The Place A new dining concept in Raffles City Shopping Centre, Maison Yoshoku (Yoshoku literally translate to “Western food” in Japanese) is the newest modern Japanese-Western restaurant by Surrey Hills Group located on level three right beside Bon Broth. It touts itself as Singapore’s first floating dessert bar and a first-of-its-kind Hitsumabushi experience featuring eight mains, each enjoyed four ways.

The interior features a warm and cosy layout with dark wood tones, leather seating, and warm lighting. The centrestage is the magnetic counter bar which is dedicated exclusively to their interactive dessert experience.

The Food The menu is split into customizable Hitsumabushi-style lunch sets, contemporary Yoshoku dinner plates, and Singapore’s very first Floating Dessert Omakase.

I started with a refreshing Trevally Crudo (S$26) which features slices of fresh Trevally sashimi in yuzu ponzu sauce and topped with heirloom tomatoes.

The other starter I had was the Tiger Prawn Ajillo ($24) which is a take on the classic Spanish tapas Gambas al Ajillo. Expect grilled tiger prawns in chilli garlic butter.

For mains, I had their Sanchoku Wagyu Tri-Tip Steak (S$45) which is presented in their signature tableside applewood box which reveals the smoke once it is unboxed. The beef is quite flavourful with slight fattiness in the flavour profile.

Alternatively, the Charcoal-Grilled Sea Bass (S$34) is grilled over binchotan charcoal, so you get that crisp skin along with a rich Yuzu Beurre Blanc sauce.

For the Hitsumabushi lunch sets, it starts from S$28 and includes a choice of chawanmushi. Each dish can be enjoyed in four ways: with snowflake salt, house-made demi-glace, assorted pickles and dashi.

I managed to try their Tornado Omu (S$26) set where the free-range eggs are a tad too buttery for me.

Moving on to desserts, the Floating Dessert Omakase is priced from S$25 for 3 courses to S$45 for 7 courses. Expect each bite-sized desserts like – Lemongrass Tartlet, Kinao & Kuromitsu and Truffle, Black Garlic & Charcoal – to sit on a small disc that slowly rotates in mid-air using magnetic levitation.

Rants The idea of a floating dessert omakase can come off as gimmicky.

Will I Return Again? I think the Japanese-Western fusion dishes are generally well-executed. It is also a relatively spacious and quiet setting away from the hustle and bustle in Raffles City. While the idea of floating dessert omakase sounds fun, it is not really my cup of tea unfortunately as it offers not much visual appeal to me.

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 3.5/5
Hole in the pocket: 4/5
Ambience: 3.5/5
Overall Experience: 3.5/5

Maison Yoshoku
252 North Bridge Road, #03-43
Raffles City Shopping Centre
Singapore 179103
Tel: +65 8380 8509

Opening Hours
Monday to Sunday: 11:30am to 10:00pm

Ranted by The Ranter