The new Kissajin by Les Amis Group takes playing with your food to a whole new level with their one-of-a-kind omakase concept where you play a fishing game of yoyo-tsuri—a traditional Japanese game played at festivals—and literally fish for your food as part of the omakase experience!
Located in the same space as Jinhonten—a much more posh (and pricey) sister restaurant—Kissajin is a nod to the Japanese ‘kissaten’, with a more approachable and casual vibe, from the upbeat 80s J-Pop music to the fun and novel omakase menu. Read on to find out more about our experience trying Kissajin’s 7-course Lunch menu ($68/pax)!
Goma Tofu
Your interactive omakase course starts with a fun game of yoyo-tsuri: a Japanese festival game where water balloons are fished out of a tub of water using a hook and string. Except this time, instead of water balloons, you’ll be fishing out your very first course from the omakase experience—balloons filled with orbs of Goma Tofu to be popped over a zesty seaweed salad using a toothpick. This unconventional method of serving proved to be a truly fun and one-of-a-kind experience, and is definitely not something you’ll see in most upscale omakase restaurants.
Seasonal Petite Appetisers
Mushroom Chawanmushi
Mini Pork Katsu Sando
Mini Tamago Katsu Sando
The petite appetisers were as pretty as they were delicious; with the appetiser menu refreshed every quarter, this is definitely the perfect prelude to whet your appetite for the courses to come. We especially enjoyed the Charcoal Chicken Karaage, which is a mainstay in the appetiser line-up. The mini Tamago and Pork Katsu sandos were also really enjoyable and were not too overwhelming or greasy thanks to the small portion. The silky Mushroom Chawanmushi also helped to cut the greasiness of the sandos.
Grilled Salmon
Fried Prawn
The Grilled Salmon could’ve been more tender, as we felt that it was a little dry. Same goes for the Fried Prawn—while it looked to be big and juicy, it was unfortunately on the dry side; but we liked how the batter was light and not oily at all.
Japanese Curry with Kagoshima Wagyu
Some of the courses were served in a ‘okamochi’, a three-tiered metal box traditionally used to deliver food from door to door, which added to the nostalgic charm of Kissajin. For the lunch main, we were served a Japanese Curry with Kagoshima Wagyu. While we loved the tender and succulent wagyu beef slices served with the curry, our only gripe was that we wished there were more of them as the mere 3 slices left us wanting.
Cream Anmitsu
For dessert, we have a cool and refreshing Cream Anmitsu, consisting of tiny jelly cubes, sweet azuki bean paste, seasonal fruits and cream with brown sugar syrup—a simple and light finish to the entire course. Kissajin serves an 8-course Lunch ($68) and Dinner ($98) menu, with items in the menu refreshed every 3 months.
While the entire omakase experience at Kissajin is not the most sophisticated by any means, it is definitely a very hearty and satisfying one; and for the starting price point of $68 per person, we have no complaints. The unconventional and unique omakase experience at Kissajin is definitely one you won’t soon forget and you’ll definitely be leaving happy and stuffed.
Kissajin
Ambience: 3.5/5
Food/Drinks: 4/5
Service: 3.5/5
Price: $$
Worth a visit: Try out a fun, one-of-a-kind omakase experience you won’t get anywhere else!
Address 1 Scotts Road, #01-11, Shaw Centre, Singapore 288208
Opening Hours: 12pm-3pm & 6pm-10.30pm daily
