Food Review: Fat Cow At Camden Medical Centre | New Wagyu Omakase Menu By Chef Shingo Iijima

Posted on August 6, 2023 by theRantingPanda in Food

The Place It has been a few years since I last visited Fat Cow which should be a familiar Japanese restaurant name to most. As a restaurant under the Commonwealth Concepts (behind Bedrock Origin, Miyoshi by Fat Cow, and more) known for its Japanese Waygu beef selections, Fat Cow is located at Camden Medical Centre where the dining space huge. My meal took place in one of the three dining halls, a counter seating with an open view of the kitchen.

The Food Helmed by Chef Shingo Iijima, the new Wagyu Omakase (S$290++ per person) showcases an unparalleled selection of Wagyu sourced from Hokkaido, Tochigi, Gunma, Ohmi, Matsusaka, Nagasaki, Miyazaki, and Kagoshima. It is approximately 250g of wagyu beef in total across the courses.

Sake or Wine Pairing is also available which is quite reasonably priced at S$68++ per person. I opted for the Sake Pairing!

For a start, I had the Zensai Platter, concealed within a deep bowl and covered by a sheet of traditional Japanese paper before being ignited in flames to reveal the contents beneath.

It is a delightful combination of Golden Spaghetti Squash with Red Perilla Sauce; Wagyu Saikyou Yaki; Hasuimo, Abalone & Uni; Grilled Wagyu Tendon with Sesame paste; and Hybrid Bok Choy with Octopus.

Next up is a sashimi course of Wara Smoked Wagyu Sashimi, which features Tochigi Wagyu being sliced and smoked with hay. The flavourful beef is then topped with Grated Radish and Ponzu Sauce. Delicious!

Not a usual chawanmushi course, the Black Truffle Tamaji-mushi Wagyu Cutlet is unique in the sense you get a fried Toriyama katsu made with Toriyama Wagyu prepared in the gyukatsu-style, along with the silky tamaji-mushi (steamed egg custard) with slices of black truffle.

The next course looks like a Vietnamese inspired dish, where I had Wagyu Fresh Spring Rolls with a trio of flavours. The spring roll skin is very delicate but good in the sense that it holds the ingredients very well.

I had three different preparation styles of Ohmi Wagyu – Ohmi Wagyu with mascarpone cheese and miso-marinated egg yolk sauce; Ohmi Wagyu with sesame and chopped oba shiso leaf; and Ohmi Wagyu with kaiware (radish sprout) and marinated aka plum (red plum). Very distinct flavours for all three and I love the contrast in flavours.

The Wagyu & Watercress Shabu follows, a meticulous composition of Matsusaka Wagyu beef, thinly sliced and immersed in a flavorful broth crafted with dashi, mirin, shoyu, and katsuoboshi, topped with watercress leaves.

One of my favourite courses of the meal is the Wagyu Sukiyaki & Japanese Beinasu. You get a well-marbled Nagasaki Wagyu slices which is aged for three weeks with wagyu fat and very lightly grilled on binchotan, topped with some black truffle slices along with Japanese eggplant served on a double-boiled housemade egg yolk sauce made with Japanese eggs, mirin, shoyu and sake. Even the eggplant is amazingly soft and delicious.

Next up is a refreshing palate cleanser of Radish Sorbet, made from white radish and accompanied by delicate pearls of balsamic vinegar.

One of the grand finale highlights is the Charcoal Grilled Wagyu with Burdock Sauce. The A4 Miyazaki Wagyu steak is succulent and rich in flavour after being grilled over binchotan. The steak is served with a colorful array of sides, including young corn, fresh kizami wasabi, roasted round red radish, and a housemade burdock sauce.

The last savoury course is the Wagyu Chazuke and the interesting bit here is the Satsuma Wagyu coated in a tempura batter to go along with the donabe rice.

The donabe rice is made with Nanatsuboshi rice from Hokkaido, cooked in a claypot with umeboshi and kelp, and I enjoyed the broth made from ocha (Japanese tea), ichiban dashi and mirin.

For Dessert, I had Black Sesame Tofu along with Seasonal Fruits and a small glass of Rice Wine.

Rants Nothing in particular.

Will I Return Again? Overall, the Wagyu Omakase at Fat Cow is quite impressive, and I like that the wagyu game and theme is strong from the appetisers all the way to the chazuke. It is also great that different breeds of wagyu beef are showcased in the menu, so you really do not have to travel through Japan physically to have a taste of each region’s wagyu breed. All wagyu lovers should give this menu a try.

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

Make your reservation instantly at Fat Cow here.

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