A truly awesome gastronomic experience in Sushi Katori! I get to savour seasonal treasures of the sea meticulously prepared by Chef Katori the traditional Edo style plus an uniqueness that makes the food really amazing and different those of other restaurants.
Chef Katori focuses on preparation, optimal temperature and pairing of the fishes with the most suitable kind of shari to bring out the best and inherent flavours of the fishes. It's also quite a feast for the eyes watching him deftly slices and cuts the fishes. And with the outstanding, thoughtful service in addition to the wonderful hospitality of Chef Katori, this restaurant is definitely one of the best.
So I'm not surprised when a well-travelled gourmet beside me reveals to his friends that he visits this restaurant every week. This place does have that kind of charm to make it possible.
Also, after an outing here, it reinforces the fact that omakase is my favourite type of meal. Yes, I absolutely enjoy every single dish here.
The appetiser of Firefly Squid with Mountain Vegetable definitely impresses at first bite. The squid is briny sweet and tender, enhanced by the refreshing sweetness of the vegetable. Deep Fried Ice Fish coated with Crushed Rice is packed with concentrated umami and is so crispy. Japanese Eggplant with Miso paste is also delicious. An excellent start to the meal. And I love it that all these are so unique in taste.
Bonito spinkled with chopped spring onion and soaked in Special Sauce made with Ponzu is the most delicious Bonito sashimi I have. The refreshing tangy taste of the sauce brings out the sweetness of the Bonito.
The Kanpachi sushi here is the most beautiful of its kind. Look at the sheen on it. And it's taste is beautiful and clean too.
Akami paired with red vinegar shari surprises me by how good it is. Being tender, mildly sweet and has a warmth to it that makes it a delight to savour. According to Katori san, Akami is best served warm, thus going better with the more acidic red vinegar rice. It does make a difference. This is one exceptional Akami sushi.
Sayori is best served cold instead with white shari. This fish tastes incredibly sweet. Unbelievably good.
Kinmedai sushi here also has this pretty sheen I have never seen before on other Kinmedai sushi. I got to say the sushi here all look like pieces of art. The texture of this fish is smooth and the taste is full of subtle umami flavours.
I love Tairagai with seaweed paste so much. After trying this, I must say this is my favourite kind of scallop. So full of umami and sweetness, the flesh is so tender. The seaweed paste accentuates the sweetness.
Chutoro with red vinegar shari is so buttery good and has this extra warm briny flavour that makes it more special. The tuna meat of this season is more tender, thus Chef Katori recommends me to pick it up with fingers instead.
Cooked Fish with Mountain Wild Vegetable makes me a fan of cooked fish despite me not being one prior to this. The vegetable is clean in taste and has this glutinous rice consistency that goes so well with the pliable fish.
The stronger flavoured Aji is interestingly rolled into maki with the refreshing finely shredded ginger, ginger flower and cucumber. The result looks so pretty. The taste, a lovely harmonisation of Aji and the vegetables, is awesome too.
Best Negitoro I ever have. This is simply oh-my-goodness oh-so-good. This beautiful mold of negitoro is so buttery and holds so many flavours, enhanced by the pure essence of the sea from the caviar. I totally love it.
Otoro with red vinegar shari has really lovely marbling, and yes, it melts in the mouth. It is truly a delight to savour.
Fish roe with Bonito strands has a very interesting texture in which the compressed fish roe feels like cake at first bite and then the roe starts popping in the mouth to release the umami juices.
This clam is briny sweet and tender with a bit of chewiness. It's so good in taste and texture.
Shiro Ebi is full of the sweetness of the ocean and very creamy too. A great variation in taste and texture from the rest of the sushi.
The eminent saline taste in the Big Clam is more pronounced as compared to previous clam sushi. It's also more chewy. Very rich in taste.
Uni and Ikura sushi is just wow, Chef Katori is so generous with the amount of creamy sweet lovely uni added. And using the bowl instead of the seaweed to hold these jewels of the sea, I can taste the pure creaminess of the uni with the ikura pearls refreshing the palate. This is pure indulgence and bliss.
It feels so comforting to drink the hot piping Leek Miso Soup. And it tastes different from the usual miso soup, and I love it. I'm also up for variation in tastes. Chef Katori will change the miso soup every now and then to keep things interesting.
Tamago tastes like eggy cake, which makes for a great pre-dessert.
Japanese Fruits and Brown Sugar Ice-Cream is the perfect sweet ending to this amazing meal. The fruits look so pretty! The tangerine is super sweet with some citrus tanginess. Its texture is like jelly. The strawberry has the lovely mild floral aroma and subtle sweetness. Premium Japanese fruits also impress. And I'm totally digging the brown sugar ice-cream because of its taste of caramel goodness.
This upmarket zen ambience of the restaurant gives one a sense of calm when stepping into it. I like the beautiful cravings on the wooden panel of the refrigerator, which looks like a wooden treasure cabinet. Also appreciate the bamboo mat ceiling, which is interesting.
The service is immaculate. In addition, the Chef or service staff will wipe the serving plate clean after every serving of sushi. This is one small extra touch that improves the dining experience immensely, where the taste of each sushi will not stay on the plate to affect the next one and provide a beautiful shiny platform for instagram worthy shots of the sushi. And I also feel good looking at the clean plate.
Oh yes, one more thing: I'm astounded by Chef Katori's skills with his incredibly sharp knife as he slices the home made pickled ginger into paper thin slices by hand. Go early for the meal and you may see him in action on this.
I feel so happy after a meal here. In fact, as I'm typing this, I'm starting to have a craving for food here already.
Thoughts: One of the Best Meals I have.
21 Tg Pagar Rd #01-03
Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar
