Morsels of Délice: Shinji By Kanesaka

Monday, September 8, 2014

Shinji By Kanesaka - Haven of Gastronomy

The gateway to that haven is through a door of distinctive Japanese influence with the words "Shinji" above it. When closing upon the door, it slid open by an extremely friendly service staff and from there, one is transported into the world of exploration of the gems of the sea.

In there, one’s personal chef of the day (sort of since he will personally attend to about 8 diners), skilfully slices up the fish, puts on the sushi rice and finally, dabbles delicate seasonings on it, and viola, little morsels of pure goodness. All the sushi I had tasted are very fresh and do not have even a hint of fishy smell, yet retaining the sweet, unique flavour of each own fish.

I especially love the Aji, where a little dot of green condiments will explode (not literally) in the mouth to accentuate the natural taste of the fish with a wonderful marriage of light herbal-like flavour and sourness. Aji belongs to a class of fishes whose meat can easily get that fishy smell if not processed under the strictest conditions. So I am glad to inform that the Aji here has none of that smell, allowing me to appreciate such fish (I had always dislike mackerel class of fishes prior to savouring the Aji sushi in Shinji). The uni from Hokkaido is literally bursting with sweetness of the sea to the point of disbelief that seafood can be this sweet without addition of seasonings. Yes, this is even sweeter than ama ebi, a prawn known to be naturally sweet. The taste of uni is so awesome that the memory of it lingers in the mind for days.

Almost all the sushi have the melt in your mouth texture, including the usually tough Akami. The sushi rice moulded onto the sushi is a work of skill in itself. When picked up by the chopsticks, the sushi rice will not crumble, but when put into mouth, it breaks immediately apart, creating perfect harmony in texture with melt in your mouth fishes. The seasonings used and the cut made on the fishes all served to accentuate the wonderful taste.

Frankly speaking, the sushi here have tastes that are like no others (based on my personal experience, though I had not tried almost every kind of sushi out there), thus taking diners on a brand new gastronomy journey.

The service is absolutely excellent; warm, friendly and genuine. One of the best services I had encountered. The place is simplistic, yet elegant, full of the Zen influence, filling one with calmness.

Though I highly recommend opting for the counter seats only because when seated at the table, one pays full price for getting one third of the unique dining experience there. Part of the gastronomy journey in Shinji is to watch the chef meticulously prepared each sushi and wait with great anticipation for each morsel of delight to be ready. And during the wait, one can slowly indulge in the appreciation of the flavours of the sushi just savoured. To be served plates of sushi pieces at the table is simply just different from sitting at the counter to enjoy the sushi one at a time.

Another note: I found that the sushi here is so pure in taste that I can actually detect the subtle differences in taste of the sushi made by different chefs. All are good, but there is bound to be one that you prefer, depending on personal preferences. My favourite chef even remembers us and the set lunch we always order!

Absolutely love to go back again.

My Thoughts: Out of this World ... when seated at the counter

Nearest car park: Calton Hotel's car park or St Regis Hotel's car park

Nearest MRT: City Hall or Orchard