Kamoshita :: カモシタ

With a newly recovered stomach that is still tender, I was in need of good food and preferably proper oden at a decent izakaya. Went to Kamoshita (カモシタ、三好シェフそして貝山シェフの店) on Neil Road. It's pretty much flown under the radar for many years. It's not tough to get a seat at dinner since the restaurant is spacious enough. They open only at night anyway. It's good to see that four years on, Chef-owners Koki Miyoshi and Naoki Kaiyama are still tirelessly churning out homecooked magic over the counter.

I love how they offer an 'omakase oden' of five items (hot and cold) at S$25 per pax. Their dashi is gorgeous. In the different items trotted out, if any of those sit in a dashi, the kitchen bothers to spice it up, or add something else so that each item comprising the oden set tastes unique. Although there're some peppercorns in two dishes that I absolutely dislike because those are numbing on the tongue. Their homemade cold tofu with nori no tsukudani 海苔の佃煮 (I don't know the English term, something like 'seaweed sauce, reduced'...) is superbly well-churned and delicious. It was the man's first visit and he was curious about the cheese, so we ordered a platter that came with the four types of housemade cheese. He's a sucker lah. Hahahah. It's soft cream cheese (dunno what kind, didn't ask) with miso, soy konbu, crab butter mixed in and such, and smoked radish stuffed with cream cheese. It's a delicious snack with alcohol lah, but it's an absolute waste of space at dinner.

There is sashimi to be had here, but very limited, and it tends to veer away from the usual sashimi offered at other izakaya in Singapore. Chef Miyoshi specializes in curing and grilling mackerel (sawara 鰆, aji あじ, and saba 鯖), which are all in season now, as well as red sea bream (tai, 鯛). We had the sawara and aji tonight. The chef has excellent understanding of the nature of hikarimono fish (光り物料理 / ひかりもの).

The whole point of having dinner at Kamoshita tonight, was for a taste of its tai-meshi (鯛めし, sea bream rice). This rice comes in a portion for five to six people! We could never finish it unless it's a full table. The restaurant is happy to pack the rest of rice home for us each time. I’m unable to cook tai-meshi because it tastes best in a donabe 土鍋, which requires fire; mine is an induction stove and I don't have space to have an outdoor charcoal stove. I might attempt it in the cast iron Dutch oven since our dum biryani comes out great in those.

On the seventh day of the new year, tradition has it that my kitchen boils up nanakusa gayu (七草粥, 7-herb porridge), but I'm honestly not fond of it, because I no like the herbs that go into it. I tend to replace it with fish congee and throw in spring onions, coriander, oregano, rosemary and thyme to make the numbers. Teeeehhehe. BUT WHY BOTHER. Kamoshita's tai-meshi is beautiful and elegant. I couldn't have cooked it better myself.