New wave of Japanese restaurants

Omakase meals, fusion Japanese dishes, live seafood and tempura are among offerings

- Tan Hsueh Yun

Like the famous Hokusai woodblock print The Great Wave Off Kanagawa, the wave of Japanese restaurants opening in Singapore is great and never-ending.

Never mind that people here flock to Japan every chance they get. Never mind that the Japanese restaurant scene here has had its share of closures.

Those behind this latest wave seem confident in offering something new to diners here, with several claiming to be the first to offer this or that. Here are the new options for Japanese food.

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FUSION JAPANESE: DOMO

Where: 03-00 Fairmont Singapore, 252 North Bridge Road

Open: 11.30am to 3pm, 6 to 10pm daily

Info: Call 8910-8835 or go to www.domo.com.sg

Peruse the menu at Domo, a 180-seat restaurant at Fairmont Singapore that opened on Feb 27, and you will know you are not in a traditional Japanese restaurant.

Offerings include sashimi tacos, flour tortillas folded over with tuna, avocado and feta ($18 for two), and salmon and tomato shiso salsa ($18 for two). Other dishes include wagyu beef kimchi gyoza with spicy ponzu ($24 for four), tempura brie with sweet plum sauce ($18) and rack of lamb ($30) with gochujang miso.

These dishes reflect the journey that Singaporean chef Rose Ang has taken in her three decades in the restaurant business.

The 51-year-old enrolled in Shatec in 1991 and went on to work at Les Amis and Raffles Grill before heading overseas.

First, it was to Lucerne, Switzerland, in 1995 for a diploma in hotel management, and then to Canberra, Australia, in 1997 for a degree in hotel management.