Kazu ..... The Sumiyaki Holy Grail?

Indecision on the part of my companions urged me to force my way into Kazu, although nobody was too keen on sumiyaki that very Friday evening. I made a call for reservations and was told that 8pm schedule was all filled up unless I am able to finish dinner by 9pm. No way! I politely decline and assert that I would rather visit another day to enjoy than rush through Kazu's sumiyaki meal. On hearing that, the manager actually take the pain to redo the seating arrangements and got us our table. Domo Arigato Dozaimasu! Kazu has escaped me ever since I heard about them serving mouth watering sumiyaki. Finally, I got a reservation, so, no ulcer's gonna stand between me and Kazu.

There were choices of counter seats other than the tables that were spread throughout whatever space can be spared without creating obstacles to the service staff. We were seated at a table near the entrance and near the cashier. Above the cashier is Kazu's owner "Hole in One" certificate. Indeed, this sumiyaki experience in Kazu had been nothing but "hole-in-one".

I drawn a "good luck" divine sticks out from the container that suggested that I would get what I desire that day and true enough I managed to 'force' my way in Kazu without calling way ahead. Of course not, these are just the wooden skewer sticks (just half way through the meal) from Kazu's sumiyaki.

Garden Salad with miso base dressing

Knowing that we will spare no thoughts about ordering an abundance of meat, we decided to line our stomach first with garden salad which was refreshing from the fresh crunchy greens and a great tasting miso base dressing. We had a little Sashimi moriawase which easily faded in comparison to the sumiyaki dishes that were to be served.

US Wagyu wrapped Enoki

The tender, thinly sliced wagyu wrapped enoki was superb. Flavoured fats enricking the enoki and the crunchiness of the enoki adding more texture for the 'munching' process.

Chicken Balls

The chicken balls had the chicken meat minced finer than Nijumaru. It taste good but I thought Nijumaru Izakaya's chicken balls much better, more for nostalgic reasons, my first dinner date.

Pork Belly wrapped Asparagus

It's a standard sumiyaki dish but Kazu's seemed less greasy and salty.

Bacon wrapped scallop and prawns

This by comparison to the other dishes wasn't too impressive, I thought it was rather bland but the controlled grilling still maintained juiciness in the scallops and the prawns.

US Beef

This was the normal US beef grilled to still lock in the beef juice. Even though it was not wagyu, I thought it taste good and tender.

Pork Belly wrapped Japanese tomatoes

Maybe the close up of this dish looked a bit distasteful, but highlight here was the Japanese cherry tomatoes. The tomatoes tasted very sweet, enhanced by the savoury taste of the pork belly. Juice 'oozingly' good!

Chicken Wings

Kazu's sumyaki was not as heavily salted as the other sumiyaki places that I've been. This was demonstrated in the chicken wings. It was marvelously grilled but I prefer more salt to it. I did a self help on the salt right on the table.

Foie Gras

This was the highlight of the sumiyaki in Kazu, grilled foie gras. I thought it was one of the best I've eaten in Singapore, including all my other foie gras tasting in overseas trips. I had some fun enhancing the heavenly 'melt-in-your-mouth' feeling by gently closing my eyes, slight tilting of my head upwards in agreement with heaven. It was some lousy exaggerated B-grade acting but the feeling was genuine. This grilling was so well controlled for that slight crisp exterior and the melt-in-your-mouth interior.

Grilled Fresh Saba Shioyaki

The price difference between grilled frozen saba and grilled fresh saba can be about 5~7 folds. One can easy taste the difference. The grilled frozen saba is usually dried, very contrasting to the juicy tender meat of the grilled fresh saba. W noticed that the saba was grilled very skillfully such that the meat just close to the bones had a very slight tinge of red implying a grilling that would best lock the juices and tenderness in. However, it was arguable if it's worth paying the 5~7 folds for grilled fresh saba.

Japanese Sweet Potato

The gist of this dish was simply great ingredients. When eaten freshly grilled, complimented with a little slab of butter, this humble looking Japanese sweet potato became one of the best dish among the list that we've eaten in Kazu.

One thing that was very noticeable and I'm impressed with, their exhaust system. I left the place without the smell of charcoal grilled pork or beef clinging over me. However, I'm most impressed with the sumiyaki that they served. Generally, Kazu were not as heavily salted and greasy compared to Shunjuu. There's extra serving of salt if you need more. Is Kazu the Holy Grail of sumiyaki in Singapore? Go judge for yourself. It's now the top of my list for sumiyaki in Singapore. Oh....... before I forget, please do an advanced reservation. Don't depend on your luck.

5 Koek Road

#04-05 Cuppage Plaza

Singapore

Tel : +65 6734 2492