Masa Saito Innovative quietly opened its doors three years ago at OUE Downtown. And to this day, it remains discreetly under-the-radar, serving a tight group of regular customers. The Japanese restaurant sits right opposite the now-shuttered Takayama, tucked behind an escalator – blink twice and you might miss it. Inside, an elegant L-shaped counter is the centrepiece of the space, offering diners a front-row view of the open kitchen and its oakwood fire. A private room is also available for bookings.
Chef Masanao Saito brings a wealth of experience from both European and Japanese kitchens. His career began at an Italian restaurant in Ginza, Tokyo, before he headed south to work in Okinawa, and later in Sweden, where he was head chef at the Japanese Embassy. Next came stints at Stockholm’s Michelin-starred establishments Rutabaga and Matbaren, before Chef Masanao landed in Singapore in 2014. He opened Masa Saito Innovative in late 2022.
Seasonality is a top priority at any good Japanese restaurant, and Masa Saito is no exception. The menu changes quarterly to reflect the freshest ingredients of the season, with subtle tweaks made along the way. Choose from three menus – the restaurant’s five-course menu (usually priced at $150) is going at a special rate of $128 throughout August, in celebration of its third anniversary. You can also top up for the six-course menu ($180) which includes an additional dish of carabinero prawns. For the full experience, opt for the $250 signature menu, where two courses are grilled over the oakwood fire. For most diners, the five-course option should be more than enough to satisfy.
Chef Masanao starts us off with sake from his hometown of Saitama – the Sara Asasuzumi Tokubetsu Junmai Muroka Nama Genshu ($150 per bottle). Light, sweet and aromatic, it’s a lovely prelude to the tomato gelato appetiser, peppered with edible flowers from Singapore. The wagyu sirloin brioche that follows is an unctuous one-biter featuring buttery brioche crowned with thinly-sliced wagyu, kalix lojrom (a type of Swedish vendace roe Chef discovered during his time in Stockholm), shiso flowers and fine strips of nori that are surprisingly full of flavour.
Then there’s the ever-popular uni pasta. Chef Masanao plates up a generous portion of cold capellini with perfectly al dente strands topped with creamy Hokkaido uni and sweet, briny pops of ikura. Shio konbu and threads of ooba (shiso leaf) lend depth to the dish while fresh chives add a subtle, pungent kick.
Those on the six-course menu are treated to an extra dish of grilled Spanish carabinero prawns – small but delightfully robust, and served alongside green peppers and tomato purée. Pair this with a glass of Senkin Retro Ichishiki from Tochigi prefecture ($150 per bottle), a fuller-bodied and more traditional, umami-rich sake.
For mains, diners get a choice between Iberico pork with Japanese red eggplants or a comforting bowl of seasonal Japanese fish with boiled turnips, asari clams and green yuzu. We recommend going with the fish, which varies by the day. Think Japanese snapper or amadai (tilefish), depending on market availability. And despite being stuffed, we have no issues polishing off our dessert – a gorgeous white chocolate gelato with mango pannacotta, chocolate cake chunks and chewy dried mango shreds for an added bite.
Find out more about Masa Saito Innovative here.
Masa Saito Innovative is open from Monday to Saturday from noon to 2.30pm and 6pm to 11pm at 6A Shenton Way, Downtown Gallery, #01-04, Singapore 068815.
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