This Hokkaido kaiseki earned its cult status with chef Shinichiro Nagai at the helm since 1993. Dedicating his life to kaiseki cooking, he trained since he was 18 years old. Today, he racks up 54 years of experience to back his craft. Some of his loyal guests include esteemed politicians, celebrities and even the Japanese Imperial Family. Now, he brings the spirit of Sapporo kaiseki cooking and hospitality to Singapore, his first-ever outpost outside of Japan.
Leading the new outpost is chef Makoto Nagai (pictured above), son of the old faithful, who has honed his skills alongside his father for the past 16 years. Guests can now enjoy four premium omakase menus said to transport you to Hokkaido starting from just $98. And with experience comes long-established relationships with producers and suppliers. This gives the Nagai family – and their guests – priority access to peak-season ingredients direct from Sapporo.
Each omakase comes with the Nagai signature of fresh sashimi presented on a gleaming hand-carved ice plate (pictured above). Depending on the seasonality and the omakase menu you choose, you can expect to savour unique-to-Hokkaido ingredients such as the buttery smooth Kinki fish, sweet giant Botan Ebi exploding with roe (pictured below), creamy Shirako and more. During our visit, the chef included servings of Hirame, a rare Japanese Halibut that is best known for its bite and faint sweetness.
Unlike most Edomae omakase, the following dishes feature live cooking demonstrations that are true to the technique-driven kaiseki cooking style. Chef Makoto can be seen handling piping hot abalones with his bare hands, meticulously bathing Hokkaido crabs in his homemade mushroom onsen and even peeling off the shells of your Botan Ebi in one swift attempt upon request. It is all done tastefully and never overly theatrical.
While the most expensive omakase set will set you back a whopping $380, don’t let that dash your hopes of visiting. There are value-for-money lunch sets starting from just $22 so you can still dine like royalty. Out of the 15 varieties available, standouts are the classic Tempura set ($28) with crunchy prawns, the premium Kaisendon ($45, pictured above) that includes uni and the indulgent A5 Wagyu roast beef don ($48).
