There's a small fine-dining room tucked into Claymore Connect, just off Orchard Road, where tea isn't a palate cleanser between courses — it's the spine of the whole meal. The restaurant is called Ichigo Ichie, named after a saying attributed to Sen no Rikyū, the 16th-century Japanese tea master, which asks us to treat every encounter as something that will never repeat. Chef Akane Eno has taken that idea and turned it into a style of hospitality that's personal and unhurried, with diners seated at an intimate counter where she engages with each guest individually.
Tea has long been part of the experience here — poured as a welcome drink, folded into desserts — but Eno has now gone further with a seasonal seven-course tea-focused menu priced at $288. It opens with a cold-brewed Gui Fei Oolong from Taiwan before moving into food where tea is treated as a genuine culinary ingredient rather than a garnish.
The cooking is strong enough to stand on its own. The starter pairs Japanese horsehair crab with Murasaki uni and white asparagus from Hokkaido — a luxurious, distinctly seasonal opening. Then comes a Hamaguri (Asian hard clam) dashi scented with Pomelo Blossom Dan Cong tea, which lends the broth a floral lift and a whisper of bitterness.
Two courses show how precise Eno's tea work can be. Slices of Japanese sea bass arrive dressed with Gyokuro tea oil, which sharpens the fish's natural sweetness and umami instead of masking it. And the unagi might be the most memorable plate of the night: grilled patiently over charcoal until the skin crisps up, then smoked with houjicha, the toasty note cutting through the eel's richness.
The finale leans into tea as a pairing rather than a seasoning. A donabe of Japanese abalone and young burdock root over Koshihikari rice is matched with a 1998 Liu Bao — an aged Chinese tea with real depth and an earthy, mellow character that suits the dish's slow-cooked warmth. It's a quietly satisfying end to a meal that rewards attention.
For travellers staying around Orchard Road, this is a natural pick for a special-occasion dinner that feels distinctly Japanese without requiring a flight to Kyoto or Tokyo. It's intimate counter dining, so it works best for couples or solo diners who enjoy watching the kitchen up close and don't mind the focus that a tasting-menu format demands. Book ahead — rooms of this size in Singapore fill quickly — and budget for the full $288 per head before drinks. The Claymore Connect location puts it walking distance from the Orchard MRT station and the main hotel strip, making it an easy evening add-on to any Singapore itinerary. Credit: SilverKris.
