Last Sunday we had a delicious dinner at Rk San for great value. Chef Rk previously worked at Sokyo and Flying Fish as their head sushi chef, and has now created his own place to showcase his creativity and experience. We had their contemporary tasting menu, marketed as an “omakase”, 9 courses for $79 per person.
On the same day we had the alluring Kuon Omakase for lunch (LINK) so our expectations were slightly skewed but we made sure to clear our palates with our whiskey tour 🤠(LINK).
On the same day we had the alluring Kuon Omakase for lunch (LINK) so our expectations were slightly skewed but we made sure to clear our palates with our whiskey tour 🤠(LINK).
Omakase
The first entrée was a classic sashimi of the day with tuna, salmon and kingfish. It arrived in this beautiful ice bowl, keeping the fishes fresh and chilled. We were impressed by the size and thickness of the slices. There are a lot of restaurants that skimp out on their raw seafood serving due to budget reasons so seeing moderately large slices was nice 🥰.
The salmon was moderately fatty but not a belly cut. The kingfish had a neutral taste. And the tuna was an akami cut, giving it a lean and creamy texture. Everything was delectable, with a dab of wasabi and a dip of soy sauce.
The salmon was moderately fatty but not a belly cut. The kingfish had a neutral taste. And the tuna was an akami cut, giving it a lean and creamy texture. Everything was delectable, with a dab of wasabi and a dip of soy sauce.
This maguro hana was another pleasant surprise. It was burnt rice with tuna and mayonnaise. Being of Vietnamese background, these bite-sized rice pieces almost resembled our childhood. The rice cubes had a very crispy exterior and soft, pillowy interior.
The accompanied creamy diced tuna and fattening spicy mayonnaise were the perfect ratios for this bite. The perilla leaf added enough earthiness to cut through all the richness, bringing us back to enjoy the crunchy rice 🤤. What a trip of flavours!
The accompanied creamy diced tuna and fattening spicy mayonnaise were the perfect ratios for this bite. The perilla leaf added enough earthiness to cut through all the richness, bringing us back to enjoy the crunchy rice 🤤. What a trip of flavours!
Next was the wagyu carpaccio. These were wagyu slices, drenched with sesame oil, soy sauce and fried garlic cubes. It was probably not the highest cut, maybe an A2 grade wagyu cow. The meat had a mildly chewy and slightly crunchy texture, with an enjoyable salty and garlicky flavour. I prefer this over the melt-in-your-mouths cuts for entrée dishes though because it added momentum to the upcoming main dishes.
The house signature cigar was the attraction that brought us to book this restaurant. It was diced sashimi-grade akami tuna and shallots, stuffed inside a shelled pastry with a nori strip, laid upon malto ash in a cigar tray, and served with a shot of Kikumasamune Kimoto Junmai Sake. It was amazinggggg 🤤.
I tricked Mick into thinking we were actually getting cigars for his birthday hehehe.
The pastry was finely crispy and contrasted the rich and creamy tuna filling perfectly. The attention to detail was astonishing, especially the thinly sliced nori wrapped around the cigar and the ashy texture. The malto ash was a mildly savoury, beefy-flavoured crumb layer that was the fluffiest, softest dipping cloud we’ve had 🤤.
We completed the bite with the smooth taste of the junmai sake and ughhhh, off to umami heaven we went. This was one of the most creative dishes we’ve tried. Great job, Chef Rk.
The pastry was finely crispy and contrasted the rich and creamy tuna filling perfectly. The attention to detail was astonishing, especially the thinly sliced nori wrapped around the cigar and the ashy texture. The malto ash was a mildly savoury, beefy-flavoured crumb layer that was the fluffiest, softest dipping cloud we’ve had 🤤.
We completed the bite with the smooth taste of the junmai sake and ughhhh, off to umami heaven we went. This was one of the most creative dishes we’ve tried. Great job, Chef Rk.
I tried my best to eat this brown mushroom with saffron dish but the texture got to me 😔. It had a beautiful truffle aroma and on the initial bite, tasted like a chunky truffle too, however, after a few seconds of chewing, my mouth said nope.
Don’t trust my opinion though because Mick absolutely loved it (a review from a normal person). He said it was very flavourful, with a strong umami taste and a juicy mouthfeel. Chef Rk was generous with the saffron topping that added a subtly sweet and floral taste to the bite. I’d eat more mushrooms if I could!
Don’t trust my opinion though because Mick absolutely loved it (a review from a normal person). He said it was very flavourful, with a strong umami taste and a juicy mouthfeel. Chef Rk was generous with the saffron topping that added a subtly sweet and floral taste to the bite. I’d eat more mushrooms if I could!
Next was the seared salmon rolls with perilla leaves and cucumber. The serving pieces were big but there was a tad too much rice for our liking. However, and most importantly, the flavours were on point and executed well.
The salmon had a moderately fishy taste, elevated by the charred touch. It was a really creamy bite, thanks to the generous serving of mayonnaise. This was cut through by the earthy freshness of the cucumber and perilla.
The salmon had a moderately fishy taste, elevated by the charred touch. It was a really creamy bite, thanks to the generous serving of mayonnaise. This was cut through by the earthy freshness of the cucumber and perilla.
The first main dish was the karaage chicken. It reminded us of chicken chippies 😂. The batter was quite soft, not overly crispy or drenched in oils. It was well seasoned with a mix of chicken salt, garlic and five spices. The interior meat was juicy and moist, having retained all that delicious chicken flavour. The spicy mayonnaise had a moderate amount of spice to balance the tendies.
The final main dish was the pork belly that had been sous vide for 36 hours, served with pumpkin purée, fennel and pork skins. Ooooft, delicious!!!!! This tenderised pork belly was so juicy and flavourful, it was oozing out piggy flavours and dripping in that gluttonous fat (that we know we shouldn’t eat but tasted so damn good, we had to).
It was well complemented by the pumpkin purée, which was an appetising mild sweetness and had the smoothest, well-blended texture. The savoury notes were balanced by the nutty fennel and spicy kick of the crunchy pork skins.
We were unbuttoning our pants by this point and had to hastily re-button them when it was Chef Rk who served us this dish personally 😳.
It was well complemented by the pumpkin purée, which was an appetising mild sweetness and had the smoothest, well-blended texture. The savoury notes were balanced by the nutty fennel and spicy kick of the crunchy pork skins.
We were unbuttoning our pants by this point and had to hastily re-button them when it was Chef Rk who served us this dish personally 😳.
Last was the yuki, a dessert inspired by winter. It was a yuzu parfait with pistachio praline ice cream and pine foam. This was very refreshing, with a great combination of ingredients to finish the meal on a light and enjoyable note.
I’m a huge sweet tooth and I found the sweetness levels were just right for those with a blander palate. The ice cream balanced out the tartness of the yuzu. And the pine foam was a soft nutty texture that added a crunch to the bite.
I’m a huge sweet tooth and I found the sweetness levels were just right for those with a blander palate. The ice cream balanced out the tartness of the yuzu. And the pine foam was a soft nutty texture that added a crunch to the bite.
Service
When we stumbled into Rk SAN, we were a little surprised by their casual, intimate setting but wow, the food and service was exceptional. Never judge a book by its cover, oops!
The staff were very friendly and efficient, clearing our dishes the moment they were licked clean and giving us enough room to breathe before setting the next dish. We prefer faster service because time is money, and we all have places to be (especially on days when we book 6 places to eat at 🤣).
The staff were very friendly and efficient, clearing our dishes the moment they were licked clean and giving us enough room to breathe before setting the next dish. We prefer faster service because time is money, and we all have places to be (especially on days when we book 6 places to eat at 🤣).
Review
There was a lot of creativity in these contemporary dishes without straying from the traditional Japanese taste. We thought the price tag was a bargain for the quality and quantity of the food. We’ve been recommending this place to anyone who will listen. There’s a high chance we would stop by for another meal.
The only thing we didn’t like was the marketing. This was advertised as an “omakase” but it was far from the traditional leave it up to the chef. We have noticed Rk San changing the menu name since our review so hopefully people’s judgment will not be clouded by the wording, like we were.
Thanks for reading. Happy eating! 🤗
The only thing we didn’t like was the marketing. This was advertised as an “omakase” but it was far from the traditional leave it up to the chef. We have noticed Rk San changing the menu name since our review so hopefully people’s judgment will not be clouded by the wording, like we were.
Thanks for reading. Happy eating! 🤗
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Wow, wonderful weblog structure! How long have you been blogging for? you made running a blog look easy. The total look of your site is wonderful, let alone the content material!!