Southpaw Bar & Sushi- Lavender (Cavan Road) Omakase with Whiskey Pairing

Where do you usually go for Omakase? What about the style and pairing for Omakase? Is it Sake with Omakase or do you prefer Japanese Whiskey?

I know I've previously posted about an Omakase that was less than $100 on my Instagram. So you must be thinking that I’m a crazy fan of Omakase with this blog post . Yes I admit it hahhaa. So now let’s look at my first ever Omakase blog post. 

Southpaw Sushi

The owner Roy Ng is a whisky connoisseur who collects all sorts of limited edition bottles so you can rest assured that you’ll be getting quality shots to go with your sashimi and sushi. 

Roy told me that he realised that no restaurant is pairing jap food with anything other than sake and Japanese whiskey. So he decided he would be the first. Currently, he is also working towards being the best in Singapore. Roy’s good friend, Kenny Khoo, helms the kitchen. Having worked in Nogawa and Tatsuya previously, Chef Kenny has more than 17 years of experience in Japanese cuisines.

Based on my knowledge, single malt whiskey is normally an after-meal drink to help digestion It usually goes with fruits, dark chocolate and strong cheese such as Roquefort and Costco. So today's Omakase with Scottish whiskey will be quite an experience for me.

The omakase styled sushi bar offers 3 main sets, priced at $68++, 98++ and 138++, with variations depending on the seasonal catch.Oh ya, did i mention it is a cozy setting with a 12 pax seating.

My Omakase starts now! OMG can’t wait.....Btw I took the $98++ set (6 course meal) 

I started off the first dish with Canadian oyster with tomatoes, paired with the ten single malt scotch whiskey 

You must be thinking oh my, why is it tomatoes? You would be surprised by the texture and the juice. And normally when we finish eating the oyster we will never thought of slurping up the juice right? Over here, Roy taught me to pour a little of the whiskey and blend it with the oyster juice and drink it. Oh my, it surprised me. The blending of the freshness of oyster with the sweetness of the whiskey was perfect. Now I’ve learnt a new way of eating and saving the juice for the last bit( meccha oishii)

Now for the second dish. Fresh sea bream delicate slices dressed with truffle oil, spring leaf, caviar and bonito flakes, paired with Glenmorangie, 10 years old single malt.

Bonito flakes are mainly used for soup or as a dressing on its own in Japanese food. It was very creative of Southpaw to toast the bonito flakes with truffle and umami. The taste was not too overpowering. It was a pleasure to taste it in such a creative way (Tabete mite). Did I mention it was specially made by the chef himself?

After opening up much of our palates, the third dish is up: fresh sashimi

There were 5-6 pieces of sashimi (salmon, tuna, yellowtailand  of course there’s my favourite ottoro hahhaa so happy (Suki Suki). There’s the use of fresh flowers for decoration similar to the use of fresh herbs seen in western cooking. It's (Kiku flower). Chef Kenny taught me to mix kiku with soya sauce and dip it a little with the sashimi and freshly grated wasabi. Apart from the freshness of the sashimi, it adds a little floral fragrance without compromising the taste of the sashimi.

4th, Assortment of sushi: 7pieces , Benromach single malt

There are Kanpachi, engawa (flounder fin), marinated Bluefin tuna with Japanese yam, kohada and wakame, Aburi salmon with chef’s special bonito flakes, Foie Gras on hotate (scallop), Ika (squid) sushi with lemon and rock salt 

My favourite was bluefin tuna with Japanese yam 

You must be thinking why is it not Foie Gras on hotate? Personally, I feel Foie Gras is kinda over powering the taste of hotate. I couldn’t really taste the hotate. Nevertheless, the ingredients are really fresh as Southpaw will only order their ingredients daily and not for more than 12 pax worth of ingredients daily. So you can imagine the freshness of the food and the effort spent in keeping it fresh for the customers. 

5th, Miso soup with clams..

Once again, Chef Kenny made an effort to prepare it from scratch. Except for the clams which are bought of course 

6th Dessert: Yuzu ice cream

Refreshing and delightful yuzu sorbet refreshes your palates. Reasonable but not heavy dessert serves well to cleanse the palates. 

The whiskey menu is rather extensive. Here are some of them: Speymalt from Macallan 2007 ($13++ a dram, $215++ a bottle), Benromach 10 Year Old ($12++ a dram, $200++ a bottle) and The Ten 2008.

No worries for sake and beer lovers. Southpaw serves them too. 

I must say I had a fulfilling night and a refreshing experience with Omakase pairing. Subarasjii syokuji, gochisosama deshita

As usual don’t say Bo Jio

Show my page or my code (whatjess1023) to enjoy free wagyu Carpaccio worth $38 on your birthday month. Valid with purchase of any Omakase set till 31st Dec 2017. Not valid with other discount or promotion concurrently

Southpaw Bar & Sushi       
11 Cavan Road, Cavan Suites,
#01-04, Singapore 209848
Telephone: +65 91011941
Opening Hours: Mon- Sat (6pm-12am)
                          Sun (Closed)