Itacho Sushi

Looks like we had been covering quite a bit of Japanese food. Only just recently the Japanese Dessert Buffet that we had and now this. But we are not complaining.

It was still fairly crowded when we arrived for a late lunch (2pm) and so we opted to sit at the sushi bar, in an attempt to get the most authentic feel of a... well... sushi joint!

The happy wife clearly excited about what is to come. Nice, classy table top finish. 

One great advantage sitting at the sushi bar. You get front row seats of the fare that you can order and about to eat. At the corner is the preparation place where you can see your piece of fish being blow(n)-torched before being served to you. Adding a visual impact to your gastronomic experience. :)

Normal plastic plates. It would have scored major points if it were the nice nice Japanese clay plates. 

Isn't it wonderful when they have a seasonal menu?

Grilled Pork Sushi

And now, the taste adventures begins. First up the grilled pork sushi ($1). Served right off the torching station, it is nicely grilled with little bits (but not too much) of crisp on it. Well flavoured and still juicy with fats, it is a ultimate complement to the vinegary sushi rice. Great start! (4/5)

Eel Mini Rice

This is REALLY mini. But at $4 a servings, it is worth it. The grilled eel tasted fresh. A good dish, though it does not stand out from the usual eel that you can get anywhere else. (3.5/5)

Roasted Fatty Tuna Sushi

Gotta say that Itacho is really good for it's grilled sushi. Slightly marinated and toasted just nicely that gave the tuna ($7.20) the right level of doneness and yet preserving the oils in it. Amazing. (4.75/5)

Chawamushi with Salmon Roe

We were pretty sure we would be bloated at the end of the meal, but how is a Japanese meal complete with a chawamushi? Especially one that comes with salmon roe ($4)? Again, the serving is smaller than what we are used to, but feeds us comfortably to have a enough to taste. The egg was silky smooth and the oily roe pops nicely in the mouth. It may taste slightly fishy for those with sensitive taste buds. (3.75/5)

Shrimp Tempura Sushi

Prawns were missing from our menu and so this was ordered ($1.80). Relatively affordable, the size of the prawn is reasonable. Freshly fried with a light batter and a quick squeeze of mayonaise, it is offers an alternative taste to the 'light' meal. Nice though not mind blowing. (3.5/5)

Jumbo Scallop Sushi

They are HUGE ($3.70). The sushi rice at the bottom is half of the scallops. Fresh, juicy and super duper sweet, you can literally taste the ocean. The nice clean ocean, not our east coast park. The sour vinegar in the rice helped draw out the natural sweetness in the scallop. Worth every dollar! (4.5/5)

Roasted Fatty Salmon Sushi

You can see from the picture that only the surface to torched. ($1.70). Full of the natural oils and most importantly again, it's fresh. Loses out slightly to the tuna we had, but adequately holds out on it's own in terms of quality. This salmon sushi should had been served before the tuna. From less fat to more, that's what they do in Japan. (4.25/5)

Kimetai Sushi/Bluefin Chutoro

The one on the left is the kimetai sushi ($5.20) which is essentially a big-eyed red fish. Saw it on a Japanese food program and this fish is supposedly very well received when in season. Well, it was in season, so order it we must! The fish offers a very clean taste and has a nice level of natural sweetness. Very enjoyable indeed. (4/5) The sushi on the right is the legendary blue fin tuna sushi ($8.50). We were quite disappointed when we saw the marbling. It is labelled as chutoro (medium fat level) but it is like the lowest grade that is served in Japan. Nevertheless, it is juicy and oily. But at $8.50, it is slightly overpriced. (4/5)

Bluefin Chutoro

Disappointed by the supposedly chutoro, we decided to go for the otoro (highest fat level). At $9.00, it is a steal! Comparing the two pictures, it is just an extra 50cents to explode the fatiness level of the fish. Though it probably only just qualify as otoro in Japan, it is well good enough for us! This is the legendary "oily lips" experience. It is juicy and explodes in your mouth and it is so oily that it leaves a sheen of oil on your lips. Simply heavenly! (5/5)

Overall a great experience with more hits and a few misses. The grilled (blow-torched) stuff were great and the prices are reasonable. The wagyu beef sushi was sold out that day, but we will be back for it.

(Some of the items were at half-priced. Please check poster at door or special offers menu at your table.)

Itacho Sushi

ION Orchard
(next to Dunkin' Donuts)


+65 6509 8911