What: There’s something restful, soothing and charming about an owner managed kaiseki restaurant and this new addition to the Amoy Street scene is no different. Expect unimpeachable ingredients, pure flavour combinations and a beautifully curated fine wine list.
Where: #01-14, 115 Amoy Street, 069935
What: Modern Kappo dining, combined with its own confident style and mesmerising views of Singapore, make this a terrific destination for taking guests from overseas. Weekend brunches and tasty cocktails, not forgetting dishes like lobster sashimi and braised Australian pork belly, make this part of the local scene too.
Where: #51-01, CapitaSpring, 88 Market Street, 048948
What: Set in a heritage black-and-white bungalow along Scotts Road, Ki-sho impresses with its kappo-style dining room and L-shaped hinoki wood sushi counter, along with two secluded dining rooms on the upper deck. Expect seasonal sashimi, beautifully marbled Toriyama wagyu beef and nicely proportioned nigiri with gracefully attenuated slivers of fish.
Where: 29 Scotts Road, 228224
What: Tetsuya Wakuda has the high gloss and fierce precision of an an artist, who in this case marries Japanese and European technique to beautiful effect. Wakuda’s flavours are exquisitely balanced and informed by Europe’s top kitchens while his presentation is meticulously precise. Take in Spectra, the nightly water fountain show that happens in front of the Marina Bay Sands for added spectacle.
Where: Level 2 Dining, L2-01,The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands,018956
What: This isn’t just about wagyu beef, this is about Ozaki wagyu from the Miyazaki prefecture in southern Japan, aged for just a little bit longer from cows that have been reared on seaweed and fermented wheat. The result is wagyu that is just a little more flavoursome. That’s according to Chef Hirohashi Nobuaki. Intimate but warm decor adds to the experience.
Where: 57 Tras Street, #01-01, 078996
What: Uncompromising, old school attention to detail combined with a swanky, one Michelin star hotel restaurant that finds its inspiration in Tokyo. Edo-style sushi at the counter competes with omakase, no-menu dining are the two key arias and tuna is the pincipal singer. Further harmony arrives courtesy of a setting that pays homage to Japanese art and culture.
Where: Carlton Hotel, 76 Bras Basah Road, 189558
What: This Japanese reinterpretation of authentic French cuisine mixes the two culture to great effect. The food is certainly the main event – think scallops with a celeriac and truffle dressing or Zuwai crab with fennel and lobster jelly. Modern Japanese food with a difference.
Where: 333A Orchard Road, #02-37 Mandarin Gallery, 238897
What: The freshest of fresh sashimi, teppanyaki, sushi and sukiyaki dextrously prepared and immaculately presented by the most skilled master chefs. A beautiful Japanese garden and koi pond adds extra authenticity.
Where: 7 Raffles Boulevard, Marina Square, 039595
What: Masaaki Sakashita's new, high end Japanese fine-diner brings freshness, dyanmism and unmiskakable quality to South Beach Avenue. The contemporary setting contrasts with the traditional artistry and presentation of the kitchen, and a a range of omakase menus makes ordering simple. Enjoy whatever's fresh that day from beautifully cut salmon and seared yellowtail sashimi to kawahagi with kawahagi liver served between fish and beautifully textured rice.
Where: 26 Beach Road, #B1-17 South Beach Avenue, 189768