No other Japanese restaurant in Singapore whisks you away to the countryside like Keyaki, tucked away as it is in a Japanese-style garden with carefully arranged stones and a pond of handsome koi fish and two residential tortoises.

Keyaki is named after the wood with which it is built, and without nails, to look like a Meiji-era farmhouse. Given its traditional slant, Keyaki’s cuisine reflects the full gamut of classic
Japanese cuisine, with a sushi bar, teppanyaki counter and robatayaki section; while Chef Hiroshi Ishii – who has been with the restaurant since it opened with the hotel over 20 years ago – is one of the few chefs licensed to handle puffer fish.

Keyaki is popular with its executive clientele because of its bento boxes, including the generous
Keyaki bento set which features four different types of dishes – an assortment of sashimi, tempura, simmered vegetables, and battered croquettes, along with steamed egg in a cup and miso soup.

It is a hearty meal of fine, fresh ingredients mostly flown in from Japan – at least four times a week; at almost half the price for an equivalent set in other restaurants. The more “exotic” dishes served at the restaurant include grilled sliced ox tongue wrapped around asparagus and braised duck meat in egg in a soy-sauce based gravy.

Its weekend buffet lunches are also popular among Japanese food gourmands who can spot a good deal when they see one. At Keyaki, it’s the “zen” garden dining experience coupled with the most seasonal of Japan’s ingredients.

Keyaki
Pan Pacific Singapore, 7 Raffles Boulevard
Level 4
Tel: 6826-8335

This article was first published in The Business Times on May 26, 2008.