Food Review: Kagayaki By Ishigaki Yoshida At Keong Saik | Refined Teppanyaki Restaurant With Exclusive Masuda Beef

Posted on June 24, 2023 by theRantingPanda in Food

The Place Good Japanese teppanyaki restaurants are hard to come by in Singapore and Kagayaki by Ishigaki Yoshida located along Keong Saik Road is the latest Japanese restaurant to open in the buzzing dining enclave. Kagayaki by Ishigaki Yoshida is a Singapore-based offshoot of Ishigaki Yoshida in Tokyo. Chef Junichi Yoshida who helms the Tokyo restaurant, holds the distinction of founding the first chef-owned teppanyaki establishment to be awarded a Michelin star in 2015. The name Kagayaki refers to “brilliance” in Japanese – a reflection of what Kagayaki attempts to translate through its food.

Upon entering the restaurant, I was greeted by a zen-looking hallway which leads into the main dining hall, a beautifully designed teppan counter which accommodates 12 pax.

In addition, there is also a cosy 6-seater private dining room. Kagayaki in Singapore is led by Head Chef Nobuyasu Kamiko from Asakusa, Japan, who has over 30 years of culinary experience, and was most recently trained under chef Yoshida in the namesake’s Tokyo restaurant before the Singapore’s outpost was opened.

The main dining hall is a L-shaped setting where you get a close interaction with the chefs and a glimpse of the kitchen action, which I noticed to be very methodical and organised in terms of the execution of the dishes.

The Food I would recommend going for chef Kamiko’s 8-course Kagayaki Menu (S$380) for first timers, or there is also the Omakase Menu at S$480 which includes more specialty dishes created by chef Yoshida. The restaurant also offers specialty add-ons such as Masuda Beef Curry with Rice (S$48) or Chateaubriand Sando (S$60).

I had the 8-course Kagayaki Menu and my meal started with the Hassun – Chef’s Daily Appetisers. The hassun here consists of three elements: soba, sushi and croquette. The cold house-made soba is prepared using only buckwheat flour and is quite a refreshing start.

The warm croquette showcases how Masuda Kagayaki beef could be used as a snack, while the sushi showcases Masuda beef tataki on ginger rice with condiments like caviar and freshly grated wasabi.

Next up is the Eggs, which is a combination of Scrambled Japanese Mangetsu Eggs and Uni. If scrambled eggs are usually done this way, I would not mind having it daily.

Expect a buttery scrambled eggs flavour mixed with chopped truffles from Manjimup and seasoned with a sweet soy from Kyushu, along with two types of Japanese Uni.

To complete the “breakfast” experience, it is also served alongside with a housemade brioche that is lightly toasted on the teppan with French butter.

The seasonal nature of the menu here is reflected in the next course which is the Scallop. Japanese wild scallops are usually only harvested between May to August, and this course features scallops grilled on the teppan with three kinds of mushrooms (Shitake/Daikouku from Kyoto, Brown button from Okinawa) in a herb butter sauce.

It is topped with a foam of scallop and asari clam cream, and served with some garlic puree on the side. I really enjoyed this dish, and I personally love fresh mushrooms where the ones here have a great texture along with a slight buttery flavour. The scallop itself is grilled perfectly and it really goes well with the foam and the delicious asari clam cream.

Next up is a Seasonal Fish where I had the Amadai with Beurre Blanc and Wasabi.

The best part of the Amadai for me is the crispy scales on the fish and even though it is served on a bed of wasabi beurre blanc, the wasabi element is quite subtle. I also like the addition of the ebi breadcrumbs which is quite the icing on the cake for the fish.

I was sceptical initially when I first saw a Salad as part of the dinner course, but am glad the salad serves as a refreshing intermission course before the main act. For one, it is a beautiful display of pickles and seasonal vegetables such as charred nasu (eggplant), Asparagus, Cauliflower, Tomato, along with a crispy Shima rakkyo fritter – a fried onion bulb from Shima Island in Okinawa. The best part for me is in fact the delicious homemade dressing which is a combination of Japanese root vegetables, sweet sake, fresh herbs.

For the main course, there is a choice of either the Ultimate Crispy Yaki Steak or Ise Lobster with Uni Sauce. Well, I would say definitely go for the beef if you are a beef lover as this is the highlight of the 8-course Kagayaki Menu. I had the Ultimate Crispy Yaki Steak which showcases a steak of Masuda Kagayaki beef (70g).

The exclusive Masuda beef is cooked at a low temperature on the teppan, and then grilled over ubame oak Tosa binchotan to achieve the crispy exterior crust. The name of the beef Masuda Kagayaki, which bears the restaurant’s name as Kagayaki has exclusive rights to the breed in Southeast Asia and is the only restaurant in Southeast Asia to cook with Masuda beef, which is prized for being translucent and delicate. The female premium cattle are raised in Masuda Farm located in Gunma prefecture and fed a special feed made of boiled-pressed barley that is steamed twice for six months.

The beef itself is very flavourful and succulent, even without any seasoning which is amazing. I was literally taking a slow moment to appreciate the rich flavours of the beef by savouring it in small slices, where I also have more bites to go with the accompanying housemade sauces – Yoshida’s Signature Garlic steak sauce and Yoshida’s Signature Japanese ume sauce. The best way in my opinion is to have the beef with a little of the garlic steak sauce, along with a pinch of the Okinawa sea salt and garlic chips or fresh wasabi. Some seasonal vegetables (sugar peas, shitake and kabu) are also served with the steak to balance the richness of the beef.

The last savoury course is the Gohan, where I had Beef Garlic Fried Rice served with Japanese pickles. You can also opt for the Sirloin Sukiyaki with Rice (supplement S$20).

Japanese rice (koshihikari) is used here with Hokkaido spring water where it is fried on the teppan with Masuda Kagayaki beef, mangetsu eggs, a secret garlic sauce, house-pickled garlic and fresh Japanese herbs.

Each grain has a nice firm texture where the fried rice is aromatic, and it tastes even better with bits of the fried garlic crisps. It also comes with a side of suguki (a type of turnip) pickles as a palate cleanser.

Last but not least, I was looking forward to dessert which features one of my favourite Japanese sweets, Warabi Mochi, which is prepared in front of diners. Can I just have the whole bowl?

I love the fresh flavour of the warabi mochi, which goes well with the housemade matcha ice cream made from matcha powder from Shizuoka. For added sweetness, drip a little of the accompanying kuromitsu (Okinawa black sugar syrup).

Rants It is a pity that lunch service is not available at the moment which would typically offer a more accessible menu price point.

Will I Return Again? If you love teppanyaki, Kagayaki by Ishigaki Yoshida is one new restaurant to check out in Singapore. While prices are on the steep end, the overall use of good and exclusive ingredients coupled with the quality of the dishes make it worthwhile to bookmark for a special occasion. Great pacing of dishes, polished service and an intimate dining ambience.

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

Make your reservations instantly at Kagayaki by Ishigaki Yoshida here.

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