Lunch @ Shinji by Kanesaka (Carlton Hotel)
November 5, 2017 in Japanese
Craving for good sushi, I decided to join my IGGF (InstaGram GirlFriend) in one of her (super) regular visits to 1 Michelin star Shinji where she gets her dosage of head chef Oshino san’s sushi. And with this visit, it was also my first to dine at Shinji’s new space after their relocation to Carlton Hotel from Raffles Hotel.
My IGGF always assist with the reservation at Shinji. And what seem to be a first, I was told there’s 2 seatings for head chef Oshino san. Gasp. We were only able to secure the 1st seating at 12pm. Of which, we were required to vacate by 1.20pm for the second seating. So even before our actual lunch date, I had made up my mind to go for their sushi course once knowing that we had less than 1.5 hours. And it’s pretty seldom of me since I normally opt for omakase cause I like to have variety. Ie, not just sushi. Keke.
And at Shinji’s new space, head chef Oshino san now stood separately from the other chefs. Upon arrival, the staff clad in kimono led me down a long passage, walking by what seemed to be the main dining area where most customers were attended by the other chefs, to finally reach a room that’s small but big enough to contain a L-shaped counter for 8 and a table for 4. And yes, it’s in this room that head chef Oshino san stood alone behind the counter.
And from the menu (pages 1, 2), we ordered:-
1) Setsugetsuka sushi course set (yuki), $180 comprised of:-
(A) Appetiser (above)
(B) Sushi #1 (above) – Striped jack (shima aji) sushi.
(C) Sushi #2 (above) – Spanish macakarel (sawara) sushi.
(D) Sushi #3 (above) – Medium fatty tuna (chutoro) sushi.
(E) Sushi #4 (above) – Premium fatty tuna (otoro) sushi. Shimofuri cut.
(F) Sushi #5 (above) – Jack mackerel (aji) sushi.
(G) Sushi #6 (above) – Lean tuna (akami) sushi.
(H) Sushi #7 (above) – Sea urchin sushi.
(I) Sushi #8 (above) – Tiger prawn (kuruma-ebi) sushi.
(J) Sushi #9 (above) – Needlefish (sayori) sushi.
(K) Sushi #10 (above) – Bonito (katsuo) sushi.
(L) Sushi #11 (above) – Leather jacket fish (kawahagi) sushi.
(M) Sushi #12 (above) – Mackerel (saba) sushi.
(N) Sushi #13 (above) – Slightly torched Japanese barracuda (kamasu) sushi.
(O) Sushi #14 (above) – Black throat sea perch (nodoguro) sushi.
(P) Sushi #15 (above) – Sea eel (anago) sushi.
(Q) Soup (above) – Clear soup with minced tuna ball.
(R) Rolled sushi (above) – Rolled sushi with filling of minced tuna and spring onion (negitoro), rolled omelette (tamago) and pickled radish.
(S) Dessert (above) – Japanese rice cake (mochi) in yam pudding. It’s almost like the Japanese version of our Chinese dessert yam paste (orh nee/芋泥).
2) Sea urchin rice, $50 (above) – It was of much coincidence that my IGGF’s colleagues were lunching at Shinji too. They were getting the sea urchin rice as an additional a-la carte order and I decided to get 1 for myself too. Keke. And it was so good. I didn’t notice but my IGGF said 2 types of sea urchin was used. And we agreed the portion seemed bigger than usual. It was almost to the brim of the bowl.
Honestly and seriously… Shinji doesn’t disappoint. It’s one of the restaurants that’s consistently good. In my (humblest) opinion, Shinji serves the best nigiri sushi in Singapore. I especially love the sushi rice (shari) which is perfect. One could taste the vinegar yet it’s not too overpowering such that it outshine the sushi topping (neta).
Do I recommend Shinji? Definitely, without a doubt. It’s crazy how price-friendly the menu is at Shinji too. One could opt for $75 sushi course which comprised of 9-pieces nigiri sushi, maki sushi, soup and dessert. I know some non-Michelin starred sushi-ya don’t even offer any set courses cheaper than Shinji’s!
But be very punctual if one is slotted for the first seating. Else, try to make reservation for the second slot. I would reckon one definitely need to go with the second seating as I personally felt that omakase course require at least 1.5 hour for a comfortably paced meal. My IGGF and I could tell head chef Oshino san was rushing towards the second half of our lunch. And because I was also taking a little longer since I had additional order, we offered to shift to the table so that the staff could prepare for the second seating.
SHINJI BY KANESAKA
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76 Bras Basah Rd, Carlton Hotel, Lobby Floor, Singapore
6338 6131, Website
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Overall: 8.5
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Opening hours:-
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Food/Beverage: 9
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Mon – Sat : 12:00 – 15:00 (Lunch)
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Ambience: 8
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Mon – Sat : 18:00 – 22:30 (Dinner)
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Value: 9
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Service: 8
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* Closed on Sun
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UPDATE: Restaurant was awarded 1 Michelin star by Michelin Guide Singapore 2018.