A new Japanese restaurant, IKYU, has just opened on Yong Siak Street.

Joining the group of hip, nouvelle food & beverage concepts in Tiong Bahru is the estate’s newest, contemporary, Japanese restaurant, IKYU (pronounced as “E-Q”). Strategically located at No. 5 Yong Siak Street, the new, 1,700 sq. ft, 54-seater diner is headed by Executive Chef Takuma Seki (formerly the chef-de Cuisine of Hide Yamamoto at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, and owned by Newbreed Pte Ltd, a new entrant in the food & beverage business.

Combining freshly imported ingredients with his creative interpretation of traditional Japanese cuisine with East-meets-West culinary techniques, Chef Seki has designed a tantalising menu that showcases what he does the best, from mouth watering salads to fried and grilled treasures from the sea; hearty meats, the freshes of sashimi to irresistible nigiris and roll. In short there is something for anyone who enjoys good modern Japanese food.

Have a try at their Kagoshima Wagyu Beef, imported from the South of Japan. The succulent charcoal grilled Wagyu Beef is flavoursome and tender, complemented beautifully with homemade ponzu sauce of yuzu, soy sauce, bonito and shitake mushrooms.

IKYU, which means “Take A Break” in English, aims to be a respite away from the hustle and bustle of the city, where you can look forward to great food, drinks and company.

The unconventional restaurant décor and the well-trained service staff, will ensure you a memorable dining experience.

5 Yong Siak Street

Tel: +65 62239003

Situated inside the Rendezvous Hotel, Seki is a modern Japanese restaurant owned by chef Takuma Seki. This contemporary restaurant is one of the latest additions to the Japanese fine dining scene of the city. Enjoy the finest Japanese culinary masterpieces infused with a contemporary touch created by Chef Takuma Seki. A namesake to its chief executive chef, Seki aims to bring to its customers a unique dining affair unlike any other in Singapore. With its creative menu and refined interiors Seki offers inspired modern Japanese fare in an equally inspired surrounding.

Open on all days, the restaurant serves delicacies from traditional as well as fusion Japanese cuisines. This includes the Japanese Pot au feu, tasty preparations of Edamame and French Foie Gras with Yuzu citron. With Seki, one noticeably enjoys fine fusion cuisine without the stiff and cumbersome feel associated with fancy restaurants. Casual yet pleasant Seki has an inviting environment coupled with affable service that lets patrons relish the best dining experience.

Equally genial and laid-back is the man behind the culinary creations. Chef Seki brings to the table a very hands-on and welcoming approach to his managing style. His forward-looking approach in menu creation and cuisine concoction is complemented by his good old-fashioned sense of hospitality. Exuding charm and warmth Chef Seki makes enjoying good food all the more gratifying. Interacting firsthand with the diners, he wants to get a feel of their response to his creations and what they are looking for in service, so that each one leaves with pleasant and lasting impression of Seki.

Echoing the blending of influences from the old and the new as seen in its food offering and service approach, the restaurant’s design concept also combines the classic and contemporary. Set in a locale that combines the natural, minimalist and linearaesthetic of Asian interiors with the ornate components of modern design in the design element, Seki gives an elegant yet pleasant and welcoming ambience.

Noticeable is how Seki maintains the general feel of open space and visibility from the entry’s water feature to the outdoor area, while maintaining a sense of privacy through clever touches such as laminates in the water feature and an entrance foyer that serves as an access point and a divider as well.

Following a traditional Japanese restaurant layout where preparation of one’s food is in full view of the customer and where natural materials such as wood are used, the restaurant is given an updated look with modular wood furniture in lacquer finish at the main dining area, booth dining, mirrors to elongate the space and a swanky sushi bar.

The telltale traces of the sakura designs found in the glass overlays leading to the outdoor area, and prominent in the private tatami room tie in the whole modern and classic Japanese athmosphere for Seki. Complementing the sakura motif is the modern lighting toned down to give an intimate and cosy feel yet ample enough to keep the whole space well illuminated.

Lunch fare gives diners of the restaurant a choice lunch menu of sushi set, chirashi sushi set or the special for the day, all sets inclusive of miso soup and dessert. For dinner, customers can pick from a Japanese-style degustation menu where every course in the bill of fare will be paired with either sake or Shochu or the option of champagne or wine for a French style omakase.

9 Bras Basah Road, Rendezvous Hotel

Tel: +65 63363806 or email: [email protected]