Kushiyaki

I get cravings all the time – usually it’s for dim sum or noodle soup, or occasionally a burger. But today it was all about grilled meat for me… I really wanted satays, but in the end I happily settled for some ‘Kushiyaki’ at Shin Kushiya.

For the uninitiated (ie. me before I went to Shin Kushiya), Kushiyaki basically mean ‘grilled skewers’, but unlike Yakitori, it is not limited to chicken dishes… so they grill a wide array of ingredients - pork, prawns, fish, beef etc. Here they pride themselves on using a particular type of charcoal, Bincho Charcoal, a very dense type which enables it to burn without emitting vast quantities of smoke, yet at the same time imparting a smoky flavour to the grilled items.

All well and good – back to the restaurant itself. I was pleasantly surprised by the interior with its contemporary design, warm lighting, and translucent curtains dividing the various dining areas. We were shown to a table at the back, where the floor-to-ceiling windows afforded a view out across the water to Sentosa (let’s just forget for a while that this part of Sentosa is one giant building site at the moment) – definitely a notch above the majority of other Vivocity restaurants.

But more importantly, on to the food. They have a fairly extensive menu, divided into sections of Sushi, Sashimi, Zensai (appetizers) Sarada (salads), Yakimono (chargrilled meats and seafood), Agimono (tempura), Donburi (rice) and Menrui (noodles) and desserts. They also have an interesting drinks menu including beers, sake, sochu, cocktails (they specialize in saketinis) and for the non-drinker - flavoured teas, fruit coolers, juices and mocktails.

Wow, such choice, where to begin? Well, a Japanese meal wouldn’t be complete without some Sushi, so we started off with some Spicy Salmon Sashimi Maki, which was very tasty and a very generous portion.

And of course we couldn’t leave without sampling the Kushiyaki selection, so we opted for some Black Pepper Yakitori and Aspara Maki. These servings were very small (allowing you to mix and match) but the meat held a strong chargrilled flavour, which was exactly what my craving was calling out for.

We also plumped for the Pumpkin Croquettes from the appetizer menu, which were a major success –light and crisp on the outside and sticky and surprisingly sweet on the inside.

Threw in some Ton Katsu – breaded pork loin with plum sauce.

And a salad, the Yakitori Sarada with a Citrus Soy Dressing - although this really wasn’t necessary considering how much salad is served with all the other dishes. It also arrived a while after the other dishes, so we could really have done without it.

All in all I was fairly impressed with this meal – it wasn’t anything overly special, but for a mid-week bite to eat, I am sure we will be back when the craving takes us.

You know, I realized at the end of the meal that I hadn’t actually had all that much grilled meat, which was the whole point of the evening… ah well, sometimes when you’re surrounded by so much choice, the craving becomes diluted…

Shin Kushiya, Vivocity - http://www.shinkushiya.com/