A Hidden gem

We stopped by Keppel Country Club (10 Bukit Chermin Road) for a game of tennis the other night and decided to have dinner at one of the many restaurants there since it was starting to rain fairly heavily. Now I've never been fond of going to restaurants in Country Clubs... maybe because I have a perception that these restaurants cater to club members and face little competition compared to restaurants located in areas filled with eateries.

But I stood corrected on this night. We decided to check out Kome, the new Japanese restaurant in the club. The restaurant is open to the public but members get a 5% discount and have the 10% service charge waived. Bento lovers be warned - unlike many Japanese restaurants in Singapore, Kome only serves bento sets at lunchtime - dinner here is strictly an ala carte affair. Our table ordered a few dishes to sample given that it was our first visit.

The grilled hamachi cheek was perfectly grilled with sea salt, the firm fleshed fish still moist and packed full of flavour. We also tasted the pacific saury done in the same way - a much sweeter tasting fish than the hamachi, it was delicious.

The grilled cod, chawanmushi and the house specialty - garlic fried rice served in bamboo bowls, were ordered as sides. Each was very well executed and hard to fault.

What stood out for me however is the quality of the sashimi here. The Chirashi-don, an assortment of raw fish on sushi rice was heavenly. Kome uses a much thicker cut of fish and the selection was very generous. Most importantly - the sashimi here is very fresh and was pretty as a picture when it arrived - a testament to the executive chef, Tony Young's, experience from having trained and worked in Japan for many years.

We finished the meal very happy - Kome is a very competent Japanese restaurant with its sashimi being the star attraction for me here... however it wasn't as busy as I would have thought it would be on a Saturday night. Perhaps there are many out there like me that think less of restaurants located in country clubs - but for its sake I hope that, they too, will learn not a judge a restaurant by its location.