Takujo

Heard so much about Singapore's first integrated Japanese emporium in a 34,000 sq ft space on the 1st floor of Marina Square. Emporium Shokuhin features a live seafood market, customised temperature and humidity-controlled beef dry-aging facility, gourmet grocer and 8 unique dining concepts including café and bakery Kohi-Koji (bought and tried its bread, nothing to rave about or fault) and a ready-to-eat section. The 6 restaurants are fine-dining Takujo, gyoza and ramen Burosu Honten, Senmi Sushi, seafood wine bar Umi & Vino, shabu-shabu Tsukeru and yakiniku grill Gyuu. For dinner on a weekend at Takujo, we started with two types of raw oysters – fresh and firm, juicy and sweet, leaving me with no doubt that they were not farmed in freshwater. Kani Zozui, or crab porridge, and grilled scallop was again sweet with a taste of the sea. No complaints about its appetiser of smooth chawanmushi though, and the tender braised black pork belly from the Nimono menu.