Thursday, June 07, 2007

Shin Kushiya @ Vivocity

Shin Kushiya (#02-120, Vivocity) has had some mixed reviews I think, but all my visits here have been good.

The food is good, arrives quickly and the waitstaff is courteous. The prices aren't exactly kind on the wallet though. This meal, including sake, cost SGD180 for 2.


We started with a seasonal speciality - sashimi of a a sharp-beaked fish. The fish was smooth and firm to the bite, like a cross between squid and fish.


Kushiyaki refers to grilled skewers of food, usually eaten with sake or beer. It's meant to be street-side food, and therefore affordable for the man in the street. In Singapore however, it appears to have taken on a very upmarket and expensive slant.



We started withb a few skewers recommended by the waiter: (from left) swordfish, gyu karubi (a marbled cut of beef) and shisamo (fish with roe). All were delicious.



DH and I each had a skewer of salmon belly, which was served with spring onion and ponzu (vinegar) which cut through the oiliness of the fish. This was an interesting way of serving salmon belly, and I think it worked well.

This is grilled salmon fishhead, very fleshy, glutinous and substantial (SGD11.80).

This was FANTASTIC. DH and I had 2 skewers each of this grilled foie gras with caramelised apple (SGD8.80 each). The exterior of the foie gras was very crispy, with a meltingly wobbly and decadently creamy interior. It was well complemented by the tart green apple slices.


Mozzerella cheese wrapped in beef skewers. These were good, but make sure you eat them hot when they arrive. If you wait too long (like I did), the cheese hardens and gets stringy.


This order of nankotsu (chicken soft bone or cartilage) (SGD2.80 each) puzzled me a little. It costs more than say, chicken balls and about the same as the mushroom and pork skewers, so I thought it was something exotic. But, this is just pieces of bone! And, it tasted like bone. Do the Japanese really eat this?


Enoki mushrooms wrapped with belly pork skewers were great too. They were juicy and fragrant.
I like this little pot. It lets me count the number of skewers I have consumed. 22 skewers at the end of this meal... which is nowhere near my personal best.


Editor's Note: This post has been published at AsiaOne WIne and Dine: http://wineanddine.asiaone.com.sg/reviews/restaurants/japkor/20070619_001.html


2 comments:

D said...

Let the skewer counting competition begin! I play that game at Kazu as well =D Still haven't found the time nor enthusiasm to check out Vivocity yet =S

Chocolate Reindeer said...

Yes, it's such a fun game! DH is too sophisticated to play the game with me. So I count under my breath... Oh Vivocity is my weekday and weekend hangout... but it's so huge I have yet to complete my gastronomic explorations.