Singapore is known to be a food paradise. However, when it
comes to fresh sashimi and authentic sushi, it is often hard to measure up to
Japan’s standard. Nevertheless, Shinji by Kanesaka was recently ranked No.35 in
Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, surpassing many top sushi restaurants in Japan and
effectively making it the top Japanese restaurant in Singapore. Now, we can
have a taste of Japan’s superior quality food without leaving the island.
Shinji serves only sushi sets for lunch and omakase sets for
dinner. Omakase, meaning “I’ll leave the choice up to you”, is a menuless
dining experience whereby diners will eat whatever the chef prepares for them.
Apart from an element of surprise, omakase also ensures that only the freshest
ingredients are used for the dishes. Of course, one can specify beforehand what
one does not eat and the chef will take care not to include that in the meal.
The omakase menu includes an assortment of dishes, typically
including sashimi, nigiri and maki sushi, soup and perhaps some cooked dishes.
As promised, all ingredients were of superb quality and were extremely fresh.
The chef revealed to us that this was attributed to the fact that the owner,
chef Shinji Kanesaka, personally goes down to Tsukiji Market daily to choose
the freshest ingredients before having them air flown into Singapore.
While all the dishes were exemplary, a few stood out from
the rest.
The sea urchin with squid, topped with freshly grated wasabi
(below) was a real treat to the tastebuds. The sea urchin was velvety smooth
and luscious while the squid added texture to the dish. Topped with freshly
grated wasabi, this dish titillated our tastebuds.
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| Sea Urchin with Squid, Topped with Freshly Grated Wasabi |
Another hot favourite was the raw prawn nigiri (below). The
live prawns were brought before us and the chef deftly took care of them with a
slight twist of their heads. Indeed, the prawns were so fresh that any fresher,
we would have had to eat them alive. The
prawns were then neatly butterflied before making into nigiris. The prawn was
sweet and crunchy and the grains of rice were distinct and yet held together.
Undoubtedly, Shinji has the best sushi in Singapore.
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| Raw Prawn Nigiri |
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| Omakase Wa, $300++ |
Summary
Cost: $388/person, including 2 beers each
Food: Superb quality, possibly the best sushi in Singapore
Service: Impeccable
Ambience: Traditional sushi bar with mostly counter seating
Dress code: Smart casual
Will I recommend it? Definitely!
Remember to make a reservation as they are always full!
Shinji by Kanesaka
Address: Raffles Hotel
#02-20
1 Beach Road
(via Seah Street lobby)
Singapore 189673
Lunch: 12pm to 3pm
Dinner: 6pm to 10.30pm
Closed on Sundays
Contact: +65 6338 6131
