There is not that many gastronomy places in the world that I’ve visited more than twice. I can count with my fingers that a few of those restaurants are L’Arpege, Gagnaire Paris and L’Ambroisie. The new restaurant that just join my “exclusive list” is Waku Ghin (WG), currently Tetsuya Wakuda-san’s best establishment. This can happen also because Singapore is a lot more accessible for me than Paris. I will not talk much about the restaurant’s story or setting as you can find it at my previous post. Let’s jump into the main stuff: the food. The content is very similar especially the main ingredients for several dishes, but some of them prepared differently.
-Marinated Botan shrimp served with Sea urchin and Oscietra caviar - A lot has been said of the restaurant's most famous dish. Still as delicious as it gets even for the 3rd time. Botan ebi, uni, and caviar - no matter what combination I scooped, they're sensational!The beef: finally I had the opportunity to taste and contrast Tasmanian vs Ohmi beef.

-The tender grass-fed beef from Australia was still pink on the inside and it's very good as expected. The beef was paired well with creamy and not-so-spicy mustard, a special recipe of Wakuda-san. It’s indeed enjoyable and possibly better than any steaks at Morton/Cut
-Ohmi beef is a "must have" dish at Waku Ghin. The cattle was raised in special environment and water; the beef was really marbling and its fat has viscosity. The result is a heavenly wagyu roll that melt in the mouth – make sure to add a bit of citrus soy and wasabi on the beef, umami experience!
-The charcoal grill king crab was simple, slightly sweet and succulent. The 'lemon sauce' added flavor contrast balanced the dish. Steamed or grilled Alaskan crab? Both are well executed here
-Grilled abalone was slightly chewy and tender as it should be. It was served with French asparagus that has fine texture & delicate taste. Although tasty by themselves, the dish was improved by the decent Aonori (seaweed) sauce
-Braised lobster was served with white miso (from Kyoto). The miso broth also consisted of lobster juice, butter, ginger and spring onion. This ‘sauce’ was light and complemented the juicy lobster's inherent sweetness - excellent!
The thing I love most about Waku Ghin is that the high quality ingredients are front and center; they take good care and respect the ingredients. Most of the dishes look deceptively simple (remind me of Le Louis XV though not at that level yet), but they’re delicious with the execution that is almost flawless in particular the teppanyaki part. I have no doubt that food-wise, they’re very closed to Michelin 3-star standard (95 pts, equivalent to 2 ¾*) – the highest score I ever give thus far to any Singapore restaurants (tie with my Joel Robuchon Sentosa meal in Dec ‘11).

For pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7124357@N03/sets/72157633517028980/

 

I attended the World Gourmet Summit (2013) awards ceremony recently, and witnessed the crowning of Waku Ghinas VISMARK Asian Restaurant Of The Year. Waku Ghin was also ranked 11th on the coveted ‘World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ 2013 list. Champagne popping and celebrations aside, the accolades left me puzzled because my virgin experience at Waku Ghin lacked Tetsuya’s midas touch.

Our party of 6 was led to a cosy enclosure and seated in front of a teppan (‘metal griddle‘). The 10 course degustation menu was kickstarted by Flan with Queensland Spanner Crab presented in a quaint porcelain cup. It was forgettable to say the least, as the silky flan though well-prepared was more of a stomach filler than a taste bud tantalizer.
Next up, was the restaurant’s signature dish, Marinated Botan Shrimp with Sea Urchin and Oscietra Caviar - easily my favourite of the night. The presentation was exquisite with briny lobes of mustard sea urchin (‘uni‘) complementing the silky, silver Botan shrimp (‘Botan ebi‘) and topped with a dollop of creamy oscietra caviar placed over a bowl of shaved ice. To top it all off, the trio was to be savoured with a mother of pearl spoon, said to enhance the taste of the dish.
Botan ebi prized for its texture, is rare as it can only be found at the depths of 300-500 metres along Hokkaido’s shores. It is never boiled and Botan ebi is so delicate that it sits in shell till preparation time. The uni, sourced from Hokkaido as well, is gently washed to remove any hint of bitterness before it is placed back into its oblate, thorny exterior. Taste wise, the sharp, salty tanginess of the finest oscietra caviar from Beluga, punctuated the otherwise sweet, succulent flavours of the Botan ebi and uni mix, which left me satisfied right down to the last morsel. This dish lingered on my palate, but longer in my mind.
Third on the indulgent list, is the Twice-Cooked Scottish Bamboo Clam with Garlic Cream. I have a soft spot for bamboo clams, and this did not disappoint. The bamboo clams were first blanched then sauteed, and its flavourful freshness was teased out by the garlic cream emulsion, parsley oil, croutons and slivers of chilli.
This was followed by the lackluster Pan-fried Fillet of Ayu with Daikon and Fennel which failed to impress as the Ayu’s  (‘Japanese sweetfish’) flesh was dry, even though its skin was fried to a crisp perfection. Following which, we had the plump Australian Abalone with Fregola and Tomato, dexterously dissected into quarters by our chef over the teppan. The succulent, chewy abalone was cleanly paired with the fregola, cherry tomatoes, rocket and aioli which lent a hint of Italian flavours. It seemed to me that the Italian touch was a tad too subdued and took a backseat as the freshness of the voluptuous abalone shone through.
For the full read, check out: http://popspoken.com/2013/03/31/is-waku-ghin-overrated/

I attended the World Gourmet Summit (2013) awards ceremony recently, and witnessed the crowning of Waku Ghinas VISMARK Asian Restaurant Of The Year. Waku Ghin was also ranked 11th on the coveted ‘World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ 2013 list. Champagne popping and celebrations aside, the accolades left me puzzled because my virgin experience at Waku Ghin lacked Tetsuya’s midas touch.
Our party of 6 was led to a cosy enclosure and seated in front of a teppan (‘metal griddle‘). The 10 course degustation menu was kickstarted by Flan with Queensland Spanner Crab presented in a quaint porcelain cup. It was forgettable to say the least, as the silky flan though well-prepared was more of a stomach filler than a taste bud tantalizer.
Next up, was the restaurant’s signature dish, Marinated Botan Shrimp with Sea Urchin and Oscietra Caviar - easily my favourite of the night. The presentation was exquisite with briny lobes of mustard sea urchin (‘uni‘) complementing the silky, silver Botan shrimp (‘Botan ebi‘) and topped with a dollop of creamy oscietra caviar placed over a bowl of shaved ice. To top it all off, the trio was to be savoured with a mother of pearl spoon, said to enhance the taste of the dish.
Botan ebi prized for its texture, is rare as it can only be found at the depths of 300-500 metres along Hokkaido’s shores. It is never boiled and Botan ebi is so delicate that it sits in shell till preparation time. The uni, sourced from Hokkaido as well, is gently washed to remove any hint of bitterness before it is placed back into its oblate, thorny exterior. Taste wise, the sharp, salty tanginess of the finest oscietra caviar from Beluga, punctuated the otherwise sweet, succulent flavours of the Botan ebi and uni mix, which left me satisfied right down to the last morsel. This dish lingered on my palate, but longer in my mind.
Third on the indulgent list, is the Twice-Cooked Scottish Bamboo Clam with Garlic Cream. I have a soft spot for bamboo clams, and this did not disappoint. The bamboo clams were first blanched then sauteed, and its flavourful freshness was teased out by the garlic cream emulsion, parsley oil, croutons and slivers of chilli.
This was followed by the lackluster Pan-fried Fillet of Ayu with Daikon and Fennel which failed to impress as the Ayu’s  (‘Japanese sweetfish’) flesh was dry, even though its skin was fried to a crisp perfection. Following which, we had the plump Australian Abalone with Fregola and Tomato, dexterously dissected into quarters by our chef over the teppan. The succulent, chewy abalone was cleanly paired with the fregola, cherry tomatoes, rocket and aioli which lent a hint of Italian flavours. It seemed to me that the Italian touch was a tad too subdued and took a backseat as the freshness of the voluptuous abalone shone through.
To read more, check out: http://popspoken.com/2013/03/31/is-waku-ghin-overrated/