Seki Japanese Restaurant

We were enraptured the moment our chef wielded his knives in front of us, gracefully slicing through a thick piece of sashimi that lay upon the counter. The polish with which our chef handled the food was amazingly impressive and an addictive sight to behold. Every movement was controlled deftly by his skilled fingers, a feathery touch that he used in each step of his action – moulding the wasabi into the beautiful leaf-shape presented on our plates, positioning the sashimi in an attractive arrangement and even picking up the uni (sea urchin) and ikura (salmon roe) with a teaspoon to adorn the sushi.

If you are in the mood to chat, there is plenty of opportunity for interaction with your chef. Sitting at the counter with your food preparation in full view, the service was thoughtfully personalized and seamless. Our chef gently nagged us to hurry with our food, explaining that some foods didn’t taste good if it cooled. When he realised that we couldn’t finish our food that fast, he then proceeded to inform the kitchen to slow down the serving speed, and popped our sashimi back in the fridge to keep it fresh. It’s these little details that make a meal at Seki so enjoyable.

The Seki Kamo Salad (smoked duck salad, $14)) was an interesting and refreshing dish to begin with. Not typically seen in Japanese restaurants, this appetizer was a crunchy blend of Japanese cabbage and smooth smoked duck, generously topped with crispy flakes that provided a mouthful of texture with every bite.

There was quite a range of sashimi to choose from the menu, with 5- and 3-kind options available. We decided to go for the single portions though, to savour the best of our favourites. – the Maguro akami (Bluefin tuna, $22/plate), salmon ($14/plate) and toro (tuna, $50/plate). Succulent, breathtakingly fresh and juicy was what characterized every piece of meat, which practically melted in our mouths.

One does not merely try the “normal” Chawanmushi (steamed egg) at Seki. Be adventurous, splurge a little, and order the Foie Gras Chawanmushi ($15). Balanced atop the wobbly egg is two pieces of the fatty goose delicacy. So smooth that they went down with a slurp, it was so fragrant that it left us wanting more.

The Salmon and Ikura Roll ($18) was a homely dish with a delightful medley of flavours. Watching our chef artfully rolling the maki with the sushi mat excited us for what was to come. Biting into a piece of the maki, each individual grain of rice was distinctly fluffy, scattered with sesame seeds, and gave way to the soft salmon within. The salmon roe was juicy and popped in our mouth with every bite.

the Gindara Mentayaki (grilled cod fish, $35) is one of the most popular dishes on the menu and we could see why immediately! well marinated in its sauces, such that the taste was infused into every smooth mouthful of the tender fish, we thoroughly enjoyed this fish!

the desserts were really interesting! they were slightly spiked with alcohol, which gave it a wonderful flitting flavour that tickled your senses. i particularly liked the shochu ice cream, which tasted delicious!

*This is an article i wrote for reserveit.sg (: Try out their online reservation service, and you can check out more articles there!

Seki Japanese Restaurant

9 Bras Basah Road

#01-02 Rendezvous Gallery

Tel.: +65 6336 3806

Mon-Sun Lunch: 11.45am-3pm

Dinner: 6pm-11pm