It was a bold move for chef Tomo Watanabe to close his Bib Gourmand restaurant Shunsui in Tokyo to move to Singapore.
It was a bold move for chef Tomo Watanabe to close his Bib Gourmand restaurant Shunsui in Tokyo to move to Singapore, opening Kappo Shunsui at Cuppage Plaza. Amid the building’s karaoke pubs and Japanese eateries, his salaryman’s go-to for authentic food and entertaining clients maintains a veil of Kyoto-style exclusivity, hidden as it is behind a nondescript grey door that has a doorbell/biometric scanner for regular diners.
The cuisine, kappo, is based on five basic cooking techniques – grilling, steaming, frying, simmering and raw preparation. There are eight- and 10-course omakase menus, with an a la carte menu as well. Depending on what’s available at Tsukiji Market, the menu sees interesting offerings such as roast A4 Ohmi sirloin with fresh onion puree, or an omelette of hairy crab from Hokkaido. A certified sake sommelier, Watanabe offers well-thought pairings from his list of over 100 sakes. There are rare additions, such as the Hatsumago Daiginjo 15 years. Only 30 bottles were produced. Our take: make yourself a regular.
#04-02 Cuppage Plaza.
