GREAT SCOTTS!

Kakushin is making a strong case to be among Scotts Road's foremost culinary institutions

- SUFFIAN HAKIM

SCOTTS SQUARE HAS ALWAYS BEEN a mall for unique tastes and innovation. Brilliantly off-kilter streetwear brand Stüssy has its chapter store there, and Planet Plus is a favourite with eclectic offerings for those in the know.

It is also a mall with iconic F&B establishments. Wild Honey has always been among the most accessible fine-dining spots along the Scotts Road stretch. Eggslut’s opening saw long snaking street-level queues, and even today, it can sometimes be difficult to get a seat there during peak hours. Pizza Express in the basement consistently sees a steady stream of foodies who love its more unusual pizza offerings.

Kakushin is perhaps definitive of Scotts Square’s appeal: taking the iconic and the innovative, and combining them to offer something familiar in Japanese omakase dining but elevating it with some novel ideas. The space sets it up, with palettes of gold and black, as well as textures of refined Japanese wood and Italian marble to effectively give a sense of luxury to proceedings. The thing about my job is that I’ve seen many gorgeous interiors – it is easy to get that with interior designers in Singapore. But I’ve been to spectacular-looking restaurants which were gastronomic disappointments. What will truly capture the imagination, ultimately, is the food. And Kakushin does not disappoint.