Food for Thought: Kyomomoyama @ The Central

Kyomomoyama opened its first outlet in the Mitsukoshi Shopping Mall in Taipei in 2004 and it became an instant hit with the public leading to the establishment of 2 more outlets in Taiwan within a fairly short period. Its overwhelming success prompted its management to expand its operations beyond Taiwan's shores.  Singapore was chosen.

The branch at The Central, headed by Chef Nakada Makoto, is by far the largest of its outlets with a seating capacity of about 100 diners.We arrived early, slightly before 7.00pm. It was already dinner time yet only a handful of tables were occupied. Hence we were able to secure a window seat with a stunning view of Clarke Quay and the Singapore River. It was good to see that when we left the restaurant at about 9.30pm, it was almost fully occupied.

Darling wife ordered a dinner set comprising tempura prawns and vegetables, salmon sashimi, grilled unagi, chawan munshi and a salad. The set had its usual accompaniments - miso soup, pickles, fruits and ice cream.

The full dinner set

The portion of the grilled unagi was generous for a dinner set. Although the skin was pretty well-charred, the eel remained moist and soft on the inside which was a definite plus point. The Chef did well to use the kabayaki marinade very sparingly, thus playing down the sweetness of the sauce which in turn heightens the natural sweetness of the eel. Overall, the unagi was very well executed and in our opinion, met the mark.

Grilled unagi done to perfection

The Chef was equally generous with the tempura which came with 2 pieces of fried prawn fritters and vegetables. Unlike my grilled prawn, darling wife's tempura version was tender and tasty.

Tempura Moriawase

Another dish from darling wife's dinner set that deserves mention is the sashimi. Three slabs of salmon sat in a tiny porcelain bowl, visually enhanced by a lone chrysanthemum. While the texture and freshness of the sashimi are nothing out of the ordinary, its dainty presentation stole our hearts.

Sashimi salmon

My choices from the a la carte menu were Spider Roll and Kushiyaki Moriwase or mixed grill on skewers.

The Spider Roll sushi was filled with crispy soft shell crab, avocado, cucumber, sweet fish floss, crab roe and black sesame. At $8.50 for a serving of 4 delectable pieces, one couldn't possibly complain, although my only complaint was not having enough of it.

Spider Roll

Spider Roll

The Kushiyaki Moriwase was a steal.  The dish came complete with 6 skewers of grilled items including lady's fingers, shiitake mushrooms, salmon, prawn and scallops. The grilled vegetables were excellent as were the scallops and salmon which were both slightly under-charred. The prawn, regrettably, was over cooked rendering the meat dry and almost tasteless.

Grilled salmon

Grilled vegetables - lady's fingers and shitake mushroom

Grilled seafood - scallops and prawn

Kyomomoyama's dessert menu has offerings of 6 different kinds of traditional Kyoto sweets, including ice cream and home-made almond tofu. However, it is the home-made plum wine jelly which we highly recommend.

Plum wine jelly

This is the type of eating place I would suggest for friends looking for a decent Japanese restaurant that offers value for money. Its moderate pricing (in the range of $30-$60 per person) promises not to burn a hole in your pocket even if you should choose to indulge in the most expensive items on the menu. I was not unhappy with the quality for the price I paid.

Kyomomoyama @ The Central
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#03-87 The Central @ Clarke Quay

Ambiance: 6

Service: 6

Food: 6.5
Pricing: $$

Recommended Dishes: Plum Wine Jelly; Kushiyaki Moriwase; Spider Roll; Dinner Set with Grilled Unagi.