Kaiseki Specials at Nadaman: A 7-Course Wonder

Nadaman Japanese Restaurant’s signature Kaiseki is to traditional Japanese cuisine what a famous landmark is to its home country. With 180 years of history, this culinary style certainly isn’t one to belittle. Kaiseki translates as ‘the art of transforming nature’s blessings into food’; hence ingredients from the multi-course menu change accordingly with the seasons. As zen as that sounds, Nadaman cultivates a calm sense in you throughout your meal – probably due to the earthy tones of the interior, where marble meets natural wood in a rather tranquil setting.

Late last year, the restaurant welcomed a new head chef on board – Chef Takaya Ishzuka, who will be showcasing his authentic Japanese creations via the kaiseki, as well as other a la carte items. At Nadaman, the Hiru Kaiseki is broken down into 7 courses: Assorted appetizers, soup, raw fish, simmered dish, grilled dish, rice and dessert. With dishes kept in small servings, you won’t have to worry about being too overwhelmed halfway through.

The Kaiseki kick starts with a trio of assorted appetizers – Asparagus tofu with Tobiko tartar sauce, Simmered “Himesazae” baby turban shell and Herring roe with minced tofu – a delicate beginning to whet your appetite for what’s to come, followed by a clear soup with ice fish, vegetables, seaweed and bamboo shoot.

Fresh and thick cuts of striped bass sashimi, which was in season, were served with crunchy sides of radish and a decorative carrot twirl. Also, since kaiseki means “to dine with nature”, it’s perfectly common to find flowers and leaves used as embellishments in your food. These sweet slices of top grade sashimi will leave you wanting more (and this is when you’ll reach out to the a la carte menu to scan for the word “sashimi”.)

For the simmered dish, Chef Ishizuka spruces up the simple Deep Fried Beancurd with Teriyaki Foie Gras – each bringing out the best flavours in one another. The duo sits in a mild minced chicken sauce, while the dish is topped with broad beans for a contrasting bite.

Filling the grilled dish spot on the menu is the Pan Fried Beef Tenderloin, Lotus Root and Grilled Radish with “Sansho” pepper sauce. It comes as a set with a bowl of white rice topped with chopped dried tomato, pickles and a unique red bean miso soup.

In a multi-course meal like Kaiseki, desserts are usually kept light. A refreshing no-frills bowl of berries, mango and Cointreau jelly rounded off the meal perfectly – even waking us up from a potential food coma.

About the chef
Brought up in a family of chefs, Chef Takaya Ishizuka discovered his passion for cooking at a tender age of nine. Having worked with the Nadaman group of restaurants since 1991, his 23 years of experience includes helming the kitchens of Nadaman at Kowloon Shangri-La in Hong Kong and Zipangu Tokyo. On top of that, Chef Ishizuka’s desire to impart his Japanese culinary skills to young inspiring chefs in Hong Kong led him to join VTC Hospitality Industry Training Development Centre as a culinary instructor for two years. In Singapore, he hopes to introduce more regional specialties from the countryside, which are far more interesting whilst bounded by fresh flavours.

Address: Lobby Level, Tower Wing, Shangri-La Singapore, Orange Grove Road, Singapore 258350 Opening Hours (Daily): Lunch - 12pm to 2.30pm Dinner - 6pm to 10.30pm For reservations and enquiries, call Nadaman at 6213 4571 or email dining.sls@shangri-la.com. See Also: Discover the best Japanese food in town Love sushi and sashimi? Check out our listing here!