I think I might have passed by this restaurant at some point in time, but yesterday was my maiden visit, thanks to the invite from Kris. Located next to Orchard Rendezvous Hotel (I made a mistake by searching for it within the hotel initially!), Akanoya looked kind of imposing from the outside with its huge signboard.
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| restaurant entrance |
If you're curious about robatayaki cooking style (炉端焼き), here's the wiki link to read more about it.
The first thing one notices upon entering the restaurant was the robatayaki counter. Diners would be seated around it, and one could observe the chefs in action via the open kitchen.
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| Chef preparing kinki fish |
The lovely smell of grilled meats would waft around and we look forward to the arrival of our orders. Pro-tip: Best seats would be away from the door.
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| robatayaki counter seats |
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| ingredients sourced from Japan |
Otoshi お通し
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| appetiser - nanohana (菜の花), sakura ebi (桜海老), crab roe (蟹籽), grilled pumpkin (かぼちゃ) |
This was the tastiest otoshi that I've ever eaten. Ate it separately, ate all components together, it worked. The pickled vegetable in there suits my taste! Those crisp bits of sweet savoury sakura ebi contrasted well with the soft slightly 'seafood-dy' crab roe.
Bread パン
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| soft bread |
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| seafood butter |
Bread was like a prelude to our actual course meal, and am not one to complain especially if it came with a generous serving of their specialty seafood butter. Can't help but to spread the love~ I mean, the buttery goodness onto the soft bread. The local gal in me was thinking of how good that bread would be, if I dipped it into kopi-o...but I digress...hahaha!
Hakken
Agemono 揚げ物
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| paired with ginger and passionfruit tea (background photo) |
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| crab croquette, liver sauce, ikura |
Croquette was well fried to a golden brown and it was an overall balanced starter. The slightly carbonated ginger and passionfruit tea added a touch of sweetness to the agemono.
Nimono 煮物
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| meat and potatoes |
I think my mind could not comprehend which one was the 'simmered' food when the nimono dish arrived. Was it the potatoes, or the chicken? Hmm, doesn't matter as I enjoyed it all the same.
Potato was done two ways; mashed and simmered/baked (?). Loved the subtle taste of the truffle slice. Chicken was well marinated and with firm texture.
Osuimono お吸い物
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| fish roe, prawn, mushrooms |
The clear soup was prepared from extractions of dry-aged fish-bones and it had a clean, and mildly sweet taste to it. I think it helped to 'reset' the palate after the first few courses.
And, it was at this stage that I no longer felt hungry.
Kushi 串
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| served from the paddle |
It was an experience to receive the dishes that were served via the boat paddle. If you needed an insta-worthy photo or video, the friendly Chef would wait patiently for you to be ready with your camera, before handing the food over to you.
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| (left to right) grilled; pork belly, chicken thigh, Ōmi beef (近江牛) |
The grilled meats were served with 3 dips; yuzu mayo (creamy savoury), black miso garlic (savoury sweet) and yuzu kosho (tangy with mild spice). However, the meats were already flavourful without additional sauces required besides those that were already glazed during cooking.
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| kushi paired with Lady Grey tea (bergamot) and sudachi syrup |
Brisket was used and Ōmi wagyu texture was likeably meaty tender. Served chunky and satisfying for the carnivores in us.
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| ohmi wagyu beef |
I liked the burnt bits of the chicken skewer for that burst of smokey flavours. Pork belly looked a tad dry but it wasn't. Overall, good mouthfeel for all the skewers.
Yasai
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| asparagus, green pepper, onions (served with onion miso puree) |
Balance the meal with a serving of vegetables. The onions retained its slight crunchy texture and the onion miso puree was delectably sweet. Grilled broccolini, I like.
Sakana さかな
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| braised snapper, fish liver |
The surprise in this dish was the liver. So good, so creamy. Leaves you wanting for more.
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| paired with darjeeling tea infused with black pepper |
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| cheers~ |
Black pepper and black tea, together. Who would've thought? Try it for yourself when you're here.
Nikku ニク
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| Ōmi gyu beef cheek, on a bed of mashed potatoes |
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| with golden sprinkles of fried garlic bits |
The portions served for each of the course were indeed generous. Satisfied with this last savoury course of Ōmi beef cheeks.
Donabe 土鍋
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| sakura ebi, butter, rice |
Donabe refers to the earthenware pot and for the last course, it was a rice dish. Staff brought over the pot for us to view and then proceeded to portion it out.
My individual bowl was packed to the brim!
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| pretty in pink (rice loaded with sakura ebi) |
Loved the slices of abalone with its springy, tender texture. Rice was glistening from the butter and its flavours came predominantly from the butter, sakura ebi and ikura.
And, if you're still not full by this time, I salute you! Sincerely. I was struggling to finish my bowl of rice.
Just let the staff/Chef know that you are still not full after the rice course.
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| hot somen |
Was rejecting this bowl of noodles as I was feeling full but quickly changed my mind after having a taste. Wow. The soup simmered from katsuobushi (bonito flakes) was so so flavourful. It was playing tricks on my mind making me believe that I could actually finish the whole bowl of hot, comforting noodles (we shared this bowl, by the way if you're wondering...)
Warabi Mochi
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| mochi, brown sugar, milk foam |
The dessert was enjoyable and the brown sugar caramel lifts the taste by quite a bit. Texture of mochi was very likeable.
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| Mugicha (麦茶) soda |
My favourite tea for the night was the Lady Grey tea with sudachi (スダチ) syrup. My first encounter with sudachi was on the ANA (All Nippon Airways) flight to Japan. It is a green lime-like citrus fruit and I remembered it as being extra sour when I had it that time. It was like an immediate 'wake-me-up' kind of drink! The syrup version at Akanoya was all sweet and fragrant lime flavours.
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| Lady Grey with sudachi syrup |
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| more syrup please |
Another interesting pair/tea discovery for that evening, was the Darjeeling tea with black pepper.
The Hakken menu is priced at $168++ and additional $38++ for the tea pairing, at this time of writing. Please enquire at the restaurant for more details.
Experience
The overall experience was good and as per Google reviews, one could expect great service from the friendly and caring service staff at Akanoya Robatayaki. A big thank you to Yen and Edward who took care of our party for that evening.
Special thanks to William Liou (General Manager) who took time to introduce the cuisine, interesting anecdotes and overall, lighthearted interaction with guests.
Thank you to Brandon Teo (Head Chef) for the delicious menu and for coming over to chat with us. Not forgetting the Robatayaki Chefs whom answered all our curious questions about the food.
Of course, good food is best enjoyed with good company, and that evening was well spent with my food buddies; Kris, Tiara, Hence and Ivan.
Akanoya Robatayaki 红乃家炉炭烧
Address: 01-01 Orchard Rendezvous Hotel, 1 Tanglin Rd, Singapore 247905
Website: https://akanoya.com.sg/
Contact: +6567321866
Business Hours:
Fri - Sun: 12–2:30 PM, 5:30 PM–1:30 AM
Tue - Thu: 5:30 PM–1:30 AM
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