Traveling Chomps: Sushi at Tatsuya

Where: Singapore (Orchard Road)
Specialty: Authentic, top quality sushi and sashimi

According to my friends G and V, Tatsuya Japanese Restaurant is THE place to go for authentic fresh sushi in Singapore. They'd promised to take me here when I was last in town but I ended up having to take a rain check. I made it a point to go this time round however!

We decided to do the sushi/sashimi omakase. Due to the size of our party, we had to sit at a table so the omakase experience was slightly watered down though still excellent. Also we didn't have any cooked food which I will have to try another time.

We started off with an appetizer of ikura. It was served with a sweet ponzu sauce (I think?) which enhanced the flavor of the roe.



First out was the sashimi course. Beautifully presented and super fresh:


The second course was sushi, some of it seared. All excellent, though the most memorable for me was the seared shrimp. Partially raw and seared with a sweet teriyaki sauce, DELICIOUS.

Sushi Part I:


Next up was another sushi course. I was really quite full at this point but pushed on. Good sushi though nothing spectacular. The chef was prolly out of ideas by now hehe. One of the items was abalone which is a delicacy in these parts. It was good but I wasn't blown away.

Finally we finished off with a salmon skin handroll. It didn't look that appetizing but was actually really good! The pieces of salmon skin were fried perfectly and was a nice contrast to the roll.


Sushi Part II - Squarish one is the abalone (L) Hand roll (R)

The meal ended with some fruit. Persimmon and melon. I was very impressed with the persimmon (Hachiya so it is soft). It was perfectly ripe and the texture was wonderful. It totally melts in your mouth. A perfect ending ....




Chomp Meter:
This is a top notch sushi joint. The owner, Ronnie Chia, gets his produce directly from Japan in order to ensure quality and authenticity. The restaurant serves a balance of both traditional pieces as well as more creative ones. Tatsuya is also the only restaurant in Singapore that serves Matsusaka beef (step aside Wagyu!). Of course none of this comes cheap, our sushi omakase was SGD$250 per head. We felt it was worth every penny, well most of it anyway :)

A suggestion for Tatsuya's would be to have the wait staff introduce the dish before serving. It was a mystery at times trying to guess what we were served ...

And head to Canele for dessert!

Tatsuya Japanese Restaurant (New Location)
22 Scotts Road (Goodwood Park Hotel)
Singapore 228221
Tel: 6737 1160

Park Hotel Location (Will close in December 2008)
270 Orchard Road
#01-05 Park Hotel Orchard

Shiki Lunch Review - Kaiseki Sets Galore

Sometimes I work up a craving writing about restaurants. Tee Hee! After completing my Shiki review from ages ago I had the irresistible urge to head there.

Saturday was the perfect day to plot my way to Shiki. Sunny with beautiful weather, we stopped by Paper Source in Coolidge Corner to buy a wedding card and then I suggested walking over for lunch :)

The main feature of the lunch menu is "Kaiseki". I believe this is the more casual form of kaiseki. Each set is named after a flower. There's the Cherry Blossom set (smallest at $12) all the way to the Camelia (largest at $18). It is rather confusing what the difference is between the sets and the staff don't explain it well. Never fear however, I have it deciphered. The staff don't really know the difference themselves, just order based on how much you want to eat. The hungrier you are, the larger the set! Elementary.

P got the Chrysanthemum set ($16). It included soup and salad, tempura, sashimi, chawan mushi, tataki, and an assortment of cooked items. I believe the sets include generally the same thing with larger sets having more of the same thing.

Chrysanthemum set (tempura not pictured):


Rather than get a kaiseki, I got a Ika Natto (Squid and Natto) set which I loved. Much better than the Blue Fin version. Mmmm the gooey goodness! The raw quail egg makes the whole concoction creamier and richer.



I only stole a couple pieces from P's set. His verdict is that the set was decent though he suspects some of the items liked the broiled fish were left overs from yesterday's dinner :P


Chomp Meter:
IMO Dinner at Shiki is way better than lunch. More variety with more interesting dishes. Though if you're hungry and want to eat up a storm, lunch is pretty good value. See my Shiki dinner review.

Shiki Japanese Restaurant
9 Babcock St, Brookline 02446
At Harvard Ave
Phone: 617-738-0200

Ken's Ramen Review - Super 88 - Allston

Ken's Ramen is an authentic ramen noodle shop, tucked away at the corner of the Super 88 market in Allston. The restaurant is simply decorated with seats at the bar. Just like in Tokyo!

Ken's is great for a satisfying meal of authentic Japanese noodles. I usually get the Miso Ramen while P gets the Soy Sauce Ramen. The broth is what makes Ken's Ramen stand out. It's thick, rich, and full of porky goodness. I wonder how long it takes to make the broth? I also like the added texture of the beansprouts and corn. If you want a lighter broth, the soy sauce ramen is for you.



Chomp Meter:
Boston's best ramen place! It's definitely worth a try or two or three. My only gripe is that the noodles are a little expensive at $7.80 for the miso ramen.

Ken's Noodle House
Allston/Brighton
1 Brighton Ave
Allston, MA 02134
(617) 254-5524
Closed on Wednesdays

Shiki Review - Izakaya Style Dining (Brookline, MA)

Shiki Japanese Restaurant was one of my favorite spots to dine at last year! I get on these kicks where I am obsessed with a particular place. Anyway this is an old review but better late than never!



Shiki means 4 seasons in Japanese and the restaurant was true to the theme with fall dishes such as pumpkin on the menu and a painting with the Japanese character for "fall". Small plates and sake are served here. The concept is similar to tapas, so everyone gets to share and sample a variety of dishes from the menu. Over several visits, we managed to try a variety of dishes. These my picks for best dishes from the menu!

Beef Tongue

Ankimo or monk fish liver (I love this!)

Poached Egg with Dashi Sauce (You mixed a raw egg with a variety of ingredients! Delicious!)

Eel Millefeuille

Ika Natto

Today's Rice (this is the rice of the day made with seasonal vegetables and is usually quite good)

Sake Sampler - Very reasonably priced with 4 different types of sake choices.

PHOTOS:

Pumpkin with Snow Crab (Seasonal) (L)

Fermented Squid Ink Dish (R). I don't see it on the menu anymore. The flavor is intense and is an acquired taste I'm sure.





Chomp Meter:
4.5 stars! Minus 0.5 because service can be very slow.

This izakaya style place reminds me of the, now closed, Goemon on State Street. Anyone remember this restaurant from years ago? Everything at Shiki is presented beautifully and I love variety of Japanese food here.

Shiki
9 Babcock St, Brookline 02446
At Harvard Ave
Phone: 617-738-0200

Sushi Man Review - Take Out Places in Newton MA

Whenever we are too lazy to drive further out, we head to Sushi Man in Newton off Route 9. The restaurant is a hole in the wall place with about 3 tables and seats at the sushi bar.

Sushi Man is run by a Japanese Chef and his Taiwanese wife. The sushi here is decent with some hits and misses. We usually get the chirashi set and a couple rolls. I'm not really a fan of the chirashi and I really don't know why we keep getting it. The slices of fish are cut too large and the fishy taste can get to be too much. Perhaps the chef is trying to be more like his competitor restaurant down the road?

Venus Roll (L) Chirashi (R)


Chomp Meter Review:
OK if you live in the area. There aren't many choices for sushi. The really like the Venus Rolls there (fresh scallops). The squid sashimi is also thinly sliced to enhance the taste.

Sushi Man
387 Boylston St
Newton Center, MA 02459
(617) 969-7878
Past the Chestnut Hill Mall on Rt.9

Back to Oga's for Sushi

I realize I have said this many times before, so what is another time? Oga's in Natick ( Metrowest ) is one of my favorite Japanese restaurants in the area. It serves well cut, fresh, traditional sushi in a nice restaurant setting.

We were craving sushi and headed there last weekend. Parking is easy at Oga and it beats navigating the traffic in Boston. We stuck to our tried and true strategy. Ask the waitress what sushi specials they have and order them. Here's what we got: abalone sushi ( awabi ), california uni, wild yellowtail, and a different type of japanese clam (help I don't remember the name!). We also got our staples, natto maki, Oga's makes the best, and a spicy tuna roll.

I thought the abalone was cut very well this time. Crunchy and with a mild flavor, similar to mirugai (geoduck). The clam was extremely chewy and I'm not sure I liked it. The uni and yellow tail were very good too. I like the way sushi is cut at Oga's. The grain of the fish is right so you don't have weird cartilage. The slices are just the right size and you can actually eat it in 2 bites if you want (though I know this is not how it's eaten).

The spread:


Close up of the clam. Looks amazingly fresh and succulent!


For appetizers we got fried oysters and hotategai.

I loved the fried oysters:


The hotategai was delicious. It reminds me of "Japanese Western" food since it's made with scallops, mayo and a layer of cheese on top. I wish there were Japanese Western restaurants in Boston, though I suppose the food stands at Porter Exchange may be considered western.



Here is a tomato appetizer we got from the fusion menu from another visit. Isn't it pretty?


Oh yes, and we spied Mr Oga working the sushi bar today! Perhaps that's why the sushi was particularly good that day.

Chomp Meter:
My staple Japanese sushi place. In my opinion, one of Boston's best. The menu's changed a little since we last visited. The hot appetizers weren't as varied as before and some fusion dishes were added as well. I've had the fusion dishes a couple times. In general, they're good but not phenomenal.

Here are my other recommendations for Oga's:

* Salmon Avocado Salad - The Oga's version is excellent.

* Lunch sushi or sashimi special - Great value for money at $12 per set. It comes with salad, soup, a dim sum item, and fruit. This value and price can't be beaten.

* Natto Maki of course

* Sushi Dinner

Oga's Japanese Cuisine
915 Worcester Rd
Natick, MA 01760
(508) 653-4338