Two weeks ago, a group of friends and I held a mini birthday celebration for the boy. He wanted to have japanese food so we settled for Shin Kushiya in Vivocity. Shin Kushiya is known for their skewers – Kushiyaki.

Here, Bincho charcoal from Japan was used, a specialty charcoal that burns at the high temperature to provide a crisp smokiness while sealing the natural flavours and juices within. Paired with the freshly-ground sea salt, cracked black pepper or homemade taro sauce, diners would always order a few Kushiyaki to go with beer or their main course.

 

We ordered two plates of an assortment of these, which includes Chizu Maki ($3.20), Tomato Maki ($2.80), Ton Toro ($2.40), Enoki Maki ($2.80), Black Yakitori ($2.40), Tsukune ($2.30) and Aspara Maki ($3.20). We still like the yaki tori from Nanbantei.

Apart from grilled food, Shin Kushiya also specialise in ultra-fresh Sashimi, which is air-flown daily from the world-famous Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo. Somehow or rather, we decided to order a medium-sized Sashimi Moriawase ($68.80) to share. It is a selection of the finest cuts of delicious raw fish, which includes tuna, hamachi, salmon, shrimp, mackerel, squid, scallop etc.

 

Here’s a tip for you: To make savoring assorted sashimi a pleasant experience, it is always good to start off with sashimi which is lighter in color. This is because the darker the color of the sashimi, the stronger it will taste.

Salmon Ikura Don ($17.80) fresh salmon sashimi and salmon roe over rice. Garnished with shredded nori and shiso leaf. These large, red succulent eggs are pleasantly mild and perfectly firm in texture.

 

Sanshoku Don ($17.80) means three colours or three different toppings in this dish. In Shin Kushiya, it is a combination of salmon, maguro and kaki.

Deep fried crispy pork cutlet was slathered with thick and sweet curry. Along with a pile of hot rice, Tonkatsu Curry Don ($16.80) is a popular choice among diners.

 

Nabeyaki Udon ($15.80) hot udon noodle cooked with seafood and vegetables and served in an earthenware/iron pot. It is very popular for the Japanese during winter. I would prefer that they separate the shrimp tempura from the udon so that it won’t turn soft.

Truffle-infused Uni Pasta ($26.80) combines the delicate earthiness of sea urchin and caviar, takes the dish to a new level of flavor. Angel Hair Pasta was drizzled with a good sense of truffle oil and chilled. The truffle oil gives a good aroma but I felt it was too overpowering for me to finish the whole plate.

And here is the birthday cake we got for the birthday boy. Sorry the photo wasn’t well taken as I was busy with the candles. And if you are wondering, yes it is an edible ramen bowl. EVERYTHING on the aluminum plate is edible.

 

The “toppings” on the “ramen” were made of different colored agar agar (jelly), while the “spoon” is made of chocolate. The “ramen” is made of cream and underneath it, is actually vanilla sponge cake with layers of chocolate cream. Free delivery, for more information, please visit www.yilingcakes.com.sg