Esora is a kappo-style restaurant in Singapore, helmed by Chef Takeshi Araki. It won its first Michelin star in 2021 and has held onto to it since then. Esora seemed to gain quite abit of traction during COVID and had quite alot of social media exposure as it seemed to be a favourite among the Singapore influencer crowd. It was always a place on my to-try list but I just never found the oppurtunity to visit amidst my frequent trips to Japan in the past few years. Sadly earlier in September, Esora announced that it would be shuttering its doors on 29 December. In a year of many fine dining closures in Singapore, Esora was another unfortunate victim. My wife and I really wanted to try before the doors closed a final time and so we made a dinner booking for our early Christmas celebration.
Esora is set in a heritage shophouse along Mohamed Sultan Road. The space itself was serene and gorgeous with minimalist vibes. There is a large counter surrounding the main kitchen area which brings you close to the cooking action, but table seating is also available.
Dinner was a nine-course autumn menu (there is also a cheaper 7 course menu). While Esora offers an alcohol pairing, Esora also offers a very unique tea pairing so we opted for that instead.
- Signature Foie Gras Monaka with Japanese persimmon and kumquat. A delightful start. Crisp monaka shell, rich foie gras, and a clean balance of acidic and sweet from the fruits. A greater starter for an autumn menu.
- Signature Rice-Stuffed Chicken Wing with suppon sauce and shaved black truffles. Earthy, smoky, and deeply comforting. The turtle-based sauce was thick and gelatinous, carrying a lot of umami. Truffle did not really add much to the dish but despite that still a great course.
- Hassun. This consisted of five small items:
· Yellowtail sashimi with onion and chrysanthemum
· Dashi-soaked eggplant with lobster cream and uni
· Akamatsu sushi (the one I liked best)
· Deep-fried Shirako with turnip sauce
· Japanese French pear with osmanthus wine jelly
This was an ok dish overall. Presentation felt a bit underwhelming, and I would have appreciated more explanation of how each element tied into the autumn theme. Hassun is usually where seasonality really shines, and this one didn’t quite land with me.
4. Snow Crab Somen
Comfort luxury in a bowl. Came with lots of roe, deeply satisfying and very umami. I could have eaten another bowl without hesitation.
5. Amadai marinated in white miso, with white sesame sauce, radish and carrots
Knockout dish of the night. Fatty amadai with impeccably crisp skin, paired with a nutty sesame sauce. Very French in technique and presentation. Outstanding.
6. Grilled Pigeon with garlic shoots, fried water chestnuts, and Jerusalem artichoke
Umami-packed, smoky, and hearty. The pigeon was very juicy.
7. Snow Crab Donabe
Another crab dish. Crabs for the night were all sourced from Kanazawa. Each dining group was presented with their very own donabe. Chef had added burdock root and shiso leaves in. Sweetness of the crab meat paired well with the earthiness of the burdock roots. We went for seconds immediately. My only complaint is that portion was way too small. Two tiny bowls felt unnecessarily restrained for a donabe this good.
8. Mizu Manju (pre-dessert)
Japanese citrus pulp with Japanese wagashi jelly. Refreshing and tangy predessert but nothing to write home about.
9. Sake-lees soufflé with wasanbon ice cream and shaved white truffles
Deceptively plain looking but this was dessert perfection. Easily the best dessert I’ve had at a Japanese fine dining restaurant. The jiggly soufflé was perfectly cooked, the wasanbon ice cream refined and not overly sweet, and the white truffle brought everything together and elevated the dish. Truly divine.
To close out our 3 hour dinner, we were presented with a teapot of oolong tea with pear and osmanthus, a sweet and calming tea to end our meal.
The tea pairing was also really good. It is not often you get tea pairing at a fine dining restaurant and it was a unique experience to try different types of infused teas throughout the meal (tea pairing menu pictured). The first five teas served cold and the last two hot. Each brought out different dimensions of the food and we felt it was a wonderful curated non-alcoholic pairing.
Chef engagement was minimal here. Chef Araki and his team stayed busy behind the counter throughout the meal and didn’t interact much with guests. This seemed intentional as the atmosphere leaned heavily towards serenity rather than hospitality theatre. The service team, however, was excellent. They were attentive, polished, and able to explain each course effortlessly.
Overall, this was a great meal where almost every dish slapped. On a bittersweet way, while Esora may be closing, it is leaving on a high note. Unfortunately, with the restaurant fully booked until its final days, anyone hoping for a last-minute reservation is likely out of luck.
by Single_Rutabaga_4776