This French-Japanese Restaurant Has An 8-Course Omakase Menu for $78++, With Oyster and King Hokkaido Scallop

JIDAI Restaurant at Circular Road

If the influx of omakase restaurants in the country is anything to go by, some Singaporeans can’t get enough of the Japanese dining experience. But if you’re looking for something a little different to the standard omakase style, check out JIDAI Restaurant, a Japanese restaurant with interesting French influences.

A quick glance at their eight-course omakase ($78++) menu will tell you that this is no ordinary restaurant. First impressions count, so JIDAI Restaurant begins with oyster and Botan shrimp sashimi that demonstrates their dual cultural influences. While the fresh shrimp isn’t too out of the ordinary for Japanese cuisine, the oyster, loaded with truffle oil and bits of crunchy shrimp chin, is noticeably Western.

What follows is a lavish sequence of dishes: truffle vermicelli meets red swimming crab chunks, thick collagen chicken broth is paired with braised abalone; and king Hokkaido scallop is steeped in a white peach foam and crowned with caviar. The tempura, which uses red snapper and uni, is equally luxurious.

As for the mains, you can take your pick of Challans duck and wagyu beef. We went for the duck here, which had a nice crispy skin and smooth, tender meat. Lest you forget this is a Japanese restaurant, shoyu is added here to give the dish an umami flavour.

For desserts, there’s the snow-white coconut mochi filled with gooey yogurt, and a rich Kyoho grape sorbet with hazelnut.

You can go even fancier with the whopping 11-course omakase ($108++), but if you’re looking for dishes that wouldn’t make your wallet weep, JIDAI Restaurant has some affordable lunch options as well. Go for their yakitori bowls (from $8.90++) or the Yaki Udon with Crispy Ebi Fry ($12.90++).

JIDAI Restaurant changes up their omakase menu every month, so head on down if the aforementioned dishes suit your fancy.

For more value-for-money Japanese food, read our Jin Ho review, or check out our affordable Japanese restaurants list.

Address: 9 Circular Road, Singapore 049365
Opening hours: Mon 5pm to 10:30pm, Tue-Sat 12pm to 3pm, 5pm to 10:30pm
Website
JIDAI Restaurant is not a halal-certified eatery.

Enze Kay

Enze is a Singapore-based food writer with over five years of experience, having written for the first iteration of HungryGoWhere before joining Eatbook. He enjoys noodle dishes from around the world, but local classics such as bak chor mee, wonton mee, and hokkien mee hold a special place in his heart.