I’m back at Ikkoten for, like the 14th time, and it’s amazing that Chef Brandon can still astound and delight my palates with new tastes, this time with the winter menu. I absolutely love the Monkfish Liver, Lobster Bisque with Crab, Tuna Noodles, Bamboo wrapped Fish and Lobster Tempura because these dishes redefine my impression of the taste of such ingredients.
Winter Monk Fish Live with Ebi Senbei is best ankimo I ever have. There is totally no smell of organs on the liver but its umami and creaminess is all retained to a savoury delight. Lots of work is put into preparing the liver to make it the way it is here. This is perfect match with the intense briny sweetness of ebi, whose crispiness juxtaposes so well with the paste form of the liver. The ponzu jelly, with its zest, brightens up the taste. I love this so much!
Cold Chawamushi layered with Lobster Bisque and Snow Crab is so amazingly good. The pepper magically cuts through the lovely richness of the warm briny sweetness of the lobster for the surprisingly balanced taste and extra complexity. The crab adds that refreshing element while the silky smooth custard serves as good base to balance the myriad of awesome rich flavours.
Tuna Noodles, which is tuna being meticulously cut into strips to resemble noodles, packs a lot of flavours from meaty sweetness, briny sweetness, creamy sweetness to umami sweetness. The strips of tuna, totally coated with yolk, yields that warm, creamy richness with every bite.
Tai Sashimi, carefully sliced thinly to features firm but easy to bite texture, tastes clean and sweet on its own. It tastes even sweeter with japanese yam. The housemade truffle foam adds an unique earthiness to the taste. One fish, three great ways to savour it.
Kamatsu, wrapped with bamboo, amazes me with its taste. Chef Brandon gets it right every single time when it comes to fishes. My already picky palates for fishes are getting even more picky due to how good his fish dishes are. The fish is succulent, toasty and briny sweet in taste. And the magic is in the special yuzu sauce that accentuates the sweetness of the fish and adds excitement to the flavours.
Pregnant Snow Crab with Japanese Lime and Shaved egg yolk pairs creaminess with the intense umami of crab and roe for a umami feast. The lime balances this combination of rich flavours perfectly.
Tempura Lobster Tempura with Housemade Tomato Compote blows my mind on how good lobster can taste in tempura form. I never expect that lobster can come in tempura form and to taste this awesome. The flesh of the lobster is of perfect texture: succulent, creamy with a good bite. The magic happens when paired with tomato compote sauce to develop this roasty flavour. Housemade yuzu oil makes teh taste even more exciting.
Specialty Handroll of the day with aburi hotate has creamy yet light briny sweetness enriched with roasted aroma. The puffed rice adds a good crunchy texture.
Kohada is strong in taste but is nicely cut through and balanced by the yuzu jelly.
Ebi sushi has the briny sweet taste of crunchy juicy raw prawn elevated by the truffle caviar. I love this!
Chutoro here is especially melty in texture that it tastes like otoro.
Hamachi sushi has a lovely smoky flavour due to the unique cold smoking method used to prepare the fish.
Special Sushi Monaka with Kingfish, sprayed with rice dust, hits all the sweet spots in terms of texture and taste. So rich and unique due to the additional nutty aroma of pine nuts,
Strawberry Sherbet is so milky and good.
Thoughts: Awesome, Magical Gastronomic Surprises of Winter
86 Telok Ayer Street
