I came across GOHO Kaiseki on IG and thought it was interesting so I suggested to the friend to try this place out. Brought to you by the team behind Rappu Handroll Bar, GOHO occupies the space on the second level, with a private lounge area on the third. Since I was early, I sat around on the ground floor and realised wow, Rappu was really crowded (even though I heard negative reviews about them)

I was shortly brought up to the second floor and looking forward to dinner since I saw rave reviews about this place from an influencer. I had made my reservation prior and happened to see that she was also visiting this place

We started with a welcome drink before our course commenced

GOHO has 3 menu; Sakura (9 course), Sumire (9 course) and Ume (10 course). The friend decided on the Ume course ($188) which consisted of 15 dishes, and alongside an alcohol pairing ($98)

Ugo No Tsuki Biko Sparkling Sake

Seasonal Monaka – Foie Gras Pate with Kyoho Grapes

The pate was served chilled so when you eat this together, it felt like eating an icecream wafer. It was an interesting dish to start and I thought the pate went nicely with the grapes

Mono Yoguri Explosion

It tasted like jelly, and that’s about it. I felt the flavours were quite one dimensional

Hassun

Honestly, the presentation was on point

Hotate Mousseline | Seasonal Sashimi | Kabocha Mochi Buff

We started with the hotate chawanmushi which was too heavy in terms of flavour. I felt like they tried too hard with the addition of cream. Seriously, cream?

Moving on to the second plate of shima aji which was served fresh, soy-marinated and pickled. The shima aji wasn’t handled properly. I could find a scale in my mouth. The fresh and the pickled piece tasted almost the same. And you could taste a little fishy-ness in there

The pumpkin mousse ball tasted the most normal, or should I say, the most average too. It was pretty alright, though nothing much to shout about

Suzuki Mosaic

Very creative though it’s not exactly very pretty. A mixture of cod and seabass with yuzu nikiri gel, I found the texture of the 2 a little weird. Perhaps, they should have just stuck with one type of fish

Awabi & Hotate Consomme

The broth was a little too bland. I understand that the broth was to keep light in order to highlight the crab & tobiko dumpling but I had to say, the abalone & scallop broth needed a little more flavour to it. And the crab dumpling, was too mushy in my opinion

Pinot Noir

Pork Jowl

We took both the pork and beef to try

Wagyu Shortrib

I felt that the sauce was little tad salty so it kinda overwhelmed the dish. The meat themselves, were pretty alright

Red Plum Green Tea Cold Brew

This was actually my favourite drink throughout the entire course and it’s a non-alcoholic drink

Duck Tsukune w Caviar

When this dish was presented, I thought it was pretty innovative to use duck meat instead of the usual chicken. But after eating it, I had second thoughts. The meat itself was a little dry and I guessed that’s why tsukune predominantly uses chicken so that it’s more tender and juicer. Also, you couldn’t really taste the different layers in the dish (the meat, the egg, the caviar). It just felt like one whole lump together

Riesling

Miso Butter Engawa

Love the smokiness in the fish. And it went really nicely with the riesling

Junmai Daiginjo

Awabi w Uni

Probably the best dish I had eaten thus far. The abalone was tender and sweet and finishing off with the umami of the uni was satisfying

Niigata Ginrou IPA

Shiso-Wrapped Anago Tempura

The flavours were good but the dish overall was too, can’t find a better word to express it, nua. Else, the shiso and the peppery taste was quite nice

Seasonal Donabe

This dish was probably another dish that was on the better side. Love the rice with a little charred taste and the fish was executed really nicely

Served w Lobster Miso Soup & Pickles

We were advised to eat half the portion and pour the miso soup in for the remaining half. Lets just say it tasted better without. The soup was too salty. I had absolute regrets pouring it in

Junmai Daiginjo

Moving on to the last dish which is their signature dish and only available for the Ume menu

Mt GOHO

Uni, Wagyu, Chutoro, Ikura, Zuwaigani, Caviar

Infusing the bonito smoke into the dish

And sprinkling gold flakes for the final touch

Lets just say, this final dish was really just for show. They could have ended it at the donabe

Taste-wise, you would have thought everything premium would taste spectacular. On the contrary, it was a little short of expectations. We had a hard time chewing the wagyu, and everything else felt like a mess when you can’t distinguish the layers and the flavours. It was a pity

Well, it’s really just for the gram I must say

Momo Sorbet w Kyoto Grape & Sparkling Sake

And ending off with some sorbet though by then we were so full from everything

It’s a filling meal no doubt, given there were so many courses. But in my opinion, the dinner wasn’t satisfying and I felt sorry for the friend who had to pay for me. Cos with this price, there are definitely a lot better restaurants out there. If you had dined at finer Japanese restaurants or enjoyed premium kaiseki, this place is not for you. But if you don’t mind the experience and just wanna give this place a try, by all means, go ahead. Perhaps I just happened to have a bad experience as compared to the rave reviews I saw and throughout the entire meal, I was just very confused – like how is this good? Anyways, I doubt I will return anytime soon

GOHO Kaiseki & Bar

53A Duxton Rd, Entrance via RAPPU

Singapore 089517