Omakase! Where fusion puts you in a trance
Behind the wooden door, the Japanese Teppan-style counter is at the centre of the restaurant, and the stacks of spices and wine are arranged behind it under a dim but inviting light that invites guests to sit down and taste the unexpected – Japanese-French fusion omakase courses.
When Teppan France Kanda opened more than 10 years ago, it was one of the first omakase restaurants in Thailand. Omakase, in general, is a style of cuisine tailored to each diner’s individual taste, but at Teppan France Kanda it refers to the menus that are constantly updated based on the freshest ingredients available each week.
To deal with the economic turmoil during the pandemic, it opened a delivery service.
The pioneering restaurant has two distinct options for lunch and dinner, and prices are affordable.
Chef Toshiaki Ohkama, Chef Toshi for short, the head chef of Teppan France Kanda, may be best known here for winning Iron Chef Thailand, but he is also a certified sommelier who can match wines and dishes into unforgettable bouquets of flavour, creating indelible experiences for diners.
Chef Toshi is also a master at choosing ingredients and creating sauces for each dish. He’s a chef on a mission who carefully thinks his way through every element of each dish to arrive at his ultimate goal – the flavour of joy.
Each course consists of an array of five to 10 dishes, using ingredients imported weekly from Japan, such as wagyu A5, madai fish (Japanese Red Sea Bream), and abalone.
Adhering to authentic and traditional taste is another hallmark of Chef Toshi’s approach.
The Nation was honoured to taste an exclusive dinner, including the menu that Chef Toshi displayed on Iron Chef Thailand.
The appetizer excites your taste buds: Crevettes et mousse de Saint-Jacques (shrimp and scallop mousse in a lemon juice cream sauce). The rich texture of fresh shrimp and scallops, the creamy mousse, and the slightly sour taste of the lemon cream sauce fuse you into a dream-like trance.
The second dish is “ishigaki gai” (castle stone clams) with sauteed mushrooms in a basil-pesto sauce. The moist and bouncy texture of ishigaki gai blends exquisitely with the sauteed mushrooms and basil-pesto sauce. It is the perfect warm-up for what comes next.
The third dish is Isaki tartare and eggplant with a caviar and parsley sauce. The fresh taste of Isaki delights the taste buds, while an additional sea of flavour arrives from the blend of caviar with parsley sauce.
The fourth dish is Madai fish (Japanese Red Sea Bream) and oyster soup. It infuses the breezy salt air and ocean on one plate. The moist texture of Madai fish and oysters is mouth-watering.
The fifth dish – “Essence d’oignons”, or onion soup – has a cooling and creamy onion texture that cleanses the taste buds for the superstar of the course: Saga A5 roast beef or grilled abalone shiogama (for those who do not eat beef).
This dish was on Chef Toshi's competition menu for Iron Chef Thailand. It is cooked with a uniquely thick layer of sea salt. The dish has a rich texture but is not too heavy due to the well-blended light sauce.
Dessert lovers will find themselves in heaven when the cart of sweets arrives. The range is expansive: Homemade ice cream, mango sorbet, tiramisu, pear pie, chocolate cake, custard pudding, stewed prunes, Basque cheesecake, and caramel cake.
After dessert, more choices arrive. Coffee and tea and four more sweets to savour, with each nibble delivering a more than perfect ending.
Teppan France Kanda is open every day but Wednesday. Lunch is served from 11.30 am to 2 pm and dinner from 5.30 pm to 10 pm.
Teppan France Kanda
Tel: 02-011-1319
LINE ID: @kandarestaurants
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Teppan.kanda
