OUR SHEF
OWNER CHEF, TEPPAN KAPPOU KENJI
Chef Okumura started his career in Singapore in 2011 after 16 years of intensive training in Nagoya, Japan. A master of the refined style of Japanese cooking, known as Kaiseki, Chef Okumura received his training at the illustrious Nadaman Japanese Restaurant in Nagoya Tokyo Hotel. Under the mentorship of his first teacher, Nadaman’s Senior Master Chef, Kawagoe, he spent the thirteen years working relentlessly to perfect the Kaiseki craft and another three years at Kawagoe Restaurant. From the freshness, texture to the colours of the ingredients to the labourious rituals in food preparation, he holds steadfast to the fundamental Kaiseki cooking principles.
Known for his meticulous craftsmanship and artistic flair, Chef Okumura’s dishes are a study in perfect seasoning bringing out subtle textures and flavors you can find from in haute cuisine. Teppan Kappou Kenji reflects his love for creating scrumptious edible artwork and his desire to breathe life into Japan’s fine culinary traditions with new techniques and innovations. While a typical Kaiseki meal starts above the $200 bracket, the “reverse” Omakase experience at Teppan Kappou Kenji starts at an affordable $150. He prides himself on his versatility in providing a personalized experience based on the preference of the diners. So instead of purely “leaving it up to the chef”, Chef Okumura prefers to let diners enjoy the choice of preferred dishes. Set dinners from $60-120 where diners can enjoy of his signature dishes.
LOVE OF NATURE AND SEASONS
Chef Okumura is always excited by the many different ingredients he works with and expresses this through his evolving techniques. He particularly enjoys working with the rich array of Japanese produce available in Japan and mentions that the superb quality of produce which Japan is known for, is a particularly enjoyable part of his role.
Committed to sourcing for fresh ingredients, he travels extensively in Japan four times a year to source for the freshest ingredients. Depending on the season, you can expect ocean gems like the Mie lobster and Mie oyster from Iseshima, Ise Ebi and Akamoku seaweed from Mie prefecture, Unagi from Shimanto and other unique ingredients.
He hopes to introduce signature dishes such as the seafood hotpot with miso and the seasonable kamaeshi as well as herbed Octopus served with three kinds of difference salsa sauces (Avocado, Tomato, Cheese) which features an olive oil blend mixed with Shiso (perilla leaves).
EVOLVING TECHNIQUES
Feelings of gratitude and love of nature has inspired Chef Okumura to explore new techniques. Apart from the Teppan / Kappou multi-course menu which features seasonal ingredients, diners will enjoy the premium A5 Miyazaki Wagyu beef grilled to perfection.
Personalized Experience
Chef Okumura has married his philosophy in adhering strictly to the natural flavours of the ingredient with desire to create a highly personalized and memorable experience for diners. He hopes to delight his diners with new recipes with a twist that would result in cleaner and more delicate flavours.
During his culinary career, he has also enjoyed personally served noteworthy personalities such as the Japanese emperor, Russian politician Mikhal Gorbachev and former Chinese premier Wen Jiabao. At Teppan Kappou Kenji, he hopes to introduce to diners a new Japanese gourmet experience – one that is steeped in nuances of sophisticated Japanese multi-course meal but presented in a relaxed and intimate atmosphere. Diners can enjoy the full display the chef’s culinary mastery and have intricate dishes with seasonal ingredients prepared in an engaging performance starring fine ingredients without prohibitive prices.