Konoha Japanese Cuisine

Konoha Japanese Cuisine was one of the places that we had chanced upon at KAP Mall when we were walking around the area after having finished our dinner in the neighbourhood one day — the restaurant does seem to have been around KAP Mall since August 2023, and occupies a shop unit located at the ground floor that is situated in the same row as other notable tenants in the mall such as MoMiJi Kyoto Cafe (which is a concept run by Chef Teppei Yamashita whom also runs other F&B establishments like Teppei, Teppei Syokudo and Hana Hana), itself having taken over the former premises of the now-defunct Gaijin Soul Food. As with most shop spaces situated in KAP Mall, Konoha Japanese Cuisine occupies a dual-storey shop unit. The way that the space had been segmented out at Konoha Japanese Cuisine is rather similar to the layout that Gaijin Soul Food had used — the ground level space sees the food preparation area being bound by counter seating; almost akin to that of a fine dining establishment serving up Omakase set menus, while the second level features booth seating and regular dining tables and chairs that will work great for groups between four to six pax. The entire establishment comes decorated with a rather Japanese flair, featuring plenty of wooden panelling and furnishings — there is even a small corner on the second story that is tastefully decorated with various wares and small items as well. The menu at Konoha Japanese Cuisine is pretty varied; the menu is split into categories such as appetisers, sashimi, Chirashi Don, Sashimi, Curry & Tendon, A la Carte, Ramen & Udon, and Donburi — there is pretty much something for everyone.

We were informed by the staff serving our table that they were pretty much short handed and quite a number of items are thus unavailable during the day of our visit — this would include items from the Chirashi Don and sashimi sections of the menu. There was much contemplation to order one of their curry rice dishes when we skimmed through the menu considering how they looked quite enticing based on the illustrations on the menu — the staff then recommended for us to give their Chicken Katsu Curry a go which we eventually went for. Konoha Japanese Cuisine describes the Chicken Katsu Curry as “curry with breaded chicken cutlet” on their menu — that being said, apart from the bed of Japanese short-grain rice which the breaded chicken cutlet is sitting on, we also observed that there were bits of Japanese pickles that came along with the Chicken Katsu Curry. Simple as it sounds, the Chicken Katsu Curry from Konoha Japanese Cuisine is one that is more than what meets the eye — going for the breaded chicken cutlet, we quite liked how the fried chicken cutlet came with a crispy, golden brown batter while the meat is still tender and moist within. It is also noted that the breaded chicken cutlet itself was not in any way greasy, while it also does not reek of any undesirable odour of overused oil. What really took us off guard was how the chicken seems to be marinated, carrying an umami note that was almost similar to that of prawn paste chicken that lightly lingers around the tastebud without being particularly intrusive — definitely tickled our senses and was a rather interesting addition for us. The curry roux itself was nothing out-of-the-ordinary, and especially so now that we have tried more artisanal renditions of Japanese curry such as that of the Champion’s Curry that we have had at Japan Rail Cafe, and the rendition of Japanese Curry Rice at Kuro Kare at Singapore Management University; still one that was sufficiently sweet with evident curry undertones nonetheless. The red pickles provided a good crunch that refreshes the tastebuds, which provides a good break from the carbs and the meat.

Apart from the Chicken Katsu Curry, we had also given other dishes from Konoha Japanese Cuisine a go; this would include the Konoha Udon, which is a dish that I described on the menu to be “flavourful broth with hearty udon”. One thing we really liked about the Konoha Udon here is how they have used a thinner sort of Udon rather than the thick Udon that some places would gravitate towards for such a dish. The Konoha Udon also came with elements such as kelp and Kamakabo (i.e. Japanese fish cake) that makes the Konoha Udon feel a little bit more wholesome and hearty with a good contrast of colours from different elements in the bowl. The thinner Udon for this dish meant that it was really easy to have; nothing too jelat as it might have become if thick Udon were to be used — the thin Udon still coming with a bit of a chew to it whilst coming in a lightly savoury broth that seems to involve a bit of Shoyu for flavour. The greens help to add an additional crunch to the Konoha Udon for some variance of texture as well. Meanwhile, the Agedashi Tofu comes with a light, almost tempura-like fried batter; the tofu comes all smooth and silken within that delicate batter, which had soaked up a bit of that light soy sauce that gave it a lightly savoury note that is well accompanied by the bonito flakes that provided an umami note. Overall, our take on Konoha Japanese Cuisine is that it does seem to be an honest and down-to-earth establishment that wants to serve up Japanese cuisine of a good quality for its price to their patrons — there isn’t much of an attempt where the dishes seem to have strayed out of the comfort zone here. Rather, their Japanese fare attempts to be as relatable as they could be to an average patron. Prices of the rice and noodle dishes (with the exception of the the items listed in the Chirashi Don section) at Konoha Japanese Cuisine ranges between $12 to $20, while the items in the Chirashi Don section would cost from $20 to $32. A place worth considering dining at if one is craving for Japanese cuisine around the King Albert Park area.