Helmed by Chef Makoto Nagai, Nagai Hokkaido Cuisine specializes in kaiseki cuisine, which is a traditional Japanese multi-course meal. Their newest outlet in Suntec City marks the first venture outside of Japan, where you can experience Hokkaido-style cuisine right in Singapore!
Comfortable And Bright Interior
The restaurant has both regular seating and an omakase bar that is tucked away at the back of the space. The omakase bar can sit 10 people comfortably, and watch Chef Nagai and his team prepare the food.
The interior is decorated with light wood and white and adorned with mood lighting that makes it comfortable.
Nagai Hokkaido Cuisine Menu
There are two main parts to the menu at Nagai Hokkaido Cuisine – Omakase Menus and Lunch Sets.
The lunch sets come in 15 variations with items like Tempura Set ($28), Sashimi Set ($45) and the Premium Kaisen Don ($45) topped with botan ebi, ikura and uni. There are also a selection of Japanese sake you can pair with your meal.
There are four omakase menus ranging from $98, $138, $198 and $380, each with a seasonal menu that changes based on the specialities for that week. We had the opportunity of trying the $138 omakase menu with six courses.
Omakase Menu
Appetizer
The omakase started with a chilled appetizer plate consisting of a large botan ebi, tarako (fish eggs), marinated salmon and a sweet dried persimmon snack. Everything was fresh and sweet, and whet our appetites for the rest of the courses.
Sashimi
The next course was Nagai Hokkaido Cuisine’s signature – the Hand-carved Ice Plate Sashimi, with a medley of salmon, Kinki, Akami, octopus and more. Chef Nagai carves these ice blocks personally with ornate designs and is definitely a statement piece.
All the seafood was fresh and tender, as everything is air-flown directly from Hokkaido twice a week. Our highlights were the salmon, sweet shrimp and octopus!
Grill
The Grill item was Kegani (Hokkaido hairy crab), served simply on its own without any sauces. Chef Nagai split the shells of the crab so it was easier to eat.
Despite its small size, the crab had a fair amount of meat. The flesh was sweet and full of a great seafood flavour! Those who enjoy crab innards will also enjoy the creaminess of the hairy crab.
Main Dish
We got to try two Main Dishes. The first was a fillet of steamed Kinki (red snapper) and maitake mushroom from Hokkaido. The meat was tender and buttery with a unique clean flavour not found in local fish. Even the broth that came with the dish was full of umami!
The second and final savoury dish was a trio of sushi – scallop with caviar, Hokkaido prawn with uni and toro. Each bite was small but satisfying, with the vinegar of the rice complimenting the fattiness of each fish.
Dessert
The dessert was a scoop of Hokkaido milk ice cream served with Japanese sweet potato. The combination of creaminess and sweetness from the sweet potato made the perfect end to the meal.
Omakase In Suntec City
The ambience at Nagai Hokkaido Cuisine was clean but not intimating, which made for a pleasant dining experience to appreciate the freshness of the seafood!
Nagai Hokkaido Cuisine
#03-314, Eat at Seven @ 3 Temasek Boulevard, Suntec City Tower 1 S038983
Open daily, 11.30am-3pm, 5.30pm-10pm
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