Birthday dinner at Mikuni, Singapore

This evening, I returned to Mikuni with my mother and partner, for a belated birthday celebration for my mother. On Mondays, FAR Card members get 50% off the entire menu for up to 5 people per table (on other days the 50% discount only applies to a party of two), so if you love Japanese fine-dining and are looking to celebrate a special occasion, there really is no better deal in town. Just apply for the card and get ready to indulge! Unsurprisingly, Mondays at Mikuni are often fully booked for both lunch and dinner, so do reserve at least a week or two in advance if you are planning to go.

Fortunately this time we were seated towards the back of the restaurant, away from the area with the strong blue lighting, so that we were subliminally less distracted, could hold a conversation without the next table being too close to us, and take pictures with a much more natural colour balance. The atmosphere seemed rather calm and cosy despite the full house this evening, and we felt at ease very quickly.

To start, we were offered the usual spicy prawn crackers with dustings of nori and other spices and seasonings - these crisp paper-thin morsels are always a joy to behold in the palate.

This evening, we ordered from the whole range of dinner menus. I went for the 7-course Grand Tasting Menu (GTM), my partner went for the 6-course Spring Dinner Course (SDC), and my mother decided to go à la carte (ALC) as she didn't want to eat excessively. I do like how flexible this kitchen is, given that most fine-dining establishments require that the entire table takes the same menu, for (understandably) practical reasons. I shall review all three menus concurrently using the above abbreviations.

(GTM)

お通し：北海道産ズワイ蟹、柚子ゼリー、キャビア、桜の葉と芽

Cold starter: Hokkaido snow crab, yuzu jelly, Oscietra caviar, sakura leaf and buds

A luxurious yet understated start to the GTM, this consisted of generous chunks of Hokkaido snow crab topped with soft yuzu jelly and caviar, garnished with sakura buds and wrapped in a whole sakura leaf as symbols of spring. The sweetness and succulence of the crab was perfectly complemented by the distinctive citrusy flavour of the yuzu jelly, and enhanced with a pleasant umami from the juicy caviar topping. The sakura leaf and buds weren't simply decorative either; their delicate and sweet aroma enveloped this starter and brought all its components together very elegantly and harmoniously. Just lovely on all levels.

(GTM)

お通し：鮑の酒蒸し、菊の花、茗荷、木の芽、松の実

Warm starter: abalone steamed in sake, with chrysanthemum, pickled ginger flower, Japanese pricklyash and crushed pine nuts

The indulgence continued with a second starter of steamed abalone, placed appropriately in a beautiful real abalone shell with a shimmering natural mother-of-pearl inlay. This dish tasted every bit as good as it looked. The two small chunks of abalone were very tender and juicy, and steaming with a touch of sake really helped to highlight their freshness and natural umami, due to the sake's delicate aroma and effective balance of spiciness and sweetness. Crushed pine nuts contributed a delightful crunch as well as further depth of flavour. The other garnishes completed this dish on a very clean and crisp note; the slivers of ginger flower kept the appetite stimulated with their puckering astringency, while pricklyash refreshed the palate and prepared the tastebuds for the following course.

(SDC)

お通し：温泉卵、じゅんさい、雲丹、トリュフソース

Starter: Japanese onsen egg with water shield and black truffle, Hokkaido sea urchin

The only starter of the SDC was this little pot filled with a surprisingly generous amount of opulent ingredients such as truffle shavings and sea urchin. Perhaps that was part of the problem with this dish, which I felt really lacked focus. To be sure, the components were excellent when tasted and considered individually; the sea urchin was sweet and creamy, the truffle shavings enhanced with truffle oil enticed with their deep earthy aroma, and the onsen egg slow-cooked at 65 degrees had a perfectly runny and viscous yolk surrounded by extremely delicate egg white. However, putting all of them together in the same mouthful, I could hardly taste or smell anything beyond the overpowering truffles. The excessive amount of truffle oil in the sauce also made the dish feel unnecessarily greasy and heavy on the whole. Everything else came across as a bland and unexciting mush, which was a real shame considering the excellent quality of the sea urchin and the perfect execution of the egg - these should have been the real stars of the dish, with just a touch of truffles for enhancement. Needless to say, I completely overlooked the stalks of water shield at the bottom of the pot, and I still don't understand why they needed to be there. On the whole, I thought that this dish needed much greater thought in balance. Something as distinctive and powerful as truffles ought to be used very judiciously; one does not drench a dish in truffle shavings and oil at the expense of other ingredients, or to create an superficial impression of extravagance. In any case, as much as I love truffles in Western gastronomy, this particular fungi seems to me too strong for the delicacy and subtlety that characterise fine Japanese cuisine.

(GTM)

季節の刺身：大トロ、カンパチ、甘海老、雲丹．大葉、大根、蓮芋、百合根、生海苔、菊の花、山葵

Seasonal sashimi: fatty tuna belly, yellowtail, sweet shrimp and sea urchin, with garnishes of shiso leaf, shredded daikon, hasu-imo, lily bulb, fresh seaweed, chrysanthemum and grated wasabi

My sashimi course was presented very impressively in a huge bowl filled with ice. The plating was beautiful, and the seafood didn't disappoint either. Everything was absolutely fresh and excellent; the tuna belly was melt-in-the-mouth and full of rich natural oils, the yellowtail was succulent and tender, the sea urchin was very sweet and creamy, and the shrimp was delicately sweet and had a firm, juicy and springy bite. The garnishes were elaborate too. Apart from the usual shiso leaf, shredded daikon and grated wasabi, there was a slice of hasu-imo (a member of the taro family) which had a very light, airy and slightly gooey crunch as its distinctive appearance with lots of holes suggests. There was also a piece of lily bulb, one of my favourite ingredients (and frequently used in Chinese medicines and desserts) with its sweet taste and starchy texture, as well as a clump of fresh seaweed, which had a delicate umami and a tender bite. On the whole, this was a most delightful platter that satisfied and rejuvenated all the senses.

(SDC)

特選刺身：赤身、カンパチ、烏賊．大葉、大根、穂紫蘇、長芋、百合根、菊の花、山葵

Seasonal sashimi: lean tuna, yellowtail, and squid wrapped with nori, with garnishes of shiso leaf, shredded daikon, shiso buds, Chinese yam strips, lily bulb, chrysanthemum and grated wasabi

Less fancy in outlook, but with no loss in the actual quality of execution, was the sashimi platter in the SDC. While there were no premium items such as fatty tuna and sea urchin, these three 'basic' types of sashimi were still very enjoyable indeed. The lean tuna had a fresh and intense flavour matching its vivid red colour, while the squid rolls were very tender and moist, with no signs of rubberiness at all. The squid's delicate sweetness was also well enhanced by a deeper umami from a small piece of nori in each roll - a somewhat unusual method of presentation, but entirely effective. The garnishes were largely the same as in the GTM, but with the more common Chinese yam or naga-imo in place of hasu-imo (both have the same kind of gooeyness, although I find hasu-imo juicier, crunchier and lighter).

(GTM)

焼物：甘鯛味噌焼き、玉ねぎ、粽麩、畳鰯、蕗の籐

Grilled dish: sweet sea bream marinated in and grilled with miso, grilled Kyoto onion, mugwort gluten wrapped in bamboo leaf, dried crispy sardine sheet, butterbur sprout

My grilled dish was a small piece of sweet bream or amadai, a premium Japanese fish with a sweet taste as its name suggests. This fish was slightly firmer and less moist than I remembered it from my first tasting menu experience here, but still good. Its taste was enhanced aptly by marinating in sweet Kyoto white miso (saikyou miso) before grilling. Saikyou miso is one of my favourite Japanese ingredients as it possesses a really deep umami and a unique elegant balance between sweet and salty (all other misos simply lean towards the latter). Grilling with saikyou miso is one of the favourite Japanese methods of cooking fish, with almost always brilliant results especially for deep-sea oily fishes. My piece of fish also had a nicely charred skin which added to the overall flavour. The other standout was the gluten, soft, chewy, and infused with subtle aromas from mugwort as well as the bamboo leaf that wrapped around it. This gluten is another produce of Kyoto, widely lauded for its health benefits and versatility for cooking. Other accompaniments included Kyoto onion (a smaller and sweeter variety compared to the common onion), sardine sheet (like a fish cracker) and butterbur, a slightly bitter mountain vegetable to complement the grilled components. For refreshment, pickled onion and ginger flower, as well as a dollop of spicy grated radish were provided on the side. On the whole, a well-composed dish.

(SDC)

魚介：メバル煮付け、筍、ししとう、椎茸、生姜

Seafood dish: soy-braised black rockfish, with bamboo shoots, green shishito peppers, shiitake mushroom and ginger

Black rockfish or mebaru is a premium fish for which the best seasons are spring and summer. It is usually served in a stew like this, but one may take some time to work through the fish due to its numerous small bones. My partner found this rather disappointing unfortunately; the flesh was quite dry and tough, a sure sign of having been overcooked. Thankfully, its fatty sweetness was still somewhat present and its dryness was aptly compensated by the very tasty braising sauce. The accompaniments were excellent and in fact much more appealing to us than the fish; the slices of bamboo shoots were sweet and crunchy, the shiitake mushroom was earthy and succulent, the shishito peppers were juicy and sweet, and slivers of ginger completed this dish on a refreshing spicy note.

(ALC)

ちゃんこ鍋

Seasonal seafood hotpot in a miso broth

My mum's ALC orders came in aptly together with our fish dishes. This was a large and sumptuous seafood hotpot in nothing more than a simple and tasty miso broth. With really high-quality seafood one hardly needs any further boosts; the delicacies can speak for themselves. There were prawns, scallops, clams, squid, crab legs, salmon, fish and cuttlefish balls, accompanied by a variety of mushrooms (enoki, shimeji and shiitake), silken tofu and vegetables (shungiku and napa cabbage). The seafood was all very fresh and sweet, with a firm springy bite, while the vegetables and mushrooms were absolutely crisp and succulent. It was all very wholesome and satisfying, and the portion was surprisingly generous - definitely suffices as a standalone main course, especially if you're not a big eater.

(ALC)

タラバ炒飯

King crab fried rice

To go with her hotpot, my mum had garlic fried rice with shredded Taraba king crab. Garlic fried rice is a staple of teppanyaki cuisine, and this small bowl here hit all the right spots - well seasoned, very aromatic, with just the right amount of charring (what we Chinese call 'wok hei') from the very hot counter on which the dishes are prepared, and most importantly for texture, the rice grains remained very well-defined but soft and chewy. The shredded chunks of king crab were a truly luxurious addition, with their sweet taste and succulent bite. This would fill her up really nicely.

(GTM)

揚げ物：ラングスティーンカタイフィ揚げ、イクラ、じゅんさい

Deep-fried dish: crispy langoustines wrapped in kataifi pastry, with seasoned salmon roe and a langoustine reduction, water shield

In the meantime, my menu continued with this rather eclectic dish. Kataifi is a traditional baked Greek dessert whose thin outer pastry strands resemble shredded wheat or angel hair pasta, and this pastry layer usually covers a sweetened filling of almonds. Here I had a savoury deep-fried adaptation with large whole langoustines in place of almonds, and what a wonderful result it was! As my teeth worked through each piece, the crisp and fragile kataifi pastry quickly gave way to sweet, succulent and springy pieces of langoustines, enhanced further by gelatinous and juicy balls of salmon roe, whose rich buttery saltiness also promptly exploded within the palate. Surrounding these two delightful morsels were a pool of rich and viscous langoustine sauce, as well as a sprinkling of fresh and gelatinous water shield. One could not have asked for a deep-fried dish with more indulgent flavours and textures, and yet which at the same time felt this well balanced.

(GTM)

肉料理：鹿児島産和牛リブアイ照り焼き、もやし、にんにく、筍、アスパラガス、椎茸、辛子

Meat dish: Kagoshima wagyu rib-eye with teriyaki sauce, bean sprouts, garlic, bamboo shoots, asparagus, shiitake mushroom and mustard grains

My menu continued with an excellent beef dish cooked teppanyaki style, served on a large houba (magnolia) leaf with vegetables. The chunks of beef were absolutely tender, melt-in-the-mouth and flavourful, with a great marbling that made it well suited to quick searing at high temperatures. A light brushing of sweet soy-based teriyaki sauce over the beef made it even more tasty, and bits of whole mustard grains aptly refreshed the palate. Accompanying the beef was an assortment of seasonal vegetables, cooked either on the hot grill or over a charcoal fire. The bean sprouts and bamboo shoots cooked quickly on the hot grill remained very sweet, juicy and crunchy, while the asparagus cooked over a charcoal fire acquired a lovely charred edge to its delicate natural sweetness, and a pleasant soft crunch. The shiitake, also cooked over a charcoal fire with garlic butter, was soft and succulent, and its deep earthiness was delightfully enhanced with really lovely aromas from the garlic butter. Soft whole-roasted garlic cloves, with a creamy texture and a surprisingly mild and sweet aroma, completed this picture of indulgence and perfection.

(SDC)

肉料理：鹿児島産和牛リブアイのアスパラ巻き、クレソン、マイクロトマト、胡麻ソース

Meat dish: Kagoshima wagyu rib-eye rolled with asparagus, organic watercress, micro tomatoes, sesame sauce

My partner had the same cut of wagyu for his meat dish, but instead of thick chunks, the meat was very thinly sliced and wrapped around stalks of asparagus. This was a most unusual but effective presentation; the rich fatty flavour and melt-in-the-mouth tenderness of the beef were well balanced by the refreshing sweetness and juicy crunch of the asparagus. The thin but hard outer skin of an asparagus stalk, which one usually has to scrape off before cooking, was not wasted; deep fried slivers garnishing the beef and asparagus rolls had a lovely crispy bite. On the side, a salad of spicy watercress, juicy and sweet micro tomatoes (a special variety even smaller than cherry tomatoes) and creamy but light sesame sauce completed this dish on a wholesome note.

(GTM)

冷やし梅素麺、ナメコ、紫蘇、ネギ、海苔、醤油、山葵

Chilled Japanese plum somen with soy sauce and shiso leaf, nameko mushrooms, shredded spring onion and seaweed, wasabi

After all that preceding indulgence, my final savoury course was an unusual but completely apt chilled noodle dish. This was somen (a thin Japanese noodle resembling angel hair pasta) infused with the lovely reddish-pink colour and the balanced sweet-sour flavour of plum. It would have made for great slurping if not for the small portion and refined atmosphere. The refreshing somen was further enhanced by minty bits of shiso leaf within, and made even more tasty with a touch of light soy sauce. Surrounding the somen was a sprinkling of nameko mushrooms, whose delicate earthiness and soft gelatinous bite complemented its taste and texture really effectively. Garnishings of shredded spring onion and dried seaweed contributed more flavours and aromas, while a touch of wasabi kept the dish feeling very light and crisp throughout.

(SDC)

桜海老天丼、木の芽．赤出汁、生湯葉

Crispy sakura shrimp tempura on rice with a Japanese pricklyash garnish, red miso soup with sheets of fresh tofu skin

More conventional was my partner's ending with rice and soup. The rice was topped with a generous amount of flash-fried sakura shrimp, caught mainly in Suruga Bay in Shizuoka Prefecture, and known for their succulent sweetness despite their diminutive size (yes, you do eat them shell and all). The fragrant prawns were aptly complemented by a spicy and peppery pricklyash (kinome) garnish, which both highlighted the freshness of the shrimp and kept the bowl of rice feeling very light and crisp. Amazingly, there was not a single hint of greasiness despite the frying process. The excellent rice was equally matched by an intense bowl of miso soup made with aged red miso, which possesses a much deeper umami compared to its more common white counterpart. The soup also contained sheets of fresh tofu skin, a famous product of Kyoto known as yuba. Yuba is one of my must-eats whenever I'm in Kyoto, and the dried version makes a great foodie souvenir; it is easy to transport and goes very well in soups and desserts too, though nothing beats the freshly-made yuba of course. The delicate, silky and slightly creamy texture of these sheets belied a remarkable full-bodied sweetness from soybeans. Having them combined with this flavourful miso soup was very gratifying indeed.

(GTM)

デザート：抹茶プリン、メープルシロップ、桜アイスクリーム、小豆

Dessert: matcha pudding with maple syrup, sakura ice cream and red beans

Dessert for me was a soft and creamy matcha pudding, not too sweet and full of the tea's characteristic refreshing astringency. Its toppings were rather sweeter, including an ice cream infused with an elegant floral aroma, a thick and chunky red bean paste, and finally a drizzle of maple syrup. I did feel that the maple syrup was somewhat unnecessary and a tad too robust for the relatively delicate flavour of the ice cream, but fortunately there wasn't too much of it. On the whole, I thought that this dessert was well put together and entirely agreeable.

(SDC)

デザート：山梨スタイル水餅、メープルシロップ、きな粉、栗クランブル、チョコレートクランチ

Dessert: Yamanashi-style water cake, served with maple syrup, roasted soybean powder, chestnut powder and a chocolate crunch snack

My partner's dessert was a unique offering of water cake, premiered by traditional sweet shop Kinseiken in Yamanashi Prefecture in the summer of 2013. In the original version, spring water from Mount Kaikoma in the southern Japanese Alps is solidified just enough with kanten (a natural seaweed gelatin akin to agar-agar) to last about 30 minutes before disintegrating at room temperature. This extremely delicate and crystal-clear confectionery is shaped like a large drop of water, and is also supposed to melt like water in the mouth immediately, hence its name. Mikuni's version looked extremely convincing but was definitely not as soft as we were expecting; in fact, it felt quite firm, almost like plain agar-agar with a certain bite. I've not actually had the original version at Kinseiken so it's difficult for me to judge if that is supposed to be the case - but going by pictures and descriptions on various Japanese websites, it would seem that Mikuni's version still has some way to go. (It is probably unfair to make comparisons, as we lack access to the spring water that defines this dessert.) In any case, Mikuni's water cake still tasted quite good - mildly sweet and very smooth on the throat especially when eaten with the maple syrup (Kinseiken uses brown sugar syrup). The generous amounts of relatively rich accompaniments were essential to give more body to this dessert, and amongst them I particularly enjoyed the chestnut powder for its deep earthy sweetness, and the chocolate crunch for its light crispy texture and vivid flavour.

(ALC)

Dessert: 'Orange sensation' - orange cream and marmalade, orange black sesame biscuit, blood orange sorbet and meringues with sugar, garnished with cress and fresh orange slices

My mum chose an orange-based dessert from the standard menu, and what a lovely conclusion it turned out to be; the possibilities for this fruit seemed almost endless. I was particularly attracted by the dessert's myriad textures. Upon a base of thick orange cream and chunky marmalade sat a crisp biscuit balancing the tanginess of orange with the intense nutty aroma of black sesame - a very unusual but effective combination which imparted a remarkable body and depth of flavour to this dessert despite the wafer-thin biscuit's fragility. A scoop of very light, refreshing and smooth blood orange sorbet was next, showcasing this premium orange's perfect balance between sweetness and acidity. Topping it all off were three small blood orange meringues with blood orange sugar, placed carefully on the sorbet; these were so airy and crisp, yet absolutely bursting with citrusy goodness. Garnishings of cress and real orange slices provided further refreshment and finished this dessert in a very clean and healthy manner.

We were still not quite done yet - after desserts the restaurant continued to offer my mum a birthday ice-cream on the house. This matcha ice cream was rich and authentic, with its characteristic bitter astringency present in full force. Both the ice cream and the restaurant's kind gesture were beyond reproach.

As part of the FAR Card privileges, one also gets a couple of cake vouchers a year, and we thought this would be the perfect occasion to use one of them. Two choices - either mango mousse or chocolate cake. I've tried both, and definitely prefer the mango mousse cake for its lush tropical flavour and rich moist texture. I found the chocolate cake which I had previously too dry, too cloying, and somewhat lacking in the real cocoa intensity department.

In summary, another enjoyable experience at this restaurant amidst fine food (save for a few misses in the SDC) and attentive service. We will be back!

Grand Tasting Tour (Autumn) at Mikuni, Singapore

Thanks to a new dining card my partner got recently, we would be able to eat at fine restaurants within the Fairmont and Swissôtel hotels in Singapore for an impressive 50% discount, on any day of the week for both lunch and dinner. There was one Japanese restaurant I had been eyeing for the longest time, but would probably not pay full price for; from personal experience most fine Japanese restaurants in Singapore are overpriced, due to the necessity of importing fresh fish and other produce from Japan - you would be better off buying a plane ticket there for an intense fix instead, like we usually do twice a year. Also, it is close to impossible to match Japanese-style hospitality in Japanese restaurants overseas, even expensive ones; that level of pride in ingredients and their execution, as well as in service as a fully worthy profession, is largely lost upon non-Japanese people. However, for half the price and a tasting menu with all sorts of promising imported seasonal produce from Japan, there was very little reason to hesitate, so here we were at Mikuni restaurant in Fairmont Hotel this evening.

Like many other fine Japanese restaurants in Singapore, Mikuni offers a diverse range of cuisines from the usual raw dishes such as sushi and sashimi to cooked food such as teppanyaki (hot plate dishes) and robatayaki (charcoal-grilled dishes). (Specialisation in one type of cuisine is not a common occurence here as it is in Japan, except for ramen places.) Fresh seafood and produce are regularly imported from various parts of Japan. Customers may choose to sit at separate live stations for each of these cuisines, or at a generic seating area if they are having a tasting menu or a mixture of items from the à la carte menu.

There are two tasting menus at dinner, a more elaborate 7-course Grand Tasting Tour menu or a smaller 5-course Seasonal Menu with simpler ingredients. We opted for the former, with dishes designed by Executive Chef Moon Kyung-Soo, who happens to be Korean, not Japanese, but we were not too bothered by that as long as the quality of ingredients and standard of cooking would be more or less commensurate with the prices charged.

We were seated in the front dining room of the restaurant with blue lighting; not sure what was with the bizzare choice of colour (presumably to create a modernised 'chic' atmosphere?) but it did seem somewhat incongruent with the understated aesthetics and natural colour schemes of typical fine Japanese restaurant settings. Thankfully, this was not too disruptive to the overall atmosphere. As expected, the restaurant was quite full on a Friday evening, and the environment was actually quite convivial and informal. The plush leather seats were also a joy in which to sink and relax whilst enjoying the food.

While waiting for the first course, we were offered some savoury crackers with sprinklings of nori (dried seaweed) and other spices and seasonings. These were very light, crisp and tasty, perfect for awakening the tastebuds to all the fine food ahead of us.

お通し： 北海道毛蟹、 キャビア、 胡瓜、 しめじ、 柚子ゼリー ・ 京都産カブ豆腐、 北海道産雲丹、 胡麻ソース

Starter (in 2 parts): Hokkaido hairy crab, caviar, cucumber, shimeji mushroom and yuzu jelly; Kyoto turnip tofu and Hokkaido sea urchin with sesame sauce.

What a revelation from the beginning. The mesmerising fresh aroma of yuzu wafted to our noses as the plates were set in front of us. This course was a feast for the eyes as well as the palate. It was very exquisitely plated in a real hairy crab shell, and I almost couldn't bear to eat it... then I started and it was gone all too soon! The sweet and succulent mound of shredded crab meat was very effectively accentuated by delicate lumps of yuzu jelly, and enhanced subtly with a savoury and earthy edge by small amounts of plump caviar and shimeiji. Paper-thin slices of cucumber in the mix further highlighted the crispness of this dish, with their juicy crunch. An absolutely delightful way to start.

This was the second part of our starter, tofu topped with fresh lumps of sea urchin, dried seaweed and dressed with sesame sauce. The dressing happens to be a popular Japanese condiment (it's one of my favourites too), and one usually can't go very wrong with it - but unfortunately in this case, its creaminess and intense roasted nutty flavour overwhelmed everything else in this dish. I'm really not sure that this dressing was the best choice, given the dish's general tone of refinement and subtlety. The sea urchin was a particular shame as it was quite clear that this was of very high quality - extremely sweet and plump to the palate when savoured in isolation. There would have been no need to mask it with such a strong dressing for any reason. I was certainly expecting a little more precision and balance in the combination of flavours and ingredients.

季節の刺身：大トロ、金目鯛、カンパチと塩昆布

Sashimi: tuna belly, red snapper, yellowtail with salted kelp.

Very elegantly presented atop a small bucket of ice, this tasted every bit as good as it looked. The tuna belly had a lovely melt-in-the-mouth texture and rich fatty flavour, the bream was lean, firm and mildly sweet, while the yellowtail topped with finely chopped pieces of salted kelp had an unusually deep umami. The wasabi was disappointing; I would have expected it to be fresh and subtle at a restaurant of such pricing and ambience, but despite its natural fibrous look and light green colour it was piercingly spicy (probably with cheaper horseradish substitutes in the mix). The lily bulb and shiso buds and shoots were a very pleasant touch though, with their fresh and delicate sweet taste.

焼物：甘鯛塩焼き、畳鰯、京都産南瓜、茗荷、梅干し

Grilled dish: sweet sea bream shioyaki, tatami-iwashi (baby sardines laid out and dried while entwined in a single layer to form a large and crisp mat-like sheet), grilled Kyoto pumpkin, pickled ginger flower and umeboshi.

The fillet of sea bream grilled with salt didn't disappoint with its tender, moist, and tasty flesh, and it was my first time eating fish with the scales still on (!) - these numerous lightly caramelised bits had however been done to crisp perfection, and made for a lovely textural contrast with the flesh. For the accompaniments, the Kyoto pumpkin really stood out with its sweetness and rich texture, while the juicy cured plum provided a refreshing finish with its delicate balance of sweetness and astringency. A truly stellar dish!

揚げ物：タラバ蟹のおかき粉揚げ、銀杏、沢蟹

Deep-fried dish: crispy snow crab legs in glutinous rice flour batter, ginkgo nuts, whole Sawagani crab, with sea salt and lime.

This was comfort food pure and simple. The batter, like in all good and authentic Japanese deep-frying, was wonderfully light and crisp, allowing the nature of the ingredients beneath to fully shine through. We hardly needed the sea salt and lime. The crab legs were extremely succulent and sweet, while the ginkgo nuts (a common winter produce in Japan and China, well loved for its antioxidant and medicinal properties) combined a rich fleshy texture with a fruity bitterness akin to that of top-grade olive oil. The small Sawagani crab to be eaten whole, shell and all, was somewhat more challenging; it was still very tasty of course, but very sharp and prickly in the mouth - we had to chew with caution.

肉料理：鹿児島産和牛のすき焼き、フォアグラ、九州産トマト、茄子

Meat dish: Kagoshima wagyu sukiyaki, with foie gras, tofu, Kyushu tomato and eggplant.

Possibly the most luxurious hotpot one could ever imagine! The combination of tender and succulent slices of beef with smooth and creamy chunks of foie gras and eggplant, all within an intense beef broth, could have been too rich for some, but I certainly wasn't complaining. This dish arrived at the table already boiling, so we had to start to eat it quickly, or risk the beef slices becoming too tough, and the foie gras disintegrating into an oily mess in the broth. Anyway, I think this would have been even more satisfying and warming if we had been eating it in the midst of a real winter!

御飯：天然鯛とイクラの炊き込み御飯、木の芽、味噌汁

Rice: sea bream cooked with rice, topped with fresh salmon roe and kinome (Japanese pricklyash), and served with miso soup.

Traditionally, rice and miso soup signify the end of the savoury courses in a Japanese tasting menu. Here, no expense and effort were spared in preparing an apparently simple dish; the rice had been cooked with slices of sea bream and its stock, resulting in something unexpectedly fragrant and tasty. Topping the rice was the most generous amount of salmon roe I had ever seen (such a vibrant colour!), and twigs of kinome for additional peppery aromas. I could hardly find fault with this premium combination per se, but I couldn't help but feel that this rice dish had been overcooked on the whole, which was disappointing for a restaurant at this level and price point. The slices of bream in the middle were most obviously dry and tough - presumably really drained of all their juices whilst cooking with the rice, which itself also felt a little dry, though hardly as bad as the fish. Thankfully, the smooth and briny salmon roe was there to moisten and lubricate, being added only after, and not during, cooking the rice. This could and should have been the perfect rice dish, but wasn't - a real shame indeed.

デザート：静岡産マスクメロン、紫蘇シャーベット、ぜんざい

Dessert: Shizuoka musk melon, shiso sherbet with popping candy, and hot Japanese red bean soup with a rice cake.

We were advised to eat this platter of treats in an anticlockwise order, starting from the fruit in front. The juxtaposition of the traditional with the foreign/contemporary was a lovely idea indeed. First up, the musk melon from a famed agricultural region, which was every bit as sweet and juicy as one would expect. Then, an icy mixture of finely crushed shiso leaves and bits of popping candy (more a granité than a sherbert, really) refreshed and stimulated the palate like no other - my partner described his first experience with popping candy as 'ticklish' in the mouth, not entirely comfortable but highly amusing (and prior to this I deliberately didn't want to reveal how it would feel like!). Finally, and perhaps most disappointingly, a lukewarm and somewhat watery red bean soup with a piece of rice cake that was again so dry, tough and tasteless that it was pretty obvious the latter had been taken out of a freezer and unsuccessfully reheated. I mean, how could such a high-end Japanese restaurant have gotten the most traditional and basic of desserts wrong? Not the best way to finish this tasting menu, I must say.

Fortunately, the petit fours that our lovely waitress offered after the meal redeemed the previous portion of the dessert. They came from this impressive jewellery box-like mini chest of drawers, each drawer with a different morsel - of course I had to ask for at least two of everything..! On the plate below: raspberry cookie, chocolate cookie, sesame biscotti, yuzu marshmallow, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, candied orange zest and chocolate-coated orange zest - yum!

The staff here seem mainly Korean and Filipino, with a only a few locals and Japanese as far as I could tell. I did find the Filipina who came by to refill our teacups every now and then easier to understand than the Korean waitress who was our main server for the evening, but I must say that the service was always polite and friendly all-round.

I definitely felt that that the progression of courses could have been better paced on the kitchen's part; some dishes arrived immediately after we had finished (or even while we were still finishing!) the preceding course. The last thing you want in a fine meal is to feel rushed through it; we had started at a very reasonable hour, well far from the restaurant's closing time, I should add.

All in all this dinner still hasn't quite changed my mind about paying full price for premium Japanese food in Singapore, but for half the cost it is as good a deal as any lover of fine Japanese cuisine, not based in Japan, could hope for - despite the few misses in execution this evening, I definitely see us returning for the occasional indulgence from now on.