Japanese restaurant serving fugu opens in S’pore

SINGAPORE — Dying for a taste of fugu? You don’t have to fly to Japan for this unique delicacy.

FUKU Fine Fugu Kaiseki Restaurant, which recently opened at the hip Mohamed Sultan district is the first restaurant in Asia outside Japan to serve the poisonous puffer fish all year-round. The cosy 60-seater restaurant is also the first to serve the famed fish kaiseki-style, or full course traditional set menus, for dinner here.

Often regarded a delicacy for the brave, fugu remains a revered ingredient in Japanese cuisine mainly because, by law, chefs have to be specially licensed by the government before they can prepare and serve this potentially deadly delight (if prepared incorrectly).

While FUKU’s chefs have more than 20 years of experience as fugu practitioners in Shimonoseki (a city in the Yamaguchi Prefecture that specialises in the fish), diners will be glad to know that all of the air-flown fish would have had the toxins removed by recognised Japanese authorities before they can be imported into Singapore, in accordance with strict regulations.

For the uninitiated, there are more than 100 species of fugu but only 20 are edible. FUKU imports twice a week the most prized of them all: The tora fugu or tiger puffer fish, both the farmed and the more expensive wild varieties.

Coincidently, fugu is also high in protein and low in fat, making it increasingly popular (in Japan at least) as a healthier fish alternative.

Courses at the restaurant range from S$150 per person for a six-course meal (Ebisu) to S$580 per person for a nine-course wild fugu set (Shichi-Fuku). The latter requires a five-day advance booking.

Preparation styles include the Yubiki, a popular appetiser where the fugu skin is parboiled to a gelatinous consistency similar to cartilage then served in ponzu sauce topped with spicy radish and finely chopped chives to complement the light flavours. Most, though, prefer it deep-fried (karaage).

FUKU also imports rare sake labels and a must-try is the Hiresake, which is a hot sake with the tora fugu fin, which is first sun-dried to remove any traces of blood then grilled until charred before being steeped in piping hot sake.

FUKU Fine Fugu Kaiseki Restaurant is located at 14 Mohamed Sultan Road #01-01. Call 6235 8216 to enquire or make a reservation.