REVIEW: Good Japanese Kamameshi Restaurant in Singapore: Hanare by Takayama @ Takashimaya Shopping Centre

Hanare by Takayama is an award-winning Chef Taro Takayama's Japanese Kamameshi concept restaurant. This is not a Japanese donabe (claypot), but rather rice cooked in a traditional individual iron pot called kama and heated over an open flame. It is prepared in individual portions and is intended to be eaten straight from the pot.

Each Kamameshi has Niigata koshihikari rice and is topped with the freshest seasonal ingredients for a vibrant and flavorful dish. 

Address: 391 Orchard Road #03-07, Takashimaya Shopping Centre Ngee Ann City, 238872

Opening Hours: 12 pm - 10 pm

Hanare by Takayama's Kamameshi is made with Japan's best Koshihikari rice, cooked in an iron pot with seasonal vegetables and harvests from the sea and land, and finished with Chef Taro Takayama's dashi stock.

I went with the Wagyu Kamameshi, which comes with a big piece of delicious wagyu beef slices blanketing the Koshihikari rice. This was served with sesame seeds, which you may sprinkle over your wagyu beef before tossing it.

I was astonished that this wasn't already prepared for us, and the server informed us that we would have to wait around 20 minutes or until the flame underneath was extinguished.

The fragrance of rice interspersed with wagyu fat is enticingly addicting. The thing about Kamameshi is that the flavorings are secondary to the ingredients. Wagyu, carrots, edamame, and mushrooms are among the items in my pot. Because the choice of ingredients determines the taste, this has rich beefy flavors which I love. 

We also ordered oden, which astonished us! The original oden is meant to be served with a stew of various ingredients. Daikon radish is cooked in a light dashi soy broth and served with a mushroom sauce for their Daikon oden. The mushroom sauce was poured over the perfectly cooked daikon, which was garnished with spring onions and a variety of mushrooms. The mushroom sauce, with its comparable texture and aromas, reminds me of mushroom soup. What a creative oden meal!