Japanese cuisine presents many delicious creations to savour and you can bet that those that come from the grill are part of that list. But, are you aware that there are different types of traditional Japanese grilling techniques? Better yet, did you know that you can enjoy them all within a single restaurant? That’s exactly what KA-MON offers to customers.
Located at Resorts World Sentosa, the restaurant is a new addition to Hotel Michael, though rather than needing to find it inside the hotel, you’ll be able to see it immediately when you exit off the monorail. It’s the first in Singapore to integrate the three traditional Japanese grilling techniques—irori, robatayaki, and warayaki—within a single restaurant, where customers can experience the subtle differences in the food between each technique.
Irori uses a sunken hearth to slow-cook ingredients and bring about a deep, layered richness. Meanwhile, the lively fireside charcoal grill of robatayaki adds intense umami to the food alongside the visual spectacle. Finally, warayaki’s straw-fire grilling technique provides smokiness whilst keeping seafood and meats ever so tender.
Does that water your mouth? Well, no need to wait any further; we had the great pleasure of visiting the restaurant and trying out dishes from the menu, so let’s see what KA-MON has to offer.
Interior
The KA-MON restaurant evokes a sense of Japan throughout its aesthetic. Just as the country is famed for its natural beauty, the restaurant incorporates that same concept into its design – using warm natural wood tones and bamboo accents to make it feel as though you are dining within nature.
At the same time, the restaurant presents a welcoming atmosphere. Some high-end establishments have an intimidating air to them when you enter, but not KA-MON. The soft lighting and earthy tones make the place feel inviting to dine at.
The 80-capacity restaurant caters to both large groups and solo diners, with both given an immersive dining experience through the open-view kitchen. The kitchen itself features all three grill techniques at play—one end shows off the chef skillfully cooking food over a straw fire, the other has irori’s sunken hearth where diners can view the skewered food slowly being cooked, while the middle presents the fiery charcoal grill at work. For the most intimate viewing experience, there’s a private omakase counter where guests can see everything at play up close.
But the interior is just part of the overall experience – the rest, of course, comes from the food. So let’s get right into that.
Food
Ajitsuke Tamago
The first dish of the day is the Ajitsuke Tamago – a light snack to whet the appetite. The soy-marinated egg acts as the base, with ikura and Hokkaido uni layered on top. There’s a dot of freshly grated wasabi added as well to complement the dish.
Your first instinct may well be to take the entire thing whole, but I suggest taking careful bites for this in order to savour it. Every chew is undeniably creamy, with the silky yolk and soft urchin melting with flavour. The pop from the salmon roe adds salty undertones, while the sharpness of the wasabi balances everything together.
The only real negative of the Ajitsuke Tamago is that it is gone in a second; you’ll wish that you had ordered more. So take my advice and have smaller bites.
Rating: 9/10
Wagyu Beef Tartare
Luckily for us, the Wagyu Beef Tartare follows after. It features the eponymous beef seasoned with soy, garlic, sesame, and curiously, gochujang; said to give it some sweet-savoury heat. Diners are recommended to mix it with the accompanying quail egg at the centre, before scooping and eating it with papadam which arrives alongside it.
I’ll just get straight to it, it’s excellent and provides such a uniquely complex taste that it’s hard not to go for a 10th bite (don’t tell the person you are sharing this with). The marinated beef, though not as spicy as I would like, is impeccably flavourful and just dissolves in the mouth. But perhaps the pièce de résistance is the papadam. Not only does it act as a convenient wrap, but it adds a delightful crunch to the overall package whilst also mellowing out the strong taste with its lightness.
The Wagyu Beef Tartare is far from a Japanese dish, what with its mishmash of ingredients from different countries, but I certainly wish that more Japanese restaurants served it.
Rating: 9/10
Sakoshi Bay Oyster
When the Sakoshi Bay Oyster arrived at the table, there was a little bit of hesitation on my end. I’m not an oyster kind of guy, but something that eased my fears was how it was presented.
Oysters are usually served raw, with only lemon as an accompaniment. They say it’s prepped this way so you can fully enjoy the taste of the sea, but why would you want to taste something that also has a goblin shark (don’t search that up) swimming in it? Anyway, I digress because the Sakoshi Bay Oyster is grilled over the robatayaki before being glazed with shio kombu butter and topped with a mixture of garlic, ginger, and shallots to make it seemingly more palatable.
The oyster taste is still very much present here—not a surprise given how plump it is—but the other ingredients make it much easier to go down. The butter helps to cut the rich ocean taste while the crumble of garlic, ginger, and shallots provides a nice crunchy distraction.
This dish doesn’t change my opinion on oysters, but at the very least I’ll be able to share it with an oyster-lover without wanting to use a Scrub Daddy on my tongue.
Rating: 7/10
Jumbo Tiger Prawn
Right to the side of my table was the irori station, and as I was gleefully chowing down on the above dishes, the chef was teasingly preparing the next entrant – the Jumbo Tiger Prawn. Circling the emanating flame from the charcoal, the prawns slowly transition into an enticing orange hue over the course of the meal.
It arrives soon after with a simple plating; just a slice of lemon and Maldon sea salt on the side. I was informed that the prawns were actually purposely undercooked slightly to preserve their juiciness. According to the chef, even seafood has a level of doneness that can be utilised to elevate it. Luckily, I was told that you can request for it to be fully cooked to allay any fears if your stomach is sensitive.
However, after eagerly waiting to try it, the final dish was a disappointment. It’s a huge piece of prawn to savour, but on its own, the taste is pretty unremarkable and plain—it definitely needs the help of the lemon and sea salt. I also don’t think that having it undercooked was the right choice. Juicy as it was, the mushy texture did not provide a pleasant experience.
Rating: 5/10
Tuna Wara Tataki
After the disappointment of the Jumbo Tiger Prawn, I needed something to lift my spirits. Thankfully, it came in the form of the Tuna Wara Tataki. Cooked with the straw fire from the warayaki technique, the flame adds a light char to the exterior of the Big Eye Tuna before it is mixed with ponzu sauce, thinly sliced myoga, and garlic chips.
The combination brings a dish that is full of flavour. The buttery tuna has an enjoyable slight smokiness to it while the bright, citrusy ponzu sauce complements it with some tang. You’ll also get crunch with the myoga and the garlic chips.
Rating: 8/10
Aged Breast of Duck
Breast meat is usually more of a miss for me. Screw it up and you’re left with a painfully dry piece to chew through, but even when done well, it rarely is ever as good as something like the thigh. So there was some scepticism on my end when the Aged Breast of Duck was served in front of me.
But I was a convert once I got a taste of it. Given that the duck meat was dry-aged for at least five days—according to the chef—the breast was packed with flavour. Serving it medium-rare also ensured that the meat remained tender and juicy to my liking. It also pairs well with the burdock root purée, which adds a subtle earthy and potato-y taste.
To cut off the fattiness, the chef also includes a romaine and apple salad with spicy dressing on the plate. It’s a nice palette cleanser and like the Wagyu Beef Tartare, the familiar Korean taste is a surprising yet welcome addition to the overall dish.
For me, if you do decide to drop by the restaurant, this is a must-get.
Rating: 10/10
Coriander Salad
Oh no. Some of you might want to look away for this upcoming dish. As you may well know, coriander is the literal definition of ‘you either love it or hate it’, to the point where it is even tied to our DNA. Unfortunately, I lost the genetic lottery on that end.
Needless to say, when the Coriander Salad arrived, I was quaking in my boots. Having it as garnish is one thing, but a whole bowl of coriander is almost like introducing steak to a vegan. But KA-MON is confident that this dish will get even the biggest sceptics on board.
Sadly, their confidence is misplaced. Despite the addition of the white soy vinaigrette and alongside the fried sakura ebi and bawang goreng, this is still coriander at the end of the day. The distinct taste may not be as strong, but it is still a huge presence. And the lack of crunchiness is certainly not as appealing as it should be for a salad.
Perhaps coriander lovers will rejoice when handed this dish but for those on the opposite side, there are far more enticing salads on the menu to choose from.
Rating: 3/10
Donabe
The last item for the day was the Donabe, which is a fairly traditional dish in Japan that has rice cooked in a claypot over grilled fish bone dashi. Completing the meal is a bowl of miso soup that is served alongside it.
This dish was on the lighter end, making it one of the more comforting items that I had on the day. The rice was pillowy with an enjoyable crisp edge, while the fish was incredibly fresh and tender—almost falling apart when picked up. However, I did feel that the accompanying miso soup could be better. It was more mellow than I expected and I personally feel that a more intense miso flavour would have paired better with the cooked rice and fish.
On the whole, the Donabe isn’t going to blow anyone away. But sometimes it may be good to end off a meal with something light and inoffensive.
Rating: 7/10
Overall Thoughts
When I walked through the doors of KA-MON, there was a sense of expectation that I was going to receive a buttoned-up, serious dining experience like that of many Japanese fine dining restaurants—especially given it was located at Resorts World Sentosa. Instead, what I got was a surprisingly refreshing homely and relaxing meal out of it.
The food very much emulates the atmosphere. It is more low-key than I would have thought, but that by no means takes away anything from the dishes—each is uniquely distinct and brings a deeply complex taste experience. Some dishes are more worth getting than others though.
For anyone within the vicinity of Sentosa who is craving more casual Japanese fare, then KA-MON is a great option to pop into, especially if you’re coming with company.
📍Location: Level 1, Hotel Michael, 8 Sentosa Gateway, Resorts World Sentosa, 098269
⏰Opening Hours (daily):
- Lunch: 12pm till 3pm
- Dinner: 6pm till 11pm
Reservations for KA-MON can be made at their official website. You can also find updates from the restaurant by visiting their Instagram page.
Photos by Leo Chia of the DANAMIC Team.