Saucy Singapore and Kamoshita Partner To Create Truffle Oden, Truffle Karaage, and Truffle Claypot Rice
PUBLISHED December 19th, 2017 06:00 am
Every time we think we’ve seen it all, the Singapore food scene finds some way to surprise us with something new. This time, it’s Saucy, the five-month-old platform with a mission to work with underdog restaurants around the island to curate novel food experiences.
Launched as a project by an assortment of foodies with regular jobs, Saucy’s first collaboration was with Jimoto Ya, a cozy ramen joint by Pickering Street. What resulted was the Yamazaki Ebi Miso Ramen, a ramen that as you might have guessed, features the premium Japanese whisky fat-washed with prawn oil for a sweet smoky finish. Then, earlier this month, we saw the bizarre Battleship Tulang – a garlic butter pizza boat with two whole tulangs (a bone marrow dish) – from the halal American food joint Tash Tish Tosh. As one might expect in a country with a fetish for novel dishes, people sopped it up.
If you’re wondering what’s next, look towards Kamoshita, the two-year-old restaurant in Tanjong Pagar popular amongst the local Japanese community. Here, chef-owner Koki Miyoshi, who previously worked at the Japanese embassy in London and at Robertson Quay’s Mikoto, has created three variations on Japanese classics that utilises seasonal black truffles – or as I like to call it, black gold.
Available from now until 15 February 2018, you might start with the Truffle Oden Trio ($26.50), a series of three small dishes based on the oden that Kamoshita is so famous for. There’s a humble bowl of stewed radish elevated with toppings of truffle slices and pillowy fishcakes steeped in a broth laden with black truffle shavings. The last, and a personal favourite, is a perfect ramen egg with a molecular twist: premium truffle oil (none of that synthetic stuff) that you squeeze inside the custardy yolk with a dropper.
Have some fun with the Truffle #ShakeIt Tori Karaage ($25), crispy and juicy fried chicken morsels that are arguably the best we’ve tried in Singapore. Like a bag of shaker fries from McDonald’s, give it a vigorous shake to coat every piece with the luxurious truffle shavings. And don’t worry, there’s more than enough of the stuff to go around. The spectacular Truffle Seabream Claypot Rice ($49) is cooked with a hearty collagen fish broth that was boiled down for hours – the fluffy Japanese grains from Hokkaido are infused with black truffle salsa and truffle oil, and did we mention the delicious bits of sea bream?
On the night we headed down, I was treated to a splendid wine pairing courtesy of one of Saucy’s co-founders. Brendon Au, himself the founder of local wine company Wines2u, who selected a mildly-sweet Iyokagiya Muroka Junmai to complement the oden. He also recommends something sparkling to go with the fried chicken – an Anne Marie Brut Nature Reserva with just enough effervescence to cut through the rich dish. For the claypot rice, it’s a 2015 Domaine de la Pepiere ‘Sur Lie’ Muscadet – off-dry, briny, and brilliant with all that umami.
Ordering any of these dishes is simple. Purchase tickets for them and other exclusive goodies on the Saucy website, make your way to the participating restaurant, and pay the balance on site. Plus, you can enjoy the same exclusive pairing (40ml glass of sake or 60ml glass of wine with any of the three truffle courses at $7+ each) when you quote “SaucyNomads” while making your reservation.
Get your ticket for Kamoshita‘s Ultimate Truffle Fest and other unique culinary collaborations at Saucy.
