Singapore, September 2, 2010
Hide Yamamoto
Marina Bay Sands
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| See pictures of signature dishes and chefs of Hide Yamamoto restaurant |
The culinary scene in Singapore has been bursting with star power with the opening of restaurants by celebrity chefs every other month since the opening of the integrated resorts.
The latest, by distinguished Japanese chef Hide Yamamoto at Marina Bay Sands last month, offers a smorgasbord of flavours spread over four different areas of the 128-seat restaurant as well as three private VIP rooms.
The spacious multi-concept eatery has:
- a sushi bar with a VIP room offering seafood from Tsukiji market.
- a robata grill with premium meats like Wagyu and Japanese seafood and veggies
- teppan tables and two VIP dining rooms
- a ramen noodle bar, where the machine and flour are from Japan.
All the stations are headed by a Japanese executive chef each.
The teppan area was the first to open, followed by the sushi bar.
I stumbled upon Hide Yamomoto restaurant while looking for Imperial Treasure, but decided to eat at the former instead when I found that it was the sushi bar's first day of operation.
Despite his celebrity status, chef Yamamoto doesn't want his restaurant to be intimidating like those of his more famous peers on the fine-dining floor, which overlooks the bustling casinos.
Neither does he want to shock you with astronomical prices. You will find his middling between mid-price and high-end in the general category of upscale eateries.
Great Chirashi!
As I was craving for Chirashi Sushi, I ordered his immensely colourful Bara Chirashi, which had various kinds of chopped seafood scattered over the rice.
Although it costs $45 ($10 more than what two well-known sushi eateries charge for theirs), it was sumptuous and filling.
Strewn generously with raw salmon, tuna, salmon caviar, cooked anago eel, egg cubes, rings of lady fingers and layered with sweet pinkish cod powder, shitake mushroom and strips of sweet gourd, the opulent sushi burst with many delicious flavours.
Boldly seasoned, it was truly a relentless assault of tastes with every mouthful. It's like gulping a mini buffet where all the flavours conspire to make you eat more and more...
Made by the affable sushi chef Takuma Seki, it's definitely far better than the Bara Chirashi I had at a high-profile sushi bar in Ginza in June. And slightly cheaper too.
Whetting the appetite before the Chirashi Sushi were decadent angler fish liver (gooseliver of the sea) in a tart ponzu sauce and a morsel of Kyoto greens topped with slivers of baby Kabu.
I have to return for the nigiri sushi. And also, check out the other sections.
Sensational desserts
Don't miss the desserts - they were the most stylish I've ever seen in a Japanese restaurant here. And some of them excite you with a surprising array or layers of textures and flavours.
The cute dessert and pastry chef - Kenji Kawasaki - used to work for Armani Cafe in Ginza before he joined Hide Yamamoto group, which runs a string of restaurants in Japan.
There's a fresh fruit minestrone paired with grapefruit and wasabi sorbet ($18). Or go for the intriguing Planet Saturn w - a Yuzu Seltzer Bombe (with a sweet ring over it) with hazelnut parfait ($15).
Kids will be delighted by the Snowman of Valrhona Chocolate Mousse Sphere ($17), which comes with black sesame jelly, green tea ice cream and white sesame caramel.
Also delicious was the Japanese Cappuccino of mascarpone cream, chocolate mousse and kinako (soybean powder) ice cream ($17).
If your feet get tired after touring Marina Bay Sands, stop at the welcoming bar, plonked right at a side of the entrance. Try Hide Yamamoto's original cocktails, sake and shochu.
If you're in Japan, you might want to check out his restaurants - Antibes Mediterranean eatery in Tokyo; Tapas eatery Quadrella in Tokyo; Bekotei Korean BBQ in Kanagawa and Italian Moonglow in Hiroshima.
And he's opening another restaurant in an upscale store in Ginza.
The Italian- and French-trained chef decided to return to his Japanese roots for his venture into Singapore. But you'll also see some subtle fusion of east and west at his restaurant here.
Crowned earlier this year as a Global Chef in Singapore, Hide Yamamoto has helmed kitchens such as the legendary Roger Verge in Provence, Chez Nouz Hama in San Francisco as well as Mandarin Oriental hotels in Washington DC and Tokyo; and the Jockey Club at Washington's Ritz-Carlton where he had served three generations of US Presidents - Reagan, Bush Sr and Clinton.
Rating for Bara Chirashi: 8/10
Rating for Desserts: 7/10 to 8/10
Hide Yamamoto
8 Bayfront Avenue
Marina Bay Sands
L2-05 (2nd floor of casino, accessible to general public via The Shoppes)
Singapore 018956
Tel: 6688 7098
Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday
Lunch: 11.30am to 3pm - Last order 2.30pm
Dinner: 6pm to 11pm - Last order 10.30pm
Weekends & Holidays
Lunch: 11am to 3pm
Dinner: 5.30pm to 11pm
Noodle Bar: 11am to 11pm daily
Dress Code: Smart Casual
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| See pictures of signature dishes and chefs of Hide Yamamoto restaurant |
Read also:
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| Good Sushi in Singapore, from budget to expensive |
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| Good Sushi eateries in Tokyo |
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