A modern Japanese restaurant that has gained a following amongst elite business travellers and luminaries. Specialising in tempura, Tenshin continues to receive accolades from the culinary community.

* Lunch: 12 noon – 2:30pm
* Dinner: 6pm – 10:30pm

For reservations: T: 65 6735 4588

Now, while that may seem prestigious and a source for bragging rights, I must stress that at the same time, expectations are lifted above normal levels with such branding. Zento has a lot to prove and I’m more than glad to report that they do not disappoint.
It’s nice, when you’re walking towards the glass door of a restaurant that you spot a member of the staff moving across the dining room stopping at each table frequently to talk to diners – giving a hint that you’re going to be well taken care of during dinner.

Dinner started with a cold appetizer of Tuna Pizza. Yup, you heard right – Tuna Pizza. The difference? The Tuna Pizza was a generous piece of slab of Maguro, raw and slightly spiced, that rests on a bed of Hiyashi Wakame. Every bite resulted in a creamy mouthful of tuna and mayo, flavored with sesame seeds and the solo slice of cherry tomato. The whole works rests atop a tortilla, once again reminding you that it’s no holds bar here at Zento.
Although it was a cold appetizer, the tuna was already slightly room temperature by the time we started on it but that could have been because of the delay from discussing the dish and taking photos. There is always a risk associated with having warm sashimi because if the fish was not fresh; the flavor, smell and texture degrade dramatically. Zento has done well in proving to us this early into our meal that the quality of their ingredients was not going to be of any concern because it was lip-smacking good.

Carpaccio

Next up was the Carpaccio. We had thinly sliced Kanpachi with a rain of thinly diced ginger, garlic and Mitsuba leaf (Japanese wild parsley) that lifts the flavor, adding a hint of freshness. Binding them was Yuzu sauce and before the dish is sent to diners, hot grapeseed oil is used to sear the top of the slices of Kanpachi. It’s like having your steak medium rare ?

I liked the simple fact that it was seared because it really let the flavors out on full display. Most sashimi is slightly chilled but like coffee, our taste buds are able to better taste and identify the subtle hints of flavor when we have it hot compared to cold.

The Dragon Roll plays to Chef Gunawan’s strength in harmonizing flavors. Crunchy spicy tuna, unagi, avocado paste and Tobiko (flying fish roe) teamed up in a sushi roll that oozes flavor with a creamy consistency. The Dragon Roll had a melt-in-your-mouth quality which was delightful and every bite had the initial crunch of the tuna followed by the creamy mix of rice and avocado along with the taste of unagi.

Now listen to this – Zento also brews their own soy sauce. Although I don’t really see the need for soy sauce in their cuisine given the onslaught of various flavors in each dish, it’s nice to know that there are people out there who stubbornly insist on homemade ingredients and are willing to put in that additional effort in sharing a little something from the heart with their customers.

Dyana, M.D of Zento, was practically giggling when she introduced the Wagyu Beef Sushi Roll. Since Chef Gunawan and herself were formerly from Philadelphia, this was playfully created with the classic Philly Cheesesteak in mind. Strips of Wagyu beef with a dressing of Gyuree cheese and a pepper sauce of some kind were served on top of a shrimp tempura sushi roll. The Wagyu was done nicely with the complementing cheese and pepper sauce; and the shrimp tempura adds a nice crisp to the sushi roll. I love the theme of rural small town traditional tempura roll spliced with big city Philly Cheesesteak fast food.

This is hands down the best piece of fish I’ve had in my life so far. Chilean Seabass marinated in miso gives it an umami kick on top of the already sweet natural flavors of the seabass. As with the better quality fish, it is flaky while firm and every mouthful of fish is accompanied by a tsunami of sweet juices. I can’t wait for my next visit to order this again.

The other thing I want to commend was the mashed green peas. I’m not a fan of peas nor do I have any inclination towards them but I had shell shock at Zento’s rendition of peas. I’d go as far as to call it vegetarian mashed potatoes. It was full-bodied, sweet and went extremely well with the Chilean Seabass. Both were not heavy items like meat or potatoes but with their intricate flavors, they hold their own quite well!
Zento is worth checking out and looking at the number of reviews and accolades they’ve managed to earn since their opening not long ago, you will not be disappointed.

Zento Singapore, Japanese Restaurant, Sushi Bar

Zento, an exclusive restaurant specializing in Asian Global Cuisine and Sushi Bar, announces its debut in Singapore. The first Asian outlet of renowned restaurant, Zento in Philadelphia, United States, Zento is located at Singapore’s premier gourmet belt, Dempsey Hill.

Zento means ‘futuristic food’ – an artful melding of ingenuity and quality ingredients culminating in a delectable harmony of tastes and flavours for the ultimate culinary sensation. Its philosophy is based on global cuisine influenced by Japanese ingredients. This is contemporary Japan for the adventurous and the non-conformist.

Opened originally as a take-away sushi corner in Philadephia in 2005, Zento drew rave reviews and still commands a loyal following. A trained sushi chef, Hendra honed his skills at the celebrated television Iron Chef Morimoto’s eponymous restaurant in Philadelphia where he gained a masterful and practical insight into sushi preparation. His sushi formula involves a generous amount of Japanese products infused with his own novel touches. Without compromising on taste, Hendra has developed his own creative interpretation of modern Japanese cuisine that is also wholesome at the same time.

Craig Laban, food critic for the Philadelphia Inquirer, “the most influential voice on dining out in the region” as noted by the Citypaper, August 2002, wrote, “Chef-owner Gunawan Wibisono, who honed his knife at Morimoto, serves up sushi that’s simple and affordable but also superbly fresh and artfully cut” in a review dated July 21, 2005 and February 11, 2007

The specialty sushi rolls are where zento’s originality shines….Philadelphia Weekly, January 2007

The balance of flavors, the attention to detail, the reliance on the freshest ingredients is all in evidence here, too, just on a smaller scale. The sushi was tender and served at just the right temperature, and the selection was well-chosen enough to make for an all-too-rare sushi experience with some real culinary interest….Around Philly.com

Zento Singapore,
Japanese Restaurant, Sushi Bar

18B Dempsey Hill
Tel: 6474-0378

http://www.zento.com.sg/

Aoki Japanese Restaurant Address
1 Scotts Road, Shaw Centre #02-17
Town/City, Singapore, 228208
Ph. 6333 8015

For more images, user reviews and map of Aoki Japanese Restaurant, Click here

Hanabi, situated in the chic Odean towers gets by with a simple yet contemporary décor. Though small in seating capacity, the buffet ($33) menu lists over 100 Japanese dishes that come at a snap of the finger, from your standard sashimi platter, fresh crispy breaded tempura, gooey sweet yakitori, savoury curry udon, to the fabled chawanmushi, Hanabi makes sure your gut is kimochi-ly satisfied. Good food, Japanese beer and conscientious service makes a great dining experience. There are few frills dining at such restaurants and prices are comfortably within everyone’s budget. Bring it on!

Hanabi Locations

Odeon Towers
#01-04, 331 North Bridge Road
Singapore 188720
Tel:63386626

VivoCity
#01-158, 1 Harbourfront Walk,Singapore
Tel:63769788

King’s Arcade
#01-03, 559 Bukit Timah Road
Singapore 269695
Tel: 6465 5525

Nogawa Japanese Restaurant @ Sentosa

This specialty 40-seater Japanese restaurant is Nogawa San’s third in Singapore, after his outlets at Le Meridien and Japanese Association. Well-known for its authentic Japanese cuisine, Yoshio Nogawa, is also Singapore’s most respected Japanese Chef. Dress code: smart casual.

Location: Sentosa Golf Club
Type of View: Business, Greenery view
Operating Hrs: Tue – Sun: 11:30am – 3pm (Lunch) & 6pm – 10pm (Dinner)
Reservations required.
Telephone: (65) 6373 7120 / (65) 6373 7140
Getting There: Yellow Line
Nearest Carpark: Sentosa Golf Club
Website: http://www.sentosagolf.com/dining/nogawa.htm

Here’s my top tip for Japanese restaurants – if they have a counter or a bar, sit at it. And that’s exactly what I did at Sushi Yoshida: not only do you get to dine cheek by jowl with the jovial regulars, and watch the just-as-jovial culinary director Hideaki Yoshida direct his team (at times, while happily chugging down a frothy mug of beer!), but it also allows you to talk directly to the chef (there’ll be no one better to ask for recommendations), it is always fascinating to watch skilled chefs at work making your food, and it keeps them on their toes! While the decor here is rather confusingly eclectic, the food is decidedly Japanese, with an emphasis on seasonal ingredients. I went for some great aji sashimi, really fresh (it’d better be – they fly fish in four times a week) and served with its own deep-fried skeleton – yummy. Then I went for the pacific snow crab with sea urchin served in a clam shell bubbling in butter sauce – not very authentic perhaps, but one of the most stellar dishes I’ve ever eaten – combining two of my favourite foods. A piping hot bowl of thin, silky hiyamugi (wheat noodles) was also good – but not particularly mind-blowing after the crab and urchin.

Wine: A commendable selection of wines, I recommend going for one of there good sparkling wines or an interesting sake.

Sun with Moon – the sister of Sun Dining at CHIJMES – boasts the same chic interior and enthusiastic wait staff. Similarly, quality of food here is up to the mark. The aburi sushi here was great – the briefest of licks from a blowtorch just gets the juices flowing. For mains, the comforting dish of yakiniku kamameshi (rice and beef served in a steel pot) – the rice having been soaked in the juices of the finely sliced and grilled beef,- was another hearty, delicious dish. Desserts such as the Tokyo tofu cheesecake and the delightful strawberry parfait topped with evaporated milk and strawberry jam are both light and satisfying options to end a meal – good enough to ignore their inauthenticity.

Wine: A succinct selection of wines and sake.

While Shima continues to draw loyal customers and win new ones with its renowned teppanyaki dishes, the sushi, sashimi, tempura and shabu shabu items are worth a try also. The odd thing here is that ‘special’ actually means special, rather than the standard usage elsewhere, where it means ‘I’ve got some fish that’s rapidly going off’. This can be rather scary and confusing, but the chef’s special sashimi selection should calm your nerves: it includes only the best fish available on the day and is a real treat. My next dish, a classic hiya yakko (a block of cold tofu, served with a garnishing of onion flakes and soy sauce), I’m afraid to say, was so good it almost overshadowed my main – the USDA beef fillet cooked on the teppan. Where as the tofu was cold, creamy and satisfying, the beef wasn’t very well marbled, and became a little dry. A better option was the grilled saba (mackerel): very moist and very fresh – excellent. My dessert of fried mango with ice cream was an unexpectedly good end to the meal.

WINE: A French-dominant selection with a peppering of New World labels. Disappointing lack of Japanese drinks.

Santaro is a good all-round Japanese restaurant – with top-notch service and a wide range of food.The emphasis is on top quality seasonal produce and what one should order really depends on when the visit is made. Come with an empty stomach and an open mind: whilst some of the classic Japanese dishes are available all year round, it is the exquisite seasonal specials that make a meal here memorable. To start this time I went for some excellent sashimi and an exquisite tuna consommé delicately perfumed with earthy mushrooms, followed by one of my favourites – uni wrapped in one of its foods, kombu (if you think about it, it’s a little like a play on a roast pig with an apple in its mouth). Uni (sea urchin) is a really good watermark of freshness in a restaurant because it degrades extremely rapidly once dead: this stuff was pretty damn good, with a mild, creamy iodine taste, and the firm, umami-laden kombu made a perfect partner to it.

Wine: Very limited, but there is a good range of sake and shochu. My advice is don’t bother – go for the chef’s home brewed plum wine (you have to ask) – absolute heaven.

This fledgling restaurant, just past its first birthday, is large and well-spaced – a necessity to cater to the massive CBD lunch crowd which comes in for the well­-priced bento lunchboxes. However, I had time for a longer meal, so I went for some of the dinner buffet dishes – and had some great sashimi, sushi, yakitori and teppanyaki. While the ingredients are not quite the epitome of freshness, they aren’t bad, and the sheer quantity of food makes this a good place to come and fill up on the cheap.

Wine: Just like the food the quality isn’t outstanding – bring your own if you are fussy about your wine.