Fish Mart SAKURAYA (West Coast Plaza)

Many may know and many might not know that Fish Mart SAKURAYA is often visited by Japanese, Koreans, Caucasians, and of course, Singaporeans who are simply food-lovers..

Sakuraya has three branches in Singapore, namely at, West Coast Plaza, Parkway Parade and Anchorpoint. They are all easily accessible because all three places have FREE Shuttle Bus services (more info at the end of the post).

FYI: Sakuraya is a mini-mart that sells Japanese food products as well as a dining restaurant.

As I visit Japan often, my friends would always seek to find the tidbits I bought for them. I managed to find some of them here at Sakuraya! For those who cook Japanese cuisine, Sakuraya not only sells tidbits, it also sells vegetables (from Japan), Japanese rice, coffee, sake, shochu, sauces, seasonings, ice-cream, beverages and more.

Shopping for food is important but filling up my stomach is more important!

Sakuraya's dining area serves decent, affordable and fresh sashimi, sushi, bento, agemono and etc~~

It's a very fishy business. . . in a good way! Because not only you get to choose what you want to eat from the menu, you also get to choose what sashimi you want! Remember the times where you comment that the table beside you got a better plate of maguro? Well, no problems here, cos' you can just select what you think it's best from the neatly displayed seafood.

Step 1: Please be seated at a table first.
Step 2: Order the food and drinks from the menu.
Step 3: Take note of your table number. Go to the sashimi area to select the sashimi you want!
Step 4: Pass it to the staff at that area.
Step 5: You'll be asked if you want to takeaway or dine-in. If you're dining in, simply tell the staff your table number.

Now let's indulge! いただきます！

Oooh... The sashimi is really sweet and fresh.. Look at the salmon belly and scallops!

I love fresh wasabi~~! I always pay attention to whether the restaurants serve fresh wasabi or wasabi from tubes.. Heehee~~

Tempura was nicely done! The batter was light and crisp and the prawns were very plump. Yum yum~

Tori Karaage was decent and normal. I was glad that the skin was thin and the chicken was not overcooked.

Cha Soba was not bad. But it was very filling! I'd recommend it for two to share. That way, you'll get to eat more of other goodies.

Pumpkin Croquette is a MUST-TRY! I love how compact and solid it was! The pumpkin was also sweet and smooth. The exterior was so crispy that it was crunching every time I poked my chopsticks into it. Very good!

Prawn Tempura Maki and Soft-shell Crab Maki have both hits and misses. Prawn Tempura Maki has big prawns but it lacks flavour. It was kinda bland. On the other hand, Soft-shell Crab Maki was tastier but it was slightly oilier than I expected.

Sakura Sushi Set comprises of Maguro (tuna), Kanpachi (amberjack), Sake (salmon), Hotate (scallop), Tako (octopus), Ika (squid), Botan Ebi (sweet prawn), Tamago (egg), and Negi Toro Maki (fatty tuna and green onions). Well, I'll give a passable mark of 5/10 for this set. Everything was lacking of something. Maguro lacks freshness, salmon seems to have been left outside too long, tamago was not firm and toro was mediocre. The reason it passed was because this whole set is only $28 and it is enough to fill a lady's stomach.

I would be visiting Sakuraya sometime soon! Not only the locations are easily accessible, the affordability of the food they serve is a good enough point to put Sakuraya on my to-visit-again list. Also, I need to stock up my Japanese tidbits and food ingredients, most importantly, to satisfy my endless craving of sashimi and other Japanese food.

Do check out Sakuraya's website for more updates and promotion info!
(^O^) お楽しみに


Fish Mart SAKURAYA
Website: http://www.sakuraya.com.sg

West Coast Plaza (Free Shuttle Bus)
Address: 154 West Coast Road, #B1-50/51/52, Singapore 127371
Tel: 67736973
Fax: 67731254
Opening hours: (Mon-Sun) 10:30 - 22:00

Parkway Parade (Free Shuttle Bus)
Address: 80 Marine Parade Road, #B1-84D, Singapore 449269
Tel: 63454714
Fax: 63465924
Opening hours: (Mon-Thu, Sun & PH) 11:00 - 21:30
(Fri & Sat) 11:00 - 22:00

Anchorpoint (Free Shuttle Bus)
Address: 370 Alexandra Road, #01-32, Singapore 159953
Tel: 64742495
Fax: 68725569
Opening hours: (Mon-Sun) 10:00 - 22:00

Ramen Kagetsu Arashi (The Cathay)

Ramen Kagetsu Arashi has opened its 3rd branch on 21 November 2013 at The Cathay, B1-01!

From Kagetsu Ramen's Facebook:
To celebrate the opening of our NEW outlet at The Cathay, we are giving our fans an EXCLUSIVE FREE UPGRADE to our Arashi Genkotsu Char Siew Ramen when you order our Signature Arashi Genkotsu Ramen! Extra slices of Char Siew, extra taste of goooodness!

Simply flash the above image to the staff at Kagetsu Ramen (The Cathay) upon ordering to redeem this offer. Enjoy!

Check out the Weekday Lunch Set!
Available from 11.30am to 2.30pm.
Each set consists of 1 Main Dish + 1 Side Dish + 1 Hot/Iced Green Tea.

(*Remember to click on images to enlarge!)

Toppings are available at $1.50!

Add-Ons! These additions create a whole new flavor for your soup!
(They are all placed neatly on your table!)

1. Black Pepper
Add a dash of black pepper to enhance the flavors of the soup base!

2. Soy Sauce
A traditional recipe. Add a little soy sauce for a more richer, and distinctive taste.

3. Chives
This special, in-house seasoned chives are made daily - perfect for those who crave for spicy-ness!

4. Garlic
Add fresh garlic to complement the flavor of your soup! Fresh Garlic can be crushed using the unique garlic press tool!

(Images source: Ramen Kagetsu Arashi)

Before I comment on the ramen, I have to admit that I am an amateur gourmet when it comes to ramen. But fortunately, I was tasting Ramen Kagetsu Arashi with two food gourmets and one of them is a ramen fanatic.

Miss P ordered Arashi Genkotsu Ramen - Kagetsu's best-selling ramen. It features Kagetsu's house-made pork broth, simmered with pork marrow bones, fat and collagen. The natural sweetness stems from adding lots of garlic, onions, vegetables and various spices to the broth.

On the other hand, Miss H (ramen fanatic) ordered Arashi Genkotsu Miso Ramen which features Kagetsu's original miso soup. Kagetsu says that they use the finest miso paste from the prefectures across Japan. Each provincial flavor is infused to recreate an aromatic yet flavorful soup.

I ordered Arashi Genkotsu Shio Ramen. The soup was cooked with unrefined and natural sea salt which accentuates the flavors of the milky white broth.
It was said that natural sea salt has a richer, and more complex taste than processed salt. Kagetsu says that this gives their soup base "a distinctively refreshing taste".

(I didn't get to snap Miss P and Miss H's ramen because they were so famished that they were slurping away before I could take a shot!)

Both Miss P and Miss H felt that the broth was indeed very thick. Compared to many other ramen, Kagetsu's broth has a very distinctively strong garlic taste and smell. While it is very subjective to comment whether it is aromatic or not, I must say that Kagetsu's broth did made itself different from many chain ramen restaurants. Even though the strong garlic-ness did hit a punch on everyone's face, I could still taste the sweetness of the rich broth.

Noodles per se failed big time. Miss H, the ramen fanatic, only finished half of what was served. Not because she was full, but she just could not continue eating the soggy overcooked noodles. As for me, I thought the noodles was comparable to the instant noodles I cook. Hahaha.. I don't have high expectations lah. So I could say that Kagetsu does better than certain chain ramen restaurants like Ajis*n. But for the similar price, I would head for Keisuke's Ramen.

Miss P, the slender girl with a huge appetite, was the first to bottoms up! I thought she cleaned it up because it was so delicious but hell no! She shook her head and said that it was not nice; she was just hungry. -_-

It is an open secret that we can hardly find a good side dish at a ramen restaurant (besides Keisuke!). The pork cutlet (tonkatsu) was so floury and the batter coating was just too thick. Just imagine the ratio between the pork and batter is 1:1. The gyoza was much better, at least. The filling was pretty decent but the skin could be crispier. Also, either they should stuff it with more filling or they should use a smaller gyoza skin. The interior of the gyoza was so empty. Disappointing.

In conclusion, Kagetsu's ramen fared 5.5/10 and the sides were about 4/10. The serving is quite big so it does fill your stomach but it would not satisfy the you who is looking for a good ramen.


Ramen Kagetsu Arashi
The Cathay
Address: 2 Handy Rd, B1-01
Opening hours:
(Mon - Thu) 11:30 - 22:00
(Fri - Sat) 11:30 - 23:00
(Sun) 11:30 - 22:00
Website: https://www.facebook.com/KagetsuRamen

Other branches
The Star Vista
Address: 1 Vista Exchange Green, #01-41
Tel: 63390335

Tampines 1
Address: 10 Tampines Central 1, #02-09/10
Tel: 68540335

Tomi Sushi (Novena)

It's getting harder and harder to find a place that offers Japanese food of fine quality at an affordable price. I was hesitant to share the pocket-friendly lunch menu that Tomi Sushi offers. Because besides the good food, I enjoy the "less rowdy" environment.

Situated at Velocity Novena Square (just above Novena MRT Station), personally, it is not exactly what I would describe as the hype foodie place. However, I found one particular restaurant that is worth blogging!. . . Tomi Sushi!

Tomi Sushi serves high quality Japanese rice from Niigata and I quote, Niigata is the prefecture "renowned for its tasty premium-grade rice in fields irrigated by the melting snow in spring".

The menu is pretty similar to many Japanese restaurants in Singapore. They have several different menus, such as lunch menu and dinner menu, for different branches. Do check them out before visiting! To view them, please visit Tomi Sushi's website.

The restaurant is rather spacious, which is not a common sight in Japanese restaurants. The service is good! I like that they constantly refill my green tea. That's nice. The most important factor of putting a "good" to a restaurant's service is that - the staff are always around and walking around.

Okay, here comes the highlight of my post. I would recommend Tomi Sushi's Lunch Menu! (See the lunch menu below; click to enlarge.)

(Source: Tomi Sushi's website)

Q: Why I'd recommend such a common Japanese set lunch?!
A: The price and the quality served!!!

1. Yes, you can find similar Japanese lunch sets of this price range... BUT Tomi Sushi wins with its freshness of the sashimi.

2. Yes, you can find sashimi that is as fresh or even fresher... BUT it won't be as affordable as what you can find at Tomi Sushi.

I ordered Nigiri Sakura ($28).. The set was placed neatly on a tray. It comes with an assortment of sushi served on a plank, tori karaage (fried chicken), chawamushi (steamed egg), salad, miso soup and fruits. I practically loved everything that was on that tray! I can use words such as fresh, juicy, crispy, tasty, yummy, and etc.. But the best way to convince you how worthy my $28 was, is to go and try it yourself at Tomi Sushi!!


Tomi Sushi (Novena)
Address: 238 Thomson Road, #02-76/77 Velocity Novena Square, Singapore 307683
Tel: 62552355
Opening hours: (Daily) 11:30 - 22:30
Website: http://www.tomisushi.asia/index.html

Other branches:
Tomi Sushi (PARCO)
Address: PARCO Marina Bay 3F-04, 9 Raffles Boulevard, Singapore 039596
Tel: 63334633
Opening hours: (Daily) 11:30 - 22:30

Tomi Sushi (Katong)
Address: 30 East Coast Road #02-14/15/16, Katong V, Singapore 428751
Tel: 63487897
Opening hours: (Daily) 11:30-14:30 / 17:30-22:30

Koh Grill & Sushi Bar

It's so hard to find a Japanese eatery that serves authentic and umami Japanese food without burning a big hole in my pocket. Needless to say, the best Japanese food I had or anyone could find, would be in Japan. For now, at least in Singapore, Koh Grill & Sushi Bar is one of the few places I frequently indulge in to satisfy my endless craving for Japanese food.

Some pre-visit messages:
1. Be prepared to pay! Though it may be situated near the food court area, the food prices aren't food court prices! At most times, bills amount to more than common sushi chains such as Sakae Sushi, or even Sushi Tei.

2. Expect appalling service! You might be searching for eye contact or waving hands for more than 10 minutes before you could flag down a waitress. That will be the norm there. Why? Because there's no service charge!! Hahahaaa... On a serious note, I believe it's probably because they are rather understaffed and the restaurant is constantly packed with a never-ending queue lining out there with killing stares! This brings me to my next point.

3. Wear a pair of comfortable shoes! Because you might have to queue for 20 minutes. I read a blogger who said that he queued for an hour! Wow... he was so suay lor... Lucky me.. I've visited Koh Grill & Sushi Bar many times and I've only waited for about 10 minutes or so. The longest waiting time was about 15 minutes.

4. Make reservation please, if you wanna skip the queue and if you're going in a big group. See the contact number at the end of my post!

5. Prepared to get cozy. Many couples visit Koh Grill & Sushi Bar. I've seen three couples sitting side by side in a six-seater table, three girlfriends lining on one side and their boyfriends opposite them, lining on the other side. Haha, they can check out one another's girl/boy. Unless you don't mind counter seats, the tables are placed pretty close to one another.

6. Go with a empty stomach! Koh Grill & Sushi Bar has a very extensive menu. They have sashimi, tempura, sushi, maki, grilled items, fried rice, udon and etc. You'll be spoilt with choices and might not have an idea what to order!

And because you might not know what to order, based on my visit experiences, I shall recommend the following...

Unsweetened Iced Green Tea ($1.50) - With all the strong flavorful food, I prefer something that will cleanse my taste buds.

Salmon Sashimi ($8, 5 slices) - I wouldn't shout a loud "so fresh". But it would not be an exaggeration to say that the sashimi here is fresher than many sushi restaurants.

Shiok Sushi ($6 per piece) - A mouth size sushi with aburi salmon. Basically, a mini version of the shiok maki with a larger slice of salmon wrapped around the sushi.

Shirane Tofu ($8) - Fried tofu with crispy fish skin. The generous amount of sauce did not dampen the crispiness of the tofu and fish skin. The combination was so interesting and by interesting, I meant it in a weird way, but it was surprisingly delicious and refreshing. I like it.

Foie Gras Maki ($28) - Foie gras sushi roll wrapped with aburi swordfish is the BEST maki I had in Koh Grill & Sushi Bar.

Shiok Maki 2nd Generation ($16.80) - Crispy prawn sushi roll wrapped with aburi salmon is better that the original 1st generation, in my opinion. Or maybe because I prefer prawn to eel. Heehee...

Crabby Maki ($18) - Crispy soft-shell crab and seaweed sushi roll wrapped with seared swordfish belly is a must-try if you love soft-shell crab. I like that it is not oily and the crisp remained even after being left on the table while I was busy snapping photos of other dishes.

Tempura Moriawase Special ($15) - Comprises prawns, squid, eggplant, pumpkin, and soft-shell crab tempura. It would be too much and too heavy for one person. The menu also stated that it is ideal for two persons. The batter is light, thus the outer is very crispy. I like the tempura dipping sauce which added flavor to the rather plain tempura.

Grilled Salmon Skin / Shake Kawa ($4) - This is different from the common fried salmon skin. As it is grilled, there's almost no oiliness in the dish. It is lightly salted and I enjoyed it as much as I enjoy potato chips! Maybe they could rename it as Grilled Salmon Chips. Hahahaa..

Asparagus Pork Belly Maki ($3 per stick) - I'm being biased. It's one of my favorite grilled items. Hahahaa...

Beef Fillet ($12) - Comparable to what is served at The Sushi Bar (Far East Plaza) but I'll prefer the beef fillet at Koh Grill & Sushi Bar because of the sauce that comes with it. The sauce is the key that made the beef fillet so delicious. The waitress questioned me in disbelief when I ordered two of this.

Before you leave, just walk near and give a shout-out and thank Patrick! The busy chef who has been torching the famous makis at the bar counter. Patrick is very friendly and will sure return your thanks with a big smile!! (^O^)

Koh Grill & Sushi Bar
Address: #04-21, Wisma Atria Shopping Centre, 435 Orchard Road
Phone: 91803805
Opening hours: (Daily) 11:30 - 22:30

Hifumi Japanese Restaurant (Marina Square)

Image: Hifumi Facebook

Yeah~~~ Hifumi Japanese Restaurant has opened its second branch at Marina Square. This popular semi-buffet restaurant was really packed on a Sunday afternoon. I saw couples, groups of friends, family with children, grandparents.. Waah.. See how well-received Hifumi is!

Upon entering, I could see that the seats are really spacious and there is ample space to move around (getting to the all-u-can-eat appetizer bar). I was cheering already. (^O^)

Please refer to my post on Hifumi Japanese Restaurant (Plaza Singapura) for the full menu.

Image: Hifumi Facebook

It seems like their (June) monthly special menu - Japanese Rice Box - is still available. I'm not sure when it would end so be sure to try before it's gone!

Let's talk about the main first~~

Grilled Salmon Rice Box Set ($16.99) - "Maccha sushi rice with semi-grilled salmon" sounds delicious already!

Look at my pinkish delicious-looking salmon waiting for me to dig in... *drools* I like how the salmon slices were so thick and grilled on the side.. Don't hold too high expectations on the quality of the salmon.. The salmon was just average quality but well, since it's under $20 set.. I think it was worth every cent~

Maccha sushi rice!! My first time.. heh heh~~ Sadly, the maccha taste was not distinctive.. It could be easily passed off as seaweed rice..

Baked Chicken with Japanese Pepper Sauce Set ($11.99) was under Healthy Meal category. The chicken was rather bland (haha.. maybe because it was supposed to be healthy?). It seemed as though the chicken was not marinated at all. The biggest disappointment was that even though it was baked, the chicken was not fragrant. Fortunately, it was still quite juicy and the pepper sauce on the outside helped to add some flavour.

Not to forget, the set is not even $12! Look at the generous chunks of the chicken!

Saba Shioyaki Set ($12.99) was really worth it!! It's about the same price as what you can get at food courts but look at how big and fat the saba is! Besides, it was really juicy and tasty! Good!

Below are some snapshots of the unlimited refillable all-you-can-take-and-eat appetizers~~ oops! I forgot about my chawanmushi! I had three of that.. *guilty*

Verdict: Of course I will be back! It seems like they introduce new appetizers (such as dumpling, tapioca chips and lotus roots chips) every now and then.. Good!

The environment is casual and spacious too.. I can leisurely spend my time munching the appetizers.. Walking up and down to refill my drinks multiple times then end my meal with a hot beverage (fave: mocha!).. And at the end of my meal, I'm paying less than $20 per pax! O.M.G.

Small note: The staff use disinfectant when cleaning the tables! Previously I mentioned in my post on its branch at Plaza Singapura where the staff just wipes off the food shreds to the floor and chair. This new branch at Marina Square is so much more hygienic and the staff are more pleasant and more at your service. Deserves a thumbs up!


Hifumi Japanese Restaurant (Marina Square)
Address: Marina Square, 6 Raffles Boulevard, #02-106A/106B
Tel: 63374721
Opening hours: (Daily) 11:30 - 15:00 / 17:00 - 22:30
Website: https://www.facebook.com/hifumi.sg