The newest sushi omakase restaurant in town is conceptualised with elements that stand out from the crowd. A bespoke kinetic blooming flower centrepiece adorns the sushi counter headspace, while a strikingly unconventional black and ice colour palette sets the scene for a rousing time.
That’s just the beginning of your immersion at newly opened Sushi Yujo, located in the heart of the business district at Amara Hotel Singapore. Its name means ‘friendship’ in Japanese.
Sushi Yujo delivers an innovative, value for money omakase experience starting from $98 at lunch and $198 at dinner, with signatures of cooked dishes and aburi sushi from Chef Desmond Fong. As a Singaporean chef, chef Fong looks to challenge the norms and bring innovative twists to the traditional Japanese omakase experience, all of which are researched and tested to impress.
Helming the kitchen is Chef Desmond Fong with 20 years of culinary experience, specialising in the art of omakase. Diners will recall Chef Fong’s warm hospitality and attention to detail when he was previously the head chef at Sushi Jin, part of the Les Amis Group.
With fresh seafood flown in four times a week from Toyosu Market, Tokyo, the menus present the best of the season at down-to-earth prices. The lunch set menu begins at $38 for a salmon or unagi don, while the lunch omakase comprises Rikai ($98) and Shinrai ($198). Rikai means understanding and Shinrai means trust in Japanese.
The latter offers the deluxe addition of Yujo Wagyu Don – A5 Wagyu, glazed foie gras, uni, shaved truffle, onsen egg and homemade truffle sauce over rice, or Yujo Toro Don – lightly torched toro, glazed foie gras, uni, shaved truffle, onsen egg and homemade truffle sauce over rice.
Moving on to the dinner menu, there are four omakase-only selections. Hogo ($198) means protective, and Chusei ($198) means loyalty. These menus will appeal to those with smaller appetites or who want to focus on seafood, as the former comprises an appetiser, carpaccio, 12-piece sushi, soup and dessert, while the latter offers more variety in the form of 5-kinds sashimi, 2 cooked dishes and 5-piece sushi.
Chef Fong, who is known for his cooked sushi will be delivering the season’s best combined with his expertise. Diners can expect his signatures, Aburi Ootoro, a melt-in-your-mouth flavour bomb where slightly seared ootoro is topped with negitoro and truffle caviar, and Aburi Foie Gras, where foie gras is draped over a slice of scallop on rice and torched till the fat sizzles before topped with sea urchin, caviar, and gold leaf.
The signature Yujo ($288) and Shinzoku ($348) - meaning kinship - are where chef Fong’s creativity is unleashed in his seasonal Chef’s Signatures. In the winter season, these could include hairy crab served in whole yuzu, where the fresh, sweet deshelled meat of the hairy crab is layered with sea urchin, ikura, tosazu jelly and wasabi in a hollow yuzu fruit, where the bittersweet citrus scent permeates the delicate seafood without amending its essence.
Another of chef Fong’s specialty dishes is Awabi abalone with housemade liver sauce. The premium shellfish from Shizuoka is tenderly steamed for four hours to extract its full umami, which is then enhanced by its own liver that is enriched with a housemade sauce.
While this sought-after ingredient is often only seen on pricier menus, chef Fong has endeavoured to include it in the Yujo menu whenever it is in season as he believes in offering value for money.
To complement the dishes, a discerning list of wines and sakes, comprising mainly Junmai Daiginjo, will be served. Fans of cult sake Juyondai will be pleased to find a good selection in-house.
Right from the beginning, Sushi Yujo was designed to be different. The bold entryway greets customers with a futuristic garden that features a mirror-finish stainless steel bonsai artpiece, walled by textural ice bricks, an element that is carried into the restaurant. In the centre of the space, holding court above the 13-seater sushi counter is a bespoke kinetic flower sculpture, which pulsates with blooming movements.
Rather modern as well is a full-length wine and sake chiller display which flanks the sushi counter, giving guests a clear view of labels and choice picks that may accompany their meal.
Two private rooms are available (Hana & Ryu), one offers a private counter that seats six persons and the latter seats up to 10 which can be partitioned into two rooms of 5. Each space and element have been carefully considered to bring the restaurant’s name to life - a space for conviviality, good food and friendship.
a. 165 Tg Pagar Road, Amara Hotel #02-26, Singapore 088539
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