Kaiseki Yoshiyuki – Kappo-style Kaiseki at Forum

Indulge in the famed Kappo-style Kaiseki cuisine that promises guests a culinary journey that sees gastronomy elevated to an art form; where everything tastes as goods as it looks. Set in an open concept kitchen surrounded with bar seats, allow award winning Chef Yoshiyuki Kashiwabara to tantalize your taste buds with his delicate creations made from fresh seasonal ingredients.

Honored as an Excellent Chef of Diplomat Missions by the Japanese Foreign Service, Chef Yoshiyuki spent seven years as the personal chef to the ambassadors based in San Francisco and Singapore. His formative years of development as a kaiseki chef were spent at the respected Kyoryori Hosoi in Saiama prefecture, where he joined as a trainee and eventually rose to lead the kitchen team.

We love the kappo-style counter seating because we can talk to the chef up close and personal. Chef is also able to showcase his culinary abilities while interacting with the guests allowing them to view the Kaiseki preparation through the eyes of a chef, as he intricately creates the meal from scratch.

Chef Yoshiyuki takes pride in his dynamic menu where the items are ever changing depending on the season and availability of ingredients in Japan’s Tsukiji market. During my lunch, we had fresh sashimi like higedara sashimi, akami and ootoro with soy foam, as well as akagai with miso sauce. Hamaguri also known as beach chestnuts makes a light yet rich broth. This is a very flavourful and soothing broth. It reminds me of my time in Japan.

Sawara or Spanish Mackerel is one the best kind of Mackerel in Japan. Grilled to a perfect gold, it white flesh is leaner and succulent. Takenoko (bamboo shoots) were slowly steamed in its own moisture with a tasty daikon. The sakura ebi rice is a great end to our meal. The rice grains are loose but still moist. The addition of these little crustaceans makes it crunchy and fragrant. In Chinese, we like to call it ‘wrapping silver with gold’ – the gold being the sakura ebi and silver refers to the white rice grains.

Among the myriad styles of Japanese cuisine, Kaiseki is an iconic practice that gains inspiration from ancient practices. Being the only traditional Kaiseki in Singapore, Kaiseki Yoshiyuki believes in staying true to our roots and preserving such traditional Kyoto cuisine. Chef’s dedication to highlighting the natural flavors of the ingredients is paired amazingly with his creativity and knowledge, hence creating each dish that truly represents Kyoto kaiseki cuisine.

Kaiseki Yoshiyuki serves 6 to 9 courses in a meal with all ingredients imported directly from Japan. Lunch is priced from $88 – $128, and dinner from $228 – $328. Special seasonal menus & food items are available upon request; advanced reservation is required (E.g. Snow Crab).

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