Have you ever been to a fancy Japanese restaurant and thought, “I just want uni, otoro and wagyu,” just all the greatest hits of Japanese cuisine? I think that’s what Kenwa Orenji at Mohamed Sultan is trying to achieve. If Kenwa Orenji were a movie, it would be Avengers: Endgame, a blockbuster with all the mega stars.

When you enter the space, it’s all orange (or オレンジ orenji), with boxes of Hermes as a centrepiece display at the entrance. Everything looks Hermes too, from the art prints on the wall to the tableware. You can already see why the 10-course dinner menu is at $388++. (lunch starts from $188.)

Like the decor, the food is designed to be fashionable, luxe. They just go all out, all excess, nothing’s holding them back. No modesty, no subtlety, just bam! from bubble-bursting sake-based cocktail to A5 Kagoshima wagyu. it’s just waves after waves of mouthgasm from rich, expensive Japanese ingredients.

You may think that “that’s not authentic” or “that’s not traditional.” You are wrong. When I commented to the chefs that the sashimi didn’t come with pickled ginger, they said it’s how traditional sashimi is served but they would oblige to give me the ginger if I requested. I went home to look at the photos of fancy traditional Japanese restaurants I have been, I checked about 8 restaurants or so – and it’s true, there isn’t ginger in the sashimi photos. I didn’t realise I missed out on this small detail.

The meal also follows the traditional kaiseki meal structure: the appetizers, sashimi, grilled dish, fried dish and so on. But the food is designed to suit the modern tastebuds. It indubitably aims to please as the following photos show:

I think Kenwa Orenji is a controversial restaurant. Those traditionalists who prefer Japanese sushi restaurants with quiet subtlety will complain Kenwa Orenji has no sense of scale. But for younger, adventurous crowd who just want to experience good food and enjoy a slice of max-out luxe without any philosophy in their food, then yes, Kenwa Orenji is it. Love it or hate it, you can’t deny that Kenwa Orenji has a very strong personality, a rare trait in restaurants these days.

Kenwa Orenji
5 Mohamed Sultan Road, Singapore 239014
t: +65 8898 5718
12 pm – 2:30 pm, 6 pm – 10:30 pm, Closed Sun

Food: 8/10
Decor: depends what you like
Price: 6/10
Service: 8/10

This is an invited tasting.