煙 Kemuri is such an appropriate name for a yakitori restaurant. Before this, they only open for members. Now, they are open for business and offer an omakase menu that keeps serving until you say stop.
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 the yakitori on the side that keeps coming “until you say stop”. They slowly serve the 7 dishes, starting with appetiser up to the soup. The dessert is still not included.
Assorted 3 Kinds of Appetiser
The omakase kicked off with three seasonal appetisers. Tonight’s appetisers included asparagus wrapped with smoked salmon, duck breast smoked in-house, and guava with mayo cheese sauce. Delicious combination of starters.
After the appetisers came the first three skewers. Tsukune is Japanese-style chicken meatballs which 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. And the second item is hatsu or chicken hearts; the delicate part can turn rubbery if you apply too much heat and this is a matter of split seconds. I was surprised my favourite, bonjiri or bishop’s nose, made its appearance so early during the dinner.
Chicken, Salad & Sake Jelly
The next appetiser was a salad of edamame beans with grilled sweet corn with tomato, poached chicken breast 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.
Next three skewers came promptly after the second appetiser. the classic yakitori in tare, shishito and momo rounded up the next three.
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 ikura.
The next trio consisted of sunaigimo (chicken gizzards), tofu (first time I had this) which had the skin grilled to a crisp, and momo (chicken thigh) in tare.
Uni Chawanmushi
As an interlude to the omakase, a well-timed chawanmushi topped with minced fresh sea urchin and a seaweed glaze. Delicious, but there’s no repeat of the main items. This is not a buffet you know.
Many would have mistaken the tare as teriyaki, but 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.
Minced Chicken & Egg Bowl, Tori Soup
The omakase officially ends with the minced chicken and egg don. This is their specialty and an excellent eat. The last time I was here, this was an a la carte item, and we still ate 1.5 bowls each.
But if you are still not satisfied, or still continuing drinking, Chef Mitchy will continue to serve you some repeats or some other items like grilled vegetables.
The yakitori was still one of the best in town. The Okami 女将 that served us the last time has gone back to Japan, but the service here had not slack a bit. 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-ya to go away, do you?
kemuri
5 Koek Road, #04-02 Cuppage Plaza, Singapore 228796
Tel : +65 9772 4300
Visited Sep 2023
@kemuri #kemuri #yakitori #kemurisg #kemuri.official @kemurisg @kemuri_official
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