“We want a second star”: Chef Kazuki Arimoto after Omakase @ Stevens’ first Michelin-star and his Young Chef Award win

“Actualy, our goal is to get two stars,” says 31-year-old chef Kazuki Arimoto, as we discussed recent events in his restaurant, Omakase @ Stevens.

The chef, who stands at 1.9m tall, exudes confidence and poise — you might mistake him for an athlete if he wasn’t clad in his chef’s whites.

Kazuki Arimoto might not be a name foodies are familiar with, but it’s about to be.

The 31-year-old is the heart and soul of the newly minted Michelin-starred Japanese restaurant, which is located at Novotel Singapore at Stevens.

He is also a rising star, having recently bathed in the spotlight at this year’s Michelin Guide Singapore ceremony on July 24.

He was first beckoned onto stage under the pretext of receiving the prestigious Young Chef Award — an honour that had previously found its way to culinary stars such as Nae:um’s Louis Han.

Following his acceptance speech, the elated chef was told to remain on stage.

What for? Well, they needed someone to accept the one-Michelin-star honours on behalf of Omakase @ Stevens — for the first time in the restaurant’s history.

This comes as the greatest recognition for his hard work thus far, a little over a year since he took on the mantle of executive chef at the restaurant, which he had joined as sous chef in 2022.

Took over with his sight set on stars

Since chef Kazuki had taken over the reins at Omakase @ Stevens not too long ago, some would think this might be a delightful surprise for the new head honcho.

In fact, Omakase @ Stevens is the first restaurant the 31-year-old has worked at in Singapore.

According to him, though, it was something he’d been working towards: “When I took over, we set a goal to get a Michelin star.”

Still, the true test for his Omakase @ Stevens reign is to enter the elite club of two-starred restaurants — a category that translates to “restaurants worth a detour” in Michelin vernacular.

Nonetheless, he is grateful and proud of the achievement, and took some time to celebrate before preparing for the imminent battle to earn a second star.

You might expect the celebrations for such a life-changing goal to be held at a rowdy izakaya or Japanese establishment, but the chosen location would surprise you.

“When we won, we went to Newton Food Centre to celebrate. We got chicken wings and beer!” he recalls, gleefully.

“This is Singapore — we have to go to hawker centres.”

Contemporary Japanese with French inflexions

In fact, this choice might be an apt reflection of chef Kazuki’s openness to other cuisines — something that also shows up his incorporation of modern fusion elements at Omakase @ Stevens.

In general, many upscale omakase restaurants refrain from straying too far from traditional Japanese flavours and techniques, focusing on showcasing the nuances of the country’s premium produce.

Chef Kazuki, however, has a different approach: “Our cuisine showcases a not-so-classic Japanese style. We try to do contemporary Japanese — employing Japanese ingredients, but with French techniques.”

This ethos culminates in some of the most entrancing dishes being showcased on Omakase @ Stevens’ summer menu (S$238 for six courses, S$333 for nine courses).

The ingenuity of Omakase @ Stevens

For example, chef Kazuki’s usage of Miyazaki wagyu beef is unorthodox, but tremendously inspired. 

A French-style fine dining tasting menu would more likely present top-grade beef in elegant steak or tartare formats, while a Japanese omakase meal features sumptuous cuts of delicately char-grilled beef.

Bodaciously ignoring decorum, Omakase @ Stevens chooses to dish it out deep-fried, instead.

It’s not quite in line with classic fine-dining sensibilities, but chef Kazuki explains that the beef katsu-esque dish is inspired by the street food of Osaka, from where he hails.

Even so, the beef is cooked to a medium-rare succulence that rivals top steakhouses, while the batter is crunchy, but not the least bit unctuous.

On top of that, the ubiquitous beef jus sauce is reimagined in the hands of chef Kazuki, who introduces Madeira fortified wine into the mix.

This might appear trivial, but it’s a small, but crucial stroke of genius that sets Omakase @ Stevens’ rendition apart — it endows the sauce with a thick and viscous, but still velvety, mouthfeel.

At its core, it’s basic science: The higher sugar content in the fortified wine enhances the texture, while also adding an intoxicating medley of acidity and sweetness. 

This sauce alchemy draws on Japanese street food, with the final product almost reminding us of classic tonkatsu sauce — but luxuriated.

That’s before we even talk about the plating, which is sleek and refined, while being charmingly personal. 

The beef and the plated accoutrements form a “和” character — a character shared by the kanji script for both wagyu and chef Kazuki’s name.

All these nuances might be the best way to showcase the ethos that chef Kazuki extols. He doesn’t just stick to age-old conventions, but instead strives to enchant customers at Omakase @ Stevens with pizzazz.

“I try to do things in a more interesting way and not follow the classic way, but it’s more challenging,” he admits.

But at the end of the day, he knows what’s most crucial to a successful restaurant: “The important thing is the taste, because the customers are always looking for the best.”

Fresh produce and self-improvement

To achieve that, he also stresses on the importance of constantly improving his personal skills to best serve guests.

While some chefs are drawn to the power dynamic involved in running kitchens, his source of joy is purer: “Personally, I like the cooking. So I am thankful I have a job where I can do what I like. It’s like a hobby where I can also make money!”

It’s charmingly wholesome.

Besides that, chef Kazuki also emphasises on the freshness of ingredients, and getting operations down right.

One dish on his summer omakase menu that truly exemplifies this is the zuwaigani — where queen crab is stuffed into a fresh Japanese tomato.

Setting aside the lush decadence of the crab, the seductively bulbous tomato on its own is already a marvellous delicacy.

The flesh is soft and juice-gushingly luscious, while also loaded up with the most exquisite sweetness, which is in turn accented with a whisper of tang.

It’s crowned with caviar, for bursts of salinity, while the plate is jazzed up with edible spring roll flowers and a garlic egg sauce at the side.

Waxing lyrical for a tomato might seem over-the-top, but this one at Omakase @ Stevens? Genuinely sublime.

With all that said, we have to recognise the elephant in the room: The finest ingredients demand a premium.

In this environment, where consumers are modest with their dine-out budget and Michelin-starred restaurants are closing in record numbers, what does he think of the Singapore dining landscape?

Also, will we see changes at Omakase @ Stevens — especially in regards to pricing?

“I feel this is natural. For example, it’s normal even for three-Michelin-star restaurants to close down,” he notes.

“There’s no need to care about all these and just focus on running our restaurant!”

At the same time, chef Kazuki recognises Omakase @ Stevens’ prices sit on the higher end of the spectrum and says prices won’t be going up, even after this year’s twin accolades.

Conversely, the restaurant also has a lower-priced six-course menu at S$238 — great for curious diners who don’t want to commit to the full, nine-course experience at S$333.

With that said, the last we checked, seats to dine at Omakase @ Stevens have been snapped up quickly. So if you want to experience what this year’s Young Chef awardee has to offer, we highly recommend getting a reservation before going down to Singapore’s newest one-Michelin-starred restaurant!

This was a hosted tasting.

For more ideas on what to eat, read our stories on the viral spot at Joo Chiat that’s giving away tasty free sandwiches and the cool new gelato shop in Amoy Street selling fun flavours and gelato cocktail floats.