APR
art&Living
142
143
ENMARU
Type: Izakaya Restaurant
Japan Hour With the plethora of Japanese cuisine choices available, we break down the categories and crown the best of izakayas, ramen joints, fine dining establishments, sushi restaurants and cafes. By AMELIA CHIA
Nestled on a secluded, breezy hill in the east of Singapore is our first izakaya restaurant, considered a veritable milestone in the Japanese dining scene here. Izakayas are one of the most ubiquitous after-work hangouts for Japanese men, who pop in after a long day to unwind over strong drinks and grilled meats in a rustic and robust atmosphere. Enmaru at Laguna National Country Club adopts a similar concept, down to the minute details with traditional wood-panelled furnishings, cursive Japanese words painted on rice paper and zen-like plants lining the corridor. There are many seating options here – by the counter, in a semi-private corner or around a table grill – but if it’s your first time, secure a table grill for your party, get a platter of meats to fry up and wash it down with hot tea or icy beer for a completely authentic experience. Naturally, beef is the order of the day. We recommend the Japanese over the Australian ones with the wagyu sirloin being the winning combination of soft, juicy
and tender at each bite. But first start your meal with a selection of fresh sashimi, because these thick, raw slabs are surprisingly some of the best we’ve ever had. The good news is, you can hang around for hours because Enmaru is spacious enough to feel like you’re in your own world. Of course, you might have to take a shower immediately after from the cloying smoke, but it’s well worth it. Must-tries: Satsuma Wagyu Sirloin ($109.80), Oumi Kalbi ($33.80), Special Sashimori ($60.80) 11 Laguna Golf Green, Laguna National Golf & Country Club; Tel: 6248 1722
HIDE YAMAMOTO Type: Ramen Joint
There’s more to Hide Yamamoto than a bowl of incredibly delicious ramen. Perhaps the friendliest and most affordable of the celebrity chef restaurants at Marina Bay Sands, this semi-casual joint is part modern with vibrant art installations on the walls and part old school with its woody palette and corkcoloured walls. Call dibs on a place at the perennial favourite 15-seater Robatayaki counter, where you can observe the chef display his skills over a woodfire charcoal grill. Ramen aside, Hide Yamamoto fires up a mean pork belly, drenched in sweet juices from the fatty portion of the meat. The rich flavours from the pork mixed with the cool shaved radish in ponzo – which acts somewhat as a neutralizer – will drive your senses mad. On to ramen mains and you’re given a choice between soy or miso soup base. We prefer miso for its denser and tastier broth, topped with generous slices of cha shu or seafood. You’re paying slightly more for a bowl of ramen at Hide Yamamoto, but the right balance of tangy and sweet come together with refined goodness which makes the added dollars worth it. Slurp up your dish as appetizingly as you can, because in Japanese cuisine, this tells the chef you’re thoroughly enjoying your meal. Must-tries: Cha-shu Miso Ramen ($16/$24), Grilled Kurobuta Pork Belly ($26), Grilled Tiger Prawn and Fresh Vegetables ($25) #02-05, Casino Side Level 2 8 Bayfront Avenue, Marina Bay Sands; Tel: 6688 8513
2012
APR
art&Living
144
145
2012
MIKUNI
Type: Fine Dining Establishment Nothing like rebranding and a name change to draw the crowds back in – if Inagiku wasn’t already all the rage, Mikuni definitely proved so as it packs in a sizeable lunch crowd on a weekday afternoon. That said, there’s very little to dislike in this haven of Japanese fine dining. Kick start with the time-honoured process of selecting from three different types of teas as you’re given a hot towel to refresh yourself like onboard a flight. The real man’s approach to Japanese food isn’t to pick at negligible portions, but to feast on the signature 10-course menu complete with sake pairing. Each course is a bold marriage of tradition and innovation, with every dish unexpectedly presenting itself as a handsome art piece, whether creatively plated in different shapes, wrapped in rice paper or served on a crisp autumn leaf. We implore you to come ravishingly hungry, as food at Mikuni is impeccable. You mustn’t miss out on the wagyu tartar with pear and giant garlic and the miso-marinated kinki fish with crispy soba seeds and chestnuts, chock full of textured goodness. While most fine dining restaurants try to keep their numbers small, Mikuni runs amok with space as the 128-seater boasts a main dining area, three private dining rooms and a Robatayaki counter. Taking on a European approach design-wise, there’s none of tatami mats or low tables, but instead we’re treated to avant garde furnishings of black couches, rope drapes and blue and white floral centrepieces. FYI, if you aren’t rolling out of Mikuni on a satisfyingly full stomach - and a wee bit happy on sake - you’re doing it wrong. Must-tries: 10-course lunch/dinner ($280 or $380 with sake pairing), which includes Wagyu Tartar with Pear and Giant Garlic, Miso-Marinated Kinki Fish with Crispy Soba Seeds and Chestnuts and Wagyu Beef, Enoki Mushroom with Black Truffle Teriyaki and Burdock Level 3 Fairmont Singapore, 80 Bras Basah Road, Tel: 6431 6156
SUSHI ICHI
MAISON IKKOKU
For the record, we gave Sushi Ichi a gold star before we knew of its one Michelin star status. This distinguished sushi restaurant, which started in the heart of Ginza seven years ago, focuses strongly on the quality of ingredients used and is handpicked from Tsukiji market in Japan four times a week. Dining at Sushi Ichi will introduce you to Japanese top-tier perfection as you fall into the rhythm of watching Chef Yuji wield his knife with the fish and roll grains of rice to form precise sushi cubes, presented individually on your plate course by course. Cleanliness is key here – Chef Yuji wipes his knife down after every move and ensures a spotless work area every few seconds. It’s almost like watching a live cooking demonstration without the outtakes where someone runs in to clean up the spillage. There’s no chewing involved with your sushi. The freshness of the sushi has it practically melting in your mouth, and you can almost feel the ocean under your feet. Not one for the masses, Sushi Ichi only allows 24 people in their minimalistlooking sanctuary at each time. If you think a peaceful lunch is impossible in town, this will have you thinking otherwise. When everyone at the table is observing Chef Yuji at his craft, it’s so quiet you can almost hear a pin drop. With the restaurant’s muted palette of browns, creams and whites, you could very well be at a meditation retreat – and eating some of the best sushi you’ve ever had in your life.
Maison Ikkoku is a café, retail shop and cocktail bar rolled into one. How’s that for ingenious? We like the concept so much we’re labelling it a man’s comfort zone because it embodies the few things we love in life – excellent artisanal coffee, an exclusive multilabel menswear boutique on the second floor stocking brilliant pieces from the likes of Industry Of All Nations, Miansai and Orlebar Brown, and a swanky rooftop cocktail bar serving delicious bespoke cocktails. Housed in a three-storey shophouse along Kandahar Street and adopting the industrial approach to design with bare flooring and unadorned black lamps hanging from above, they’ve added an interesting twist with both raw and polished fixtures such as white-painted brick walls, exposed copper piping and weathered doors of cupboards reused as table tops. Our favourite part? Shelves are plastered on the walls and chopped in half as a design feature – the bottom half can be seen on the ground level, and the top half connects on the second level. Maison Ikkoku’s café serves coffee brewed using four different methods – filtered, French-press, drip and syphon – with coffee beans from Brazil and Ethiopia roasted weekly by their own baristas, trained under Japanese celebrity barista and latte art specialist Hiroshi Sawada. Grab yourself a cuppa and order a riceball snack with luncheon meat or the Japanese version of kong bak bao (bun with homemade stewed pork belly). Make this your next one-stop destination. And if you still crave for more, there’s always Haji Lane around the corner.
Type: Sushi Restaurant
Must-tries: Four-course degustation menu ($60 for lunch, $210 for dinner) #02-02 Scotts Square, 6 Scotts Road, Tel: 6299 0014
Type: Japanese Café
Must-tries: MI Musubi ($3), MI Pork Bun ($3.90), Latte ($5), MI1 White French Maid ($25), MI2 Passionate Moment ($22) 20 Kandahar Street, Tel: 6294 0078