“Have you heard of this restaurant?” my IGGF (InstaGram GirlFriend) texted. “No. How did you even hear about them?” I replied. I like that we always think of each other first whenever we chanced upon a new Japanese eatery. Keke.

And with that, my IGGF assisted to call the restaurant to make reservation for the immediate Friday evening.

It was a first for us to explore level 6 of Cuppage Plaza. One can say we were filled with curiosity and anticipation. And we entered into a space which was fully taken up by a L-shaped counter.

And through our interaction with chef-owner Tokio Endo, we learnt that he came from a family with at least 100 years of sushi-making. 130 years to be exact. Head chef Endo san decided to move from Japan to Singapore upon his friend’s recommendation.

And from the menu, I ordered:-

1) Chef’s choice course – Star, $260 comprised of:-

(A) Otoshi, Complimentary (above) – Tuna.

(B) Dish #1 (above) – Bonito (katsuo). There were 5 slices.

(C) Dish #2 (above) – Clam (asari) soup.

(D) Dish #3 (above) – Sashimi platter of sea bream with kelp (rausu kombu), abalone and squid. And the kelp was interesting. Each chew on the tough seaweed brought out its savoriness which complimented the sea bream very well. No need to dip the dish with soya sauce. Yum!

(E) Dish #4 (above) – Dried sheets of white bait and sakura shrimp (tatami style), and grilled squid served alongside mayonnaise sauce.

(F) Dish #5 (above) – Medium fatty tuna (chutoro) with grated yam.

  
  
  
  
  
  

(G) Dish #6 (above) – Nigiri sushi assortment comprised of lean tuna (akami), medium fatty tuna (chutoro), sea bream, scallop, gizzard shad (kohada), tiger prawn (kuruma ebi), horse mackerel (aji) with ginger flower and oyster, rolled sushi assortment of mullet roe and gourd, and rolled egg omelette (tamago). Head chef Edo san said his sushi is edomae-styled. So I guess maybe that explained why he brush any soya sauce on the sushi before serving. Instead, we were each given a saucer with soya sauce. Yeah. Do it yourself.

(H) Dish #7 (above) – Clam (hamaguri) soup.

(I) Dish #8 (above) – Yuzu sorbet.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t impressed with my $260 omakase meal. With (more affordable) options of $160 and $210 for the omakase, my IGGF and I couldn’t help but wonder what would be served for those since there was neither premium fatty tuna (otoro) nor sea urchin in the most expensive omakase menu. Like what? Instead, my IGGF and I agreed my IGGF’s sushi combo ($98) which comprised of 9 nigiri sushi and 1 hand roll was a better deal.

That said, head chef Endo san was very friendly. My IGGF was travelling to Japan in 2 weeks from our dinner, and although he couldn’t speak much English, he was giving us many recommendation excitedly. He reminded me very much of The Big Friendly Giant (by Roald Dahl). Don’t ask me why. It’s just so.

If one is in Somerset in the evening, has craving for sushi and prefers somewhere rustic, Ginza Yoshino Sushi is a good place to head to. But stick to their sushi combo sets. Skip the omakase courses.

Related posts:

Dinner @ Kappou Japanese Sushi Tapas Bar Dinner @ Sushi Kondo | Sushi Restaurant in Sentosa Dinner @ Sushi Sabu-Roku [Revisit] Lunch @ Ginza Sushi Ichi | Sushi Restaurant in Orchard Dinner @ Ginza Sushi Ichi | Sushi Restaurant in Orchard