[Review] Japanese Omakase with complimentary sake pairings-Shinzo’s new spring Menu

Cosy, unpretentious Omakase expertise that delivers on style and value-for-money. Step into Shinzo and be ready for an thrilling gastronomic experience to Springtime Japan.

Tucked in a first-floor unit at Carpenter Road within the CBD eating places and pubs space in Singapore, Shinzo is a Japanese restaurant specialising in Omakase (お任せ), whereby friends depart it to the chef to determine what they are going to be consuming.

To honour the belief that their clients place in them by going for Omakase, Shinzo professes to make use of solely the season’s finest components sourced immediately from Japan’s markets; all components are air-flown from Japan twice every week. The phrase ‘Shinzo’ interprets to coronary heart, and the restaurant is called as such to replicate the love and keenness that the culinary workforce imbues of their dishes.

Shinzo has been round for over eight years and has constructed a gentle pool of regulars who're like outdated mates to the cooks and repair workers. Once we had been there for the media tasting, we counted a number of of such regulars who had been having pleasant banter with the cooks like outdated mates whereas ready for his or her meals to be served.

The Cooks on the Helm at Shinzo

Shinzo is helmed by Chef Patrick Tan and Chef Kevin Ho, each of who educated underneath the revered Chef Yoshio Nogawa at Sushi Kaiseki Nogawa at Orchard street.

Chef Patrick Tan is a perfectionist who is thought for shaping the tradition at many famend fine-dining Japanese eating places in Singapore, together with the Sushi Jin by Les Amis Group, Nogawa, and Sushi Chiharu. Chef Kevin Ho joins Shinzo from Nogawa the place he spent the final 20 years of his profession there and was their head chef.

Each males are deeply enthusiastic about Japanese delicacies, elevating it to the following stage and cultivating the following technology of Singapore’s sushi shokunin (sushi artisan). They take nice pleasure of their sushi craft and sustaining an intimate setting in Shinzo’s 18-seater counter.

This was our first time eating at Shinzo and we had been simply in time for his or her new seasonal springtime Omakase menu. Each lunch and dinner menus can be found. We’ll be reviewing dinner right here. Please be aware that gadgets can change relying on what’s the freshest catch accessible and the chef’s temper. That’s the great thing about Omakase in any case!

Shinzo’s New Seasonal Springtime Omakase Menu

For Dinner Omakase, there are three menus to select from:  Jyo-sen- $188, Tokusen- $208, and Kasen- $228. (costs are earlier than GST and repair cost)

We tried each ends of the spectrum, the entry menu Jyo-sen, and the premium menu Kasen. You get just a few extra gadgets to savour within the premium menu, and likewise extra “wow” gadgets like codfish sperm, fugu, and wagyu beef. That stated, the standard of each menus is equally good. All appears to be like so tempting, how to decide on? A technique is to make use of your urge for food as a information. The amount of meals given within the fundamental menu is already amply adequate for one to really feel crammed, so go for the higher-tiered menus in case you are feeling particularly ravenous. Right here’s how our expertise went:

We had been there on a Tuesday, so we acquired to benefit from the complimentary Sake Pairing on Tuesdays for dinner. Diners get to take pleasure in three several types of sake picked by the cooks to enhance the evening’s totally different dishes, elevating the eating expertise.

Jyo-Sen $188

Appetizers– 3 sorts

Benefit from the appetizers from left to proper; from milder in style to stronger in style.

The standout merchandise right here was the Ankimo (steamed Monkfish liver), which actually lived as much as its repute as
the foie gras of the sea- creamy, buttery, melt-in-the-mouth good. The 2 different appetizers featured are the Uni Yosen (uni encased in agar jelly) and oyster.

Sashimi– 6 slices of various contemporary sashimi

For sashimi, chu toro, botan ebi and kanpachi (amber jack) had been artfully plated collectively. Their freshness was past query. Their totally different textures from fluffy mushy to agency and chewy would have you ever giving due to the potpourri of bounty offered by the ocean. By the best way, do you know you'll be able to eat the Shiso leaf and flower too? They tasted minty and might perform as a palate cleanser.

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Subsequent up was the Hirame carpaccio (flounder fish) topped with two several types of roe. The Hirame carpaccio’s chewiness was completely counterbalanced by the mushy roe actually bursting with flavours in your mouth.

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Cooked dish– 2 dishes of Chef’s creation

First up was tuna cheek paired with prawn cracker, inexperienced pepper and flavoured radish. A tasty dish that will make any fish lover glad.

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Kamo foie gras – Chef Patrick’s innovation of duck breast with foie gras was each distinctive and attractive. This dish reminds us of Peking duck, however as an alternative of wrapping the duck meat with pancake like how one would eat Peking duck, you roll up the slice of duck meat across the foie gras. Sinful(lly good)? You wager.

Sushi– 7 items of nigiri sushi

Subsequent, comes an assortment of seven totally different Nigiri masterfully crafted by nimble arms. It was a pleasure watching every nigiri take form proper in entrance of our eyes, put along with understated aplomb by culinary craftsmen with years of expertise underneath their belts.

The pièce de résistance? The Aburi otoro (flame-seared fatty tuna), which melts like butter in your mouth.

Soup

Miso soup with beneficiant servings of clams and spring onion.

Dessert

Candy melon and strawberry.

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Kasen $228

Appetizers– 5 sorts

At 5 appetizers, the Kazen menu gives two extra appetizers than the entry-level Jyo-Sen menu.

The standout merchandise right here is certainly the Shirako Ponzu. Shirako, which implies “white children” in Japanese, is the sperm of the codfish whereas Ponzo is a Japanese citrus French dressing, zesty and appetizing. Very slurp-worthy.

Sashimi– 8 slices of various contemporary uncooked sashimi

Featured listed here are Chu toro (medium fatty tuna), botan ebi (candy shrimp), kanpachi (amberjack), Hokkaido scallop, and the famed fugu (puffer fish)!

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The fugu sashimi is pre-prepared in Japan by specifically licensed cooks educated to course of the deeply toxic fish. The fugu slices are fastidiously organized into the type of a fan. The fugu is chewy and gummy in texture, served on chilled plates for optimum freshness.

Cooked dish– 3 dishes of Chef’s creation

First up was the A5 Japanese Wagyu. Deftly seared, a skinny caramelized crust added texture to mushy melt-in-your-mouth marbled meat.

Subsequent up was grilled oysters in tacky sauce and king crab. The tacky sauce may really feel overpowering to these trying to style the umami of the oysters, nonetheless, the yearning for umami shall be happy by the fluffy sweetness of the king crab.

To spherical up the cooked dish section, now we have the steamed abalone. Suppose plump, thick cuts of abalone, steamed gently to permit its pure flavour to shine via.

Sushi– 9 items of nigiri sushi

Deftly and delicately ready by the chef to ship on its essence, every nigiri nonetheless retained the heat of the human hand in its rice. This section had us actually and figuratively consuming out of the chef’s arms.

Soup

The plump and succulent Hamaguri clam in clear dashi soup brings us a style of the seaside.

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Dessert 

Chilled Yubari melon and fantastically candy strawberries to spherical off a greater than satisfying meal.

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Shinzo is providing a complimentary Sake Pairing on Tuesdays for dinner. Diners may are available on Mondays to take pleasure in 20% off your common dinner omakase meal. Alternatively, take pleasure in their Earlybird omakase 8 programs eating expertise (6-7pm) particular worth for diners who reserve early and end their meal by 7pm.

Shinzo

Location: 17 Carpenter St, Singapore 059906 (nearest MRT: Clarke Quay- 5 minutes stroll)
Opening hours: Monday – Saturday, Lunch: 12pm – 3pm, Dinner: 6:00pm – 10:30pm
T: +65 6438 2921/ +65 9815 7186 (WhatsApp)