[dropcap size=small]T[/dropcap]he food at Kaiseki Yoshiyuki is an ode to the seasons. Chef Yoshiyuki Kashiwabara’s expertise in selecting produce at its peak, and then highlighting the natural flavours of ingredients, ensures that you are pampered with the season’s best. Dishes here place emphasis on the beauty of simplicity and a sense of purity, and you can be as easily captivated by the delicate flavours of the suimono (the soup course), as by a succulent piece of perfectly grilled fish.

Kaiseki Yoshiyuki’s hassun platter and other Kyoto-style kaiseki creations highlight the natural flavours of seasonal ingredients.

If you are looking for a quiet place with discreet service to entertain discerning guests, then this is one restaurant to add to your list. Designed by award-winning local design studio Asylum, this 16-seater, with a private dining room that accommodates up to seven, is also one of Singapore’s rare few restaurants specialising in Kyoto-style kaiseki. The affable Kashiwabara previously served as personal chef to the Japanese ambassadors based in San Francisco and Singapore, and was honoured as an Excellent Chef of Diplomatic Missions by the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

The menu ranges from a five-course lunch to a full nine-course omakase for dinner. Depending on the season, the amuse-bouche can be uni, paired with delicate yuba (fresh beancurd skin), followed by a hassun (the second course served at a kaiseki meal which sets the seasonal theme). Ours features a popsicle of tofu topped with sweet miso, and a morsel made with lily bulb, cucumber and crab meat. The chef may also pamper you with prized sakura-dai (cherry blossom sea bream) sashimi, its subtle sweetness enhanced by fragrant ume sake soya sauce, and delectable Kumamoto tuna (otoro and akami) sashimi, served with a savoury soya sauce foam jelly.

Other favourites include bite-sized pieces of beautifully marbled Ohmi wagyu, lightly grilled and served with a ponzu radish sauce, and Niigata rice topped with fried sakura ebi and dried umeboshi powder. Overall an exquisite and memorable meal, that leaves us feeling nourished and contented.


KAISEKI YOSHIYUKI
#B1-39, Forum The Shopping Mall, S(238884)
T 6235-1088

The full list of Singapore’s Best at
G Restaurant Awards 2017.

All tastings conducted incognito with esteemed members of G’s Food Panel.