Restaurant review: Blossom into spring with Japanese omakase concept Fukui

While you wait for Japan to open its international borders, why not get a taste of the country’s bounteous spring offerings right here in Singapore? A tranquil retreat along Mohamed Sultan Road, Fukui has upped their omakase game in the past year that they’ve been open. Stepping into the restaurant feels like a portal into Japan, with its low, woven-look ceilings and its soothing palette of light and dark wood.

Behind a 12-seater counter presides affable head chef Nick Pa’an, formerly of now-defunct Santoro Japanese Restaurant. He orchestrates a deft show of searing, slicing, straw fire cooking, and binchotan-searing, backdropped by a serene installation of Fukui’s mountain ranges in silhouette.

As you’d expect of any Japanese omakase worth its salt in Singapore, Fukui offers fresh and premium seasonal produce flown in straight from the land of the rising sun.

Our nine-course Kokoro menu ($288++) is an ode to spring, beginning with delicacies that’s just come into season — noresore (baby conger eel) served with hotaru ika (firefly squid). Layered with pickled seaweed, ponzu, and creamy egg yolk mousse, the appetite whetting dish unleashes a burst of flavours in the mouth.

After this strong start, we get medai (Japanese butterfish) imbued with smoky flavour and a distinct woody fragrance, courtesy of Fukui’s warayaki (straw fire cooking). The delicate protein is accentuated with the sharpness of marinated garlic slices and myoga (Japanese red ginger), as well as daikon sprouts for texture.

The cooking technique makes another appearance midway; rice straw smoked Spanish Mackerel is served with seasonal vegetables and a mini grilled rice ball in a beautiful slow-cooked fish broth.

The sashimi plate follows with more of the season’s best, and we like how Chef Nick experiments with textures and flavour combinations. Hirame (flounder) finds in shio kombu (salted seaweed) while ainame (fat greenling) gets a pinch of snowflake salt to enhance its clean flavour. Then, we have otoro, juicy as a mango and melting over the tongue.

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While his sashimi might satisfy any purist, it’s in the hot dishes that reveal Chef Pa’an’s inventive side. We’re delighted that he’s still making Imo Tofu — a yam tofu that takes two days to produce. The bells and whistles have changed of course, with Alaskan king crab leg in a thick crab sauce this time.

Another standout of the evening is the mehikari (greeneyes fish). Deceptively underwhelming at first sight, the seasonal fish is fried whole and accompanied by lotus root tempura, gingko nuts, and deep-fried rice bran.

The umami flavours of the fish and lotus root, effortlessly combined with the sweetness of rice popcorn, almost renders the truffle salt on the side superfluous, really.

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The showmanship at Fukui peaks with the sushi course. Expect plenty of sizzling action where chefs sear raw fish with binchotan — a type of Japanese hardwood charcoal that burns hotter than the usual and doesn’t produce visible flames.

This technique imparted subtle smokiness and a lovely char to saba (mackerel) and kama su (barracuda). Other highlights of this segment include the tai (snapper) with shreds of cured egg yolk, marinated akami (lean tuna), and the extravagant bafun uni dressed with Chef Pa’an’s signature anago (saltwater eel) sauce, sea urchin sauce and rice balls.

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To wind down, there’s a belly-warming soup, swimming with tender chunks of swordfish, tofu, and mushrooms. After that luxurious meal, dessert is the simple affair we need — a sweet, fragrant slice of muskmelon, setouka mikan (a seasonal seedless mandarin), and half a rare strawberry variety with a hue not unlike cherry blossom.

Fukui is located at 5 Mohamed Sultan Road, Singapore 238969, 65 6509 0909. Open Monday to Saturday, 12pm to 3pm (lunch), 6pm to 10.30pm (dinner). Closed Sunday. Lunch starts from $138++ per person and dinner from $188++. Sushi omakase starts from $188++, binchotan sushi only available during dinner.

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This article was first published in City Nomads.