There’s no shortage of Japanese-inspired cafés and restaurants in Singapore, and for good reason. Japanese food has always encouraged simplicity without compromising on flavour, and the same can be said about Japanese aesthetics – the design is simple yet visually pleasing. At Kohaku Sabo, you’ll see these principles embodied in its food and interior design.
You may find Kohaku Sabo familiar, and that’s because it’s run by the same owners as Tendon Kohaku. While the latter mainly focuses on tendon, Kohaku Sabo introduces a wide variety of unique dishes such as the mentaiko cream udon ($24.80) – udon with Japanese spicy caviar cream sauce topped with salmon roe and sea urchin – and the thick-cut salmon katsu don ($24.80) that features generous servings of Norwegian salmon that has been fried the same way as a pork cutlet. This is paired with salmon roe and Kohaku Sabo’s homemade egg tartar mayo to provide a rich but refreshing dining experience.
There’s no talking about Kohaku Sabo without mentioning its desserts too. The menu offers a sweet potato brûlée ($12.80), a tender sweet potato with a caramelised top that’s paired with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. You can also choose to toast your own dango with their mochi mochi dango “Kyoto” style ($18.80), where you will be provided with two different types of dango, a small grill, and toppings such as red bean, soy sauce, and soybean flour.
Kohaku Sabo’s latest addition to its dessert menu is the bouncing kitty coconut milk pudding ($9.80). Much like the name suggests, it jiggles and bounces upon the slightest movement, making for the perfect boomerang to post on Instagram. The soft pudding comes with black sesame sauce and a paintbrush which you can use to decorate your cat. Enjoy the pudding with either brown sugar syrup or red bean paste, or have it with both for a more indulgent dessert. If you intend on having lunch and dessert at Kohaku Sabo, we recommend that you share the pudding with someone as it is denser and more filling than it looks. The pudding will only be available from 1.30pm onwards, and are limited to 10 servings a day, so be sure to drop by on a weekday afternoon to increase your chances of trying the elusive dessert.
