This was a birthday meal (where I ended up treating my friend instead. LOL) We chose Ginza Sushi Ichi at Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel, because this was one relatively-known sushi restaurant in Singapore we have yet to visit.
Ginza Sushi Ichi propelled further into the limelight after it won a Michelin star in Singapore, ‘beating’ other hot favourites such as Hashida Sushi and Aoki Restaurant.
(The other Michelin-starred sushi restaurants in Singapore are Shoukouwa at One Fullerton, and Shinji by Kanesaka – now located at Carlton Hotel and St Regis.)
The intimate 23-seater restaurant is a branch of the award-winning Tokyo based Ginza Sushi Ichi, helmed by 34-year-old executive Head Chef Masakazu Ishibashi, more affectionately known as Masa.
He comes from a line of sushi restaurant owners, and takes great pride in preparing sushi with an artful flair for his guests.
They have also opened an exclusive sake lounge next to their restaurant serving authentic Japanese sake in collaboration with the Japanese Sake producer Suigei Shuzo from the Kouchi province in Japan. (So be careful about entering the wrong entrance. The sushi restaurant is on the right hand side.)
The interior is like a typical high-end sushi restaurant, with the sushi masters preparing food in full view of the patrons, with a counter made from a 200 year-old cypress trees.
However, if some diners choose to talk louder, you may be able to hear the entire conversation. For example, a girl looking no-older than 12 was thankful for real wasabi served, not “the cheap ones served from paste.”
Fair enough. On that note, children aged 7 years and older are permitted to dine at the restaurant.
Lunch would generally be the cheaper option, which includes Tubaki at 100++ (appetizer, 10 pc nigiri sushi, roll sushi, miso soup, and desert), Botan at 150++ (similar to tubaki except 1 extra side, assorted sashimi and nigiri sushi is 8 pc), and lunch omakase at 240++ (appetizer, 2 assorted sashimi, 2 dishes, 8 pc nigiri sushi, roll sushi, miso soup and desert). Dinner options can also be selected for lunch.
For dinner, you can opt for the omakase nigiri at 220++ (appetizer, nigiri sushi, small dish, roll sushi, miso soup and desert), sushiichi course at 300++ (appetizer, assorted sashimi, assorted dishes, nigiri sushi, roll sushi, miso soup and desert) and Omakase at 430++ (no fixed menu).
The restaurant serves Edomae Sushi which is deeply associated with seasonality (Edomae: A traditional style of sushi making in the 1800s where Chefs would use a variety of seafood preservation methods such as aging, marinating, salting, as well as boiling and grilling.)
Tuna and sea-urchin are the restaurant’s specialty. Ingredients are purchased directly from Japan and flown in 4 to 5 times a week so only the freshest picks of the season are served to the guests.
Their tuna is wild-caught in small batches, carefully selected by their staff to maintain quality and purchased from the Tsukiji market from one of the top 5 suppliers there.
I enjoyed the Blue Fin Tuna from Nagasaki, super-fresh, melt-in-your-mouth fatty.
Their sea urchin is also purchased from the Tsukiji market at the first auction of the day in order to ensure quality and freshness.
It is no wonder one of my favourite items was an Uni Ikura Don served towards the end of the meal.
The chefs were quite interactive, and would engage with the guests to give them better understanding of the food. All the better if you are a regular.
My friend thought liked the selection of sake, and thought it was served at the right temperate. Sushi-wise, comparable to Shinji by Kanesaka.
I generally liked the sushi pieces which were deliciously-fresh and of high quality, though there was something missing about the entire package.
At the level, plus I am no sushi-connoisseur where it is hard to tell the top-tier sushi restaurants apart. However, I would have wished for something that extra touch of something special, say a warm soup or imported Japanese fruit, to go a little beyond sushi.
Ginza Sushi Ichi
320 Orchard Road, Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel #01-04, Singapore 238865 (5 min walk from Orchard MRT)
Tel: +65 6235 5514
Opening Hours: Lunch 12:00pm – 2.30pm Last order at 2:00pm (Tue – Sun)
Dinner 6:00pm – 11:00pm Last order at 9.30pm (Tues – Sat)
Dinner from 6pm to 10pm Last order at 8.30pm (Tues – Sun)
Closed Mon
www.facebook.com/ginzasushiichisg
Other Related Entries
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Shoukouwa (One Fullerton)
Shinji by Kanesaka (Raffles Hotel)
Ki-Sho (Scotts Road)
Syun (RWS)
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