Review: Journey through Japan with wagyu omakase at Fat Cow on Orchard Road

Think of omakase, and you'll instantly picture the likes of seafood, sushi, and soup.

However, one restaurant is raising the bar with a wagyu-centred omakase. If you are a beef connoisseur of sorts, you will most likely be familiar with Fat Cow, the Japanese restaurant synonymous with premium wagyu beef.

Beyond its highly-raved beef donburi and Chef's Table Lunch Omakase, Fat Cow has a new wagyu omakase menu, from the mastery of their new head, Chef Shingo Iijima.

The Fat Cow Wagyu Omakase takes you on a gastronomic exploration from the North to the South of Japan, featuring exquisite wagyu from diverse terrains.

Follow us as we embark on a journey through Japan with Fat Cow's Wagyu Omakase in this review. 

Dinner takes place in the innermost chamber of the wabi-sabi restaurant, where counter seats enclosing the open grill place us in the front row of the culinary stage.

Chef Iijima presents the main cast in a wooden box - chunks of beautifully marbled beef sourced from Hokkaido, Tochigi, Gunma, Ohmi, Matsusaka, Nagasaki, Miyazaki, and Kagoshima.

They were meticulously prepared to encompass the three fives of Japanese food - "Goshiki (five colours), "Goho" (five methods of preparation), and "Gomi" (five flavours). The result is a sensory journey rich in colour, texture, and taste. 

Our journey kicked off with the theatrical unveiling of our appetisers in the Zensai Platter. The assortment of five small plates included Hybrid Bok Choy with Octopus,  Hasuimo (Japanese lotus yam) and Abalone, finished with a crown of Hokkaido uni.

The Grilled Wagyu Tendon is wrapped with sweet and tangy cucumber and topped with five-colour sesame seed while thinly sliced squash is served as a spaghetti alongside a jellied red perilla sauce.

The Hokkaido wagyu makes the first entrance in Wagyu Saikyou Yaki, where it is marinated in white sweet miso for two days and grilled on binchotan for a gentle smoky flavour.

While the chef captures the distinct essence of each beef variant perfectly in every single presentation, the ones that left a lasting impression included the Wagyu Fresh Spring Rolls, which sees Ohmi Wagyu, the oldest beef variant in Japan, served in three ways.

Its clean beefy aftertaste was accentuated with sesame and oba shiso leaf, while mascarpone cheese added a touch of mild sweetness; and the roll with kaiware and red plum presented a good balance of its fatty flavours. 

In Wagyu and Watercress Shabu, Matsusaka Wagyu, one of the "three big beefs" in Japan, is served in the traditional way - shabu shabu.

Each slice is gently blanched to retain its melt-in-the-mouth texture and served in a rich dashi broth with green peppercorns for a pop of spice. We love the tingle of spice that cuts through the rich and luxurious beef, almost giving it a new and tantalising flavour.

Our favourite is the super tender Charcoal-grilled Wagyu Sukiyaki and Japanese Beinasu. Aged Nagasaki wagyu takes the spotlight here; it's slightly grilled over binchotan and served with eggplant on a mixture of double-boiled Sukiyaki egg yolk sauce, topped with sliced black truffles.

When the sweet creaminess of the sauce meets the mild, umami beef, the result is a beautiful play of flavours and textures that is oh-so-satisfying. 

The flavourful A4 Miyazaki wagyu makes its appearance in the Charcoal-Grilled Wagyu with Burdock Sauce, expertly grilled over binchotan to release the full flavours of the beef.

We thought the Wagyu Chazuke, with the creamy Satsuma Wagyu cooked in tempura style and served in a Japanese tea broth, was a comforting end to the wagyu expedition.

Dessert was a serving of Black Sesame Tofu with seasonal fruits, which we could have better enjoyed if we were not bursting at our seams. The generous servings sit very well with hearty eaters; however, they may be a tad lavish for those with smaller appetites. So, make sure to prime your stomach before you embark on this culinary adventure.

Fat Cow is located at 1 Orchard Boulevard, #01-01/02 Camden Medical Centre, Singapore 248649, p.+65 6735 0308. Open Sun-Thu 12pm-3pm, 6pm-10.30pm, Fri-Sat 12pm-3pm, 6pm-11pm. Fat Cow Dinner Wagyu Omakase is priced at $290++/person and starts from 7.15pm. 

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This article was first published in City Nomads.