Tatsuya Japanese Restaurant
We've recently developed a very expensive habit. It's an insatiable taste for kaiseki meals at ultra-posh Japanese restaurants. Our go-to place for comfort eating whenever we need a little de-stressing and pampering.
The Hubs says that I've forever spoilt him for Sushi Tei (which used to be our go-to Japanese restaurant for affordable, value-for-money Japanese fare). I've previously brought the Hubs to Nadaman and Hide Yamamoto, and thought it was time to introduce him to one of my all-time favourite Japanese restaurants, Tatsuya.
Tatsuya is the grand-daddy of Japanese cuisine in Singapore. The pinnacle of luxury dining. Where freshness is unparalleled and attention to detail is unrivaled. The one place you bring someone you're trying to impress. The place where rich towkays go to for their regular meals.
It was very telling that they were fully booked on a typical Monday night for dinner. Luckily for us, we were early. So, with the promise to vacate our counter seats in an hour and a half, we were quickly ushered to seats at the end of the counter.
You may be mistaken if you think you need a big fat bonus to dine here, because a quick review of the ala carte menu proved otherwise. Their ala carte dishes are surprisingly quite affordably priced, with most sashimi costing about $30 for 5 fat pieces, sushi costing about $20 for 2 pieces and noodle dishes costing about $15.You can actually get full here without busting your wallet!
Service was impeccable and top-notch. The service of the courses were timed perfectly (each course arrived only after the last was done and spoon put down) and the kimono-clad waitresses took the time to explain each dish so we knew what we were eating. We loved that the chefs were also genuinely affable and chatty.
There's only one Kaiseki ($200) selection here, and you'll do well to order this. It highlights the seasonal best and it's totally awesome. We kicked off the meal on a high note with the duo of cold appetizers, starting with the scallop with figs. The delicate sweetness of the plump scallop was enhanced by the sweet juicy figs.
The other appetizer, jellyfish dressed in a very light alcohol and stock, had clean, clear and refreshing flavours, with kelp and radish lending crunch.
The clear soup course was a couple of humongous chunks of maitake mushrooms dunked in scalding hot water. Very light, very delicate broth with the barest of flavours and the slightest hint of earthiness.
The sashimi course comprised the freshest, sweetest, fattiest pieces of raw fish and seafood ever. Everything was impossibly sweet and fresh. Oishi!
The simmered dish course was a baby yam, amberjack and pumpkin trio. Warm comforting flavours of autumn here.
The grilled dish course was up next, with a salt-crusted fish stuffed with foie gras. Decadent, luxurious and totally melt-in-the-mouth.
The deep fried dish course was a light-as-air yasai tempura.
The steamed dish course was an incredibly smooth chawanmushi, topped with salmon roe bursting with umami-flavour.
The sushi course was a set of aburi sushi lined up all pretty in a row. The aroma of blow-torched fish was intoxicating.
First up was the Tuna Belly, which totally melted-in-the-mouth. No chewing required here.
The Amberjack, a fish I much prefer slightly cooked, was delicious and creamy.
The Sweet Prawn lusciously topped with Caviar.
The Scallop was perfectly matched with Foie Gras, one mild flavour playing off against the rich one.
The last one was the Salmon, barely seared so its natural juices and sweetness shone through.
I love the dessert course of Yuzu Sherbet, palate cleansing and refreshing with a citrusy tang.
The Edamame ($5), served piping hot, was nicely salted and a wonderful nibbler, but it can't quite beat Hide Yamamoto's truffle-infused ones.
The Shake Sashimi ($25 for 5 pieces) were impossibly fresh and sweet. Loved how generous and fat the slices of salmon were.
The Maguro Sushi ($10 for 2 pieces) was good enough to eat, without having to sample the higher grades of tuna. Super fresh and super sweet.
We also indulged in a couple of Chu-Toro Sushi ($24 for 2 pieces), perfectly pink and so incredibly fatty on its own.
The Tenzaru Soba ($18), cold soba with tempura, was a huge portion. This alone would have filled any of us up. I have to say that this was really quite cheap.
The assorted tempura, with eggplant, sweet potato, prawns and shitake mushrooms, the batter's so light it hardly feels like fried foods.
Tatsuya Japanese Restaurant
22 Scotts Road
Goodwood Park Hotel
Tel: 6887 4598
open daily from 12noon to 3pm for lunch; 6.30pm to 11pm for dinner
The Hubs says that I've forever spoilt him for Sushi Tei (which used to be our go-to Japanese restaurant for affordable, value-for-money Japanese fare). I've previously brought the Hubs to Nadaman and Hide Yamamoto, and thought it was time to introduce him to one of my all-time favourite Japanese restaurants, Tatsuya.
Tatsuya is the grand-daddy of Japanese cuisine in Singapore. The pinnacle of luxury dining. Where freshness is unparalleled and attention to detail is unrivaled. The one place you bring someone you're trying to impress. The place where rich towkays go to for their regular meals.
It was very telling that they were fully booked on a typical Monday night for dinner. Luckily for us, we were early. So, with the promise to vacate our counter seats in an hour and a half, we were quickly ushered to seats at the end of the counter.
You may be mistaken if you think you need a big fat bonus to dine here, because a quick review of the ala carte menu proved otherwise. Their ala carte dishes are surprisingly quite affordably priced, with most sashimi costing about $30 for 5 fat pieces, sushi costing about $20 for 2 pieces and noodle dishes costing about $15.You can actually get full here without busting your wallet!
Service was impeccable and top-notch. The service of the courses were timed perfectly (each course arrived only after the last was done and spoon put down) and the kimono-clad waitresses took the time to explain each dish so we knew what we were eating. We loved that the chefs were also genuinely affable and chatty.
There's only one Kaiseki ($200) selection here, and you'll do well to order this. It highlights the seasonal best and it's totally awesome. We kicked off the meal on a high note with the duo of cold appetizers, starting with the scallop with figs. The delicate sweetness of the plump scallop was enhanced by the sweet juicy figs.
The other appetizer, jellyfish dressed in a very light alcohol and stock, had clean, clear and refreshing flavours, with kelp and radish lending crunch.
The clear soup course was a couple of humongous chunks of maitake mushrooms dunked in scalding hot water. Very light, very delicate broth with the barest of flavours and the slightest hint of earthiness.
The sashimi course comprised the freshest, sweetest, fattiest pieces of raw fish and seafood ever. Everything was impossibly sweet and fresh. Oishi!
The simmered dish course was a baby yam, amberjack and pumpkin trio. Warm comforting flavours of autumn here.
The grilled dish course was up next, with a salt-crusted fish stuffed with foie gras. Decadent, luxurious and totally melt-in-the-mouth.
The deep fried dish course was a light-as-air yasai tempura.
The steamed dish course was an incredibly smooth chawanmushi, topped with salmon roe bursting with umami-flavour.
The sushi course was a set of aburi sushi lined up all pretty in a row. The aroma of blow-torched fish was intoxicating.
First up was the Tuna Belly, which totally melted-in-the-mouth. No chewing required here.
The Amberjack, a fish I much prefer slightly cooked, was delicious and creamy.
The Sweet Prawn lusciously topped with Caviar.
The Scallop was perfectly matched with Foie Gras, one mild flavour playing off against the rich one.
The last one was the Salmon, barely seared so its natural juices and sweetness shone through.
I love the dessert course of Yuzu Sherbet, palate cleansing and refreshing with a citrusy tang.
The Edamame ($5), served piping hot, was nicely salted and a wonderful nibbler, but it can't quite beat Hide Yamamoto's truffle-infused ones.
The Shake Sashimi ($25 for 5 pieces) were impossibly fresh and sweet. Loved how generous and fat the slices of salmon were.
The Maguro Sushi ($10 for 2 pieces) was good enough to eat, without having to sample the higher grades of tuna. Super fresh and super sweet.
We also indulged in a couple of Chu-Toro Sushi ($24 for 2 pieces), perfectly pink and so incredibly fatty on its own.
The Tenzaru Soba ($18), cold soba with tempura, was a huge portion. This alone would have filled any of us up. I have to say that this was really quite cheap.
The assorted tempura, with eggplant, sweet potato, prawns and shitake mushrooms, the batter's so light it hardly feels like fried foods.
Tatsuya Japanese Restaurant
22 Scotts Road
Goodwood Park Hotel
Tel: 6887 4598
open daily from 12noon to 3pm for lunch; 6.30pm to 11pm for dinner
Comments
Prof
As a reference, we thought the standard at Tatsuya was about the same as Hide Yamamoto, and definitely better than Nadaman.
Christine