Takayama Omakase at OUE Downtown Gallery, Shenton Way Singapore

Friends from Thailand visit, we welcome them at Takayama Omakase at OUE Downtown at Shenton Way.

We were in the good hands of owner-chef Takayama-san who also owns Hanare by Takayama Kamameshi Pot Rice at Ngee Ann City.

Chef launched us into our 8 course lunch with a beautiful appetiser of autumn colours.

Centrepiece of chawanmushi topped with Hokkaido sea urchin sashimi and Okinawa lady fingers.

Clockwise from left: Hokkaido steamed abalone, Tamagoyaki Japanese rolled omelette, Okinawa chestnut, spinach, marinated Ayu sweet fish from Hokkaido, and Hokkaido Ankimo monk fish liver.

For the sashimi course, Chef served us three types of fish.

Hokkaido Tai Japanese sea bream with Tokushima sudachi lime, Kanazawa sea salt and Kyoto wasabi.

Subtle refreshing sweetness in that tender crunchy moist subtly chewy bite.

Seared kinmedai golden eye snapper from Tottori city, with homemade citrus-soy sauce ponzu and wasabi.

Skilfully charcoal seared sashimi grade fish is quite different from grilled or baked fish. The smokey smell was rather pronounced in a delightful way while the meat still retained the crunch, juice and taste of sashimi.

Hokaido blue fin tuna belly otoro with homemade kelp soy sauce.

It's a kind of rich fat that sparks an instant primeval craving combined with a special kind of joy, knowing that it is good for our heart health. Wanted more but only one or two pieces per person 🥺

Ishikawa monaka Japanese rice cracker with French foie gras mousse, marinated in white miso and aged sweet sake, topped with yuzu and blueberry jam, with pickled watermelon rind.

The biscuit was light like air in the hand and also in the mouth. The creamy filling was savoury umami dominated by rich foe gras with touches of sweet and tangy from yuzu, watermelon rind and blueberry.

Today's main act, grilled Hokkaido snow crab.

The snow crab, broken up by hand, was grilled over very slow charcoal heat. So chef was turning the crab with his bare hands. Gives him better feel for better control he said. The ends which Takayama-san goes to, in pursuit of perfection.

Chef hand pulled the meat from the crab body, mixed it with the head butter, and slow grilled it in the shell over embers.

The slivers of white flesh in the claws were soft tender, moist and robustly briny with a subtle trailing sweetness. I asked chef if any seasoning was used and he replied, none.

The head butter and meat mix was ultra, mind blowing umami savoury.

Next course, grilled Miyazaki Wagyu A5 sirloin with Shimeji and Maitake mushrooms from Nagano and deep fried gingko nut from Kyoto.

What can I say... It's like tuna belly with four feet - rich juice from tender marbled red meat with a bit more chewiness than tuna.

Grilled Sawara (Spanish mackerel) with Shimeji and Maitake mushrooms and deep fried gingko nuts. This was for guests who don't eat beef.

Claypot Koshikani rice from Niigata with steamed Hokkaido female snow crab, Hokkaido Ikura salmon roe and spring onion from Kyoto.

Chef personally mixed and portioned the rice. He scraped up the crusted rice from the pot walls as well, and mixed them into the boiled rice.

The rice was served with miso soup and pickles (Kyoto radish and Kagashima kelp).

Indulgent claypot rice with nutty sweet rice overlaid with layers of umami from crab head butter, crab meat, and Ikura. Bits of crust in the mix of tender rice gave the dish an interesting intermittently crunchy dimension.

Last course, home made chestnut ice cream with white bean soup and Tottori Hojicha roasted green tea tuile.

Delicately soft, lightly creamy, refreshing moderately sweet. Melts in the mouth.... it's ice cream duh... 😝

Homemade Financier French pastry in Mätcha flavour from Tottori city in Japan.

If you wondered... whoa how come Tony can remember all these details.... 😯 I can't lah.... Ms Joyce kindly wrote down today's menu carefully in her beautiful handwriting which helped me a lot! Thank you so much, Joyce 🙏

Takayama ferments their own wines with plum, lemon, etc. Yen poured us three glasses of different wines.

We tried three and Yen reminded me a few times what they were. We had plum, lemon, and one more I can't remember now 🤭 Anyway, all were nice, with tangy savoury sweet taste, a bit of smokiness and slightly different profiles. Worth a try, all of them.

Ingredient quality top notch, chef skill consummate, environment zen charmingly immaculate, service warm and sincere. All of us were very pleased with our experience at Takayama Omakase today. Hope to be back, especially for special occasions.