We’ve been wanting to try Akira Back for some time now and we finally got to it. Located in the swanky JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach, this is Chef Akira Back’s namesake restaurant and it adds to his portfolio of six successful ventures around the world. Chef Akira has an interesting background as he was born in South Korea, raised in Colorado where he became a professional snowboarder and then later trained to be chef with a focus on Japanese cuisine. You can see the global influences in Japanese dishes made with fresh seasonal produce, spicy Korean marinades and sauces and American style sushi rolls.
Why you should come here:
The cuisine is unique to any that you’ll find in Singapore. It’s a contemporary, fresh and reminds of us some great modern Japanese restaurants that we’ve tried in various cities across the world. Expect lots of fresh fish, artisanal ingredients like foie gras and truffles, and Asian flavours like yuzu and miso. The location is also pretty key, as the JW Marriott is a pretty appealing place for business lunches or out-on-the-town dinners.
What we love:
The ambiance is nice with plush patterned carpets, solid wooden tables and the option to sit in comfy sofas or curved back chairs. The food is fresh and filling with imaginative flavour pairings, and there is even a full vegetarian menu for the non-meat eaters.
We ordered a ton of different dishes, and the ones that stand out for us include theAB Pizzawith crispy crust brushed with umami aioli and topped with earthy mushrooms, micro shiso and truffle oil, theAB Tacoswith chopped wagyu and spicy aioli, and the Yellowtail Jalapeño with micro cilantro and a yuzu soy sauce that was so good just wanted to slurp it up.
The Rock Shrimp TempuraandAtlantic Black Codwith saikyo miso and yuzu sake foam were also pretty stellar. We weren’t sure how theEggplant Misowith sweet miso and mozzarella would be, but it actually really worked and earned a place in our top dishes of the night.
Damage:
Dinner will set you back around $50++ to $70++ per person not including sake or wine.
Where:30 Beach Road, JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach Level B1M
Tel:+65 6818 1914
Hours:Daily: 12pm – 3pm, Sun – Thurs: 6pm – 10:30pm, Fri – Sat: 6pm – 11pm
