#1 sakizuke – a selection of small appetizers
we had good recent experience of GOTO’s S$68 omakase lunch on 1.10.2014.
my wife wanted to buy me a good dinner & also to invite her close couple friends. since GOTO will start renovation very shortly & remodel to a casual non kaiseki restaurant, we decided to order the S$280pax omakase dinner on 23.10.2014.
food was good of course, but relative to the exorbitant price, it was really far below expectations, compared with keyaki, kuriya, hachi & of course mikuni. 😦
#1 sakizuke – a selection of small appetizers
the #1 sakizuke – a selection of small appetizers 先附 was of very good standard, with a very nice pickled sanma (秋刀鱼) pacific dory which i liked, duck, a periwinkle?, prawn, cured squid, ikura, pickled shimeji mushrooms & spinach.
#2 dobinmushi
#2 dobinmushi
#2 dobinmushi was a very good soup, very clear, tasty soup, with pieces of fish fillet, mushrooms etc.
#3 sashimi moriawase
#3 sashimi moriawase
#3 sashimi moriawase
#3 sashimi moriawase
#3 uni – sashimi moriawase
the #3 sashimi moriawase was a very large serving than the usual served in a kaiseki or course meal. there were 2 chutoro, 1 botan ebi, 2 hotate, several thick cut tako, 2 kampachi, hirame & tai, & uni. it was good standard but no better, in fact the toro was distinctly poorer c/w the S$45 chirashi don (after 50% feed at raffles discounts) at mikuni.
#4 braised kinki (expensive japanese fish)
#4 braised kinki (expensive japanese fish)
the #4 braised kinki (expensive japanese fish) was a good tasty fish but to me it tasted like angkoli (red snapper), so i didn’t really understand why it was expensive. this was a nitsuke or simmered dish.
#5 minced prawn in lily bulb + yan paste
the #5 minced prawn in lily bulb paste was an interesting, unique dish. the lily bulb + mountain yam paste had the slightly sticky yam texture, and the dish was very tasty overall. 🙂
#6 miso ebi tempura
#6 miso ebi tempura
as with the S$68 lunch, they served a dry miso tempura. it was very nice. 🙂
#7 kagoshima wagyu
#7 kagoshima wagyu
#7 kagoshima wagyu was very good, but the better marbled much tastier kagoshima wagyu ishiyaki at mikuni only cost S$37.50 alacarte after 50% discounts.
#8 gohan – chicken shimeji mushroom rice
#8 gohan – chicken shimeji mushroom rice
the #8 gohan – chicken shimeji mushroom rice had good mushroom flavours but otherwise no comparison with any kamameshi at sun with moon wheelock or a unagi chahan at zen japanese.
#9 dessert tray
#9 dessert tray
they offered very good dessert – very good japanese melon + grapes. yuzu ice cream, orange jelly & strawberry mousse.
macha – nice end to dinner
& i always enjoyed macha.
the kaiseki dinner was very good standard, but for me price was far too exorbitant relative to other good kaiseki restaurants & it was not at all value-for-money. one could get a very good omakase dinner at hachi for S$118pax. and at this price i would want to try kumo anytime.
c.h.e.f andy
c.h.e.f 