Kemuri @ Cuppage (2024)

煙 Kemuri is such an appropriate name for a yakitori restaurant. Before this, they only open for members. Then, they offered an unlimited omakase menu. Now, they have a fixed course omakase menu.

kemuri is spearheaded by Michio “Mitchy” Murakami, a Yakitori master that has gained a reputation as the Head Yakitori Chef at the sister restaurant of one of the most famous Yakitori restaurants in Tokyo that was awarded Michelin Bib Gourmand across 5 years.

Recently they changed their omakase menu to a new format where the menu included a 7-course meal with 10 sticks of yakitori. They slowly serve the 7 dishes, starting with appetiser up to the soup. The dessert is still not included.

For this post, I deliberately placed the photos in the actual sequence the different courses were served. And those servings with only two skewers were a la carte; unlike the last visit there’s no more free additional skewers.

燒烏 10種 (鶏肉 8種 野菜 2種）Yakitori 10 kinds (Chicken 8 Vegetable 2)

The omakase came with 10 skewers picked by Chef Mitchy. It consisted of 8 chicken parts and two vegetable skewers. And this time they presented the repertoire on a platter so that one can choose what one did not like.

本日の前菜3種盛り合わせ Todays Assorted 3 Kinds Appetisers

The omakase kicked off with three appetisers that featured seasonal ingredients. Tonight’s appetisers included boiled bamboo shoots served with bonito flakes, mizuna lettuce wrapped with chicken breast and shredded burdocks.

After the appetisers came the first two chicken skewers. Tsukune is Japanese-style chicken meatballs which is often used to define the standard of the yakitori-ya. Kemuri‘s tsukune was very flavourful with a good mix of crunchy bits and the breast meat, and it was not drenched in tare. If only they served it with a raw egg yolk, and then it would be perfect.

And the second item was hatsu or chicken hearts; the delicate part can turn rubbery if you apply too much heat in a matter of split seconds. And they got this perfectly done, one of the few in Singapore that can achieve the smokey goodness without hardening the heart.

ささみとフルーツトマトの土佐酢ジュレ和え Chicken fillet and Fruits Tomato with Vinegar Jelly

The next appetiser was a salad of edamame beans with strawberry, poached chicken filet and garnished with shiso flowers and sake jelly. Unlike in Japan where they would serve raw chicken, the chicken in this salad had been fully cooked. Thankfully there’s the jelly to provide the moisture. 

I was surprised my favourite part, bonjiri or bishop’s nose, made its appearance so early during the dinner. It is the plump triangle of meat at the tail end of the chicken. This delicious and flavourful piece of meat was butchered to perfection, removing most of the excess pieces of cartilage before skewering and roasting over binchotan. The crispy skin provided a crunch and the high proportion of fat meant that these morsels quite literally burst with juice as you bit into one.  

The omakase presented a green that I saw for the first time. Tsubomina 蕾菜 (つぼみ菜) are the bud of a type of large size mustard green, and they tasted like stems of the broccoli or Hong Kong kailan. Due to a certain weakness to insects, it is harvested in Februaray and March only. This was the first time I saw it being served in yakitori.

Shishito or Japanese green peppers were not on the omakase. I had to add these to my choices as I loved that Russian roulette feeling of biting into that one in ten spicy jalapeño.

Momo or chicken thigh was used for their classic yakitori. Chicken thigh was quite soft and juicy and had the right amount of tare on the surface..

いくら大根おろし Grated Radish with Salmon Roe

The grated radish is traditionally served as a palate cleanser between skewers. In Japan we can get unlimited servings of this, but here there’s only one portion. And this evening, the radish was topped with house-marinated ikura.

And right after the palate cleanser, seseri (chicken neck) seasoned with shio, fatty and satisfying particularly after all those sweet sake that had been following so far. While the drinking rule is no longer in effect, but one is expected to drink with the food.

At this point in time, I wanted some more vegetable. The first to come was the zucchini lightly brushed on the surface with tare.

Next, the negi or Japanese leek. What I liked about the Japanese ones was that they tasted sweet when grilled.

The pieces of chicken gizzard are placed on skewers, then grilled until just rightly done. The texture of sunagimo was crunchy yet tender, while the flavours wre generally mild. This part is a real test of grilling skill.

茶碗蒸し Chawanmushi (Steamed Egg)

As an interlude to the omakase, a well-timed chawanmushi topped with a seaweed glaze. This time there was no fresh sea urchin. Delicious, but there’s no repeat of the main items. This is not a buffet you know.

One of the negative of the omakase is the lack of vegetable. We had to add more vegetable choices, like this brussel sprouts.

I was disappointed the kawa or chicken skin was not crispy, which meant that it was quite chewy.

The second vegetable from the omakase was nasu or Japanese eggplant.

Many would have mistaken the tare as teriyaki, but tare is a sauce made of soy sauce, sugar, mirin, and sake. Every yakitori chef has his own special mix that is used since the fire started and topped every day. I liked that not too much tare was used to add flavour and shine to the yakitori; I personally prefer shio flavoured ones but some ingredients do better with tare, for example liver, the foie gras equivalent but cuter.

The wing and the breast were the only parts of the bird that I ever saw in restaurant menus. In Japan, this meat is also gathered and sorted for skewering and grilling under the name sode (そで) — the Japanese word for sleeve. In yakitori terms, this refers to the muscles that connect between the breast and the wing. The meat has such an interesting contrast, part meaty where the bite connected to the breast, and crunchy and fatty where it connected to the drumette of the bird. The added texture complexity made this dish an absolute pleasure to eat. 

The level of detail in yakitori can be truly staggering. Take for example the kokoronokori (こころのこり). This is quite literally the part of the chicken that connects the heart and liver of the animal. Meticulously separated, lined up on wooden sticks and cooked to perfection. Kokoronokori is slightly gamey but did not have the pungent flavour of organ meat. The shape and fat marbling on the meat meant that there were some crunchy bits, and an unctuous mouthfeel that almost reminded me of grilled chicken skin. 

鳥スープ Tori Soup (Chicken Soup)

そぼろ丼 Minced Chicken Bowl

The omakase officially ended with the minced chicken and raw egg don. This is their specialty and an excellent eat. And it came with a clear chicken consommé that was so intense with chicken flavours. I only had this soup in yakitori-ya in Japan.

The yakitori was still one of the best in town. One should not be expecting common parts like tebasaki (wings) or mune (breast), Chef Mitchy only serves the softest, most interesting parts of the chicken. So if you do not like chicken organs, then this restaurant is not for you.

Service was really good; they even gave Princess a birthday dessert from their sister restaurant next door. The drinks were no longer mandatory, but it would be impolite to come without drinking. After all $99++ for the food would not cover the costs if you do not drink. And you do not want another good yakitori-yato go away, do you?

kemuri
5 Koek Road, #04-02 Cuppage Plaza, Singapore 228796
Tel : +65 9772 4300

Visited Feb 2024

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