Kome, Keppel Club (Dec 12, 2008)

Kome is by far the best japanese restaurant I have been to in Singapore for this year. One of my dearest colleague recommended this place and brought me here for my farewell (yes, leaving Singapore and returning to Kuala Lumpur for good. Got transferred back. Ok enough about me already!). So, since I was a friend of this certain Mrs Lim, we got extra-VIP service. It was fantastic. We were there for lunch on a weekday. So, it was not particularly crowded but of course, Mrs Lim made the necessary arrangements to ensure that we get counter seats ; P

Kome is situated in Keppel Club on Bukit Chermin Road (off  Telok Blangah Road). Kind of off the beaten track but no worries, in Singapore, if there are good restaurants it won't be hard to sniff them out. If you didn't know, Kome is somehow related to Tetsuya at Bideford Road. Kome is run by Lawrence Chia and his brother runs Tetsuya. I was sternly warned not to mention Tetsuya when I was there, not sure why.

Actually, as I was writing this, I googled Kome, just to see what has been written about this fantastic gem of a restaurant (you know all writers do that sometime, give me a break) and guess what, I didn't find any write up on it. Hello what's wrong with Google this days??? Unless, if this is truly an undiscovered gem... so go there quick!!! These Keppel Clubbers have been hiding it for too long...

Now let's talk about the food. As usual, the whole counter seat thing got me too excited for good. So, I scoffed down my starter and forgot about taking a photo. Hee hee... what to do? Anyway, the starter was a plain simple cup of Ikura (salmon roe). It was rather scary staring down into a cup of Scott's Emulsion Cod Liver capsule as I am not really a big fan of Ikura but this is good stuff... too good to refuse. To my pleasant surprise, no fishy taste... don't know what is the secret recipe but it had a tinge of passion fruit flavor. I made a conscious effort to bite into every single roe but still not fishy taste!!! I am impressed.

Then came the sashimi platter - a combination of swordfish, butterfish, tuna, ebi and scallop. Ha ha... I lied. Of course, I could tell an ebi from a scallop. I am not 100% sure on the fish sashimi though... but one of it must be swordfish and one could be tuna. Anyway, when it comes to sashimi, I am a simple men - the sashimi must be fresh, the cut must be just right (how you hate it sometimes when the sashimi comes in strips) and you shouldn't have too much of it (too many of those sashimi mongers at buffet lines with plates and plates of salmon only already). I like the combination presented. Each fish had its own unique texture and taste. Just enough to make you crave  for more... 

Then came the soup which was made from green peas - I exclaimed "edamame" like an excited japanese school boy, which is japanese baby soybean but Lawrence politely corrected me with another japanese name which I could not remember. In the middle of the soup lays a fried golden pumpkin ball. I swear there was something else in it... maybe some shallot. It was a mildly savory soup and the pumpkin gave it the sweetness. Beautiful dish... nice to see and nice to eat. 

Next came a simple salt baked horse mackerel cheek (kanpachi kama yaki)... ha ha again, I am guessing. I know my prospect of becoming a professional food critic is not looking good. I should have asked, I know but unfortunately, my stomach rules over the mind when it is time to eat. Again ,well done... grilled long enough so that it is totally crispy outside while the flesh is cooked just right and the flavor just lightly salted.

Then came the nigiri sushi dish accompanied by picked ginger, japanese cucumber and 2 pieces of dried persimmon. The sushi was great... good choice of fish (again, I do not know the names), the rice was slightly warmed as it was prepared on the spot and the persimmon was a signature touch. Never tasted better dried persimmon.

Somewhere in between the meal, we had a serving of california roll... quite sure about that and to finish off the meal, we were served a yuzu (japanese orange) sorbet.  Simple but the unique yuzu taste made it special.

Excellent japanese food. Be prepared to part with S$70-S$100 per person, if you really want the good stuff. Just let Lawrence know your budget and please call in advance if you would like a counter seat. Enjoy.

At the Keppel Club
No. 10 Bukit Chermin Road
Singapore 109918
Tel: 6273 0118
Email: komedining@yahoo.com.sg

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