Cuisine: Japanese
Address: 2 Bayfront Ave, # B1 – 67, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore 018972
Nearest MRT: Bayfront Station (Downtown / Circle Line)

KOMA, an original concept from TAO Group, is a Japanese restaurant and sushi bar offering a modern interpretation of Japanese cuisine. Featuring original creations from Executive Chef Kunihiro Moroi, KOMA takes a bold and distinct approach in its menu, incorporating fresh and seasonal produce and ingredients from Japan.

For the lunch menu, you can take your pick from sumptuous 2 or 3-course set menus, or enjoy sharing-style a la carte offerings that include mouth-watering, modern Japanese creations. Available daily, from 11.30am – 3pm. We went for lunch on a Friday and had to place reservation a week in advance. As seen from the popularity of this restaurant, all the tables were filled, with some couples celebrating special occasions such as their anniversary or a birthday.

The lunch menu can be easily accessed by scanning the QR code on the pamphlet. Due to covid, many restaurants have been opting for e-menus which are more hygienic.

For starters, I had the Salmon Carpaccio which consists of thinly sliced raw salmon, pea sprouts, white radish, micro herbs, chili oil, cucumber lime puree, yuzu dressing. This feels like having a raw fish salad that we normally toss during Chinese new year. The dish was refreshing with the yuzu sauce and the sashimi tasted fresh.

For her, she ordered the Assorted Tempura. It comes with shrimp, Japanese sweet potato, cauliflower and eggplant. Cauliflower is an interesting choice in the assortment because it usually comes with mushroom. The tempura pieces were lightly fried and it does not leave you with an oily aftertaste. There was also radish and dipping sauce by the side to pair with the tempura.

For the main course, I had the Lunch Sushi Set 11 pieces. While quantity does not equate to quality, I felt that the sushi was quite well made and presented. There were sambal salmon roll, spicy chirashi roll & the chef’s selection of nigiri sushi. I did not enjoy the rolls so much because the chilli masked the taste of the ingredients, but for the nigiri sushi with the thick slices of raw fish, they were perfect. The rice given is also appropriate, with a small pinch of rice so that you would be feeling too full after consuming this 11 piece sushi set.

For her, she ordered the Barbecued Beef Short Rib set. It is made of , beef slices, gem lettuce and kochijan. This dish is more Korean than Japanese. We love the marinated taste of the beef, and how you were supposed to eat it by wrapping it in a lettuce leaf, which is the true Korean style.

The lettuce even came with big beansprouts that were fresh and crunchy with every bite. This dish also comes with steamed rice, for those who need to fill their carbs.

Last but not least, it was time for desserts. They served both our choices on one plate with some nice plating “Welcome to Koma”. The plating would change accordingly depending on the occasion. We had Bonsai and Japanese cheese cake. As you can see on this plate, the bonsai really looks like a bonsai plant, but the pot is made of crunchy praline. The ‘soil’ in the pot is filled with molten dark chocolate, while the top part is a piece of matcha chiffon cake. The dish looks very presentable but the taste was underwhelming. As for the cheese cake, it was rich, creamy and too wet. But the taste of the cheese is strong, which appealed to my taste. There was also a scoop of strawberry sorbet by the side to pair with the cheesecake.

Overall, we felt that the quality of the food at Koma could be better. As with any first time visit to this restaurant, you would be impressed with the interior and how much it resembles Kyoto and Fushimi Inari. This really brings back wanderlust memories of Japan, especially so for those who can’t or have not travelled for a long time. Despite not being able to dine out at Koma in May during our anniversary, we still made it to this famous place after so long and it is indeed better late than never.

The lunch set menu starts from $48++ for a starter and a main course, while weekday 3-course lunch set starts from $58. We had the latter as we were quite hungry. For our set, it also comes with complimentary sencha green tea. The set menu is not available for dinners.