ONE Holland Village is a hot new shopping mall in this atas residential area. But well, I'm not really into new shopping malls, I'm more into the hot new restaurants these malls have within them. And my focus lands squarely on an interesting new Japanese fusion dining concept, Ginkyo by Kinki housed in ONE. This restaurant caught my attention due to the unique food items and the cool, stylish dining concept.
The food here is delicious, really pleasing the palates. I also like it that the dishes are unique: Japanese cuisine being infused with elements from other cultures, making for an exciting food adventure.
I love the layout of ONE Holland Village in general since it is of open area concept with lots of plants lining the corridors and ledges. It is like shopping at a modern upmarket resort area. And the journey to Ginkyo by Kinki really accentuates this highlight of the mall since this restaurant is located at a corner surrounded by lush greenery planted on all the ledges at this area. The pretty willows beside the main entrance adds to that "love for greenery" feel and Japanese influence to it.
The interior is like another world: cool, stylish, with hints of poshness from the curved golden backings of the plush chairs. The soft yellow globes of lamps above introduces a sense of cosiness and modern sensibility to the place. I got a very good comfy soft beside the window to get a nice view of eclectic mix of commercial developments, private residences and HDBs.
Service is very good, being friendly, helpful and professional. This is really a great place to chill and enjoy some good, unique food.
As a bon vivant, of course I go all out to order the luxurious speciality: Uni, Caviar, Ikura Crispies plus a nice dollop of negitoro doled out onto each crispy rice puff. To fully enjoy all the flavours: sweetness of uni, creaminess of negitoro, intense briny taste of caviar and starchiness of rice, I suggest eating the cucumber first, followed by a bite off the side of the crispy rice puff that has negitoro only, and lastly, pop the entirety of the rest of the puff with all the goodies into mouth. The puff does stick to the teeth though, so take note.
Looks can be deceiving, which is in the case of Dragon Chaser, made up of seared foie gras, unagi, breaded prawn, cream cheese, cucumber and chives. it looks kind of messy but it tastes awesome. The specialty roll combines the starchy goodness of sushi rice, nutty creaminess of cream cheese, nuanced sweetness of prawn, the earthy umami of foie gras and the briny umami of unagi to yield a full-bodied taste that hits all the sweet spots in taste and texture.
I also love Colossal Tiger Prawns, peppered with cajun southern spice and saikyo miso, and finished with brussels sprouts. The slight spiciness and umami makes the briny sweetness of the prawn even more exciting and accentuates the light creaminess of the prawn.
Actually, I do not expect much from the good ole panna cotta, but Atsuki Panna Cotta here surprises me with how good and different it is. The red bean jelly, mochi add an element of earthy goodness with extra textures, yielding a smooth milky custard with dimension in taste and texture. I'm impressed.
KYOTO SOUR is a lovely cocktail made up of Kinki Private Label Sake, nori, pickled ginger, sugar syrup and fresh lemon juice. I love this light refreshing drink with the sweet alcoholic sake that makes things more exciting. Highly recommend.
Thoughts: Unique, Cool and Exciting
7 Holland Vlg Way
#03-01-04 One
Nearest MRT: Holland Village
