If you guys follow my blog often, you would know that I live for Japanese food. I literally have to eat it at least once a week. So it's no surprise that my boyfriend decided to bring me to eat Japanese food for our Valentine's Day dinner - and he took it up a notch by bringing me to eat Omakase!

Omakase (お任せ) is a Japanese phrase meaning "I'll leave it up to you"; with you refering to the chef. It is an essential Japanese culinary experience which can also be very pricey, so it's not like you can just head over to Sushi Express and order one for $1.50.

The place we went to was called Kuriya Dining, and it's located at Great World City. Kuriya looks rather high class and is often patronised by older people or tai tais. It's also noteworthy that the late LKY spent his 91st birthday here, so that is telling of Kuriya's quality.

Kuriya's Omakase experience offers 16 unique dishes and everything comes as a surprise. The lavish dinner costs a hefty S$150 per person exclusive of GST. Paying such a price, you can be expected to be taken care of very, very well. They do have a Lunch Omakase as well at S$88.80 per person.

Kuriya Dining is not strictly a Japanese restaurant, and the chefs are known to create dishes that bring together Western influences and Japanese cooking techniques.

One thing about Omakase though, is that due to its "personal" touch, the chefs are usually required to come socialise or make small talk as they dish out the meals. If you're someone who is social awkward (like me) and can't do small talk (like me) and is more introverted (like me, too), make sure you bring along someone extroverted who'll do the talking for you.

The chefs also obviously favour the big spenders or frequent customers, and the head chef usually tends more to these "premium customers". It was quite funny seeing the head chef and customers drink and get merry together.

Unfortunately, drinks and alcohol aren't included in the Omakase dinner with the exception of hot green tea. I didn't mind that since green tea really cleanses the palate and allows me to fully take in the next tasty dish. But if you'd like to get a glass of alcohol, you can opt for some Sake starting from S$9 all the way up to S$30 per glass.

We were served an abundance of sushi, sashimi, and meat. Here are some of the noteworthy dishes that we had, which consists (but not limited to) tuna belly, salmon sashimi, wagyu beef, eel, fish roe, sea urchin, and hand rolls!

The dishes are frequently updated and renewed, with the exception of really popular dishes such as the wagyu beef dish. The miso soup, dessert plate with fruits and black sesame ice cream, and even the wasabi were delicious and had their own unique taste.

Omakase is all about creativity, taste, and service, and I would say after eating at Kuriya Dining, I would give it a big, fat 10/10!

Kuriya Dining

Address: 1 Kim Seng Promenande, Great World City, 237994 Singapore

Telephone: +65 6736 0888

Website

Love this post? Feel free to share and comment below or check out my other favourite Japanese restaurant - Omote, here.