It's time to enjoy the flavours of Autumn, and so I'm at Ikkoten Omakase for it, trusting Chef Brandon Low to cook up a fantastic meal representing the season. And yes, he did it again, completed with two curated rare sakes for me: the best sparkling sake, and an award winner. This time, he pairs the different kinds of natural sweetness of the ingredients of Autumn to yield unique complex earthy sweetness that says, "Amazing Sweet Flavours of Autumn." Every dish is like my favourite.
Cold Matsutake Chawamushi, made with the rare King of Mushroom: Matsutake, is packed with earthy umami. Matsutake tastes so different from other mushrooms, featuring additional hints of nutty, woodsy, sweet taste and a soft spicy savoury goodness. The cold smooth chawamushi contrasts so well with meaty texture of the finely diced mushroom, made even better with pops of excitement from the flying fish roe.
Japanese Persimmon amazes me with its harmonious blend of earthy taste from Pine Nuts and milky taste from the Tofu Dressing, reminiscent of soft autumn, injected with refreshing floral juiciness of Persimmon and Shine Muscat. Autumn can taste refreshing? Yes, with this unique dish.
Buri Carpaccio with Mikan, Yuzu Citrus Oil, Ginger Flower and Sea Grapes is a perfect representation of different layers of unique sweetness. The intense floral sweetness of the juicy Mikan and light tangy taste balance and highlight the saline sweetness of the fish. I usually expect carpaccio to taste tangy to cut through the strong taste of the raw fish, but Chef Brandon Low surprises me with this dish that tastes like the balanced mild flavour of Autumn. And the taste is so amazing.
Itoyori Dai with Yuzu Foam, Bonito Vinegar jelly, Japanese Yam Stem and Deep Fried Fish Scales tastes super sweet, in a complex and amazing way. It is like a party of harmonised flavours and textures on the palates. I love this too.
Sanma with Burnt Egg Yolk sauce and Iwashi tatami taste so good when eaten on their own. The tatami is crispy and slightly briny sweet, making for an awesome snack. While chargrilled Sanma is intense in taste, and made even better with the aroma of char. The magic happens when savouring the two together, with the tatamin balancing the taste of Sanma for a harmonised unique earthy briny sweetness, with a light touch of creaminess from the sauce to gel together the two tastes. I'm totally won over by this dish.
Kabocha Ebi Shinjo wrapped with pumpkin, topped with Edamame Puree & Uni speaks of the freshness of Autumn. The Autumn vegetables are sweet, complementing the sweetness of plump prawns. A different sweetness develops from the warm sweetness of prawn, lifted up by the slightly refreshing vegetal sweetness of edamame, completed with the earthy sweetness of pumpkin. Awesome pairing of tastes and textures.
A5 Wagyu Beef Sumiyaki with Autumn Seasonal Vegetables is oh so good. Shishito Sauce mixed with pumpkin has this unique hint of pungency and spiciness cutting through and elevating the creamy meaty sweetness. I'm so amazed by how well it works. And the mushrooms make for crunchy good bites between bites of the creamy meat.
The briny sweetness of seabream goes perfectly with the earthy sweetness of chestnut, where I enjoy every bite of the mixture of starchy, fluffy rice pumped with collagen, shredded seabream and diced chestnut. So many flavours of Autumn and so satisfying.
Autumn Chestnut Mont Blanc is the best Mont Blanc I ever have. Chestnut puree is usually gritty in texture, but the chestnut puree in this dessert is surprisingly smooth, rendered even smoother when paired with the cold Hokkaido ice-cream. And the sweetness level hits the sweet spot not to overwhelm the palates.
I heard that even French patrons approved of this French inspired dessert.
Best sparkling sake with super fine bubbles that subtly excite the palates.
Award winning sake that is incredibly smooth, with hints of berry and melon.
Thoughts: Absolutely love the Sweet Tastes of Autumn here!
86 Telok Ayer Street