Kaiseiki Yoshiyuki - Par Excellence

            Situated at the basement of Forum the Shopping Mall at the start of the Orchard Road, Yoshiyuki's entrance is uninspiring if not modestly discreet for many shoppers and diners.  Helmed by head chef Yoshi Kashiwabara, Yoshiyuki provides 2 types of dining experience, first, the Kaiseiki (multi-course omakase, meaning the chef's choice of food preparation) and the bar outside which is more casual.

           To make it to the dining room, you first have to walk through a black tunnel room, and enter the dining room after some sliding door entrance. On the right is the casual drinking and bistro area.

                                           Kaiseiki Yoshiyuki, at the Forum 

          Yoshi san cuts an imposing but friendly figure ; his dining counter where he holds court only caters to 14 diners. As it was my wife May's birthday, I decided it was worth a try after reading all the 'superb' reviews.

          I ordered the Yuki 7 set course meal, which consisted of 
Sakizuke (amuse bouche)
Suimono (clear soup)
Sashimi  (raw fish)
Yakimono (grilled dishes) 
Nimano (simmered dishes)
Shokuji (rice with seasonal ingredients,pickles and soup)
Mizugashi (japanese sweets and macha)

        She had the 8 course meal, consisting of 
Sakizuke
Hassun
Suimono
Sashimi
Yakimono
Shizakana (main meat dish)
Shokuji
Mizugashi

         Each dish was a delight visually, and the tastes were a delight to behold. My taste buds are not as refined as my wife's but the experience was nothing short of ethereal or out of this world.The sashimi was so fresh, the simmered dishes as good as the best from Japan and the grilled dishes excellent. The phrase "less is more" certainly applies to the dining experience and chef Yoshi is a master at making small talk explaining each serving with the finesse only a master chef can. Chef Yoshi has served previously as the personal chef for the Japanese ambassadors to San Francisco and Singapore and has perfected the fine dining art. We were kleft in wonder at the wonderful presentation, the nuanced tastes of each dish and the warm banter from him which made the meal so unforgettable.  

Sashimi

          We have been to Japan a number of times and had fantastic food in Tokyo, Kyoto and Hokkaido to name but a few. I am pleased to say that Singapore is fast gaining a reputation as a foodie's paradise for high quality food and Japanese top end restaurants such as Kaiseiki Toshiyuki will only reinforce that view.  The sashimi slices of toro (salmon belly), uni (sea urchin) and maguro were all par excellent. "Oishi' 

Sakizuke (Amuse Bouche)

Frankly, the visit to Tokyo in 2014, when we visited Kyubey (second restaurant at Shinjuku Keio Plaza Hotel) and had the best sushi in my life still stands as the best. Kaiseiki Yoshiyuki comes in a close second place.    

Sakizuke (Amuse Bouche) 

Many happy returns 

Pricing of this set courses is steep, for the 7 course set it is S$ 258 (plus service and GST) while the 8 course  set is S$ 288. So it is only reserved for treats and special occasions.  

For the curious ; the location of Kaiseiki Yoshiyuki is below :
58 Orchard Road, B1-39 Forum the Shopping Mall
S'pore 238884
Reservations :info@kaiseikiyoshiyuki.com
Tel:(65) 62351088