Tucked in a quiet corner of Goldhill Plaza is Ken Japanese Restaurant, a cosy Japanese establishment that specialises in traditional kaiseki-style omakase. This March, it will be weaving an epicurean journey with its spring menu.
Boasting a contemporary interior characterised by woody elements, the 31 seater restaurant is one of Novena’s hidden gems where gourmands can expect an authentic Japanese dining experience.
Helming the restaurant is award-winning Head Chef Ryo Endo, who has trained and honed his skills for 10 years in Miyajima and Hiroshima. Chef Endo-san has clinched top places in Hiroshima’s Washoku World Challenge twice in 2017 and 2018.
The restaurant doles out kaiseki-style seasonal omakase, a traditional Japanese haute multi-course experience whose origin goes back centuries ago. Today, kaiseki dining is offered only by a handful of specialist restaurants in Japan or at a ryokan. CNN Travel touts kaiseki as ‘the world’s finest meal’ and here in Singapore, you can enjoy a taste of this art at Ken Japanese Restaurant.
Through the use of seasonal ingredients at their peak of freshness, Chef Ryo Endo seeks to create a perfect harmony of taste, texture, colour and appearance. A work of art in its own right, each meal is created at the chef’s discretion, who works with complete freedom to showcase his style, drawing on his experiences at Yamagata to inject elements of ryokan dining into his dishes.
Available from now till end of April 2022, the new spring menu offers four omakase options, starting from $88 to $198. The top seller menu ($138) sees two seasonal appetizer course, seasonal sashimi, tempura, shiizakan, main dish, miso soup and a dessert.
Savour exquisite sushi offerings and mainstays that highlight fresh produce imported directly from Yamagata, Japan. The seasonal curations are air-flown four times a week to ensure the ultimate freshness; special care is also given to ensure that only the best catches are procured from different prefectures of Japan.
While majority of the ingredients hail from Yamagata, there will also be several dishes made with unique ingredients from different Japanese prefectures. This includes Hotaru Ika (firefly squid) from Toyama, which is marinated with soy sauce for an umami punch. There is also the Mebaru (black rockfish), which hails from Hiroshima as well, is grilled and simmered Nitsuke style with soy sauce.
Finally, the Hokkaido imported Kegani (hairy crab) – steamed and draped over sushi rice, and lightly brushed with the chef’s own blend of soy sauce made with mirin, sake, soy and katsuobushi – will be available in April.
Besides the kaiseki-style omakase offerings, Ken Japanese Restaurant offers a Grand Menu comprising a variety of a la carte dishes. Be whisked away to the Land of the Rising Sun with marquee dishes.
With its congenial atmosphere, the restaurant is also perfect for business meetings, special events and even casual gatherings. The Lunch Menu is available from 11:30am–2pm, with dishes going at attractive prices from $25.
The authentic Japanese dining experience would not be completed without the restaurant’s arsenal of handpicked sake offerings. An award-winning fine sake, the Toko Junmai Ginjo Dewa-San-Sanhas a pure aroma blending those of melon and nashi pear. With a good structure and body, it leaves a clean finish and a lingering fragrance. It is selected for its impeccable complement to sushi and sashimi offerings.
Brewed using the legendary sake rice Kamenoo that is grown in Yamagata, the Benten Junmai Daiginjyo Genshuis well balanced, and leaves an elegant, gentle fruity fragrance, good acidity and distinct fruitiness on the palate.
For a taste of class, the gastronomic sake Dassai Hayata 23 is a perfect choice. It is one of the world's rarest preservative-free alcoholic beverages, manufactured using a time-honoured technique of low-temperature sake pasteurisation. A slightly powdery bouquet of immortelle flowers emerges after the initial elegant and straight nose. The very fine bubbles contribute a delightful fizziness while undertones of Williams pear and white pepper complete the experience.
a. 1 Goldhill Plaza, #01-17, Singapore 308899
w. rp-fnb.com
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