The reopening of prime gastronomic destination Waku Ghin has surely pleased many returning foodies, but the restaurant is primed to win over a new legion of fans thanks to its spanking new space.

The chef’s table is an exceptional indulgence – featuring Western-inflected kaiseki that has slightly more assertive flavours compared to fully Japanese experience. Think: marinated carpaccios, somen prepared like pasta, and full plated desserts with petit fours. The restaurant’s signature is an extravagant combination of marinated botan ebi, lobes of uni, and caviar – all eaten out of aN uni shell with a mother-of-pearl spoon.

Chef-owner Tetsuya Wakuda is also happy to accommodate any request (for a price of course) – including customised birthday cakes or even an additional steak for your omakase. No time for a full dinner? The bar area at Waku Ghin features a la carte dishes – like fresh oysters and fish and chips – prepared with the same care and ingredients as their omakase. Try the Basque cheesecake, an exemplary version made with just cheese and eggs.

2 Bayfront Ave, L2-03 The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, tel: 6688-8507

Japanese restaurant Shinzo heralds the spring season with a refreshed menu that showcases oceanic delights like rich, umami ankimo (monkfish liver) and mild shirako (cod milt) as part of their Kasen menu.

As one of the more traditional sushi joints around, most of the chef omakase will be no-frills, ingredient-focused dishes, including meaty anago presented in tempura form; and nigiri with choice seafood.

Some local touches do slip in occasionally though – there’s a moreish century egg tofu appetiser and amberjack sashimi dressed with furikake, caviar, and truffle. Come for the Tuesday dinner omakase for complimentary sake pairing.

17 Carpenter Street, tel: 6438-2921 

If third time’s the charm, the chef Kenjiro “Hatch” Hashida has it down pat at the third location for his restaurant. Inspired by the layout of a shinto shrine, the new space features three distinctly furnished dining rooms that seat seven, eight, and 12.

The food is still distinctly Hashida: seasonal, sushi-centered omakase with bits of modern touches thrown in – like house-made sakura ebi tofu with a cauliflower-based sauce. What we’re most grateful for though, is the persistence of one of Hashida’s signature dishes: a piece of nigiri sushi that features mille feuille-like layers of thinly-shaved ootoro that literally melts in the mouth.

As far as omakase sushi restaurants go, Fukui is an outlier with its Singaporean head chef, and sister-owners that also work the front of house. Even the food’s a little left-field, with head chef Nick Pa’an’s decision to include Chinese-inflected courses like an intense consomme made a la chicken essence by steaming tuna meat and collecting the juices; or a double-boiled soup to end the meal.

There is also a wider array of flavours and textures than one would expect from a traditional sushi spot – like in flavour bomb of a bite that features uni, shio kombu, crunchy rice puffs, and truffle oil all wrapped up with a slice of flounder sashimi.

25 Mohamed Sultan Road, tel: 6509-0909

For Japanese cuisine, springtime heralds the peak of some of our favourite ingredients: diminutive but richly-flavoured firefly squid, as well as plump, sweet hamaguri clams. For a taste of both and more, wagyu specialty restaurant Fat Cow will be offering a series of spring dishes on their Haru Matsuri menu – including minced firefly squid wrapped in crisp nori; and hamaguri clam shabu shabu.

For the complete experience, head for the chef’s table omakase, where highlights include a scallop, uni, and shiso fritter that comes in a thick flower crab and dashi sauce. Of course, it wouldn’t be a meal at Fat Cow without beef – we’re particularly fond of an indulgent combination of Himeji A5 beef, sukiyaki broth, egg yolk, and truffle shavings.

For those looking for options beyond the usual sake pairing, the restaurant has concocted a range of Roku Gin cocktails like the Roku Mohiso, a spin on the mojito that swaps out mint for shiso leaf.

1 Orchard Blvd, #01-01/02 Camden Medical Centre, tel: 6735-0308

This article first appeared in The Peak