From The Straits Times    |

Image: Kakure

It has glittering credentials – it’s helmed by one of the few certified sake sommeliers in Singapore, and boasts a menu of more than 50 labels of sake from multiple regions of Japan. So you’d think that sake bar Kakure (Level 2 Chateau TCC, 29 Scotts Road, www.scotts29.com) would be housed in a more ostentatious venue.

It isn’t. What makes it so special is that it’s located in a tiny space at the second-floor corner of omakase restaurant Ki-sho, with a bar counter just big enough for four, and two small private tables. Even the precious bottles of sake are kept out of sight, behind the counter.

Image: Kakure

The lack of flash (and people) means you’re completely focused on the drinking experience, which is steered along effortlessly – and cheerfully – by sommelier Makoto-san. It’s perfect for an after-dinner drink, but the real magic lies in the full sake and food pairing menu (from $88 for six courses). Here, Makoto-san works with Ki-sho chef Hamamoto to offer you a menu that showcases seasonal produce to complement the delicious sakes, some of which are made in such limited quantities that Kakure won’t be able to restock them once they run out.

Image: Kakure

Add to this Makoto-san’s encyclopaedic knowledge of the drinks and how they work with the food (and his willingness to indulge our incessant questioning), and this is one bar you won’t want to miss. Consider Kakure one of our favourite places in 2016.

 

This story was originally published in the Jan 2016 issue of Her World magazine.