Restaurant review: Noka by Tippling Club offers progressive Japanese omakase experience

Noka, which means farmhouse in Japanese, opened its doors at the newly-refurbished Funan Mall last month under the umbrella of the Spa Esprit Group in 2019.

Now, veteran chef-owner Ryan Clift has taken over the reins and invigorated the provenance-driven restaurant alongside chefs Ryosuke Deguchi and Barry Tan to present Noka by Tippling Club.

Situated on at the rooftop level of the mall, the classy restaurant boasts an idyllic view of their herb garden.

Tapping on fresh ingredients curated from Chef Ryan Clift's network of food producers across the Asian region, the 17 courses of Noka's Omakase ($245++ per person) are highly influenced by the modern techniques and playful gastronomy style of Tippling Club, which stands up to the restaurant's tagline of "ultra-progressive Japanese dishes".

The unconventionality is evident the moment we took our seats at the sushi counter and enjoyed our first bite of the Sakura Pork served in light bonito stock.

Highlighting the beauty of a Japanese summer with the use of flowers, fruits, and nuts, this pork belly finds toothsome and refreshing companions in pine nuts and chopped apple. 

The familiar fruit makes another appearance in the Otoro Sashimi, albeit in a different form. Here, the sweetness of grated Aomori apples enhances the fish's rich fatty flavours and together with fresh wasabi, makes for a whole new otoro experience. 

In the sashimi moriawase plate, lime leaves lend their distinctive citrusy punch to slices of matsukawa karei, turning it into an aromatic treat. The fresh flounder slices play peek-a-boo between washi paper and lime leaves. We almost missed it!

With Noka's focus on freshness, ingredients are flown in from Japan in small batches, so items on its menu may change according to seasonal availability.

In our case, we were lucky to have the juicy Hiroshima oyster as the seasonal replacement of hama (pike eel) with our plum somen. The somen finishes with a delicate whiff of plum, but the smoked shio kombu dashi could use a little more kick.

Conversely, the clear katsuobushi broth with tai (sea bream), with braised baby turnips, was bursting with flavours from the succulent fish and yuzu zest.

Other highlights include the tender A5 Toriyama wagyu striploin, sous vide with precision before being pan-seared on the sides. Sitting on wasabi-infused burrata and topped with freshly harvested Okinawa spinach from their herb garden, the thinly sliced A5 cured beef layered between packs a punch in terms of flavour.

Served with a drizzle of sweet vinegar sauce, this is one of the most balanced and outstanding dishes of the meal. That said, the fork-tender pork collar is also quite the star with its sweet and savoury flavours through the use of shoyu and gula melaka.

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If you're out to indulge, the omakase can be paired with wine and sake at an additional $148++ per person. There is also an a la carte menu of sushi, nigiri, sashimi, snacks, mains, plates, and sweets. 

The team at Noka by Tippling Club made this an enjoyable dining experience. chef Ryosuke enthusiastically shared about the food and ingredients, and our teacups were always full. 

Noka by Tippling Club is located at 109 North Bridge Road, Funan, #07-38 (Lift Lobby A), Singapore 179097, 6877 4878. Open Tuesday to Saturday 11.30am to 2.30pm, 6pm to 10pm. Closed Monday & Sunday.

This article was first published in City Nomads.

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