Opened at the end of last year, Rose Dining is an upscale compound of six Japanese restaurants that occupies a large space on the forth floor of Siam Takashimaya department store.
The space is decked out to mimic a cobble-street village in a Japanese old town. Eateries include Katsukura, a Kyoto-style tonkatsu restaurant; Kissyan, a wagyu hotpot restaurant; Tsukiji Takewaka, a casual restaurant; Unagi Toku, an eel-speciality restaurant; Kamui Hokkaido Dining, a Japanese fusion restaurant; and Masa Otaru Masazushi, an omakase sushi restaurant.
Each of the restaurants is the brand's first outlet outside of Japan. Thus, to ensure a high Nippon standard they all boast Japanese chefs, with ingredients imported from the Land of the Rising Sun.
Kissyan's griddle-grilled Kobe steak.
Kissyan
♦ Call 02-288-0629
Straight from Osaka, Kissyan's speciality is prime-quality wagyu beef to be cooked hotpot-style in sukiyaki or shabu-shabu broth, complemented by a house-concocted dipping sauce.
The easiest way to enjoy the meal here is go for a full-course set.
Each set comes with a choice of appetiser, a platter of mixed vegetables, a carb dish (udon noodles, rice soup or rice dish with meat topping), a 200g helping of raw beef thinly sliced upon order and choice of dessert.
Kissyan hotpot restaurant from Osaka.
There are four options of beef to choose from, namely the top-of-the-line Kobe A5 (2,800 baht), Kuroge wagyu (2,180 baht), wagyu loin (1,580 baht) and assorted beef (1,190 baht). A set with pork alternative costs 650 baht.
Beef connoisseurs cannot miss having the Kobe, regarded as one of Japan's top three pedigree beefs. Kobe beef comes in A4 and A5 grades only.
We sampled both Kobe and Kuroge wagyu.
In paper-thin yet expansive slices (bigger than a man's palm), the more pricey Kobe beef showcased extraordinarily supple meat interlaced with rich marbling lines of fat that burst-released a pleasant stream of sweet fatty juice in our mouth.
Meanwhile, the shimmering Kuroge wagyu, though not offering as sumptuous a mouthfeel, was very tasty and worth having.
The 200g platter of shabu-shabu meat at Kissyan.
Greatly complementing the first-class beef were praiseworthy a broth and dipping sauce.
In order to experience the genuine taste of the prime-grade wagyu, you might want to go for the mild and clear shabu-shabu broth made with dried fish and seaweed.
However, my all-time favourite is the more intense-tasting and darker-hued sukiyaki broth. Kissyan's version, a savoury sweet mixture of soy sauce, sugar and sweet cooking rice wine, proved one of the best I've ever had. Both the sesame dipping and ponzu sauce were just flawless.
Steak buffs may want to order from the selection of 100g griddle-grilled steaks. Prices are 1,290 baht for Kobe; 990 for Kuroge; 790 for wagyu loin; and 690 for wagyu BBQ.
Considering the prices, the portion and the palate contentment they offered, I'd say Kissyan is quite a paradise for beef connoisseurs.
Service during my weekday lunch there was fair.
Furano A4 rib-eye teppan don at Kamui Hokkaido Dining.
Kamui Hokkaido Dining
♦ Call 02-880-0800
This fusion Japanese cuisine restaurant, run by a Japanese chef, offers a variety of dishes prepared with speciality ingredients flown in every other day from Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido.
Thanks to its cool climate and pristine landscapes, Hokkaido is famous for fresh seafood, especially hotate (giant scallops), uni (sea urchin roes) and oysters from its ice-cold water, as well as champion-grade wagyu cattle that feeds on clean pastures on Mount Tokachi in Daisetsuzan National Park.
Kamui's fully illustrated menu lists everything from sushi and sashimi -- both classics and innovative -- to teppanyaki grills, shabu-shabu hotpot and contemporary dishes.
By trying to please various gastronomic preferences and to include many present-day favourites in the menu, you could say that unlike that of other eateries in the Rose Dining complex, Kamui's kitchen might be lacking in culinary identity.
Kamui's special sushi roll featuring otoro, Hokkaido uni and black truffle.
Still, its guests are able to enjoy different styles of Japanese cuisine conveniently at one sitting. And the meal here is also complemented impressively by plenty of house-crafted desserts and drinks.
The mango passion fruit smoothie (149 baht) proved a great refreshment to start your meal with.
One of the restaurant's most recommended dishes is its special sushi rolls (1,600 baht).
A unification of gourmet luxuries, the 8-piece platter features sushi rice stuffed and wrapped with otoro (belly fillet of the fatty tuna), rich and creamy uni and a garnish of black truffle. Adding a sharp tang to the roll is egg yolk mustard dressing.
Premium sashimi is another top feature. You can choose from the a la carte repertoire or let the chef indulge you with his selection.
On the day I visited, the 10-item omakase sashimi (2,400 baht) was represented by neat slices of buri (matured yellowtail), tai (sea bream), shime saba (cured mackerel), hirame (flat fish), salmon, otoro, uni and oyster. The raw seafood, served on ice, exhibited top-notch quality.
Representing the top-class Hokkaido beef here is Furano wagyu. The black-haired beef is prized for its highly marbled texture and the super-fatty mouthfeel it offers.
You can have the Furano wagyu as a teppanyaki steak, sushi or rice dish.
I had Furano A4 rib-eye teppan don (950 baht for a small order) and was very pleased. Thick slices of medium-rare steak were served atop tasty rice cooked in beef broth. The beef proved super-juicy and flavoursome with golden-hued caramelised onion to lend to it an additional sweet touch.
The tofu cheesecake with yuzu honey jelly (280 baht) and kinako roll cake with soy bean (280 baht) offered a luscious finish to the meal.
Attending to the 80-seater was a prompt, truly knowledgeable and friendly service staff.
The 10-item selection of chef's special sashimi at Kamui Hokkaido Dining.
