Kenroku - Food Review

We had a dinner to celebrate our friend's promotion recently and my wife found a Japanese place on the internet called Kenroku けんろく(https://www.kenroku.sg). Personally I had alot of good memories of 兼六園 in Kanazawa.

Situated at Holiday Inn @ Orchard, it's just a few steps from the reception of the hotel. The main Japanese Counter can seat 10 while another private dining room probably another 8-10 pax. There's also a small bar counter for 4-6 pax.

On the day we went, they sort of messed up our reservations on Chope. However they managed to sort everything out and we were led into the main dining area.

The view from our counter seat~

They had an 8-course set menu which was priced at $150, down from $180.

Japanese Menu

English Menu

It was great that they had both English and Japanese menu as my friend couldn't read Japanese. Looking at the menu it is quite obvious that they see themselves promoting alot of products from Ishikawa and Kaga.

First up was the appetizer which consisted of 5 small dishes:

The appetizers

Cold Corn Soup, Soy Tofu with Dashi (and gold flakes) and the Sea Eel Sushi

Deep-fried Fish

Seasoned Plum Compote

The 1st dish basically sets the mood for the rest of the evening. The gold flakes on the tofu really reminded me of Kanazawa~

Japanese Whiting Soup

The sashimi ingredients right in front of the our eyes while the chef sliced and plated them~

Oh that uni!

I liked the pace of the dinner. We were given enough time to slowly savor each dish before they clear it. And because the counter was right in front of us, they work on our appetite as the dishes are prepared or just plated right in front of our eyes. Its like a little striptease with food~

The Ayu~ the summer fish loved by many Japanese, grilled in salt, can be eaten from head to tail~ I've never been a fan of fish with many bones but I can appreciate the taste of the Ayu flesh and organs, which has been flown thousands of miles to this dining table, and into my tummy~

Winter Melon, Fried Japanese Eggplant, Sea Bream with Sudarefu (A Japanese gluten cake)

Sardine seasoned in Vinegar with Kinjiso (A Kaga vegetable) and Japanese Ginger Flower

Cold Soba

Japanese Melon

The rest of the dishes continued to showcase the produces from prefectures closer to the Sea of Japan than the Pacific Ocean. Throughout the night we had little tidbits of information from the manager who showed us the origins of the ingredients using a tablet.

Verdict?
Atmosphere at Kenroku was cosy and intimate. Seated at the bar counter meant we could see some of the dishes being prepared right in front of us. We also had a good time chatting with the chef and the manager in Japanese. Our only complaint that night was the aircon wasn't cold enough.

Food was good. Ingredients were mostly imported from Ishikawa prefecture. Though not expensive ingredients, they were fresh and delicious. The preparation and plating of the dishes were also excellent.

Price was really affordable but that was also partly because they messed up our reservation a bit. Normally an 8-course meal would cost upwards of $150/pax, but I don't remember us paying more than S$450 for the 3 of us, and that's including drinks! Basically they gave us free drinks and a 10% off~ Well, I'm going back again!