Sushi Bar, Far East Plaza

Tomi Sushi, Parco @ Millenia

 I've been wanting to check out Tomi Sushi for quite a while now -  as been here previously for their lunch sets (which are quite value for money) but we decided to come for dinner in the end.

Located snugly in Parco @ Millenia 3rd floor ( among Keisuke / Ma-Maison / Nantsuttei ), both of us ended up leaving work early on New Year's Eve, so we reached at 6pm just as they were opening for dinner.

 The menu was pretty focused and the decor (and Japanese chefs) were all pretty authentically Japanese. We were pleasantly surprised that the majority of clients were Japanese - definitely a very good sign!

We ordered a Sushi Gozen Set which comes with sushi, sashimi and a bento of sorts to share, and ordered Toro Salmon / Mekajiki sushi on the side.

Sushi Gozen Set ($54) : { Tai, Aji, Maguro Sashimi }

 The sashimi came first - nicely presented, and the real wasabi was a little treat! Been quite a while (well, since our Japan trip anyway) to have real wasabi instead that sorry-excuse-for-wasabi paste. Sashimi itself was really good quality and a good cut - we're generally not a big fan of Tai and Aji but these were really fresh, soft and sweet!

The place has different soy sauces for sashimi and sushi, but honestly we couldn't really tell the difference.

{ Toro Salmon ($8) and Mekajiki ($8) Sushi }

 Founded in Niigata, Tomi Sushi is well known for its Koshihikari rice - and yes, the rice used here was awesome - cooked just right, grainy and subtly sweet and just the right amount of 'stick'. Nigiri was great - fresh and good cuts on the fatty salmon belly and the slight crunch on the swordfish. $8 for two pieces is not cheap but definitely not the most I've paid!

Sushi Gozen Set ($54) : { Maguro Chuutoro, Tai, Amaebi, Tsubu, Ikura, Tekka * 6 }

 As part of the set came a selection of sushi including a piece of Chuutoro. I'm not too big a fan of Chuutoro - which is kinda midway between the glorious Ootoro and a sweet firm Maguro. All nigiri were fresh and sushi made right with the right ratios - just lovely!

Sushi Gozen Set ($54) { Hijiki, Gindara Teriyaki, Assorted Tempura,
Chawanmushi, Miso Shiro and Fruit }

 We ended with the main set which had a delicious grilled cod with crispy skin, tempura that wasn't overly oily and just a light batter, and both the chawanmushi and miso soup were great.

While a little more pricey than average, the food here definitely did not disappoint. Highly recommended, and following Japanese restaurant tradition, come for their lunch sets for a good deal!

Tomi Sushi

9 Raffles Boulevard
#P3-04 Millenia Walk


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Main website: http://www.tomisushi.asia/
HGW Link (91% recommended at time of posting): http://www.hungrygowhere.com/singapore/tomi_sushi_parco_marina_bay/
Rating (out of 4) : 

Bay Sushi, Marina Bay Sands

Ah yes, MBS. Any affordable food to be had here before our Avenue Q show at 2pm? Bay sushi turned up multiple times from my searches - popular and highly recommended for their selection of funky sushi rolls - and their quoted prices here seems just above Sushi Tei which is great!

 Tucked in the opposite end of the food court, it's at B2 directly below the MBFC-side entrance or a short walk left after exiting the Bayfront MRT station. Todai next door was squeezing Gangnam Style for customers - not sure how that turned out.

 Decor was semi-posh - complete with private dining rooms and wine lists. Some wine with my sushi? Mmm ... not quite.

{ Aburi Salmon Belly ($4) }

 We ordered two rolls (more on that later) and 3 plates of nigiri which came first. We're the boring kind - salmon belly and mekajiki please! Twas pretty good - well aburi-ed with something citrus-y as a pairing. To me I felt like the balance was a little off - there was not enough rice (for balance) and the salmon was a cut a little thin. But overall was still pretty good!

{ Salmon Belly ($4) }

 Again I felt similarly about the balance - the onions were ok (though the slight piquance distracts) but I felt the dollop of mayo took the focus away from the salmon instead of providing a compliment.

{ Mekajiki ($4) }

 Nice slab of swordfish - sweet and al dente as we like it! The fermented bean though, again felt like it was distracting the flavour instead of complimenting it.

 Ok, now about the rolls. Good thing  - they have a huge selection of rolls (think Dragon Roll from Sushi Tei but like 20+ kinds!). Bad thing - we have no frickin idea what they all were. PLEASE ADD A DESCRIPTION. Of course you can ask the waiter, but you're not going to be asking them one by one. Also given the number of ingredients in each roll, customers should be able to see the ingredient list just so they don't order something they don't or can't eat. That really rustled my jimmies.

It also doesn't say how many pieces there were - for both the rolls we ordered we were expecting 3 - 4 pieces each (as shown in the photo), turns out both rolls had 8 pieces. We stuffed ourselves silly.

{ Angry Salmon Lv17 Roll ($15) }
Spicy Salmon, Chilli Sauce, Negi, Sesame Seed, rice wrapped with Aburi Salmon

 This popped up more than once when I read up about this place previously so we got it. The ingredient list sounds good on paper, but it was so wet. Wet sushi tastes strange. The first piece I had was overpowering, the sheer amount of sauce - sweet and spicy - completely distracted from any salmon taste whatsoever. Though I grew to like it somewhat after the 3rd and 4th piece, the sauce was just too overbearing and does not really go well with salmon, or sushi for that matter.

{ Jekyll and Hyde Roll ($15) }
Spicy Salmon, Cucumber, rice wrapped with Mekajiki topped with chilli sauce and pickle

 While you can hazard a wild guess as to what an 'Angry Salmon' roll could be, trying to figure this one out is not as easy. We had a waiter explain to us that the outside bit is swordfish and nestled inside is spicy salmon. Now this all sounds like a good and is even pretty a smart idea, and we went for it. It looks really nice too, presented on a single long plate. Taste-wise this was equally if not more confusing than the Enraged Salmon. I think the chilli/spiciness is a bit too overwhelming that you eventually forget what you're eating. We may have made an error of ordering 2 spicy rolls.. it's like a party gone wrong in your mouth, lol.

 Might as have been spicy tuna instead of salmon, but with the amount of sauce it really didn't matter! 

 After lunch we made the following conclusion:
- We much prefer our sushi the simple and traditional way, with all focus on the flavour and freshness of the fish and rice, i.e. no sauce please
- Come here for the rolls only - they are really quite unique (their names are anyway) and there's a variety to choose from
- Don't get more than 1 roll that has some element of spiciness in it

 Even the regular nigiri, I feel like the chef was trying too hard to add things to complement it and make it better. And I don't necessarily agree - I think ultimate simplicity is the highest art form when it comes to sushi [the JIRO way]. If you don't like the taste of fresh raw fish ... this place is perfect for you, as there are so many flavours that distract you from it. But if you're a true lover of sushi ... I would stay away.

Bay Sushi

Marina Bay Sands, #B2-01B
Bayfront station (don't think you need a map)

Discounts : 10% with DBS / POSB credit cards
Main website : http://www.baysushi.com.sg/
HGW Link (88% recommended at time of writing) : http://www.hungrygowhere.com/singapore/Bay_Sushi/
Rating (out of 4) : 

Yayoiken, Liang Court

 Had a craving for some simple and cheap Japanese food so a quick google later we decided to check out Yayoiken at Liang Court. Lots of Japanese restaurants for the picking at Liang Court (and Central nearby), so this place mustn't be that bad!

 Located in the basement just near the Meidi-Ya supermarket, I was hoping for some place with sashimi / sushi, but turns out it was a don / tonkatsu place instead, kinda like Ootoya. No biggie - either way works!

 Starving and late-ish for dinner (after 8) we made our orders and waited patiently and were sadly reduced to eating pickled vegetables. Fair number of Japanese locals dining here, as well Japanese locals waitering here as well, which is always nice!

{ Miso Katsu Set ($13.90) }

Simmered pork cutlet with miso paste set

 I settled for the Miso Katsu Set (apparently they use some special miso ... forgot what!) - your familiar tonkatsu simmered in miso sauce, with a side of egg, potatoes, and your rice and miso soup. Sadly, no salad or free-flow miso soup / rice like other tonkatsu places! But no matter cos we were pretty stuffed when we were finished. While the miso sauce was great (and really salty of course) the katsu was generous but fatty, definitely the cheaper cut of cutlet but what'd you'd expect for the price.

On retrospect I shouldn't have ordered the miso katsu and should have gone for the regular katsu - while you don't get the oily aftertaste of a regular katsu, the soggy crust kinda takes away the oomph of it as well. Much prefer my katsu crunchy with proper sauce and mustard!

{ Pork mix toji set ($13.90) }

Sliced pork, fried prawn and pork cutlet topped with egg set

 I ordered the mix toji set with pork (you can also opt for beef), simply because I felt like having something sauce-y on rice. Underneath the gravy and egg are slices of pork belly, pork katsu and the prawn-tail fritter things. It was okaaay. I mean everything becomes a soggified mess, which kinda takes away the enjoyment of the deep fried items. The bowl of rice that came with this seemed smaller than other places, but not an issue for me either.

We decided to have dessert elsewhere (the crepe kiosk outside) as the selection was a bit limited here.

Yayoiken is alright.. but won't really go out of our way again to come back - and I suppose there are a lot more options for other 'real' Japanese food in Liang Court.

Yayoiken
Liang Court, 177 River Valley Road, #B1-50

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Main website : http://www.yayoiken.sg/
HGW Link (100% recommended at time of writing) : http://www.hungrygowhere.com/singapore/Yayoiken_Japanese_Restaurants__Liang_Court/
Rating (out of 4) :