DH had the Hokkaido set (featuring produce from Hokkaido) and I had a sashimi sushi set, and we shared everything, including a bottle of sake.
His starter plate of 4 different items was unique. Anti clockwise, from bottom right, Marinated Salmon with Salmon Roe, Marinated Herring Roe with dried squid and konbu (kelp), Mixed crab meat with crab miso and Salt cured squid. The squid was very salty, but the rest were very good.
My sashimi platter came next - toro (tuna belly), hotate (scallop), hamachi (yellowtail) and akagai (ark shell). All were excellent and favourites of DH and I.
DH was supposed to receive his sashimi platter of botan ebi, oyster and salmon next. But the botan ebi was sold out and replaced with crab, and the oyster was baked with a creamy golden sauce. The salmon and crab sashimi were sweet and very delicious.
The baked oyster, slathered with the Inagiku signature sauce, was fantastic. The large, fat oyster was sweet and tender, and not chewy or overcooked.
Shirako Ponzu (codfish smelt in japanese vinegar), rich and smooth. It was a very generous portion, and DH and I shared it with glee.
My sushi platter was fantastic - (clockwise, from top left:aburi flounder fin, aburi toro, uni, negitoro (diced tuna belly) and ikura. My favourite food in the world is aburi toro. Toro is fatty tuna belly, and when it is eaten as sashimi or sushi, it tastes very rich, and tender and flavourful. Aburi toro is lightly seared tuna belly, usually with a blowtorch. The taste is just phenomenal. It retains its rich succulence, but with an added dimension of smokiness. The searing process really brings out the flavour of the fatty tuna. When you pop the morsel of goodness into your mouth, the juicy burst of flavour is pure delight for the tastebuds.
DH's chawanmushi with seafood gravy, was very interesting as the seafood was not embedded within the chawanmushi as one would normally expect, but placed on top. It had ikura, scallop, prawn, and sea urchin. Steamed sea urchin was a first for both DH and I. It tasted smooth but had less of the sea urchin taste if one ate it sashimi-style.
This was a salt grilled mackerel. We would have gone for flat fish, but we thought that the flat fish was dried, and hence less fresh. Turns out we were wrong as the salt fish was supposed to be fresh too, but the mackerel was nevertheless a good choice. It wasn't dry and tasteless like how some places serve it. This one was delicious. Sweet and tasty and very moist and fatty, every bite was sheer delight.
DH's steamed king crab arrived next. Only the legs were served of course. Sweet and firm to bite.
Then, a very interesting dish. Squid stuffed with rice.
Glutinuous rice. Which was seasoned and flavoured with all the juices of the squid. Wow. It was chewy and tasty, I really enjoyed it. We saw this one in shops in Hokkaido, but didn't buy any.
We closed off with a seafood miso soup, piping hot, which they served us the last time. Which gives credence to our suspicions.
Dessert was caramel ice cream served on a slice of japanese apple.Wonderful.
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The seared tuna with rocket leaves (also known as rucola) was lovely. The tuna was lightly seared and still pink in the centre, and paired well with the fresh rocket leaves.
The laksa pesto linguine with prawns and quail's egg, a perenial favourite, was perfect. It was fragrant, and not too cloying.
My chosen main of roast lamb cutlet with garam masala dressing was unique and excellent. It was tasty, with the right amount of fragrance and a hint of spices. The lamb was tender, but not too fatty.



Our mains arrived. DH and I loved our choice of duck confit with mustard sauce and yam cake. The duck had a crisp skin, tender meat and just the right amount of fat to make it melt in your mouth. It was fantastic! We cannot remember having eaten such a perfectly done duck ever. This was the best.

The chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream was a good choice too, served warm, with a molten chocolatey centre.
DH's dessert of brownie with brandied cherries and orange zest was a typical choice for him - he loves chocolate and orange, and thinks that it is a great combination. I like my chocolate dark, and without any bits interfering with its taste. Nevertheless, it was lovely, and was definitely a bigger portion than my cheesecake.
We ordered a 2 person kway chap set (SGD7.80) with added items like braised peanuts, salted vegetables, extra pig stomach and intestines (for SGD 6 more). Kway chap is a meal of thin, flat rice noodle sheets in a savoury broth, eaten with braised pork (or in my instance, braised duck) and pig innards like intestines and stomach and other things like firm tofu (tau kwa) or beancurd puffs (tau pok).
The braised stuff went very quickly, savoury and delicious. The pig stomach was my favourite!
This time, we ordered a huge 1.8 l bottle of sake (SGD 90), as we were quite sure we would be returning soon. Again, we were served our sake in cute little bamboo cups.
Then we started with octopus in mild wasabi dressing (tako wasa), which we enjoyed immensely the last time.
The beef intestines (SGD12) were also very good. Soft and chewy and very tasty. They tasted a bit like squid, but the texture was better because it was less rubbery.
We also tried the monjya yaki (SGD 17, wet okonomiyaki), which I was very keen to try. We ate it off the hotplate with little metal spatulas. Interesting presentation, and it sure smelled lovely whilst it was being fried. I still prefer the okonomiyaki though.
The set came with the signature herbal roast duck, which was very good. The skin was crisp and light, and there was no hint of grease or fat in the duck (which would have made it soggy). The duck was slightly more chewy as a result, but I didn't mind that.
The stir-fried spinach with salted egg and preserved egg was good too. I liked the fact that the bits of salted and preserved egg were not itsy bitsy miniscule bits, but proper chunks that one could bite into.
The soup of day was corn with pork ribs. It was flavourful, and not bad at all.
The best dish in the set was actually their Mongolian pork ribs. It was fantastic. It was probably fried before it was tossed in the wok and coated with that yummy sauce, as it was crispy on the outside. Slightly spicy, slightly sweet, slightly smoky and very tender. My favourite.
The fried rice was delicious, with a good smoky wok-hei flavour. There were generous portions of prawn and beansprouts in it.
Our starter of calamari (SGD12) came with a salsa of cherry tomatoes and sliced onion. The batter of the calamari was light and airy, but the chef's light touch was also manifested in his seasoning. Which resulted in calamari and salsa that were too bland. The salsa was fresh, and therefore would have been good if it were more tart. We discovered a battered fried mini octopus, tentacles separately battered and all, on the plate which amused us. Calamari by definition, should be battered squid rings, not octopus. DH said it looked like a fried spider. Fortunately, it didn't taste like one.
DH's steak sandwich (SGD18) main was pretty good, the steak was well-marinated and tender. It came with flatbread on it rather than the usual types of bread, but it worked well.
My main of Aerin's tagliatelle with mushrooms in cream sauce (SGD18) was interesting. It was topped with diced smoked salmon and some salmon roe, which provided a unique dimension to this dish. I have been toying with the idea of adding smoked salmon and salmon roe to my pasta, and was wondering how this combination would work with a cream sauce. The verdict? As the smoked salmon and salmon roe are both rather salty (with a bit of a sea-side tang?), I would make sure the cream sauce is less salty to compensate.
We shared a dessert which was part of the Xmas set, and wasn't generally available, the sticky date pudding with toffee and some brandied sauce (SGD9). It was not bad, not too sweet, and I could taste the alcohol in it. It could have been better however, if the pudding were richer in taste and texture. It was more like a fruitcake, rather than a proper pudding, I'd say.
DH's latte (SGD4.80) arrived, and it was so pretty! I liked how they bothered to add a little pretty design.
We were served a complimentary portion of ikura (salmon roe), very sweet and fresh.
We then started out with a sashimi platter - laden with the freshest and sweetest goodies. The usual toro and buri (large hamachi), with the interesting additions of geoduck, ark shell, botan ebi (sweet sea prawns), flounder, sardines. We were also served 3 different dipping sauces - ponzu, ginger and spring onion, and the usual wasabi - and advised on which ones would go best with which sashimi. I liked the botan ebi best, as it was very sweet and fat, not like the usual anaemic amaebi prawns that we get at other restaurants.
Then a very sweet soup with Hokkaido crab. Only the crab legs were served. It was meaty and flavourful, and we savoured each mouthful.
A nimono (simmered) dish of red snapper with burdock root. Burdock root, also known as wai-san, is sold at traditional chinese medicine halls, and is known to have healing properties. It was sweet and tasty.
The buri teriyaki was unusual, and a tad dry, to be cooked teriyaki style.
We also tried ankimo (angler fish liver) in ponzu. The richness of the liver was cut by the vinegary ponzu.
The shirako (codfish smelt also in ponzu) was a very generous portion, and DH and I shared it. It was smooth and rich and silken in texture. Very very good indeed.
Sushi followed.
About 10 different types of sushi served one by one.
2 types of toro - raw and seared with a blowtorch - 2 servings of flounder fin, buri (again!), mackerel, octopus, ikura (salmon roe) and uni (sea urchin).
The flounder fin was crunchy, tasting almost like shellfish. It was served with a squeeze of lime and yuzu shavings. Very interesting.
Then miso clam soup. Very rich, and hearty.
And here is DH's dessert.
And my dessert of shiratama azuki. Hmmm, there are less rice balls compared with