Restaurants & Bars

Restaurants & Bars

In Good Hands

Words Lu Yawen

Like a practice of meditation, it’s mesmerising to watch Yoshio Sakuta—the itamae of Sushi Kou, an intimate eight-seater—methodically dab wasabi on the underside of a slice of tuna before firmly pressing it on a small oblong of vinegared rice in his hand. Formerly the head chef at two Michelin-starred Shoukouwa at One Fullerton, Sakuta is clearly in his element doling out Edomae-styled pieces of skin-temperature nigiri.

Before we’re fed morsels of shari (sushi rice) draped with a generous blanket of neta ranging from flounder to a whole tiger prawn, the omakase meal begins with a series of appetisers that showcase his finesse. There’s a lightly poached kinki (channel rockfish known for its fatty white flesh) with ponzu sauce, wild ocean eel charred at the edges, steamed abalone with a creamy abalone liver sauce, and a shot of cold vinegar soup with the peculiar water shield plant and conch.

The acidity of the last dish is a perfect segue to the sushi, assembled with seafood flown in from Toyosu Fish Market.

A distinct characteristic of Edomae-style nigiri is how the fish are aged; the methods vary from chef-to-chef depending on experience, so we get why Sakuta remains tight-lipped about his techniques. We do get a hint of smokiness from the sea bream that alludes to a possible smoking method but don’t quote us on it. The origins of the restaurant are equally vague; it’s founded by a Japanese businessman with deep pockets who named the place after his son.