Dinner @ Ginza Sushi Ichi | Sushi Restaurant in Orchard
July 6, 2014 in Japanese by thywhaleliciousfay
Not able to fly to Japan anytime soon, I am always on the constant scout for good Japanese restaurant. And that’s when I came across Sushi Ichi, the first outpost of 1 Michelin-starred Ginza Sushi Ichi. Sushi Ichi has been operating in Singapore since February 2012!
The entrance can be a little difficult to spot. With its excessive use of light shaded wood, the entrance does not stand out in comparison to its neighbours’.
Upon entering the premise, we were greeted by very polite staff who were noted to be mostly Japanese. I guess it’s also this which makes the experience more authentic. Communication is not an issue as they are able to converse with their basic grasp of heavily (Japanese) accented English.
On the menu for omakase, there’re 4 options to choose from. With price ranging from $210 to $450 per person. My friend and I decided to go with the most expensive choice which comprises of appetizer, assorted sashimi (4 types), 2 assorted dishes, 8 pieces of nigiri sushi, miso soup and dessert.
And with that, we started our dinner:-
1) Spinach with salmon roe (above)
2) Japanese corn soup with abalone and sea urchin (above) – This was so good. Only the best ingredients used! Sea urchin and three slices of abalone to go with the sweet and smooth corn soup. Not forgetting the gingko nut too.
3) Prawn tempura (above) – This was very good. Imagine biting through thin, crispy batter into fresh, succulent and juicy prawn meat. And they must have used a big prawn cause there was a lot of meat within the batter.
4) Abalone (above) – Served with fish sauce and soya, this dish was simple yet delicious.
5) Sashimi (above) – We were each given 2 slices of tai, sea perch with skin slightly torched and tuna belly placed on a bed of crunchy seaweed and thinly sliced yam stem.
6) Cooked dish (above) – Comprised of ginger, eel, corn, sea urchin and mushroom wrapped with barracuda fish.
7) Otoro steak (above)
8) Sushi (above) – We were given golden ice snapper, ark shell, various parts of blue fin tuna, sea eel done in two ways (sauce and salt) and minced tuna belly roll with spring onion. Before we were served our sushi, besides giving us a small saucer of soy sauce each, we were also given towels. We were encouraged to use our hands for our sushi. Nice.
9) Rice bowl (above) – Highlight of my dinner! Head sushi chef Yukinori Kawakami mixed uni with the rice, before topping it with more uni, salmon roe and freshly grated wasabi. So good!!!
10) Miso soup (above)
11) Egg (above) – This tasted like no tamagoyaki I’ve tried before. Its taste was that of a custard cake? The egg omelette was very smooth and dense.
12) Fruits (above)
13) Sake (above) – We went slightly crazy with our orders of sake and tried 6 different types on their menu. Bottles in 180ml size, of course. And we were given different cups for the different bottles of sake served.
We enjoyed our dining experience very much. However, I will not recommend all to go with our choice of menu (Omakase, $450) only because there were too many dishes! By the time we were onto our 5th sushi, we were very full. So yes, do check with the staff on the content of each set (types of premium fish included, etc) before deciding which set to go with. Do also note items served changes on a daily basis according to season and what’s imported from Tsujiki market in Japan.
Service wise, it’s definitely top notch. There was this one incident where I did not manage to catch what the chef said and was asking my friend what fish was served for our sashimi. The (waiting) staff managed to catch that moment and immediately come up to me and answered my query. To be there for the customers without us even having to ask? That, I am very impressed. It shows how attentive they are of us.
Interestingly, we were dining during a period where it’s nearing their Tanabata Festival (7 July). As such, we were given strips of colored paper to write our wish before the paper strips were hung on a pot of plant at their counter. =)
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GINZA SUSHI ICHI
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6 Scotts Road, Scotts Square, #02-02, Singapore
6299 0014, Website
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Overall: 8
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Opening hours:-
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Food/Beverage: 8
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Tues : 12:30 – 15:00 (Lunch)
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Ambience: 8
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Wed – Sun : 12:00 – 15:00 (Lunch)
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Value: 7
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Tues – Sun : 18:00 – 22:30 (Dinner)
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Service: 9
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* Closed on Mon
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UPDATE 1: Restaurant has moved to 320 Orchard Road, Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel.
UPDATE 2: Restaurant was awarded 1 Michelin star by Michelin Guide Singapore 2016.
UPDATE 3: Restaurant was awarded 1 Michelin star by Michelin Guide Singapore 2017.
UPDATE 4: Restaurant was awarded 1 Michelin star by Michelin Guide Singapore 2018.
I’m heading to singapore in April? Any recommendation for an omakase sushi? Which sushi-ya is your current favorite? Thank you :D
Apologies. Am replying you late cause I have been travelling much during this period.
I recently tried Sushi Kimura (link) and would recommend them! If not, Sushi Mitsuya (link) is good too. But request for head chef Ryosuke Harada.
Alternatively, there’s a newly opened sushi-ya called Sushi Sabu-Roku. I will only be checking them out in April, but my girlfriend has already gone down and gives them the thumbs up!