Food Review: Keyaki

In full bloom

SINGAPORE — Among the many things Japan is known for, its scrumptious cuisine might just be the very best of the crazy lot. Even better if it involves a meal comprising fresh, seasonal ingredients prepared in such a way that emphasises their flavours, served over a multitude of courses.

Kaiseki — a traditional Japanese multi-course meal derived from 16th century tea ceremony rituals — has over the years evolved significantly, turning into one of the most elaborate forms of Japanese haute cuisine. In Singapore, Keyaki Japanese Restaurant’s executive chef Hiroshi Ishii has consistently excited our palates since transferring from Sari Pacific Hotel in Jakarta in 1988, with his deft hand on the culinary art form. And from now until the end of May, he continues to do so with his new nine-course Spring kaiseki menu (S$180), which aims to channel all the flowering growth and freshness that come with the season.

As most omakase meals go, it’s the premium ingredients that remain the key in any finicky, high-angle operation. And Ishii, with his 28 years of experience, spares no expense here. On my visit, trophy items such as tuna belly and Spanish mackerel sashimi melted in the mouth, alongside a most intriguing zensai course that consisted of a sour plum jelly sushi (which I thought had playful hints of the popular local fizzy drink Kickapoo), grilled prawn, steamed rice cake wrapped in sakura leaf, salmon and house-made tofu wrapped in bean-curd skin, and fresh broad beans with a deliciously delicate sesame tofu with sea urchin.

Similar artisanal care was lavished on both the Wan course, featuring a clear broth with a mix of seaweed, bamboo shoot, crab ball and cherry blossom goodness, and the Yakimono course, which boasted succulent slices of grilled Wagyu beef tempered with an assortment of shiitake, asparagus and lily bulb.

Equally impressive is the nimono course consisting of a surprisingly refined serving of deep-fried tofu with prawn, bamboo shoots, canola flower and yuzu. And just when you think you’re worn out with the deep-frying, the next course, with its artfully deep-fried mix of snow crab and vegetables stuffed in a crab shell, scores.

With a menu crafted from painstakingly-sourced seasonal produce, diners should expect items to vary. But with highlights that can include grilled takenoko (young bamboo shoots), sea cucumber and momoko (baby peach) with tofu, grilled white asparagus with spicy cod roe and simmered clam, and bonito sashimi served tataki-style, it’s exactly the surprise of intricate taste and texture when you spring for this kaiseki that makes it memorable. Sure, it doesn’t come cheap, but good kaiseki is eye-wateringly pricey, even in Japan. And in the wrong hands, the entire experience can fall too easily into culinary pretension and misrepresentation. Thank goodness Ishii’s are the right experienced ones, right here in Singapore. GENEVIEVE LOH

Keyaki

Where:

Level 4 Pan Pacific Singapore, 7 Raffles Boulevard

Telephone:

6826 8240

Opening hours:

Lunch 11.30am to 2.30pm

Dinner 6.30pm to 10.30pm