Tucked away in Orchard is HAKATA & KUSHI YAMAMOTO By Sumiyaki Fukuda (what a liner), a restaurant manned by a Japanese chef who serves up different course menus comprising of charcoal-grilled Japanese skewers, commonly known as kushiyaki.
Japanese Restaurant in Orchard
Located in Orchard Plaza, HAKATA & KUSHI YAMAMOTO by Sumiyaki Fukuda has quite an elusive exterior, with a black door and a small sign, nothing else. However, once you enter the premises, it feels like any restaurant you would find in Japan, with the majority of it being counter seats.
There’s also a small corner that can fit 4 pax, however, here you probably can’t see the chef in action.
When we visited, the restaurant was run by one Japanese chef and another Japanese server. While they knew some basic English, the communication made was mainly using hand gestures and the English language, making us feel like we were in Japan.
HAKATA & KUSHI YAMAMOTO by Sumiyaki Fukuda Menu
There are 4 different courses available at Hakata & Kushi Yamamoto.
- Hakata Course (Pork Skewer) $68++
- Pork Skewer and Yakitori Course $68++
- Hakata Chicken Rich Soup Hotpot and Pork Skewer Course $78++
- Wagyu and Pork and Chicken Skewer Course $98++
We opted for the Wagyu & Pork & Chicken Skewer Course.
Starting off the course meal were 4 different kinds of appetizers, ranging from small sides to dishes containing various root vegetables.
Following that was a Hakata-styled Hamachi dish, with slices of the fish covered in sesame powder and seaweed strips. This was a pretty interesting dish since nuttiness isn’t a common taste you would associate with sashimi.
After this was a medley of Meat Skewers, such as the Pork Wrapped Lettuce, which had a wonderful combination of juicy meat and crunchy lettuce. One of the meat skewers was a grilled pork tongue, which was crunchy yet tender at the same time.
Moving on, we had 3 kinds of vegetable skewers, and the most memorable one was the shishito peppers and sweet potato, which was cooked to perfection.
Somewhere along the course, we also got a scallop skewer, which was for the seafood skewer, listed on the menu. Scallop was grilled perfectly, with the texture of the scallop being tender and not rubbery or tough at all.
Some of the amazing meat skewers we were served
There was also a bowl of Oden soup, cooked Hakata-style before we were served the highlights of the night.
The Grilled Wagyu was tender and had a tantalizing balance of meat and fat, which filled our mouths with bursts of umami flavour. Not losing to the Wagyu was the grilled shabu-shabu, served alongside rice, fresh egg, and pickles.
Like any other Shabu-Shabu place, you dip the piece of meat into the egg wash before biting into it. This was such a delicious treat, with the meat being soft, tender, and flavourful.
Authentic Japanese Restaurant in Orchard Singapore
While the meal was an enjoyable one, we did feel kind of awkward after our last dish, which was the shabu-shabu, since there was no dessert to signal the end of the meal. After a while, we just left on our own to pay the bill.
Do note that when we visited, we could only pay for the bill via PayNow transfer – this meant no credit or debit cards.
Overall, Hakata & Kushi Yamamoto by Sumiyaki Fukuda was a great Japanese meal experience in Singapore, and one you should try out if you enjoy new dining experiences!
HAKATA & KUSHI YAMAMOTO By Sumiyaki Fukuda
150 Orchard Road, #02-27/28, Orchard Plaza, Singapore 238841
Mon-Sat, 5:30pm-11pm, Closed on Sundays
Reservations required, Book via this link.
*This is an independent review by MiddleClass.SG
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