First dibs: Wagyu truffle udon, sake pairings amongst Takeshi-San’s new menu offerings

Takeshi-San is one of those places where it’s actively hyped up—and deserves every bit of it. Since the buzz about the Japanese restaurant, I’ve been meaning to give it a try, but I never managed to until now. I’ve been waiting on an opportune moment to give Takeshi-san’s offerings a shot, and now with their new menu items? Boy, was I there to witness it.

To start, the Mixed Carpaccio (S$18) is a dainty platter of tuna, salmon, hamachi, and hotate—finely sliced and doused in an all-too-brilliant sauce that well does its job of whetting your appetite right off the bat.

This pairs nicely with the Takeshi-San House Daiginjo Sake (S$28) that’s smooth, mild, and palatable even for the lightest of drinkers.

The next course comes by way of the Golden Gate Roll (S$20) which is an interesting combination of sliced peaches, maguro, and ebi tempura quite literally rolled in one. Dive in and dig into the textural playground that is the Golden Gate Roll; crunchy, savoury, and a tad bit sweet all at once.

But what truly stole the show is the A5 Truffle Wagyu Inaniwa Udon (S$32) that supersedes any dismissal of being “basic” and genuinely delivers as the night’s show-stopper. An onsen egg bursts and gives way to thinly coat umami-laden strands of chewy, al dente udon—Hilary Duff was wrong, this is what dreams are made of. The A5 truffle wagyu slices were, also, much to write home about. Delightfully marbled and lightly seasoned, each slice walked the fine line of tender, with a firm bite.

I would’ve loved an earthy sencha to pair with the richness of my mains, so the Strawberry Gin Sake (S$10) didn’t quite do it for me. Including just half a shot more of gin into the mix, however, would’ve done wonders for the overall balance of the cocktail. A good effort, nonetheless.

At last, the famed ‘sushi staircase’ that draws those far and and wide to Takeshi-San. The latest additions to this series include the Imperial Kaidan Set (S$32) and Luxury Kaidan Nigiri Set (S$32) which are both scrumptious in their own right.

The Imperial Kaidan Set features melt-in-your-mouth aburi foie gras, aburi beef, and silky-smooth hotate, while the Luxury Kaidan Nigiri Set is a celebration of fresh otoro, salmon belly, and hotate.

To pair, award-winning Born Gold Muroka Junmai Daiginjo (S$128) possesses notes of green apple, sweet rice, and peaches, and is served in a wine glass. It finishes with medium sweetness and very light, clean acidity.

Wrapping up an already near-perfect night at Takeshi-San are the Cheesecake Tempura on Blueberry Jelly (S$12) as well as Garden by the Mini Tarts (S$12). The cheesecake tempura is exactly what you’d think it is; an interestingly crispy outer encapsulates a soft, fluffy cake centre, all for your crunching pleasure. The Garden by the Mini Tarts is a trio of cookie-like tarts filled with praline, lemon curd, and blueberry jelly.

Takeshi-San’s new menu items are available from now onwards.

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