Keyaki Restaurant, Pan Pacific Hotel (Tel: 6336-8111)

July 28, 2007: It was my first night-out after close to one month of being confined to the hospital and the home. There were several other reasons for celebrating as well, one of which is, I am finally in the last stage of recovery.

I was thrilled when I was told the venue would be Keyaki in Pan Pacific Hotel. It was the first Japanese restaurant in Singapore that left some really good impressions on me more than a decade ago. I have returned over the years - and have never once complained about any drop in its standard.* (Please note the end of this entry).

I met the person who took down my reservation for the first time. He didn't introduce himself as Shigeki James Sekiya. He just greeted me with an "Irrasshyaimase", then led me to my seat. It was a small table, and I said that I was going to sit on the chair outside facing the garden; but alas he didn't know how to pull out the chair for a lady guest. What a shame. He's learnt English, without mastering its culture.

Keyaki has a serene traditional Japanese garden-it is probably the only restaurant of its kind. I love the garden as much as the food.

As always before any meal there, I'd walk around the garden and do some deep-inhaling. It's all part of "defeating dengue" and there was no mossy around.

Very quickly a starter was served. I took a look at the menu; the current promotion is foie gras. Foie gras on grilled hotate was the first registered.

When 'A' finally found a parking lot, he made his way to the table. I told him to take the Miyabi Kaiseki (SGD 90/ person). Surprisingly Keyaki allows sharing at the table. That's very nice- I couldn't imagine small eaters would be able to complete the kaiseki. The waitress made some recommendations for me: fried rice, hamaguri (clam) soup and foie gras. As the hamaguri (clam) were gone, dobin mushi seemed to be the perfect substitute.

I knew that I'd feel a little 'tormented' having to abstain from beer and wine-- for the sake of my liver--another challenge of dengue patients. Luckily the kampachi was excellent-both in the way it was served and its taste even without drinks.

It was accompanied by the julienned fresh mountain yam- what a bore, you might think, chewing on taro strips when you're going haute cuisine. The yam turned out incredibly light, refreshing, juicy and accompanied with quality seaweed-- a true delight in its own right.

The dobin mushi was a refreshing hot teapot of seafood and bamboo shoot, aromatized with some golden drips of sweet and sour lime goodness.

Before I could finish it, I was surprised by the sight of the foie gras, prettily served on a scallop shell. Beneath the layer of goodness, there were the succulent meat of fresh scallops--all tasted too good to be true.

Then the prawn and tempura arrived; they were superbly light as well. The truly divine dish of the night was the skewered beef with vegetables (gyuuniku no kushiyaki). I surprised myself by loving it immediately -- I was never a meat-lover. Lightly charred on the outside, sweet juices gushed out from its rare tender core. This succulent beef might just make any vegetarian break his oath. I finally understood why the teppanyaki table was always full at the restaurant. I won't mind becoming a carnivore for those beef!

The fried rice came in the correct amount- an aromatic grainy bowl. Though simple, its flavour was robust.

There was the vinegared cucumber with wakame seaweed and eel to cool everything down. There were quite a bit of eel embedded in the mound of seaweed and cucumber that loosened to fill half the bowl. I could taste very good-quality rice vinegar in it and couldn't bear to waste a single drop of it.

A good dessert would definitely bring the meal to a memorable end. I chose a simple fruit platter which came with simply the most heavenly papaya.

The green tea ice-cream added another perfect finishing note.

I felt extremely energized and soothed by the meal. The feeling of having overeaten was absent; and I was sure I felt much healthier.

The budget for one person is SGD100 a person (7-percent GST inclusive). It's well-worth the splurge. Even if the 'service' manager is just an average usher and the service compares poorly with family restaurant, Donguri, Japan Association, the chefs shine.

I am looking for the next excuse to return.

* I did return later in November 2007, but the sashimi, sushi and the beef kebabs tasted very different. Until now, I haven't gone back there for a review. I would, I guess, to give it the benefit of the doubt.