanazen, the kitchen is helmed by Chef Karasawa, the head chef in Singapore.

Hanazen focuses on char-grilled items for its dinner omakase, which it offers for S$250++ for 16 items. The restaurant also has an alfresco space which is planned for serving brasserie-style lunches in the future.

The char-grilled dishes at Hanazen are prepared with French touches. This means that sauces figure heavily in each dish, and as much considered as highlights in their own right. Ingredients are air-flown from Japan multiple times each week so items in the omakase may change from time to time. The dishes mentioned here are representative of the dinner I had at the time of my visit during a preview a couple of days before the restaurant officially opened.

…

Read More »

Sakemaru Artisan Sake Hideout is a restaurant started by the group behind Sakemaru – a sake subscription service in Singapore. Their restaurant in South Bridge Road opened in early 2021 and features an extensively curated collection of over 300+ types of sake. They also have a food menu, with both ala carte and omakase (priced at S$200++) options. A quick glance through their food menu revealed some reasonably priced selections. I visited on a Tuesday evening and saw quite a good turnover of diners even though they have not been covered in social media or traditional media extensively yet.

The place is atmospheric at night, with dark interiors and staff members wearing outfits that might not look out of place in medieval Japan. Diners opting for the omakase get to sit on the relatively long counter. Sakemaru Artisan Sake Hideout offers its omakase for S$200++ per person, and diners can also choose among their sake collection to go with their meal. For this particular occasion, I had their omakase. 

…

Read More »

Ren Lounge is a new omakase restaurant and bar located within the grounds of JW Marriott Singapore South Beach. With interiors designed by Philippe Starck, the venue is a bit of a departure from conventional Japanese restaurants that are often dominated in wood. Ren Lounge doubles as a bar and even has a dedicated bar bite menu if omakase is not one’s cup of tea. 

The restaurant is helmed by Executive Chef Samuel Lau who came from Shinji by Kanesawa. Under his direction, Ren Lounge serves Edo-style omakase for both lunch and dinner with an emphasis on value-for-money seasonal appetizers, sushi and sashimi.

As the restaurant just recently opened, it makes its debut with its summer omakase menu. This is when Japanese produce reach their peak in freshness with ingredients such as tomatoes, lady’s fingers, broad beans, anago salt-water eel, shima aji striped jack, kawahagi thread-tail tilefish and sweet ruby ‘red apple’ mango from Miyazaki making the rounds.

ren lounge

Ren Lounge consists of three sections – a lounge where diners can enjoy bar bites and drinks, counter seating where the omakase is served as well as a private dining area for more intimate gatherings. The counter area is actually situated at the middle of the restaurant which means that diners can sit across all 4 sides – unlike most omakase places where the counter is against the wall and can fill diners across 3 sides only. In total, the counter can fit up to 16 diners at a time.

Lunch menus range from $80 for the 12-piece Tsuki set to $100 and $180 for omakase. Dinner menus range from $150 for the 15-piece Sushi Edomae set to $180, $250 and $350 for the signature omakase. During my visit, I had the Hana S$250 omakase dinner.

…

Read More »

As traveling to Japan is implausible these days, the past 8 months has seen greater demand in omakase-style dining in Singapore. Establishments offering omakase tend to feature rare ingredients flown in from various parts of Japan, drawing in diners who miss getting traveling to Tokyo, Osaka and other cities to get their fix. 

The Gyu Bar which is located within the same grounds as Novotel Singapore on Stevens differentiates itself from other Japanese restaurants by specializing in beef. The restaurant opened some 3 years ago as a yakiniku joint and bar but has since diversified its menu to offer other types of seafood. The Gyu Bar is also offering omakase in its repertoire but because of its “beef-y” proposition, their omakase is distinct from the bulk of sushi / seafood dining that other Japanese restaurants have.  The Gyu Bar’s omakase is 9-courses and all but two (the dessert and soup courses) have beef in them. 

…

Read More »