lladakimasu!

FOR THE UNFAMILIAR, OMAKASE IS A TRADITIONALLY INTIMATE DINING EXPERIENCE WHERE WHAT YOU EAT IS DECIDED FOR YOU BY THE CHEF. THE JAPANESE WORD TRANSLATES TO "I'LL LEAVE IT UP TO YOU." CONVENTIONALLY, THE ELABORATE MULTI-COURSE MEAL IS ALL ABOUT SHOWCASING QUALITY INGREDIENTS. SUSHI IS ITS USUAL EXPRESSION, BUT THE CURATED MEAL HAS SINCE SEEN THE INTRODUCTION OF OTHER TYPES OF FOOD. IN THIS STORY, WE EXPLORE THE FORMAT OF OMAKASE ACROSS THREE CONTEMPORARY RESTAURANTS: IN ITS TRADITIONAL MANNER WITH KAPPO-STYLE KAISEKI, A YAKITORI-CENTRED EXPERIENCE, AND A TEMPURA SHOWCASE

- FARISIA THANG

TENTSURU

29 Tanglin Road, The St. Regis Singapore Level 2, Singapore 247911

In the hands of chef Kawaguchi at Tentsuru, tempura is taken to an art form. The omakase-style restaurant sources prized seasonal produce from various prefectures in Japan. The measure of any good tempura is its batter, and Tentsuru uses a blend of potato starch, corn starch, and wheat flour from Hokkaido to keep it delicately light. The frying is also done in a clear and well-balanced shimmering Hokkaido sunflower oil.

Appetisers begin with an assortment: Okinawa spinach with thinly fried slices of chicken in a dashi broth, crunchy and chewy deep-fried ginkgo nuts, and a perfectly salted grilled sablefish that flakes upon touch.

The highlight is, of course, the tempura, which is served alongside condiments like plum sauce, yuzu pepper paste, curry salt, sea salt, lemon juice, and tendon sauce. Chef Kawaguchi carefully coats his choice of vegetable or protein in a clean dusting of flour, shaking and knocking off any excess to achieve a precise barely-there layer. What you get after frying is a paper-thin crisp coating that frills prettily around the tail of a prawn, a bias cut of asparagus and the curve of a fat hotate (scallop).

The grilled silver belt fish is an exceptional side dish — mostly because of its firm and crunchy fish bone cartilage. Tempura beef is not a common sight so it is definitely worth a try here. This version uses a lean cut from the Miyazaki prefecture but its tempura casing is thick, making a loud crunch when you bite into it.

Absolutely necessary: Break the egg yolk in the housemade negi sauce and mix thoroughly before dipping the beef in the sweet and cloying accompaniment.

SUSHI TAKAHASHI