Food Review: Taiga Dining At Conrad Singapore Orchard | New Lunch & Dinner Omakase By Master Chef Taiga Kanekuni

Posted on April 7, 2023 by theRantingPanda in Food

The Place Opened in 2022, Taiga Dining is an intimate 13-seater sushi-ya helmed by Master Chef Taiga Kanekuni, the first establishment under his name. I revisited Taiga last month as the Japanese restaurant in Conrad Singapore Orchard (ex-Regent Singapore) launched a new menu. You might miss the entrance of Taiga Dining which takes inspiration from an abstract mountain-scape design in the cosy 13-seater space.

The Food Think traditional Edomae sushi with a modern approach, the new Taiga Dining menu presents two omakase menu options for Lunch and two omakase menu options for Dinner. Kiri Ni Hoou (S$150) and Ino Shika Cho (S$250) are available for lunch; while Ino Shika Cho (S$250) and Hi To To Se (S$350) are available for dinner. Each menu comprises a selection of artistic appetisers, nigiri sushi, miso soup and dessert.

To put things in perspective, the prices for lunch and dinner have come down quite significantly as compared to 2022 when the restaurant just opened.

Chef Taiga takes great pleasure in sharing and sourcing the unique ingredients from Kōchi, such as its iconic citrus fruits in the form of the buntan (pomelo) and famous katsuo (bonito). I had the Hi To To Se (S$350) dinner menu where you can expect 3 Signature Appetisers, 9 Nigiri Sushi, Auction-Grade Uni Handroll (Bafun & Murasaki), Miso Soup and Dessert.

For a start, expect appetisers like the delicious Chawanmushi topped with Iranian caviar; as well as the Sakura Trout with pomelo from Kochi and ponzu jelly.

Before the main highlight of the meal which is the sushi act, I was served a comforting bowl of Dashi broth along with tempura crumbs.

Chef Taiga’s shari comprises a unique blend of four different rice and several red and white vinegars, designed to harmonise with the seasonal fish he prepares. I really enjoyed the sushi rice; it is very well-balanced, and it gels and holds each of the ingredient very well.

I also want to highlight that the wasabi used is freshly grated by Chef before he makes the sushi, and there is a good balance of the amount of wasabi Chef Taiga adds to each piece of sushi I had.

Here are the 9 types of Sushi courses for my dinner:

Grunts (Isaki)

Amberjack

Chutoro

Otoro
This is definitely one of my favourite sushi courses, I love the beautifully sliced layers in the Otoro which accentuates the flavours of the fish.

Minced Tuna & Radish
This is interesting as the addition of radish provides an added texture and crunch to the tuna.

Sea Perch
Another fav of my meal is this flavourful sea perch with a fatty taste profile. I do like my fish to be rich in fats!

Squid

Uni Handroll
The Auction-Grade Uni Handroll is one of Chef Taiga’s signatures and is a luscious combination of Hokkaido Bafun & Murasaki Uni.

It is well worth the course, as you get a huge slab of Uni on the crispy, delicious Auction-Grade seaweed.

Botan Ebi

Golden Eye Snapper (Kinmedai)

Miso Soup
The last act before dessert is a comforting bowl of bonito-based broth with clams and fish bones.

Dessert
The dessert I had is an unique combination of Kochi and Saga prefecture strawberries, along with pumpkin ice cream with Tamago.

Rants Small and intimate dining space where conversations are easily heard.

Will I Return Again? I had a good omakase at Taiga and the lunch sets are pretty good value for a start. Head here if you love a good sushi omakase.

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