RESTAURANT IMAMURA
Hidden within the tranquil grounds of Amara Sanctuary Resort in Sentosa is Restaurant IMAMURA, which is perhaps one of the best Japanese fine dining establishments to recently open. The Zen-inspired bungalow is Chef Hirofumi Imamura’s domain, where he takes diners on a seasonal trip to Japan.
Fresh Japanese vegetables play an important role in the Signature Menu, allowing us to appreciate their texture, sweetness, and nuanced flavors. One of the most impressive dishes on the current menu is the salt-baked Japanese onion, where each layer is painstakingly stuffed with bonito flakes, resulting in a deceptively simple dish that’s bursting with sweetness and umami. Another highlight is the sashimi course comprised of fluke, uni, and caviar, served on a piquant shoyu jelly that’s made from boiling down fish bones for hours.
Beyond vegetables and seafood, Chef Imamura treats the finest cuts of beef with incredible respect, as seen in the dish that highlights Mizusakofarmed Kagoshima Wagyu, which is laid atop a stone slab heated to exactly 62 degrees Celsius. It is then cooked further with an antique charcoal iron (used for ironing silk kimonos), resulting in thin slices cooked to a perfect medium-rare doneness.
In addition to the food, the little details are equally important on this luxurious dining experience: From the dizzying number of Japanese salt varieties to the custom-made bamboo, cypress, and cedar wood chopsticks, and the centuries-old ceramics used to present each dish.
Visit Restaurant IMAMURA at 14 Gunner Lane at Amara Sanctuary Resort, Sentosa, Tel: 8028 2608
PANGIUM
Consider Pangium as Chef Malcolm Lee’s love letter to Singaporean heritage food, where the eight-course dining experience is a celebration of Contemporary Straits Cuisine — it begins with the food our grandparents first created with their knowledge, alongside ingredients and tools they had at hand, and finally, reimagined for our lives today.
Famliar favorites like Kueh Pie Tee and Keropok signal the start of the meal, where the former features fresh bamboo shoots, crab meat, and cuttlefish, lending the dish a luxe twist. Meanwhile, the latter is a crispy treat comprised of 60% Ang Kar prawn flesh, prawn oil, and prawn stock, finished with a dusting if Sakura ebi powder for an addictive umami boost.
Chef Lee also looks to Eurasian heritage food and reinterprets Pang Susi (sweet potato buns with minced meat) by using tender pork cheek and Kampot white pepper, which adds a subtle floral quality. The meal’s highlight is the Nasi Ulam — a labor of love that is made up of a portion of rice that’s mixed with lesser-known herbs and vegetables, served with various side dishes like Sayur Lodeh with Organic Tempeh, Hand-Minced Duck Ball Satay wrapped with Caul Fat, Westholme Wagyu Beef Short Rib Rendang, Buah Keluak Sambal, and more.
More than just a restaurant, Pangium allows for introspection, giving us the opportunity to ask why, what, and how. “At Pangium, we ask ourselves: How would we do it if we were to approach the same dish with a similar mindset as the people who first created it but prepare it in the context of today so that present diners might connect with it,” shares Chef Lee.
Visit Pangium at 11 Gallop Road, Gallop Entrance, Singapore Botanic Gardens, Email: enquiry@restaurantpangium.sg
MAISON SHUKO
It’s easy to pass off Maison Shuko as another gimmicky restaurant in Singapore’s ever-evolving dining landscape: Three chefs whipping up Japanese-inspired, French-influenced Mod Asian food in a small eight-seater space, topped off with an audio-visual presentation that accompanies the entire meal. While it may sound like a lot to take in, we assure you — it’s incredibly enjoyable.
Maison Shuko is helmed by chefs Angus Chow, Jeremmy Chiam, and Justin Foo who work in surprising synchronicity, which is then reflected in each dish presented. Here, locally farmed produce takes center stage and is executed with the respect and finesse it deserves. There is the crocodile from Long Kuang Hung, which is inspired by the Thai dish, laab, featuring a zingy combination of black garlic, herbs, and spices, and completed with the addition of charcoal rice keropok.
Following this is goat cheese from Hay Dairies, where the inherent gaminess of the dairy is tempered by the sweet and sour flavors of various tomato textures. Meanwhile, Jurong Frog Farm bullfrog legs are given the har cheong treatment and marinated in fermented prawn, fried to perfection, and served with an unexpected yet enjoyable papaya sambal sorbet that complements the entire dish with its hot flavor and cool texture.
Throughout the delicious journey, Chef Foo also proves that he is not just capable in the kitchen — he is quite the gifted producer as well. Before each course begins, a three-minute film that he shot and edited is shown, giving diners a chance to better appreciate and understand each dish presented before them.
Visit Maison Shuko at 3E River Valley Road, #02-02, Tel: 9489 8357
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