[Review] Chikuyotei (竹葉亭) Singapore: Branch of One of Japan's Oldest Unagi Heritage Restaurants from 1851 at Intercontinental Hotel

By alvinology on August 1, 2024

Located within the Intercontinental Hotel in Singapore, Chikuyotei is a distinguished Japanese restaurant that seamlessly blends tradition and modernity. Despite its non-descript appearance of a typical Japanese fine dining hotel restaurant, Chikuyotei has roots dating back to 1851 in Japan. The original Chikuyotei was first established as a fine dining restaurant in Japan and is still in operations today, specialising in unagi (Japanese eel), seasonal omakase and a la carte dishes. It was the first unagi restaurant to be awarded the Michelin star in Japan and the Singapore branch first opened its doors in Singapore in 1992. Known for its unagi dishes, Chikuyotei is a proud representative of Japanese culinary culture, maintaining the tradition of serving live Japanese eel to this day.

The owner of Chikuyotei Singapore also runs a business importing premium Japanese ingredients like seafood and other food produce into Singapore, including Grade A meats from prime locations such as Kagoshima Kurobuta and Kagoshima Wagyu beef. As such, the restaurant is always assured of the freshest and the choicest of premium, seasonal ingredients from Japan to be served to diners.

Due to business circumstances, two Chikuyotei restaurants in Singapore now serve the same concept. The owner has unwittingly opened up another Chikuyotei branch at UE Square because he initially intended to move his restaurant from the Intercontinental Hotel over to the new location, but the hotel ended up wanting for him to stay put after he set up the new restaurant.

I was invited to the Chikuyotei at the Intercontinental Hotel for an omakase dinner tasting and brought my son along. We are both big fans of Japanese cuisine and unagi and were looking forward to the experience. As we stepped into the restaurant from the hotel lobby, the decor and furnishings made it feel like entering an authentic Japanese fine dining restaurant in Japan.

Omakase chef readying his station at Chikuyotei

For our dinner, we were served with the Omakase Course Matsu, priced at $238 per person. This includes several seasonal omakase courses and the choice of a main dish with two options to choose from - a 'mini size unagi on rice' or a serving of 5 assorted nigiri sushi. We opted for one one of each for the main course, to sample everything on the menu.

These were the items we sampled for the night:

Itoshim corn soup, topped with uni (sea urchin) - the corn is seasonal and it just arrived freshly from Japan

Pan-Roasted Amanaga Pepper - a simple looking dish that is a main feature in the original Chikuyotei

Unagi and Japanese Cucumber Roll with Kontobi Nori with Sea Salt - you roll this up yourself to munch on

Sashimi of the Day - tuna, amberjack and seabream

Soup Hamo (Conger Pike in clear Japanese soup), Japanese Eggplant (Jade style) with Somen Noodle, Japanese Ginger and Ooba leaves -rich, flavourful and packed full of good stuff, this unassuming looking dish was one of our favourites for the night

Aged Eel (Genpei - a blend of unagi with Chikuyotei's house-made special unagi sauce + without sauce) - another of our favourites, the preparation itself was art, with the use of charcoal and a natural fan, the flavours were subdued but leaves you craving for more

Salted Japanese Makuwa Uri Melon - a refreshing palate cleanser

Kagoshima A4 Wagyu Sukiyaki with Tomato - a cube of wagyu beef fat was used to heat up the claypot and cook the exquisite beef with

Unagi on top of rice (Unagi Donburi) - a signature dish at Chikuyotei, this is a mini portion for the omakase

Selection of 5 pieces of Sushi - uni (an additional top up of $8), tuna, hotate, amberjack and seabream

Japanese rock melon and grapes

Water Dumpling - light, water jelly served with brown sugar to end the meal

Overall, the unagi dishes were all exemplary and among the bests we have savoured in Singapore. The attention to details and meticulous preparation is an art form in itself. If you are there for just the unagi, there is a unagi dinner course priced at $198 per person which includes seasonal dishes along with unagi dishes.

The sashimi and sushi in the omakase set were average, granted Chikuyotei is not a sushi or sashimi specialty restaurant.

The wagyu dish was another standout dish. Wagyu beef fat was used to heat up the claypot and cook the beef, ensuring the flavours are not contaminated. The premium ingredient itself is so flavourful that just tomatoes alone was enough to season it.

The full menu at Chikuyotei offers a wide variety of authentic and modern Japanese cuisine, including sashimi, sushi, Kagoshima wagyu beef, and Kurobuta pork. While it started as an unagi restaurant, Chikuyotei has gradually expanded its focus to include kaiseki dishes, crafted by skillful Japan-trained chefs, perfectly complemented with a wide selection of premium Japanese sake.

The restaurant's ambiance is serene and elegant, featuring counter seats where diners can watch the chefs in action, a large dining area suitable for groups, and private rooms for hosting business meetings. Due to the hotel location, Chikuyotei is likely frequented by many business professionals, and as such, while the food is consistently good, it is also on the pricier side. Go for their set menus like the omakase courses for the best deal.