While most itamae (sushi chefs) wield a 27cm-long yanagi ba (sushi knife), chef Yuji Sato’s weapon of choice is a sustained 32cm.
Award of Excellence
HASHIDA SUSHI SINGAPORE
#04-16 Mandarin Gallery, S(238897) T 6733-2114
While most itamae (sushi chefs) wield a 27cm-long yanagi ba (sushi knife), chef Yuji Sato’s weapon of choice is a sustained 32cm. “Those (with shorter knives) are junior chefs,” explains the clean-shaven Hokkaido native who has 20 years of experience under his belt. The shellfish master flashes a humble smile before he proceeds to slice peak-season sakura dai (cherry blossom sea bream) in one long, graceful motion.
Each mesmerising motion spans from the knife’s ago (heel) to the kisaki (tip). Sato does this with at least 12 different seasonal catch, at one point deftly unfurling a singular sucker from the octopus tentacle that arrived from Japan in the morning. He admits, a longer knife is better for use, and then slices the tentacle meat with the same motion before throwing the slice of tako hard on the wooden cutting board.
It’s a show, and he’s the veteran director: the meat seizes up exactly the way he wants it, gaining a little ruffle on its edges. He places this course of textural depth in a simple silver-dappled bowl with wakame (seaweed) and shiso flowers, and offers it to us over the seamlessly positioned sushi counter. This is merely the fourth offering in our double-digit omakase meal, and we’ve already been through a series of heightened emotions.
The course that preceded this included one of Hashida’s signatures, stewed ankimo (monkfish liver). The delicate but robust-flavoured morsel was presented as a cube of gamey custard with a veneer of caramelised sugar. It was warm, sweet, two perfect bites, served next to tender abalone-in-the-shell, Hokkaido hairy crab, firefly squid, bamboo shoots, mountain vegetables and miso paste. We would have been equally happy for the ankimo to stand alone.
The interaction here is warm and accommodating, and service well-paced. Transitions between courses are seamless, and the waitresses are cheery and polished.
The markings of a good restaurant can be seen in how it is set up to tell its story. At Hashida Sushi, its good bones are evident: skills and heritage are displayed in more than just the elegantly vinegared rice and nikiri (soya-based sushi sauce to brush over the sushi) which was made using chef-owner Kenjiro Hashida’s 135-year-old family recipe.
The fine cypress wood counter had also been set up so that our plates are the same height as the chef’s cutting board. There are no barriers holding the team back. Neither should the diner.
Award of Excellence
JADE PALACE SEAFOOD RESTAURANT
#B1-13, Forum The Shopping Mall, S(238884) T 6732-6628
Jade Palace has been a firm favourite with fans of old-school Cantonese cuisine since 1998, and it is not difficult to see why. Yes, the 150-seater, with six private dining rooms, is almost always packed and, yes, it is usually boisterous, but the food is consistently good and the restaurant runs like clockwork.
Service is polished, efficient and attentive. The staff are adept at making recommendations, enticing you with specials of the day (plenty of swimmingly fresh seafood), and they genuinely enjoy sharing more about the cuisine with you. What’s the best way to enjoy fresh turbot? “Pan-fried with soya sauce and spring onion for fragrance, or steamed if we prefer the natural sweetness,” the manager replies. How are the deep-fried fresh bamboo shoots with salt and pepper? “These are currently in season, crispy, savoury, and very popular.” Sold.
Traditional Cantonese fare, such as roast meats (the crispy-skinned roast duck is textbook), and the famous claypot rice (12 types to choose from) that takes 30 minutes to prepare, are well executed. The dim sum menu, available for lunch, is popular with diners. Classics such as steamed shrimp dumpling with delicate thin skin and plump shrimp, and crispy dough fritters wrapped with smooth rice noodles, are on point.
Dining and wining go hand in hand here. Jade Palace has been dedicated to serving wine with Chinese food for as long as anyone can remember, and many fine food and wine pairing dinners have taken place within these walls. The wine list has over 150 labels from all over the world, and you are also welcome to BYO – there is no corkage charge. And to that we say, cheers!
Award of Excellence
JOEL ROBUCHON RESTAURANT
Hotel Michael, Resorts World Sentosa, S(098269) T 6577 7888
You have to walk pass throngs of tourists heading to Universal Studios and other RWS attractions before reaching Joel Robuchon Restaurant. When inside, an oasis of calm, plushness and refinement envelopes you. After all, this is the only restaurant in Singapore to have been awarded three Michelin stars. You expect a certain level of finesse in an establishment of this calibre.
Menu-wise, diners have the option to decide how much they want to savour – make yours a three-, four- or five-course meal. Choose from a range of entrees, main courses, cheeses and desserts, and match them with a complementary wine or two from the 1000-label, French-centric wine list.
When wheeled to our table, the trolley laden with freshly baked breads is a sight to behold. Munch on miniature baguette, croissant and brioche, and other types of breads that tickle your fancy. Refills are available, but do pace yourself.
Starters here are light and refreshing. We get beautifully plated slices of avocado, shaped into “cannelloni” and filled with sweet Alaskan crab, book-ended by crispy buckwheat tuile. Herbs and citrus and grapefruit droplets brighten up the creaminess of the avocado and crabmeat. Another exceptional creation is the haricot vert mimosa salad with foie gras and parmesan. Rows of fine French beans are topped with curls of foie gras terrine, cured ham, croutons, chopped nuts, mushroom and parmesan shavings. There may be lots of elements on the dish, but the ensemble makes perfect sense when tasted.
Mains-wise, there’s the superbly executed wagyu beef partnered with richly flavoured, foie gras-stuffed pasta, or the lighter John dory with pearl risotto, tomato concasse, rouille, baby squid, zucchini flower tempura and asparagus. Again, the components that make up each dish sound mind-bloggling, but every mouthful was harmonious.
To round off your meal, opt for a selection of French cheeses from the trolley, or go for a refreshing dessert of mango mousse with coconut sorbet. The petit four trolley, filled with all manner of miniature treats, is a wonderland if you have a sweet tooth.
Our verdict? You can’t fault the food, which is prepared with flair by executive chef Michael Michaelidis and his team. Every dish we had was flawless, with tastes and textures perfectly balanced. The service can be a little aloof at times, but is largely efficient and professional.
Award of Excellence
KAISEKI YOSHIYUKI
#B1-39, Forum The Shopping Mall, S(238884) T 6235-1088
The food at Kaiseki Yoshiyuki is an ode to the seasons. Chef Yoshiyuki Kashiwabara’s expertise in selecting produce at its peak, and then highlighting the natural flavours of ingredients, ensures that you are pampered with the season’s best. Dishes here place emphasis on the beauty of simplicity and a sense of purity, and you can be as easily captivated by the delicate flavours of the suimono (the soup course), as by a succulent piece of perfectly grilled fish.
If you are looking for a quiet place with discreet service to entertain discerning guests, then this is one restaurant to add to your list. Designed by award-winning local design studio Asylum, this 16-seater, with a private dining room that accommodates up to seven, is also one of Singapore’s rare few restaurants specialising in Kyoto-style kaiseki. The affable Kashiwabara previously served as personal chef to the Japanese ambassadors based in San Francisco and Singapore, and was honoured as an Excellent Chef of Diplomatic Missions by the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
The menu ranges from a five-course lunch to a full nine-course omakase for dinner. Depending on the season, the amuse-bouche can be uni, paired with delicate yuba (fresh beancurd skin), followed by a hassun (the second course served at a kaiseki meal which sets the seasonal theme). Ours features a popsicle of tofu topped with sweet miso, and a morsel made with lily bulb, cucumber and crab meat. The chef may also pamper you with prized sakura-dai (cherry blossom sea bream) sashimi, its subtle sweetness enhanced by fragrant ume sake soya sauce, and delectable Kumamoto tuna (otoro and akami) sashimi, served with a savoury soya sauce foam jelly.
Other favourites include bite-sized pieces of beautifully marbled Ohmi wagyu, lightly grilled and served with a ponzu radish sauce, and Niigata rice topped with fried sakura ebi and dried umeboshi powder. Overall an exquisite and memorable meal, that leaves us feeling nourished and contented.
Award of Excellence
L’ATELIER DE JOEL ROBUCHON
Level 1, Hotel Michael, Resorts World Sentosa, S(098269) T 6577-7888
There is a lot going on at L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, and it’s more than just the hot open kitchen action.
At the French haute cuisine “workshop”, vigilant service staff flit back and forth among the warmly lit wraparound black countertops. Twenty-eight racy red bar seats are pulled up to displays of ornamental fake conserved fruit, mostly suspended in vases of clear jelly. For a chef who has such high regard for fresh ingredients, the decor is curious though consistent – Robuchon’s nine other L’Ateliers have the same look.
Dishes offered at this more casual sibling of two Robuchon outposts in Singapore are extensive without being repetitive. The menu is predominantly French, with the stray cross-cultural offering. We tried both ends of the spectrum. L’Atelier’s forte seems to be the meats, though the meticulously cut “stick” frites and furiously whipped, incredibly smooth mash potatoes are also superb.
It helps that the L’Atelier staff are natural salespeople. Diners were invited to marvel at a slab of wagyu rib-eye and cut their intended portion for the chef to cook. The beautifully made pate en croute became an even easier sell when paraded on a platter to individuals for dramatic effect. Both classics did not disappoint. At the centre of the kitchen, a whole farm chicken encased in butter was set in the handcrafted Cuisines Design rotisserie. Extensive labour was needed to keep the La Volaille evenly crisp, golden and moist as it slowly revealed its form.
While there were some misses – like the neither Indian nor Thai green curry served with Japanese rice in Le Pomfret, and the sour buckwheat-textured chocolate cassis souffle – there is no denying this team has skill. In this workshop, it’s more than just technical.
