Fukusen, a Japanese dining establishment, can be found at the boutique chain Hotel Clover’s 33 Jalan Sultan property. Guests of the hotel and external diners have the opportunity to enjoy the Japanese cuisine that Fukusen offers, with a touch that is reminiscent of the Land of the Rising Sun.
Fukusen, due to its respect for Japanese seasonality, stays true to the high standards of both the quality and freshness of the produce they use. They do so by offering patrons a palatable Omakase dining experience, with seafood and produce flown in twice a week from suppliers in Japan.
Cold Chicken marinated in Shiso & Chicken Teriyaki ($21). To begin, we started with the Teriyaki Chicken which was very tender and juicy. The fact that these chicken slices were richly slathered in the sweet and savoury Teriyaki sauce was absolutely delightful. The side of cold chicken marinated in shiso leaves provided a contrast to the succulent Teriyaki Chicken as it was more fragrant and cold. .
Grilled Pork marinated in Miso & Stir-Fried Sliced Pork ($24). The slices of stir- fried pork were fragrant and topped with chopped spring onions, and they were rather moist from the sauce which made it easy to swallow. The side of grilled pork marinated in miso, however, was a tad dry and hard to chew. But this was quickly remedied by the piping hot miso soup!
Aburi Salmon Carpaccio & Salmon Don ($24). This was easily my favourite dish. The fresh slices of salmon sashimi atop a pile of puffy Japanese rice and coupled with ikura roe were simply magnificent. To top it off, the side of torched salmon slices, which gave the typical taste of raw salmon a refreshing twist, was my personal highlight of the dish.
Clover Fukusen Roll ($28). Stuffed with salmon sashimi and cucumber, crowned with slices of seared foie gras and cherry tomatoes, the Clover Fukusen Roll is definitely a dish worth having. Each piece guarantees a pleasant melt on your tongue and a tantalization of your taste buds.
The next part of our meal involved Fukusen’s Omakase courses, the restaurant’s speciality. While Omakase traditionally means to “Leave it to the Chef”, the Fukusen chefs also pride themselves in tailoring the Omakase experience they provide to the preferences of their customers. The chefs’ versatility and expert culinary skills make for a memorable dining affair.
Fukusen offers 3 types of Omakase courses: Hana (5 courses – $80), Gin (7- courses – $120) & Nishiki (8-courses – $160) Omakase courses – all 3 available for both lunch and dinner. Pre-booking and contacting the restaurant prior is encouraged since the restaurant functions on a seasonal basis and Omakase dishes will differ on some days!
We tried the Hana 5-course set ($80) which consisted of the following dishes:
Deep fried Sayori, Horenso Oshitashi, Japanese Glass Jelly with Ponzu. A witty combination of different tastes and textures. The deep fried Sayori (Japanese fish) had a crunchy texture and was rather bland. The Horenso Oshitashi (Seasoned spinach) was smooth and remained moist throughout our chewing. The Japanese glass jelly
Grilled Mejina with Uanzuke. This was a very mild dish. The piece of fish was grilled to perfection in the sense that every portion of the meat was consistent in taste and colour. One thing to note about this dish, however, is that the fish contains many bones and may hinder your tasting experience.
Anago Tempura Don. This dish came with a generous portion of rice and 3 succulent slices of Anago fish, a type of salt-water eel. The fish had a distinctive taste and paired with the drizzled sauce, made for a very satisfying meal.
Slowed cooked Beef Cheek with Aka Miso. The Beef Cheek was very soft and smooth, with its texture likened to that of jelly. The marination with miso disguised the beefy smell of the beef cheek whilst bringing its flavour out and made for a very savory dish.
Japanese Persimmon. To be completely honest, this was my first time trying the fruit and I feared that it would be very sour. A bite into these very juicy chunks of persimmon proved me wrong however, as they turned out to be very sweet.
All in all, Fukusen’s set lunches are really worth the value, considering the fact that the ingredients they use are both fresh and of high quality. Give the Omakase courses a try too as it is their specialty and undoubtedly an interesting experience not to be missed!
Expected Damage: $30-60/pax
