Food Review: Taiga Dining At Regent Singapore | Japanese Omakase By Master Chef Taiga Kanekuni

Posted on February 12, 2022 by theRantingPanda in Food

The Place Our love for Japanese Omakase never ends. Located in Regent Singapore, the newest to join the ranks is Taiga Dining, a 11-seater fine dining sushi-ya. Unlike most Japanese Omakase restaurant in Singapore where the interior leans towards wooden tones, the space of Taiga features dark wooden furniture set amidst an abstract mountainscape from Kōchi, where Chef Taiga hails from. The facade of the restaurant’s entrance features a white granite landscape, and it is at a quiet corner of Regent Singapore on the lobby level.

Taiga is helmed by Master Chef Taiga Kanekuni who has 16 years of experience under his belt, where he specialises in traditional Edomae-style sushi. This is Chef Taiga first eponymous restaurant.

The Food The Omakase Lunch menu is available at S$280, S$380 and S$480; while dinner is available at S$380 and S$480. Chef Taiga favours wild-caught seafood and also seeks to obtain the highest A-grade auction ingredients for his Omakase menus.

I had the Hi To To Se Menu (S$480) for dinner which includes 5 Appetisers, 8 Nigiri Sushi, 2 Handrolls, Soup and Dessert.

The below are the series of appetisers I had:

Chawanmushi with Sea Urchin and Hairy Crab
Served in a small cup, the silky smooth chawanmushi is topped with a generous layer of Uni with seasonal hairy crab meat beneath. I like the creaminess of the Uni here.

Yellowtail with Pomelo, Ponzu Jelly and Caviar
You get that bit of smokiness from the yellow tail, and the slightly citrusy ponzu jelly cuts through the smokiness of the fish so well.

Octopus and Monkfish Liver
I was told to have the octopus first which sits atop the monkfish liver. You get really pure flavours for both the octopus and monkfish liver, where both ingredients are just lightly seasoned. The monkfish liver is particularly outstanding even though it is only soaked in soy sauce and sake.

Fatty Tuna Pickled in Soy Sauce
One of chef’s Taiga signature dishes, where the otoro is marinated with soy sauce for an hour.

White Shrimp with Black Truffles
The shrimp is covered with black truffles from Spain, where the sweet prawn taste balances the slightly smoky taste of the truffle.

Moving on to the series of Nigiri Sushi and Handrolls, Chef Taiga has formulated two types of shari to complement the fish. The shari is made from 3 types of rice grown in the Miyagi and Toyama prefectures, and different blends of red and white vinegars to create the two distinct flavours.

Grouper

Blue Fish

Sardine
I thought this will be very fishy, but it is surprisingly not at all. Very fresh and distinct flavour here, and that layered texture on the skin is beautiful.

Lean Tuna
A bright red hue for this tuna, and it spots a slightly citrusy taste with a tinge of vinegar as well.

Blackthroat Seaperch

Surf Clam

Sea Urchin Handroll
It comes with 3 types of premium Uni depending on availability at auction where the flavour of the Uni is really smooth and fresh. The interesting bit is biting into the A-grade jet black nori seaweed from one end to the other, and you get that subtle shift in the Uni profile as you bite along. This is one of Chef Taiga’s signatures.

Botan Ebi
A huge piece of fresh Hokkaido prawn on the rice, I love the natural flavour of the ebi and clearly, size matters for that extra meatiness you get here.

Tuna and Bonito Flake
This is hand-chopped tuna is topped on rice and cradled by A-grade jet black nori sheets. Other than the delicious tuna, special mention goes to the extra crunchy seaweed which Chef Taiga shared is sourced from auction.

Sea Eel
The anago is grilled over binchotan with a sweet sauce where the texture is extremely soft.

The last savoury course is the Miso Soup, which is prepared with clams and has bits of chives as well.

Dessert is the creamy and fresh Hokkaido Milk Ice Cream with Black Truffle.

Rants A cosy space where it is also easy to accidentally overhear other diners’ conversations.

Will I Return Again? Another Japanese Omakase to add to the list. You can expect really fresh and premium ingredients at Taiga, where the variety of sushi and appetisers served are impressive. Worth checking out for your next anniversary meal.

This was an invited tasting, though all opinions expressed are our own.

Make your reservations instantly at Taiga Dining here.

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 4/5
Hole in the pocket: 4.5/5
Ambience: 4/5
Overall Experience: 4/5