Customer service is fantastic. I would say the food is a bit pricey for lunch set as we paid about $400 ish for two people, but the ingredients were extremely fresh. You are paying for what you get. Flavor profiles were complex and yet simple, beautifully tied.
Melvin Au
5
Came here for a celebratory dinner with my wife. She always fancies Japanese cuisines and I happened to chance upon Zeniya, which offers rare Kaiseki set dinner in Singapore. You can google find tons of Japanese Omakase restaurants but hardly any offer Kaiseki.
Zeniya was recently opened about 2 months ago and was the outpost for Zeniya Kanazawa, a 2 Michelin stars restaurant in the capital of Ishikawa prefecture. All the food ingredients are selected by the head chef, Shinichiro-san from Kanazawa fresh market and ship directly daily to Singapore. The interior decor was simple, typical of Japanese Zen style. Almost every seating area offers spectacular city view as the restaurant is situated on the 24 level of Shangri-La Hotel. But you should always book the bar counter seat (if available) to have the rare opportunity to interact with the chef.
We were lucky to be served by Chef Nakano-san and had a great time interacting with him throughout our dinner. He is passionate and very keen to share traditional Japanese culture, if you humbly willing to listen and learn. Eg the chopsticks used here is 2-sided (ie can use it either ends). As you open the chopsticks on one end to pick up the food, the other end would naturally close (‘>’ shape). This symbolise the respect for God to always have the first bite before you. We were really humbled by these simple gesture yet spiritually meaningful of the Japanese culture.
Every dish prepared by Chef Nakano-san is not only a culinary masterpiece but also visually artistic. So much details go into the preparation of each dish in terms of layering texture, harmonising favour and colour presentation. Each dish was served in earthenware from Kanazawa and we were honoured when Chef Nakano-san served us using some of the more unique vintage pieces (at least 50-100 years old) he brought with him from Zeniya Kanazawa. Apparently he doesn’t do that for every guest. It definitely paid off to try to interact more with the chef!
There wasn’t much to complain about the dishes and below are some of my favourite.
Wanmori soup (hamo fish with matsutake mushroom): clear soup with a slight bonito smokiness and natural sweetness from the hamo. The fish was slightly deep fried before steaming to give a crisp texture. The tangy yuzu peel together with the spice mushroom combined harmoniously with the soup.
Sashimi (Spanish mackerel and Japanese grouper): only two types of fishes here but they were atypical to the usual otoro serving. The mackerel was smoked with dried rice hay to give a delicate smokiness to it. There are also a trio of unique condiments (extra fine sea salt, lime and flower) beside the usual wasabi and soy.
Hashiyasume (kuchiko and sweet potato): highlight of the dinner as kuchiko (picture on the right) aka ‘unmaimi of the sea’, is actually the ovary of the sea cucumber. This one piece consists of kuchiko strands being layered together before deep frying with no other favouring added. I was told you need like 50 cucumbers (there is only one strand of ovary per cucumber) to make that one single piece! One small bite and you get the full unmaimi sea favour exploding in your mouth, best to follow up with a slight sweet sake to contrast and balance out the savoury palate.
Too many other excellent dishes in the menu to write a full review here. The price is not cheap at all ($450 per pax) but the food quality IMO is definitely on par with Shoukouwa (2 Michelin stars Omakase), if not more exquisite. In fact, it is definitely of higher quality than most of the Kaiseki I had in Japan.
I was told lunch and dinner menu are different, depending on the ingredient availability. The menu also changes with season as well. Lastly a big shout out to our lady attendant Tracy, who had been very meticulous in attending and sharing with us all the fine details during the meal.
Isaac Ho
4
Located on the 24th floor, you are ushered into a 8-9 seater counter top, passing through a waiting area which looks over Singapore Orchard area.
Food: 4/5
The cuisine is a mixture of cook and raw, Kaga cuisine, maybe closer to Kyoto cuisine for me. Once you are seated, they will serve you a welcome drink to refresh as well as a greeting sake for all guests.
Food is milder flavored and use interesting and seasonal combinations to heighten the taste like: Finger Lime, Sea Cucumber Ovary Tempura, Jamon ham.
What stood out:
1. Wanmori: 5/5. The Hamo is slightly fried and delicious in the clear soup base with tinge of Yuzu and Matsutake.
2. Tsukuri
- Ikura Rice: 5/5. The ikura is prepared nicely, not too sweet and goes well with the rice (nicely cooked) and seaweed. Memorable.
- Botan: 4/5. The size is enormous. I prefer not to dip into the sauce as it is salty and rob the ebi taste. The caviar didn’t bring out much of the ebi.
3. Hashiyasume: 5/5
Ebi Imo: very good yam and lightly battered. Excellent.
Kuchiko:interesting sea cucumber ovary. Salty and taste similar to uni in looks and texture.
4. Yakimono: 5/5
Amadai nicely grilled with finger lime giving a zesty taste on the skin. The finger lime tiny beats of zest burst to life and gives the Amadai a different taste dimension. Most memorable dish.
5. Gohan: surprisingly, the Iberia Jamon goes very well and not tough with the rice. The fragrance is there without too overpowering by either the Matsutake or the ham. The garnish is very tasty and I keep going back for more. The unfinished rice are packed to go with a lime and even after hours, the rice taste very soft and nice. Memorable.
6. Kashi: 5/5. The red bean dessert is exceptionally delicious.
What is NOT my preference:
1. Shiizakana: A5 cut is perhaps too oily for me and the Uni combination didn’t bring out either dishes for me.
2. Susumezakana: The truffle didn’t add much except for the smell. My preference is “simple is good”.
Dinner time: service is quite fast and it’s about a 2 hour meal without alcohols
Menu type: only 1 menu at $450+++
Service: excellent and attentive. There is a gift set for you to take home.
Environment: simple.
*for those driving, there is a complimentary ticket.
Connie Soon
5
Had a lovely 8 course anniversary dinner here. Food was marvellous, delicate flavours and exquisitely plated. Service was amazing as Daniella was most attentive and explained every course presented so well. Highly recommend.
Michele Chang
5
An extremely satisfying kaiseki experience at Zeniya. Though they are still in the opening phrase, the food was amazing and service was very warm. You can expect 11-12 courses and the current dinner menu is priced at $450++
This is not your run of the mill premium ‘omakase’ Japanese restaurant. Their kaiseki format has more history rooted in Japanese tea ceremonies. Expect exceptional fresh and premium produce from Kanazawa and the Kaga region with a focus on Kaga cuisine. Their creations are beautiful and thoughtful in every aspect, from presentation to combination of flavours.
They also boost a more than decent sake and wine menu. Be sure to try their KagaBocha, a regional hojicha that has a very unique robust flour.