Japanese restaurant with koi pond & garden pavilion offers a little slice of Kyoto in S’pore

If you’ve gone to Brown Butter but are still craving for more Japanese-inspired spots, this Japanese restaurant near Promenade MRT station offers a little slice of Kyoto to its diners.

Located on the 4th floor of the Pan Pacific hotel, Keyaki might just alleviate a bit of your wanderlust with its outdoor Japanese koi garden.

If you’re looking for a more private setting with an elevated ambience, the Garden Pavilion boasts a seating capacity of 40 for any dining occasion.

The Shoji-inspired screens and moon gate that open up to lush greenery and a koi pond create this out-of-Singapore illusion without actually stepping outside the borders.

While the Singapore Flyer may disrupt the traditional Japanese architecture, its appearance at the back embraces the traditional East Asian gardening technique of shakkei.

Commonly translated as “borrowed scenery”, shakkei involves the art of incorporating distant views into the garden composition to create a sense of depth and perspective.

The generous usage of rocks, stones, toros (stone lanterns), and sand in the zen garden further elevates its Japanese vibes.

A spokesperson for Pan Pacific told us that the garden is open to hotel guests and diners at the restaurant — which means you’ll probably have to dine in if you want to feature the location on your Instagram feed. 

Sushi, Sashimi, and Teppanyaki

If you’d like to dine there, note that prices are not exactly… casual.

Keyaki offers three menus: Lunch, Dinner, and Weekend Brunch.

Exclusive to the lunch menu, the Keyaki Bento (S$70) includes an appetiser, grilled dish, simmered dish, deep-fried dish, sashimi, chawanmushi, rice, miso soup, pickles, and a dessert.

© Provided by Mothership
Photo via Pan Pacific Singapore

The Multi-Course Teppanyaki (S$155 to S$200) and Kaiseki (S$150 or S$200) are the highlights of the dinner menu.

Available on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays from 11:30am to 2:30pm, kaiseki-style okonomi weekend brunches start at S$75 for a seven-course meal.

Keyaki Japanese Restaurant

Address: Level 4, 7 Raffles Boulevard, Marina Square Singapore 039595

Opening hours:

Lunch: 11:30am to 2:30pm, daily

Dinner: 6pm to 10pm, daily

Top images by Pan Pacific Singapore.