Kakushin @ Scotts Square - Authentic Japanese Omakase with an Imaginative Twist

Nestled in the heart of Orchard, Scotts Square is Kakushin, a Japanese Omakase restaurant that offers a captivating journey through the seasons of Japan. With a seating capacity of 46, the restaurant provides an intimate and immersive dining experience. Chef Chan, the culinary visionary behind Kakushin, showcases his innovation by using the freshest and highest-quality seasonal ingredients sourced directly from renowned markets such as Toyosu Market and speciality farms in Japan.

We tried their 7-course Lunch Omakase ($168), which includes an appetiser, Carpaccio, Seasonal Warm Dish, Chef-curated Nigiri Sushi, Chef's Seasonal Dish, Soup and Dessert.

Appetizer 4.2/5

The 7-course omakase commences with an Appetizer featuring an Oyster delicately crowned with ikura and yuzu jelly. It is exceptionally fresh, exhibiting a plump and juicy texture. The toppings of ikura and yuzu jelly complement the oyster beautifully, adding layers of flavour depth to this delectable start to the meal.

Carpaccio 4.2/5

The omakase experience progresses with a captivating Carpaccio featuring uni, edible flowers, black caviar, and expertly balanced umami seasonings. This course presents a visually stunning and harmonious composition of premium ingredients, promising a truly delightful course in this omakase journey.

Seasonal Warm Dish 4/5

The next course introduces a Seasonal Warm Dish, showcasing fried Sakura Ebi that offers a delightful contrast of crunchiness and crispiness.

Chef-Curated Nigiri Sushi 4.2/5

The following course presents a platter of Chef-Curated Nigiri Sushi, including selections like flounder, sea bream, and tuna belly, each piece meticulously handcrafted to perfection. This visually pleasing and appetising presentation showcases not only fresh but also impeccably executed sushi, underscoring the chef's culinary mastery.

Chef's Seasonal Dish 4/5

The Chef's Seasonal Dish graces the dining experience with a mini donburi adorned with ikura, tuna, mushrooms, seaweed, spring onions, and delicate edible flowers. This dish is a visual and culinary masterpiece, presenting a harmonious blend of textures and flavours.

Soup 3.8/5

Next is the Kakushin Omakase Soup. Despite its unassuming appearance, this soup is a true gem. It is not overly rich to the point of being heavy, but instead, it warms both body and soul, akin to a comforting embrace.

Dessert 4/5

To conclude this delightful culinary journey, the Dessert course offers a lovely pairing of sweet Muscat Grapes with zesty sour lime jelly. This combination promises a harmonious balance of flavours, offering a refreshing and sweet-tart note to round off the meal on a satisfying and palate-cleansing note.

Salmon Ikura Don 4/5

The Salmon Ikura Don features fresh salmon slices, briny ikura, and seasoned sushi rice. It's a harmonious blend of flavours and textures, with additional garnishes like pickled ginger and wasabi and a soft and fluffy tamago. Next is the salad appetiser, followed by Chawanmushi, seaweed soup, and dessert, consisting of a sweet mango mochi.

The Chef's Lunch 5-course set offers an excellent alternative for diners seeking a more budget-friendly option than the more extensive 7, 8, or 10-course omakase menus.

Photos and words by Crystal. A girl who likes to eat, photograph, and write about food, and dreams about travelling around the world one day. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Kakushin
6 Scotts Road
#02-03
Singapore 228209
Tel: +65 9728 6813
Facebook
Instagram
Website
Nearest MRT: Orchard (NS, TE Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 1130am - 3pm, 6pm - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit 1. Walk to Scotts Road. Turn right onto Scotts Road. Walk down Scotts Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

YEN Social @ DUO Galleria - Introduces A Full Lunch Service With Set Menus

Helmed by Taiwanese yakiniku master Chef Jones Chen, YEN Social, located at Duo Galleria, is the sister concept of Michelin-rated yakiniku restaurant YEN Yakiniku - one of Singapore's pioneers in dry ageing beef and the premium Yakiniku experience. Known for its whisky dry-aged wagyu ribeye and Wagyu Taiwanese Beef Noodles, the restaurant has now incorporated a full lunch service, available from Tuesdays to Saturdays. The lunch menu also includes YEN Signature Wagyu Burger, which has made quite a reputation when it was first launched during Singapore's 2021 circuit breaker period.

Caesar Salad with Wagyu Bits & Shaved Parmesan 4/5

Under Salads & Appetisers, we started with Caesar Salad with Wagyu Bits & Shaved Parmesan ($16). By swapping the usual bacon for moreish Wagyu Bits, Chef Jones instilled his restaurant's character into this otherwise common dish.

Smoked Scallop Carpaccio with Yuzu Vinaigrette 4.5/5

We were also served this elegant plate of Smoked Scallop Carpaccio with Yuzu Vinaigrette ($14). Sashimi-grade Hokkaido scallops were smoked with cherry wood and then dressed with a citrusy yuzu oil, creating a creamier mouthfeel.

Lemon Thyme Fennel Salad with Apple-flavoured Quinoa 4/5

Lemon Thyme Fennel Salad with Apple-flavoured Quinoa ($16) was equally refreshing. The licorice flavour of the fennel, the sweetness of the raisins and the fruity quinoa built into one another, forming a well-balanced dish.

Chargrilled Seasonal Vegetables 4.5/5

Chargrilled Seasonal Vegetables ($12) were pleasing with beautifully charred seasonal vegetables, all of which are procured from sustainable sources. What's also notable is the pumpkin, which has been dry-aged for 30 days to attain a more intense flavour and tender texture.

Chargrilled Wagyu Burger 4.5/5

Wagyu Fries

Moving on to the mains, Chargrilled Wagyu Burger ($25) topped my list with a juicy and flavourful patty made with fresh minced meat, which is said to be a 100% mix of specially selected wagyu cuts. It is layered with two types of cheese, mushroom and shredded red cabbage, for a refreshing contrast. Even the milk buns to carry these ingredients are done with consideration - brushed with wagyu fat before they are toasted to build on that rich flavour. It is accompanied by Wagyu Fat Fries, which are house-made double-fried house-cut russet potatoes sprinkled with bits of wagyu fat for an extra indulgence. A more premium choice would be YEN Steak & Wagyu Fat Fries, best with a glass of house wine to complete the dining experience.

Braised Wagyu Beef Cheek 3.8/5

Another beef dish is Braised Wagyu Beef Cheek ($34), featuring Australian wagyu beef cheek braised in red wine for 48 hours. It was incredibly tender, but a tad more seasoning would help bring out its flavours more. The mashed potato served at the side was charcoal infused to add a depth of flavour.

Chargrilled Iberico Pork 4/5

Chargrilled Iberico Pork with Japanese Shisho Chimichurri 4/5

For non-beef eaters alternative, there are two other exceptional dishes, one of which is Chargrilled Iberico Pork with Japanese Shisho Chimichurri ($22). The iberico pork jowl is sous vide cooked for two hours before being chargrilled to develop its flavours. A house-made citrusy shiso chimichurri is served as the condiment to provide some zing for the dish. The accompanying fried rice was a star on its own - within the rice, you will find moreish bits of the caramelised fats rendered from the meat, which amp up the flavours in every mouthful.

Chargrilled Seafood Bucatini Pasta 4.8/5

Chargrilled Seafood Bucatini Pasta ($25) was on par with its meat counterparts. All the seafood featured - octopus, jumbo prawn, and scallops- are sashimi-grade and imported directly from Japan. As they were chargrilled before being tossed with pasta, they carried a hint of smoky flavour built into the robust homemade basil-tomato sauce, elevating the entire dish.

2-course set menus start from $25. All Steak items are served with a side of Chargrilled Vegetables and do not include fries. Lunch sharing set for 3-4 pax start from $100. Add on $5 to enjoy a choice of beverage, be it cold-pressed juice, coffee or tea.

Photos and words by Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food. Note: This is an invited tasting.


YEN Social
DUO Galleria
7 Fraser Street
#01-25/26
Singapore 189356
Tel: +65 86696788
Facebook
Instagram
Website
Nearest MRT: Bugis (DT, EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Tue-Sat: 1130am - 2pm, 6pm - 11pm
Sun-Mon: 6pm - 11pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Bugis MRT station. Take Exit E and F. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

Morsels @ Dempsey Hill - Celebrates 10th Anniversary With A New Spring Menu

Morsels at Dempsey Hill celebrates its 10th anniversary with a renewed concept. Moving away from its small plates sharing menu concept, Morsels 2.0 offers a new fixed course tasting menu concept to showcase the season's best produces with Chef Petrina's fermented sauces.

Season Oyster 4.2/5

We had the 9-course Full Tasting Menu ($188++), starting with four snack items. Interestingly, Chef Petrina incorporates East and West influences into each snack. We kickstarted with the fresh Season Oyster (French + Japanese) paired with citron green tea kombucha vinaigrette and olive gel, brightening the taste profile of the shellfish.

Sanchoku Corned Beef Cream 4/5

Next is the Sanchoku Corned Beef Cream (British + Indian) that is presented in the form of a Pani Puri. The blended Sanchoku beef d-rump is mixed with crunchy cornichon stuffed inside a crispy pani puri shell. Bite into it and get an explosion of flavours.

Zucchini Pancake 4/5

The bite-size Zucchini Pancake (Korean + Spanish) coated in egg batter is pan-fried till golden brown and topped with ricotta cheese, red bell pepper and boquerones. I felt the soul of the dish come from the marinated anchovy fish, accentuating the whole dish.

Mushroom Garum Broth 3.8/5

Lastly is the Mushroom Garum Broth (Chinese + Indian), packed with the essence from the smoked willow tree mushrooms and blaze mushrooms, topped with burnt banana leaf oil. It even comes with a crispy light puffed pastry twist dusted with oregano, thyme and onion powder.

After the snacks, we had the bread course, in which a warm and fluffy Brioche is served together with seaweed herb butter.

Cured Stolt Farm Turbot Carpaccio 4.2/5

We moved on to the entree, starting with the Cured Stolt Farm Turbot Carpaccio. The sustainably sourced turbot is aged for 3-5 days, then thinly sliced and dressed in smoked zucchini dashi to enjoy the turbot. It is paired with crunchy ice plant, cucumber and crispy rice puff for texture, enhanced with 8 Gems caviar for popping brininess.

Toriyama A4 Japanese Wagyu Eye Round Tataki 4.2/5

Next is the Toriyama A4 Japanese Wagyu Eye Round Tataki paired with a spring salad. The wagyu eye round is cured overnight in Morsels's two years old corn miso and finished in the hibachi for a pleasant smokiness while retaining the tender and juiciness. Round up the enjoyment with the thick creamy sabayon and cured eye yolk.

Chinese Celery Tortellini 4/5

Another beautiful dish is the Chinese Celery Tortellini. The delectable texture of the pasta dough is stuffed with wild mushrooms and potato duxelles, served in a vibrant green pea sauce and preserved lemon foam. Lastly, the morsel is topped with charred fermented asparagus for texture.

Jeju Abalone & Sakura Chicken 3/5

The Jeju Abalone & Sakura Chicken is a rice dish. The bouncy abalone and tender chicken rested on a bed of multigrain risotto flavoured with Morsels's four year old doenjiang. I enjoyed the risotto texture comprising Koshihikari Japanese rice, Calrose Californian short grain rice, Cambodian brown rice, and barley. It felt like travelling to Jeju island with the beetroot stock surrounding the dish, poured at the tableside. However, there was a lack of sharpness in the flavour, and it was too earthy for my preference.

Fjord Trout 4/5

Still from the ocean, we had the Fjord Trout that is lightly cured and smoked, complemented by a delicious soy dashi stock, rhubarb compote and edamame cereal. Though cooked using Western techniques, each bite has flavours resembling our local fish soup.

Primrose Farm Pork Tenderloin 4.2/5

I have already lost count of the number of dishes I had, and we are just moving to the mains. For mains, there is a choice of Primrose Farm Pork Tenderloin or Rougie Magret Duck. The sous vide Primrose Farm Pork Tenderloin was tender and succulent, enlivened by the accompanying kumquat red pepper kosho. The other components on the plate are potato pave and grilled baby gem.

Rougie Margret Duck 4.2/5

The other main is the Rougie Margret Duck presented in Western and Asian styles. The grilled duck breast grilled and glazed with ume bbq sauce is tender and comes with a hint of smokiness and sweetness. For the Asian style, it is served as a Japanese duck tsukune.

Palate Cleanser

After all the savoury dishes, we had a cup of refreshing beverage comprising a mixture of lemongrass, pear juice and yuzu juice as a palate cleanser.

Apple 4/5

Moving to desserts, we started with the Rice Whipped Panna Cotta, which is topped with sago and diced apple. The dessert, served chilled with shiso granita and apple lemon balm kombucha, provided the acidity for a light and refreshing finish.

Ang Butter 3.8/5

Morsels's version of Any Butter comes in the form of a polenta cake crowned with Amalfi lemon cream, sitting atop a bed of sweet red bean paste, paired with rosemary namelaka and kinako sable. It is richer in flavour than the first dessert, but the combination worked beautifully.

Petit Fours

Wrapping up the 9-course meal is the Petit Fours comprising of choux, nougat, and pear sour cherry pate de fruit.

Note: This is an invited tasting


Morsels
25 Dempsey Road
#01-04
Singapore 249670
Tel: +65 62663822
Facebook
Instagram
Website
Nearest MRT: Napier (TE Line)

Opening Hours:
Tue-Sat: 12pm - 3pm, 6pm - 10pm
Sun: 1130am - 3pm
(Closed on Sun dinner and Mon Full Day)

Direction: 
1) Alight at Napier MRT station. Take Exit 2. Walk to bus stop at Opposite Botanic Gardens (Stop ID 13011). Take bus number 7, 75, 77, 105, 106, 123 and 174. Alight 2 stops later. Take the flight of stairs up to Dempsey Hill. At Dempsey Road, turn left and walk to the open-air carpark in front of block 25. Walk to destination. Journey time about 8 minutes. [Map]

Umami 10 @ Telok Ayer Street - Serves Japanese-European Inspired Tapas With Award-Winning Sake Pairing

Situated along Telok Ayer Street, Umami 10 offers a wide array of European-influenced Japanese tapas dishes, together with sake pairings recommended by the chef. Their menu comprises four categories – Bites, Cold Tapas, Hot Tapas and ‘Stressed’ (desserts spelt backwards).

We started with the Koh No Tsuki Karakuchi (320ml/$45, 1800ml/$157), a sharp and clean sake choice to pair with our appetisers.

Salmon Tartare 4/5

The Salmon Tartare ($26) features fresh Norweigan salmon tossed with yuzu and nama wasabi. It is a simple yet refreshing indulgence to start the meal.

Scallops Carpaccio 4.5/5

One of my favourite appetisers is the Scallops Carpaccio ($36), presented in a gorgeous layer of thinly sliced scallops, topped with a generous amount of truffle caviar, salmon roe and mango salsa. The mango salsa added a refreshing sweetness to the saltiness of the caviar and roe.

Truffle Somen with Uni & Ikura 4.2/5

Next is the Truffle Somen with Uni & Ikura ($48), artfully presented with truffle caviar and sakura ebi. A cold and refreshing dish, the somen was cooked perfectly with a prominent truffle taste that was not too overpowering, and the uni was so fresh and sweet.

Soft Shell Prawn Tempura 4.2/5

The Soft Shell Prawn Tempura ($29) uses air-flown glass prawns coated in their special seaweed-based batter. The prawns were fried to a delectable crisp texture while retaining their briny succulence.

Duck Confit 3.8/5

The Duck Confit ($32) consists of a duck leg home confit French-style which is nicely crisp on the outside. However, the meat was a tad dry. A bit more moistness and succulence would be preferred, but I liked how the addition of grapes provided a sweetness to balance its savoury flavours.

Rack of Lamb 4/5

The Rack of Lamb ($58) consists of Aussie Lamb roasted with rosemary and kalamata olive. The tenderness and juiciness of the lamb meat stood out for me. However, more seasonings could have been added to accentuate the meat's flavours.

Pick-me-up 4.5/5

We ended the meal on a sweet note by indulging in the Pick-me-up ($18), which features house-made three-liqueur tiramisu served in a chawanmushi bowl. Dive deep into the layers to uncover all the rich and creamy goodness, perfect for those who like their tiramisu with a boozy kick.

Words and photos by Crystal. A girl who likes to eat, photograph, and write about food, and dreams about travelling around the world one day. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Umami 10
163 Telok Ayer Street
Singapore 068616
Facebook
Instagram
Website
Nearest MRT: Telok Ayer (DT Line), Tanjong Pagar (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 1130am - 230pm, 530pm - 11pm
Sat: 530pm - 11pm
(Closed on Sun)

Direction:
1) Alight at Telok Ayer MRT station. Take Exit A. Turn left onto Telok Ayer Street. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Tanjong Pagar MRT station. Take Exit G. Turn left onto Telok Ayer Street. Walk to destination. Journey time about 6 minutes.  [Map]