No, that is not uni. Nor is that the salmon sushi you’re used to seeing. In fact, nothing you’ll see in this Japanese omakase restaurant contains real fish or meat—everything is 100% made from plants! Ki Su Shoujin Omakase is a novel plant-based omakase restaurant with innovative (and tasty) courses made entirely from plants, with absolutely no meat or seafood.
Before you roll your eyes at yet another restaurant trying to pass off vegetarian dishes as “fake” meat; you should know that Ki Su doesn’t claim to serve dishes that taste like (or even remotely close to) real meat. The dishes you’ll eat here taste pretty clearly non-meat, for that matter. What makes Ki Su stand out as a plant-based restaurant is the experience of having regular, everyday vegetables prepared in unconventional and experimental ways that you don’t usually see in traditional Japanese cooking. And if you’re down to explore an omakase experience that’s a little more out-of-the-box, you might be pleasantly surprised to find out just how delicious plants and vegetables can be.
Ki Su definitely nails the service and hospitality aspect of an omakase dining experience. From the moment you’re seated, you’ll be greeted with a personalised note from the chefs (make sure to make reservations for your name to be included in the note), as well as a lightly scented hot towel to freshen up. We also liked the added touch of a separate wet napkin (encased in a crystal case, no less) for you to clean your fingers between each course—very thoughtful. You’ll also get to watch the chefs in action as they meticulously shape your plant-based “sushi” by hand, exactly like you would see in conventional omakase with real fish!
Egg Yolk Toast with Air Flown Tonburi Caviar
Avocado Taco
Ki Su serves an 8-course Lunch Omakase ($88++ per person) as well as a 10-course Dinner Omakase ($168++ per person), both including a series of seasonal appetisers, nigiri/gunkan “sushi”, yakimono, golden temaki, entrée, soup and dessert, among others. What’s interesting about the nigiri “sushi” course at Ki Su is that while each piece is made entirely from vegetables, they still resemble their fish counterpart quite accurately.
Shiro Shimeji Nigiri “Sushi”
Akapima Nigiri “Sushi”
Nasu Nigiri “Sushi”
“Uni” Gunkan
We’ve got the Shiro Shimeji that’s made from mushrooms, mimicking a bamboo clam; the Akapima made from capsicum but looks like salmon; and the Nasu from eggplant that looks like flounder fish! There’s even a “uni” gunkan (dinner only) that’s made from pumpkin—the colour of the “uni” almost exactly like the real deal, and they even store them in a wooden box like you would with real uni! As the items are set to change seasonally, you can have fun trying to guess what vegetable goes into the “sushi” for your visit!
Truffle Pâté
Yakimono
Golden Temaki
Entrée
For hot dishes, the Truffle Pâté was by far our favourite, resembling a creamy “foie gras” steak on crispy toast made from finely-mashed nuts and topped with black truffle and premium mustard seeds—this dish delivers on richness, crunchiness and umami that left us wanting more. The entrée of the day was monkey head mushroom that’s compressed to resemble the look and texture of beef steak, but we felt more flavour could have been imbued in the “steak” itself as it ended up tasting quite bland, even after the addition of the black pepper sauce.
Soup
Dessert
For a palate cleanser, we had a beautiful clear soup featuring a gorgeous handcrafted cabbage flower made from an entire head of Napa cabbage that “blooms” when hot soup is poured over it—truly a visual treat. End off the meal with an interactive floral-infused Hokkaido milk ice cream dessert where you’re invited to get hands-on in smashing the frozen edible flower petals and mixing it together to “DIY” your own ice cream treat!
While Ki Su’s omakase prices are comparable to other omakases that feature actual meat and seafood, it’s clear that plenty of careful thought and curation has gone into creating each plant-based dish to make it as innovative as possible. That said, if you’re expecting an omakase experience that tastes similar or identical to actual meat and seafood-centric omakases, Ki Su probably won’t be the place for you. But if you’re someone who’s vegetarian or you just don’t fancy meat but still want to experience an authentic omakase-style dining, definitely give this a try! Make sure to come with an open mind and you’ll surely enjoy what Ki Su has to offer.
Price: $$
Taste: 7/10
Favourite dish(s): Truffle Pâté, Egg Yolk Toast
Ki Su Shoujin Omakase
Address: 60 Tras St, #01-01, Singapore 078999
Opening Hours: Monday-Saturday, 12pm-3pm & 6pm-10pm
