SENS @ Holland Village - Newly Opened Japanese Restaurant Inside A Gourmet Grocer

Located at the basement of the new Raffles @ Holland Village is SENS, a Japanese restaurant within the gourmet grocer TASTE. It offers a wide repertoire of contemporary Japanese cuisine including sashimi, sushi, teppanyaki and omakase. It also boasts one of the largest selections of Japanese craft beers, sake and wines from breweries in different regions of Japan.

Sashimi Moriawase Mix 4/5

Dinner at SENS started with the Sashimi Moriawase Mix ($48.80) which comes with 5 different kinds of sashimi. On the plate, we had maguro, otoro, salmon, hamachi and ebi which is air flown from Japan. In short you can ensure of its freshness.

Aburi Salmon Mentai Roll 4.2/5

For those that does not take raw food, you can go for the Aburi Salmon Mentai Roll ($18.80) topped with mentaiko and roes. Pop one into mouth and enjoy a burst of different flavours and textures coming together.

Miyazaki Wagyu Tataki 4.8/5 and Beef Kaku Ni 4/5

A crowd favouruite was the Miyazaki Wagyu Tataki ($68.80) for both its great flavour and texture. The thinly sliced wagyu is lightly seared on the exterior while the interior is cooked to a beautiful pink. This gives it an extra layer of flavour on top of that flavoursome and juicy beef slices.

The other beef dish we tried is the Beef Kaku Ni ($16.80). The piece of beef literally fell apart as I tried to pick it up with my chopsticks. The melted in the mouth texture and its appetizing rich flavour calls for a bowl of rice to go with it.

Foie Gras Teriyaki 4.2/5

Not really quite Japanese but the menu does offer items such as Foie Gras Teriyaki ($16). I like the fact that the foie gras has a layer of caramelized sweetness that complemented the creaminess

Surume Ika 4/5

From the grill, there is the Surume Ika ($18.80) which is grilled perfectly to a nice bouncy texture coated with a nice caramelized sweetness for an elevated enjoyment.

Kurobuta Rosu Katsu 4.5/5

A worthy try at SENS is the Kurobuta Rosu Katsu ($17.50). The breaded deep fried pork loin has an interesting crispy crumbs on top of the juicy meat which tasted like tempura coating. putting it in another way it is like having the crispy KFC fried chicken except it is pork not chicken.

Niniku Chahan 3/5

If you are still not full, the Niniku Chahan ($8) may able to fill you up. Unfortunately I felt that he garlic fried rice lacked the garlic and wok hei aroma.

Yakitori Set 3/5

Perfect to go with some beer or sake is the Yakitori. We ordered a few different skewers such as chicken wings, meat balls, pork belly and mushroom to try. Maybe the chef wanted to showcase the natural flavour of the ingredients but I felt that a little bit more seasoning would be more enjoyable.

Overall food at SENS is above average. I would definitely go back for the miyazaki wagyu tataki, beef kaku ni, kurobuta rosu katsu, sashimi and sushi.

Note: This is an invited tasting.


SENS
Raffles @ Holland Village
118 Holland Avenue
#B1-12/13
Singapore 278997
Tel: +65 62625618
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Holland Village (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 11pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at Holland Village MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk straight to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]

Niku Katsumata @ Duxton - An Unique Yakiniku Experience Grilled Over Crystal

Niku Katsumata at Duxton, the grilled meat restaurant originating from Ebisu, Tokyo, is pretty focused in what it wants to do - to serve its customers the absolute flavours lean Japanese beef. The owner Tsuyoshi Katsumata, a Meat Sommelier himself, opened Katsumata in Ebisu in 2012 but was an exclusive membership-based store. Fortunately, this is open to all meat lovers.

Like a typical Japanese setup, 28 seats filled up in every possible spot of this narrow space. Too intimate a layout may not be ideal for a BBQ concept, when the cast iron grilling plates tend to smoke-up your surroundings. But fret not. Special crystal grilling plates are used here due to their ability to retain heat. Only a low heat is required to grill the meats, which in turn helps to seal in the meat juices and produces little or no smoke at all!

The menu is designed around a Wagyu Plate, showcasing its high quality beef imported from Kagoshima and Kumamoto, offering 3 types of set courses at $98++, $128++ and $198++, with a few la carte options - each has a soup, appetizer, sashimi, salad, meat platter, rice/noodle dish and dessert. Depending on availability, the plate features a range of A3 and A4 Wagyu lean cuts and some rare cuts. Kagoshima pork is included as well. Niku Course $98++ was arranged for us.

Prosciutto and Fruit with Vegetable Soup 3.5/5

Soup
We started with 2 very light bites - Prosciutto and Fruit with Vegetables Soup. The savoury and meaty prosciutto goes well with the crunchy pear. I like the red onion soup which is surprisingly sweet and comforting to the palate.

Homemade Kimchi and Seasoned Sprout 4/5

Appetizer
Our appetizer - Homemade Kimchi and Seasoned Sprout was more stimulating. If you like Korean Banchan, you might secretly wish that their appetizer is free flow. I would love to have them with the meat!

Chinese Cabbage topped with Umami Seaweed 4/5

Salad
Our salad turned out to be more intense than expected - Chinese Cabbage topped with 'UMAMI' Seaweed. The dried seaweed is a taste of condensed umami hence don't underestimate that small doses.

Meat Platter 4/5

Meat Platter
Finally, our Meat Platter arrived. A slice of lemon, sea salt and a sweet-sour home-made peach and pineapple dipping sauce were served, which are believed to bring out the best of the meat. To ensure that the meats are grilled to perfection, a staff had been assigned to our table to do the deed. We were also advised which dip to go for when different cut was served. Each cut does have its own characteristic. Although the beef dominates the plate, the Kagoshima pork stands out on its own.

Japanese Beef Curry Rice 3.5/5

Rice
To round off the meal, Japanese Beef Curry rice was served. The curry was robust with minced beef and with the right amount of heat to wrap around the plump and shiny grains of rice. If only, the salt dosage can be reduced by half.

Dessert
Our dessert was rather forgettable. Some Japanese fruits would be perfect!

Tataki Wagyu 4.5/5

From the ala cart menu, we tried the Tataki Wagyu ($20) served 3 ways. 1. Taste the original 2. Sprinkle the condiments over 3. Pour the bonito soup stock over. The third method seems to be everybody's favourite. I prefer the combination of second and third for flavour and texture. For Tataki style, I would prefer something tangy to go along with.

Interestingly when most restaurants serve the more popular highly marbled beef, Niku Katsumata chooses lean Japanese beef, catering to meat lovers who favours the meatier texture. For a unique yakiniku experience, try Niku Katsumata.

Written 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.


Niku Katsumata
47 Duxton Road
Singapore 089511
Tel: +65 91627502
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Sat: 530pm - 11pm
(Closed on Sun)

Direction: 
1) Alight at Tanjong Pagar MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to Orchid Hotel. Cross Tanjong Pagar Road and walk to Craig Road. Walk along Craig Road and turn right onto Duxton Road. Walk along Duxton Road to destination. Journey time about 15 minutes. [Map]