PUBLISHED August 6th, 2013 02:00 am | UPDATED April 14th, 2016 04:54 pm
The brash conviviality of Spanish, the fatal portions of American, the overwrought richness of French and the decided complexity of Southeast Asian in terms of their cuisines, often distract us from the beauty of the ingredients themselves. Along the showy thoroughfare of Quayside Isle, treaded by moneyed types sporting chunky gold watches and populated by eateries screaming for attention, sits Ezoca. It is an intimate Japanese restaurant that reminds us of what it really means to eat.
A pity, though, since the likes of newly-opened Blue Lotus and chillpad Sabio by the Sea seem to be courting more hearts than the traditional, omakase-only establishment, whose paltry trickle of customers on a Saturday evening contrasted starkly with the raving buzz outside. The crowds are missing out on the talent of Masterchef Shinji Morihara, a humble alumnus from Inagiku in Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai.
That talent is slowly fleshed out with a first course of chilled tiger prawn and raw muscat grape, which come together bound merely by a dressing of creamy tofu and bits of walnut. The gentle balance is clean and energising, as if a breath of quayside wind has just swept ashore. No fear of a chill however, as the next course of a winter melon soup warms the inner recesses of your soul. Every component is ornate, from the blueberry-sized tomatoes to the perfectly cuboid sweet tamago (Japanese omelette) to the scary-sounding but delicate, gelatinous ‘algae’. The thick broth is spruced with shavings of yuzu that brings a floral tang, whetting your appetite for some great sashimi.
And what sashimi it is. Somehow, otoro (tuna belly) tastes especially exquisite at Ezoca – luxuriously unctuous yet brightly refreshing. It must be the tip-top freshness from the four-times-weekly shipment of ingredients from Japan, or perhaps just a psychological one-up from the almost ethereal presentation on a lotus leaf set on crushed ice. Rounds of taira-gai (penfish) that are slightly firmer than scallop, and a sashimi of kinmeidai (golden snapper) that is cool and lean, are as much lessons in Japanese raw fish as bouts of flavour surprises.
More surprises await, trust us, in the subsequent course of grilled wagyu beef. While the protein is wonderful, the multi-coloured grilled vegetables are perfectly capable of upstaging the medium-rare tenderloin. Pumpkin, charred and sweet. Red chilli, fiercely tart with a polite throb of heat. Potato, crackling and soft. Snap peas, juicy and green. Corn, caramel sweet. Placed together, an orchestra of flavours and a feast for the eyes. And while a lightly braised snapper and toufu-wrapped eggplant subsequently calms the palate, a down-to-basics bowl of oyako-don (sushi rice with wet egg and chicken) is simple and well-executed without added bells and whistles, quite like the effortlessly unfussy décor of wooden panels, orchid displays, calligraphic paintings and nothing more.
As classical piano tunes linger, the oasis of calm in the up-and-coming enclave is much welcome. An unassuming Zen-like approach to food makes the meal almost a cleansing experience. Out of place Ezoca might be in the heady mix of restaurants at Quayside Isle, but never when it comes to reminding us what it really means to eat.
The seven-course omakase meal is priced at $288++.
Written by Mr Nom Nom