Dozo

Was just introduced to this little gem of a restaurant tucked away on the second floor of Valley Point.

I was greeted enthusiatically on arrival, and was ushered immediately to a chic private room. Tea was served immediately, and when I asked about the capacity/ number of private rooms, the staff immediately volunteered to show me around. (Largest private room accomodates 14 pax, and the main dining area can be booked for private functions for upto 100 pax. For lunch they serve 5 and 7 course meals, and for dinner only the 7 course meals were available. The staff are well trained (was able to rattle off the choices and recommendations for the evening without referring to the menu, which is quite a remarkable feat considering the wide range of options available for each course). As each dish was served, the staff were on hand to introduce the dish, and to recommend the best way/ order in which to enjoy the dish. Quality and presentation of the food was above average, and all the course our party of 6 took were declared delicious.

Starter: No choice, consisting of the scallop (covered with a foamy sauce, which was interesting but taste was quite forgettable), the foie gras which was "oiishi" (my only complaint was it was really tiny), and salmon (quite ordinary).

Cold Dish: I took the beef carpaccio which was presented wrapped around a wafer cone dressed with mayo and mango sauce. Interesting, and quite tasty. Other choices the rest of the family had included the Alaskan Crab Claw salad, Sashimi, Smoked Duck Salad.

Soup: Crab bisque cappucino came highly recommended, and it did not disappoint. Served in a cup with a frothy top that brought forth the wonderful aroma and taste of crab roe. We also tried the Mushroom and French onion soups which were also good.

Side Dish: Baked Escargots. Was advised to start with the one in its shell (seasoned with olive oil and garlic), then move to the rest which were baked in a gratin (cheese). A wonderfully sinful dish, complete with a nice crispy cheesy edge which lent an interesting texture to the plump soft morsels of meat embedded within. I wished I had some bread to mop up the oil, garlic... The rest of the family tried the soft shell crab, chawanmushi with foie gras and truffle.

Main Dish: Grilled Kurobota Pork cheek. This was easily the star of evening. The pork was so soft and tender that one only needed a fork to eat this, and chewing served only to release the naturally sweet "juice" from the meat. The steak was pretty good as well, but I still preferred my choice.

Drinks: I chose the hot lavender tea with mint, which was refreshing, soothing after a rather heavy main course.

Dessert: The warm chocolate cake (served with vanilla ice-cream) came highly recommended. Though I am not usually a dessert person, I had to admit that this was quite good.

Overall, for SGD58++ per pax, I thought this is good value for money given the ambience, service and quality of food. The wine list looked reasonable as well with a fairly good range of wines to choose from.

i love this place!

service is really important to me.
this place, i would give their service full marks.
the servers were polite and friendly.
oh, and they knew the food well.

they served us some snacks and cold drinks (since it was a hot day), on the house, before our food arrived. my bf and i really enjoyed the snacks. it was japanese and high class "mamee". it was our childhood mamee snack, but using japanese noodles like somen and ramen. it was nostalgic with a twist. the first time they brought the snack, we finished it pretty quickly and the server asked if we enjoyed it, we said we did and pointed out which ones we enjoyed more. he offered us more. and he actually topped up the snack twice for us, since we enjoyed it.

when i was ordering my drinks, i wanted the same one my bf chose. the server suggested another drink to me. i was kinda apprehensive about it. so he said that if i didnt like what he recommended, he would change it to my original choice for me. nice isnt it?


we went for dinner, so it was the 7-course dinner ($59.80++ per person).

1. starters

we don't get to choose our starters because it's decided by the chef himself. it was light and tasty. it was a platter with 3 items. (a) scallop with asparagus; (b) foie gras with some bread; (c) smoked salmon. my favourite was the foie gras. too bad it was such a small piece.


2. cold dish

we ordered the seasonal sashimi platter and the king crab claw salad. i love them both.

the sashimi was really fresh. especially loved the fish with the roe (i can't remember the name of the fish, sorry). when you bite into the fish, you feel the tingling bubbling sensation of the roe bursting and separating from the fish in your mouth. wow.

the server offered to crack off the king crab claw for me, to facilitate eating. so the claw came with half the shell off. it was easier to eat. the vinaigrette was good. but i love the mango sauce on the crab meat. it went really well with the crab meat.


3. side dish

we had foie gras chawanmushi and soft-shell crab tempura with mash.
the chawanmushi was smooth and i like the taste of foie gras in it.

my bf, usually not a sweet potato person, really enjoyed the sweet potato tempura that came with the soft-shell crab tempura. the mash was nothing fantastic -- a little lacking in taste. the sauce that came with the tempura was a refreshing change from the usual tempura sauce.


4. soup

beef consomme and cepe mushroom soup with truffles.

i tricked my bf into ordering the beef consomme soup. he was a little shocked and disappointed when it arrived because he wasn't expecting that. but when he had the soup, he was pleasantly surprised. the beef flavour of the soup went really well with him. and he loved the sweetness of the piece of beef in the soup.

we both liked the mushroom soup. it was done in a way that we like -- the way i made my mushroom soup (except without the truffle bit).


5. main

he ordered the beef tenderloin. the seared meat arrived on the pu-ye (leaf) on top of a slate of hot granite stone. you must order this. oh oh, the dish came with a fan of "mamee" (similar to that we had as snacks earlier), but it had been dipped in tempura batter and deep fried. we didn't like it that way because it was way too oily.

i had the baked cod fillet on puff pastry. it actually came with some rice. i felt that the presence of the puff pastry had little contribution to the dish, except as the throne of the fillet. it was a tad too soggy for my liking. so wouldnt miss it a whole lot if they did away with it. the fish was fresh. not a bad dish.


6. dessert

we had warm chocolate cake with ice cream and espresso creme brulee.
the warm chocolate cake was nice, with a lava chocolate centre. my bf sure enjoyed it.
i liked my espresso creme brulee too. it came in a cup with coffee foam on top of the creme brulee itself. nice touch.


7. drinks

bf ordered the fruity refresher that i wanted to have too. it's a delicious drink. very fruity (as expected). it was a really good choice.

i had the lemon tea with rose. it was nice, but i still preferred the fruity refresher. however, i did not send back my lemon tea, i finished it. it was nice as he said. plus the server was such a nice guy.


8. surprise

we were there for our anniversary dinner. when we called to make reservations, the lady asked if we were there for some special occasion (guess they get that a lot). we replied accordingly. after dessert and our drink, the waiter came out with a small cake and rose on a dish, with the words "happy anniversary" on it.

the cake wasn't very good. a little dry. but it's the thought that counts right?


so overall a very very good experience there.

We came for the New Year's Day 7-course lunch. First off, the starters were pretty good, as my memory is not that great, I shall head straight to the mains and soups.

The mains comprised of a rack of lamb shank and beef presented rather elegantly on a tray, complete with little pebbles and a big piece of leaf.

Purists/Foodies will hate me for saying this, I don't really care for presentation as long as the food tastes good. And in this case, the food does not live up to their aesthetic representation. Simple as that.

No, the food does not taste bad/substandard at all, in fact, it will probably wipe the floor with anything Ashton Specialties can come up with.

But if you can be bothered with finding all those beautiful pebbles to sprinkle around my beef, you can be bothered to make sure that my crab bisque doesn't taste and smell like crab shell grind into a paste and mixed with water.

The lamb shank was huge but it was also the first piece of lamb anything I couldn't finish in recent memory.

One point for the management if they are interested, I applaud your generous use of truffles but too much truffles can make you nauseous.

Yes, I am a picky eater, but only for meals that cost me more than $100. I don't complain at all when eating at Din Tai Fung or Mutu's Curry.

I felt rich and treated my staff to Dozo for a Xmas dinner. When we reached we were greeted by the friendly service staff, we were ushered into a privte room although there weer only 5 of us. The dinner menu was just 1 choice 7 course dinner..
Below was what I had :

1st dish - Starter : the scallop tasted hmm kinda wierd, the foie gras was good but too small, the smoked salmon is normal

2nd dish - Cold dish : Smoked duck breast, hands up for this one!! Its nice!

3rd dish - Side dish : I had the escargot, its ok but the ones at Shaslik is much better

4th dish - Soup : I had the mushroom soup with truffle, soup is ok but cant really taste the truffle

5th dish - Main : I had the beef and it tasted just ok, nothing fantastic. It tasted quite plain without much seasoning and the sauce for the beef is quite bland as well.

6th dish - Dessert : I had warm chocolate cake, its also just average, I have tasted better ones elsewhere

7th "dish" - Drink : I had the iced fruity refresher, i liked this, really refreshing after a meal.

Service was really commendable, some staff might seemed to be just reciting a script on what the dishes were but it gave us great information on what we are eating. The damage was reduced as we were given 10% discount and were also given some pastries at the end of our meal.

I went to Dozo to celebrate my anniversary with my dear...And well, was greeted with friendly staff and a pleasant ambience for fine dining. Serve with 7 course meal for dinner at about $70 per person is definitely worth the pricing. Was recommended by the waiter for the great deal food.

For the cream soup, you must try the mushroom...Nice and creamy! As for the starter, the sashimi is great...As for main course, please try the beef on pu ye granite stone..Do pardon me if I remember correctly! Overall, I am pleased with their service and would definitely go back with my dear for the next round of changes!

[#7]

Preamble: I actually planned on writing a review on this restaurant much earlier, but somehow I must apologize to myself and to my fellow foodies on HungryGoWhere for not having had the time to write a review. True, this restaurant has been probably reviewed ad nauseum, but for the sake of completeness I shall venture to write one myself. This restaurant, in a nutshell, serves you European-influenced Japanesque cuisine in a very stylish manner. Since my trip to Dozo earlier this evening was unfortunately a mix of hits and misses (many of them), I shall see how they have fared less compared to my previous, more pleasant visits.

Reservation & Seating: I made my reservation by e-mail which they responded within 2 days. I was pleasantly surprised they confirmed my booking without going through the hassle of calling me again to double-check. The occasion was my 4th anniversary with my girlfriend, and I was promised a window seat (even though I requested for a private area). However, upon arrival, the staff were visibly busy and when we were shown to our seat, we were not given a window seat. When I raised the matter, the staff said that all the window seats had been taken (when in fact there was one table with window seating left). While they verified my claim, another staff promptly sat another couple by the window seat - and later came to apologize for not having recorded the request in the right place. Needless to say, this caused me much disappointment and frustration early on in the meal (especially when my previous visits were much more perfect than today's).

The Menu: The menu has seen minor modifications over the course of the years, but largely the "signature" items remain. A 6-course set lunch and 7-course set dinner setting you back $39.90++ and $59.90++ per person are available, and diners get to choose each course (except the Chef's seasonal assorted platter). Thankfully (or not), the staff have done away with the rather unnecessary jokes (most of them), and give you a much easier time when ordering, though I thought it was a rather integral part of your first Dozo experience. Indeed, this price is pretty decent if you compare across to other restaurants, which would probably charge much more for the same food, service and experience.

The Food: Unlike other fine-dining establishments (like Equinox) where it seems the chefs use high quality ingredients to make up for their inadequate skill, the chefs here are budding artisans at work, and they know their way around their own food, to a rather large extent - well done. Opening the meal was a complimentary Sour Plum Sorbet, very tastefully served in a tall shotglass which came in a bowl of crushed ice and a flower. Why it is called a sorbet is a mystery to some; it departs clearly from our mind's image of a sorbet. It is really more a fruit juice mixture saturated with crushed ice. But labels remain labels, and what comes across is nonetheless pleasing. I was sceptical of the sour plum flavour because, very simply, it is not my favourite. (I was presented a Raspberry Sorbet the previous time I came) However, the sour plum flavour was subtle and very pleasing, and down the glass it gave way to a stronger orange flavour. A decent offering to cleanse our palate and whet our appetite. A friend with whom I ate insisted that they added a small dash of tequila in the raspberry sorbet, but I have yet to verify his claim proper. Also, the tea they serve has improved too; it is no longer the rice tea which had the toasted rice notes which I didn't enjoy.

The Chef's Seasonal Assorted Platter remains the same - a pan-fried scallop with (what appears to be) miso foam and crumbled pistachio, pan-fried foie gras with crouton and smoked salmon with cream and mint leaf. The suggested order of consumption was suggested as scallop, foie gras then salmon. The scallop was nicely large and succulent, but unfortunately I found the miso foam too bland for my liking - did they purposely play down the flavours to enhance the tasting experience of the salmon and foie gras? Both the smoked salmon and foie gras have strong, heady flavours, and it is somewhat arguable which should come first. In any case, the smoked salmon was decent, but I thought that dill might have been a more classic, fitting substitute as compared to the mint leaf they used. The foie gras was nice, melt-in-the-mouth and intense, and was perhaps my favourite among the 3 starters.

For the Cold Dish, my girlfriend had Beef Tataki with Shaved Parmesan and Truffle Mayo Mosaic while I had the King Crab Claw Salad with Sesame Vinaigrette. The beef came in a very stylishly presented with a decent amount of paper-thin beef covering most of the plate; the middle was a small leaning tower of beef tataki. This is decent, but I was (to the smallest extent) surprised at their shameless description of the leaning tower as a "wafer" when it really was a fried springroll skin (which, incidentally, I found a touch too oily). The salad was decent, and comes with a very nice mix of mango atop the crab, with cherry tomato, lettuce, coral weed and corn below. The sesame vinaigrette is very flavourful, and lends the dish a somewhat fusion character. However, the crab claw was a difficult cut as compared to the previous time I tried it, and I spent a disproportionate effort to tease the meat out this time - made worse by my utmost efforts to avoid unglam-ness. Also, the lettuce leaves were browning and had it been my own dining establishment, such leaves would have gone down the chute first thing; why they made it into the salad remains a question to me. Two demerits mar this otherwise really enjoyable dish. If you are looking for alternatives, the Air Flown Seasonal Sashimi Platter is a very decent choice as well, and which many of my female friends choose (and enjoy).

For the Side Dish, my girlfriend had the Foie Gras Chawanmushi topped with Black Truffle Slice while I had the Tempura Battered Soft Shell Crab on Galette of Mash. The chawanmushi was, in her words, delightful, and it really is a wobbly mouthful of egg with the fragrant goodness of foie gras blended within. However, it seems to have lost a fraction of its ethereal quality since the first time I tried it - where it was so soft and silky, I almost couldn't feel the egg in my mouth. Also, a single, random gingko nut whose purpose I have yet to discover always lies hidden at the bottom of the bowl. The soft shell crab brought with it a cold joke ("Sir, this is your fried spider... Just kidding.") The presentation has improved and the tempura is less oily compared to the time I came. The mashed potato has an interesting texture and is, if I am not mistaken, very slickly spiked with a dash of truffle oil - a pleasing combination. However, I gripe about the tempura sauce, which used the same sesame vinaigrette dressing for my crab claw salad. If I remember, the dressing was different and more appropriate the last time I had this. Nonetheless these are decent choices too. The other obvious alternative would be Gratinated Escargots topped with Yuzu Butter.

For the Soup, both of us had the Infusion of Cèpes Mushroom and Truffle, which is what I order every time I come. It is a pretty wonderful soup that is literally brimming with mushroom bits (even better than Saybons, for those who are familiar), and a small black truffle slice returns to add more flavour to the soup. The same truffle oil is used to spike this dish and add a wonderful aroma to the soup. What can I say? This soup remains as good as ever. If only we could ask for more truffle.

For the Main, my girlfriend had a Herbs-braised Lamb Shank while I had the famous Beef Tenderloin on 'Pu-Ye' & Granite Hot Stone. The Lamb Shank was a delightful potpourri of a lamb shank with some other enhancements including, inter alia, a mini croquette, fresh salsa and a yam cracker. The lamb shank was a decent choice, but perhaps without the extras that flanked it, lacked a signature stamp of the restaurant's, and definitely that fusion quality. The Beef tenderloin is their signature item and a piece of rare beef comes nicely sliced for you to continue your cooking on the hot stone, on which the Pu-Ye, which supposedly imparts a woody aroma, is placed. Perhaps the stone wasn't hot enough, or the Pu-Ye lost its aroma, the beef this time was not infused with as strong a woody flavour as the last time I came. Nonetheless, it is decent, and comes with a garnish of onion strips and shallots. The dressing is then a very decent wholegrain dill mustard, which its by itself a very nice complement to the beef but, I fear, is also a culprit in robbing the subtle aromas of the Pu-Ye.

For Desserts, my girlfriend had the Raspberry Verrines and I had the Expresso Crème Brûlée. The raspberry verrines is like a custard cream with a dollop of concentrated raspberry coulis on top, and dusted with a layer of cocoa powder. The cream is decent, and comes with a hint of anise that, by itself is a touch overbalanced, but possibly (depending on your tolerance) is a delight when eaten together with the raspberry. The most wonderful part was the coulis, which was clearly painstakingly made from real stuff, and brimmed with the tartness and aroma of raspberry, with the seeds inside to boot. The Crème Brûlée had a dash of expresso on top, which also borrowed some goodness from the oh-so-lovely caramelised sugar layer, and was a very sweet and enticing prelude into the goodness below. The sugar layer was thinner than I would have wished for, but below it was a custard permeated with the fragrance of expresso - I like. My mummy would have been proud of this. The choice which is often over-recommended and over-rated is, be warned, the Warm Chocolate Cake with Ice-Cream, which I found to be a touch disappointing; the baking imparted the charred chocolate aroma which I unfortunately associated with the burnt chocolate aromas hovering around the Jurong Point area, if anyone cares to check that out. They may have improved their technique; I do not know. I have never been too much a fan of lava chocolate cakes.

It is questionable whether the Drinks, which were served together with dessert, can constitute the purported 7th Course in the set dinner. That aside, both of us ordered the Iced Mallow Apple Melody which is a very nice infusion of mallow flowers in an apple and guava refresher, with apple cubes floating in the nicely presented glass teapot. If anything, it does serve as a wonderful end to a 6- or 7- course dinner.

What defines Dozo, perhaps, is their flexibility in adapting to your special requests and your celebration of various occasions. On the separate occasions I have been there, they are able to synchronize your itinerary (down to presenting flowers and gifts). On my mummy's birthday, they prepared an extra dessert with "Happy Birthday" written in chocolate. On this occasion, we had a simple but pleasant banana cake with the words "Happy 4th anniversary" written on it. It wasn't something as fancy as their normal items, but this thoughtfulness is something that perhaps will continue to win customers.

Sadly, they have (apparently) begun to charge for corkage. For a bottle below 750ml, corkage is $20, but it was waived, most probably on account of the unpleasantness described above. However, the corkage service, which was rather impeccable when it was free, was surprisingly sporadic this time round. Was it because my bottle was a half bottle, that the ice bucket was only half-full? Then the napkin for the bottle was only brought out halfway. But most unglam were the wine flutes which were relatively stubby and not chilled - rather unbefitting of an aspiring fine-dining joint. Even my $12-a-dozen glass flutes from Spotlight were easily more presentable. This does make me think twice about bringing a bottle next time.

All that aside, let me have another word on their service and other points of interest in general. Their service is generally unobtrusive, but has become on the relatively inattentive and lacklustre side (given my higher expectations based on previous experiences). Previously, they would return your receipts in a very nice Dozo angpow to save the hassle of handling a wad of paper, but they have apparently eschewed that practice much to my dismay. However, the style of presentation and their service approach is perhaps geared toward specialising in special events rather than normal dinners, so this is one place I would consider only for special occasions, and not for normal dining-out.

A complete dinner experience there takes you rather easily 2 hours (±20 minutes), so this is something busy diners might want to brace themselves for. Parking at night is very easy; lots are plentiful and parking costs only $2. In general, this place makes for very wheelchair-friendly access, which can only be good news. The window view is unfortunately that of a 2nd-storey window, and is unfortunately not too much to crow about, but the ambience is something special. The lighting and ambience is highly conducive for a private dinner even in the communal rooms, where tables are sufficiently widely spaced. A light blend of jazz music forms your dinner backdrop. The private rooms, which are individually designed, are very nicely done up and make for a great dining experience if you have a larger party - something worth a mention. (Last time I checked (many months ago), you need a minimum party of 4, but I'm not sure if that has changed, given their increased patronage now.)

But all my gripes and everything said, this still remains (provided their service sees some recalibration) an attractive dining option for me, and it easily beats other fine-dining joint-wannabes. Even though I have been slightly disappointed at my most recent visit, I would continue to visit and recommend this restaurant in the hope its service quality will match up to what I experienced in its earliest days - impeccable, personal and near-flawless.

Cheers.

##

Went to Dozo for dinner after my pastor highly recommended it.
Location is a bit off, at Vally Point. For people who drive, is just a stone throw away from town. For those who don't drive like me, you can either take a bus from Orchard Boulevard, or take free shuttle from Liang Court.

Ambience is nice and quiet, modern setting with some private rooms near the entrance. According to the manager, you can request the private room regardless the number of people you have! :-)

We opted for the 7 course set dinner, and some cold Asahi beer to start. They served interesting pastry sticks, not those thick one like Italian, but very thin & fine ones, which can be mistaken as sticks!

Starter: Comes with a scallop, smoked salmon and fioe gras (Very tiny piece).

Cold Dish: Beef Tataki is a must try. The airflown seasonal sashimi is ok, fresh but nothing special.

Side Dish: Escargots. Different from those garlic steamed one, this one is with nice butter!

Soup: Mushroom and Truffle & Crab Bisque.
Truffle was a tiny tiny portion, can't really taste it. But the mushroom soup is good, can really taste the mushroom.

Main: Beef Tenderloin & Altanic Cod Fillet
Beef is very tender, and the cod fillet "Sit" on a pastry base, which compliment the fresh cod fillet.

Dessert: Warm Chocolate cake. Portion a bit small, but taste was excellent.

Overall food is excellent, and it is accompanied by interesting way of presentation, which makes you hungry! Wine list is complete too, though some of the premium wine a bit steep, which brings up my bill as we had a bottle, and 2 glasses of house pour.

Service is friendly and prompt, and they entertain my curiosity of what are the dishes made of :p

Definately the best japanese place in Singapore i ever been. The interior design is wonderful, it worths a visit just because of this. They have very sofisticated food but to do not make mistakes i decided for a mix of sushi (...boring, I know), my wife she tried Unagi which is served on a hot stone...and I regret to have ordered my mix of sushi. Unagi was really delicious. To try the mochi with ice-cream as dessert and obviosly sake to conclude. Great Experience!

After reading all the positive reviews, I decided to try Dozo out for my girlfriend's birthday, and I was so impressed that I felt compelled to write a positive review of my own.

The food was excellent. The service was superb, although the captain(?)'s jokes were a bit cheesy and reused at every table. The ambience was also nice despite the fact that the decor was a bit tacky and old-looking, but otherwise, everything was perfect.

They even made a special little cake with a message for my gf since it was her birthday!

Seriously, this is the best restauraunt I've ever been to, and that's saying a lot because I've been to several all over the world.

If you think about it, $70 for 7 courses is seriously a steal as well, especially with the quality of the food served.

Everyone must try this place, even if just to find out it's not to your tastes.