Ao

When a kappo chef swaps the counter for chicken wings, you pay attention.

Go to Ao for a long weekend lunch or an early dinner with friends who like to share, when you want cooking with real technique behind it but not the ceremony of a tasting menu. The chef is Takeshi Araki, formerly of Esora, and the food is his idea of fun. The compromise: this is a relaxed, all-day room, so if you're after the hush of a kappo counter, that version of Araki is no longer on offer.

For years, eating Araki's cooking meant booking a seat at Esora, the Michelin-starred kappo counter on Mohamed Sultan Road. Esora closed in late 2025, and its shophouse now belongs to Johanne Siy's Árō. Ao, at 1 Claymore Drive behind the Orchard Road crowds, belongs to Cloud Restaurant Group, with Araki as culinary director. The idea is Japanese technique applied to Asian and European dishes. You walk in through the counter of Cloudmills, the group's bakery (no grand entrance, which is rather the point), and there is alfresco seating where dogs are welcome.

The menu reads like a chef enjoying himself. Chicken wings stuffed with black truffle mochi rice are the order, and the one dish that sums the place up. A sukiyaki wagyu maki does exactly what its name suggests. Bluefin tuna tartare sits on crisp toasted sushi rice, and there is a sakura-dai sea bream ramen for anyone who came for a bowl rather than a spread. Cold sudachi somen with uni is the one for a sticky afternoon, and a yuzu kosho teriyaki chicken covers the table's cautious eater. Finish with the black sesame tiramisu.

What makes Ao interesting is the contrast. Kappo cooking is about restraint and a chef choosing for you. Here you choose, you share, and nobody minds if you order a second round of wings. The precision is meant to carry over, just into food you can eat with your hands.

How to do it well: come as a small group so you can cover the menu, order the wings and the somen first and build from there, and take a terrace table if you've brought the dog. Orchard MRT is the nearest station. If you never made it to Esora, this is the cheaper, friendlier way to find out what the fuss was about.

Good to know Enter through the Cloudmills bakery counter; Orchard MRT is the nearest station. We haven't confirmed hours or prices with the restaurant, so check before you go.

Ao | 1 Claymore Drive, #01-01, Singapore 229594 | Nearest MRT: Orchard