Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Comeback Post: Lunch at Shinji by Kanesaka

It was a long haitus since the last time I blogged. While I wasn't blogging, I had been to a few countries and done incorrigible damage to my wallet. Yes, the damn shopping. It did keep me incredibly busy, chasing after the rainbow, some said (more about chasing the rainbow part next time). Anyhow, I am back. Knowing that someone out there still willing to read my neglected blog, I was flattered.

So, the comeback post is gonna be about my favourite food, yes, Japanese food. Ever since Hub started The Sushi Bar, we have been having Japanese food, non-stop - literally. Well, to begin with, we are Japanese food lovers, since I am extremely a health conscious person - but not exactly radiation conscious as some pointed out. Stuffing sushi in my mouth is so my kind of thing to do.

During Z's birthday, I figured that we need a celebration. And hence we went to Shinji by Kanesaka for lunch. I have been wanting to try out Shinji for the longest time, especially it is a 2 michelin star restaurant in Japan.

Service:

The service was absolutely impeccable. Upon arrival at the Raffles Hotel branch, both of us were greeted by polite and friendly kimono-cladded Japanese waitstaff. The waitstaff even escorted me to the ladies room that was right across the restaurant. I also liked that they replaced my green tea whenever it got cold.
The sushi chef was very friendly too, he wore a smile on his face despite of rowdy customers at the other end of the sushi bar. He was also very thoughtful - the tiger prawn sushi was kinda long, he cut the sushi before serving it to me so I did not have to open my mouth too big to savor it.

Food:

Both of us each order a Tsuki set. The set came with 12 pieces of sushi, maki, and dessert. The food reminded me of my 1h 45minutes queue at the Tokyo's Tsukiji Fish Market for Sushi Dai. I am no food blogger and hence I would not delve much into the taste. However, I have to say that I like the tamago as it tasted like custard, very smooth and not too eggy. Sometimes the simplest food could be a difficult challenge to a chef.
I do have one teeny tiny disappointment though, that is the anago sushi. I still prefer the anago sushi from Sushi Dai - it was crispy on the outside and soft in the inside, it could melt in my mouth.

Nevertheless, everything was very fresh and definitely worth the money. All in all, Shinji is definitely the place to go if you want to get sushi that are closest to Japan.

I am going to try the omakase (no menu; menu is dictated by the chef) tomorrow night. Can't wait!