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Monday, September 8, 2014

Kaiho Sushi Restaurant - A Hidden Gem

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Kaiho is one hidden gem. Why? Because on the first look at the exterior and interior, nothing seems very impressive, not to mention it is hidden in Cuppage Plaza (only known to those who know that this place has a lot of great Japanese restaurants). However, if one chooses to venture inside, he/she will be rewarded with great food at great value, plus decent service (something lacking in a lot of Japanese restaurants, including high end ones).

On the side note: The chef is a local, however one can spot a lot of Japanese expats dining in here and this is saying a lot about the skill of the chef (since I know that Japanese people don't really fancy Japanese food made by non Japanese). I had even overheard a Japanese saying to his lady companion "すごい美味しい", meaning "very delicious".


The raw seafood were so fresh that while retaining the natural sweetness of the seafood (termed as the taste of umi, by me), there is no fishy smell or taste at all. The raw tuna and yellowtail here, truly surprised me in how good the taste and texture can be, since I always had a bad impression of these two fishes (rough and tough texture, fishy smell) based on experiences in some other restaurants. Shirauo (whitebait), aburi hotategai and amaebi sushi are highly recommended. Especially the amaebi, an item that I always order when dining in Kaiho. The prawns are incredibly sweet, creamy and fresh, got to be the best amaebi I ever had. As for the aburi hotategai sushi, the smoky flavour lends extra dimension to the smooth, fresh slab of seafood—pure enjoyment of great food, but the price to pay is great. Mekajiki can be given a miss since I find the meat to have the fishy smell I dislike. And the tako is too tough to my liking.


The chestnut ice cream is a must try also due to the richness of the taste of Japanese chestnuts. And seriously, it is not like one can find such ice cream easily in other places!

Best of all, green tea is complimentary!

There are few places in which one can savour such fresh seafood and Kaiho is one of them, and given that the service is quite decent, I am always ready to be back for more!

My Thoughts: Nice!
This restaurant is no longer in operation.