Udon Kamon @ Eat At Seven (Suntec City Mall) - Singapore's First-ever Tricoloured, All-natural Udon Offerings

For this warm summer, Udon Kamon at Suntec City Mall is offering the new tricoloured chilled udon, a first of its kind in Singapore. Each bowl comes with Udon Kamon's original white udon, green matcha udon and red chilli udon, made with natural ingredients. With the tricoloured chilled udon combined in one bowl, Chef Kamogi Noriyuki has created three offerings - Mentai Maze Udon, Beef Shabu Shabu Bukkake Udon and Uni Maze Udon.

Mentai Maze Udon 3/5

The Mentai Maze Udon ($12.80++) features the tricoloured chilled udon. The green matcha udon is made with Uji matcha from Kyoto while the red chilli udon is made with Korean chilli powder. It is paired with mentaiko, onsen tamago, seaweed and spring onions. Break the egg and mix everything together, allowing the silky egg white to coat the spicy cod roe on every strand of the chewy noodle. It is light and refreshing, perfect for the summer weather.

Uni Maze Udon 3.8/5

Diners with a heavier palate may go for the Uni Maze Udon ($19.80++) with the tricoloured chilled udon resting in a pool of luscious uni sauce. It is topped with creamy and savoury sea urchin from Hokkaido. It actually tasted like a plate of creamy and rich pasta, except that I could not really detect the uni in it.

Beef Shabu Shabu Bukkake Udon 4/5

The last offering for the tricoloured udon is the soup version Beef Shabu Shabu Bukkake Udon ($13.80++). The cold udon noodles are drenched in a chilled dashi sauce and topped with tender beef short plate from Australia. This is my favourite among the 3 new creations, for its refreshing and sweet note, that complement the chewy udon.

Smoked Duck Udon 4.2/5

Not into chilled udon, one can always go for their signature udon such as the Smoked Duck Udon ($11.80++). I felt that the texture of the Sanuki udon fares better in the hot wafu broth made with dashi stock. I also like the addition of yuzu peel, which imparts a citrusy aroma to the finishing. It also comes with succulent pinkish smoked duck that is specially air-flown from Italy.

Nestled in Eat At Seven, Suntec City Mall, Udon Kamon doles out sanuki udon, the most popular type of udon in the Shikoku region. Made freshly with Japanese wheat flour, salt and water, the noodles are thick, squarish and have flat edges. It also comes with a chewy textural bite, which is really delightful.

Note: This is an invited tasting.


Udon Kamon
Suntec City Mall
North Wing Tower 1
3 Temasek Boulevard
#03-315
Singapore 038983
Tel: +65 62665338
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Nearest MRT: Esplanade (CC Line), Promenade (CC Line, DT Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Sun: 1130 - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Promenade MRT station. Take Exit C. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Esplanade MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

Teppan Kappou Kenji @ Tanjong Pagar Road - Summer Omakase Menu Showcasing In-Season Pike Conger Eel Fish And Ayu

This summer, Teppan Kappou Kenji at Tanjong Pagar introduces new delicacies and omakase selections that showcase ingredients in season, such as Pike Conger Eel fish and Ayu (Japanese sweetfish).

Watermelon Gazpacho 3.5/5

When temperatures start to pick up, and humidity rises, summer is the time for light and refreshing dishes. The first course to wake up our senses that evening was Watermelon Gazpacho, served with Japanese baby corn, Japanese water eggplant and smoked octopus.  Due to the use of ingredients such as plum, umeboshi that are more assertive in flavours, the soup was a lot more punchy than what I had expect from a cold watermelon soup.

Ayu Somen 3.8/5

The month of June is Ayu (Japanese sweetfish) season in Japan, and we had a taste of it in Ayu Somen in bonito dashi. Topped with a sauce made from boiled Japanese okra paste, the viscosity of the sauce made the somen smoother than it already was. But what delighted me the most were the citrus notes exuded from the use of yuzu and sudachi, which mingled well with the savoury bonito dashi broth.

Seasonal Sashimi 4.8/5

Seasonal Sashimi was the third course, and this dish set the anticipation up high of what was about to follow. The Uni with Japanese-spot prawn served in halved sea urchin shell comprising of Smoked Spanish Mackerel, Red Snapper, Toro (Tuna), Suzuki (Sea bass), Shima Aji (striped Jack)

Hassun 4.8/5

The fourth course was the most memorable - Hassun, part of a traditional multi-course (Kaiseki) Japanese dinner, all created from scratch by Chef Kenji. It was mesmerising. There were a total of eight courses, but each and every 'mini' course was distinct from one another and so intricate that they all intrigued and excited my senses. There is no specific sequence on how you should consume it, but I started the journey with the crunchy tempura of seasonal Japanese Sweet Corn and Edamame, followed by the Japanese Eggplant Rikyu-ni in a housemade sesame-based sauce. I like how the soft eggplant got a more luxurious texture from the creamy, nutty sauce. Another of my favourite is "Ishikawa Ko Imo Nopperi Ae" a type of Japanese small mountain yam. It is steamed and then cooked in a mix of katsuobushi, dashi, salt, sugar, shoyu, mirin before cutting into serving size, with the remaining portion being grated into a sticky paste (Nopperi-style) and mix with special white miso. We were advised to end the Hassum with Ao Ume (Japanese green plum) to cleanse our palate. It was no easy task to put this little plum onto our plate - boiled, soaked under running water for a day, before boiling for another hour, finally slow-cooking in a sweet sauce.

Isaki Cheek 3.5/5

Following that, we had a very tender Isaki Cheek (Gram fish), cooked on teppan in a saffron-style sauce made from katsuobushi, onion, capsicum. Served with "amana ga yasai" tempura, this Japanese green pepper served as a crunch element to this dish. Using herbs such as thyme and rosemary, this dish was also noted for its western flavours.

Hamo Shabu Shabu 3/5

Featuring Pike Conger Eel, we had Hamo Shabu Shabu. The soup is made from grilled Hamo (pike conger) bones, dashi, shoyu, mirin, and kombu. Served with Pike Conger Eel, another star item in this course was the homemade bean curd skin tofu. Its sweetness complemented the savoury soup really well.

Seasonal Kamameshi 4.5/5

A warm and hearty dish to conclude the meal is Seasonal Kamameshi. A mixture of different Japanese rice was cooked in a stock of bonito and assorted Japanese vegetable in the claypot, before adding in slices of A5 Ohmi Wagyu tenderloin and sea urchin (additional) into the kettle rice. The rice got much of its flavour from the bonito stock, with sweetness from the carrots, and those right underneath the tenderloin was rich with fats and juice from the Wagyu. I love the mushrooms in there too, which added lots of crunch and texture to the rice.

Musk Melon, Peach and Fig

Intentionally or not, I thought the dessert looked like a crystal ornament, with Musk melon, peach and fig resting on crushed ice, and crowned with housemade wine jelly that glittered under the lights. The attention to details was impeccable. The above Omakase is available at $150++.

Words and photos 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.


Teppan Kappou Kenji
99 Tanjong Pagar Road
#01-01
Singapore 088520
Tel: +65 91523118
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Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Sun: 1130am - 230pm, 6pm - 1030pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at Tanjong Pagar MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk towards Orchid Hotel. Turn right at Tanjong Pagar Road. Walk down Tanjong Pagar Road towards the row of shophouses. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]