Shin Kushiya at Suntec City

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Gyu karubi and Enoki maki skewers
I've not been to Shin Kushiya until today because for kushiyaki, there are guys like Kazu, Kushigin and Wahiro who are better at the game. But the Suntec City branch looked inviting, and the extensive, gorgeous menu piqued our interest.

Shin Kushiya prides itself on using bincho charcoal, a premium white charcoal that purportedly gives grilled items a nice smoked quality and sears them on the outside while retaining juices within. The gyu karubi (premium beef, S$3.80) and enoki maki (enoki mushrooms wrapped in bacon, S$2.60) were not bad. Not supermemorable, but decent.

Two types of dipping salt - curry and plum (I think)
I appreciated that they provided two different kinds of dipping salt - one is curry-flavoured and I think the other might be plum. The kushiyaki items are not too strongly seasoned, so the salt enhances the flavours.

Mixed Kushiyaki set
Shin Kushiya is quite noted for being a tad pricey. But the lunch sets are pretty good value for money. The Mixed Kushiyaki set (S$17.80) gives you five skewers - asparagus wrapped in thinly sliced pork, pork neck with mustard sauce, prawn, yakitori and shiitake mushrooms stuffed with minced chicken. Rice, pickles, cold tofu appetiser, salad, miso soup (with nameko mushrooms!) and fruit complete the set. Nice to see that the fruit is beyond the usual wedge of watermelon.

Wafu Hamburg set
The Wafu Hamburg set (also $17.80) was a tasty whopper - we'd expected a much smaller patty for the price. It was tender although thoroughly cooked, and the teriyaki sauce complemented the meat very well.

Sashimi moriawase (small, for two)
We reckoned that raw fish may not be their strong point, and were proven right. The sashimi moriawase (small, for two persons, S$22.80) looked better than it tasted. The salmon and mekajiki were OK but the hamachi was a bit fishy and the amaebi not terribly fresh. Maguro was non-descript. We should have stuck to the skewered items or maybe tried other things.

Modern chic and good presentation
In general, not much wow factor but still a satisfying meal. Hubby liked the place enough to go back again someday. There's something about the way they present themselves that makes you want to eat there - the place exudes casual chic and the menus are very attractive (nice of them to show pictures of the kushiyaki items for the uninitiated). The wide variety of food (beyond kushiyaki) they offer also means there's something for everyone. Unfortunately, they may not excel at everything, so this may account for the numerous mixed reviews they've had.

SHIN KUSHIYA
#01-031 New Suntec Galleria
Suntec City Mall
Tel: 6337-3988
Open 11.30am - 3pm for lunch; 6-11pm for dinner (weekdays)
11.30am - 11pm (weekends)
(two other outlets at Vivocity and Far East Square, check website for details)
Posted Tuesday, July 22, 2008

14 comments:

  1. I love the platter they serve the salt on --- so pretty! :)
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  2. A friend of mine is a huge fan of Shin Kushiya for their grilled stuffs. After a bad experience at Minori, I might just try out Shin.
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  3. wow S$17.80 for a set isn't bad at all! people in hong kong are so crazy about japanese food. it's MADNESS! ^_^
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  4. i cant remember hearing from who saying shin kushiya doesn't allow photography in the shop, thats why i haven go try them yet
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  5. Kenny: yup! I actually put the salt there as an excuse to photograph the platter!

    Didally: Shin should be better than the Minori/Hanabi types that just mindlessly churn out buffet items. But for really good kushiyaki, try Kazu at Cuppage or Wahiro at Katong Mall.

    MochaRita: haa, people in Singapore are crazy about Japanese too!

    LIC: no photography? that can't be, unless it was in the early days. I see so many reviews with photos!
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  7. Looks good. I could relate it to being priced similarly to Nanbantei considering that they portions look bigger with more food.
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  8. Wow, that's a good for value meal. Must go with mum. She loves jap too. Thanks for the tip. ;)
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  9. hello. are the set lunches available on weekends? (:
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  10. yvonne: it should be, but best call to confirm. They also have this lunchtime promo - order 2 lunch sets and get the 3rd one free. Must have 3 persons though...they didn't allow me to order 3 sets for 2 persons!
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  11. I tried their dinner and it is pretty much disappointing. Service was extremely good...but the food wasnt. THe grill food all taste cold. I prefer yakitori branches at those shopping mall....

    The portion was very little and i had the seafood curry. It wasnt as nice as other i have tried. 3 prawns, 3 cuttle fish and 2 piece of fish slice, 1 potato cost around $19.80. My friend tried the cha soba and she preferred the one at sakae instead...overall its not as nice as it seems.

    Beppu ramen if u have been to, would be a much nicer branch...at suntec or raffles place
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  12. if u have smaller appetite but wld like to go for budget, i wlould recommend Ladies Set lunch as there are a total of 8 items in a set,costing $19.80. the items included an appetizer,half a portion of udon,sake sashimi,futomaki,two kushiya sticks(mainly sake harusu and negima mekajiki),japanese salad,nasu iridashi(eggpplant), and lastly a tofu cheesecake(a dessert item which is not found in other set lunches)
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  13. Brokenwood: Thanks! Yes, I noticed the Ladies Lunch but it's usually small wallet but big appetite in my case. It didn't look like it would be filling enough for me. *gluttonous grin*

    Jackson: Hmmm, sorry to hear that. I know Shin Kushiya isn't all that mind-blowing but to compare them to Tori-Q, Sakae and Beppu...whoa, that's a strong statement! :)
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  14. Horrible service at the Suntec Branch. No one came to pull out a chair for me to sit & the male service staff remove my tray even before I finish my fruits. WILL NOT VISIT AGAIN!!!
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