Chikusen Japanese Restaurant

Japanese food is always ranked at the top on my list of favorite cuisines. I am not fussy - the sashimi cut should be right, the sushi rice should be correctly done with the right amount of rice vinegar, and the tempura batter should be light and crispy. Really, i don't think that is too much to ask for.

Katong is a place well known for their endless selection of eateries. You can find almost every cuisine there from Chinese to Western, Thai, Vietnamese, and needless to say, Japanese. Chikusen Japanese Restaurant is a new kid on the block, or in this case, row. Headed by Executive Chef Ben Teo, who has been practicing the skill of Japanese Cuisine for years, he however, isn't exactly a "new kid on the block" when culinary skills are concerned.

At Chikusen, look out for the board at the sushi counter for seasonal items. The Sujiko (salmon fish roe), which happened be in season was extremely fresh. Some places do not serve it as fresh hence the fishy smell. And yes, everyone loves this because each time you put a spoon full of it into your mouth it will burst with so much goodness.

As unappealing as it looks, the Kaki Ponzu (oyster with spring onion and fish roe) shouldn't be judged by how it looks. The Japanese oyster with plump, fresh and together with the finely chopped spring onion and vinegar sauce, there's no reason to not slurp it all down at one go.

The Kawa Hagi (dried leather jacket) and Fugu Mirin (air dried pufferfish) wasn't ordinary, but tasted ordinary. The Kawa Hagi was biscuit like but was a little addictive, while the Fugu Mirin had a barbecue pork like texture. I think this is worth a miss since you should keep stomach space for better stuff on the menu.

Opt for Omakase if you eat it all. Stocks come in almost everyday so rest assured the sashimi is fresh at Chikusen. While the Sake (salmon belly), which is normally my favorite, didn't quite make the mark, the Hotate (scallop) did. Also, the lightly salted and torched Tai (sea bream) was also very good.

One of my favorite picks was the Gindara (cod) with Miso Sauce topped with Sakura Ebi. There was a bit of mayo on the fish which gave it a creamy texture. The fish was grilled and the prawns on it complimented all the flavors all together.

Another to rave about is the Beef with Foie Gras Sauce. I was initially rather turned off by the heap loads of oil from the sauce, but it was explained that the oil naturally came from the foie gras. We all know foie gras is oily (but yummy) so i decided to put away the thinking of it being potentially hazardous to my health and dived in. The sauce was rich and thick, and the thinly sliced beef had a medium center - each slice was worth every calorie.

One shouldn't leave a Japanese restaurant without trying their sushi. We opted for the Chikusen Special Maki which had crabmeat, topped with white fish and mentaiko sauce, as well as the Special Maki that consisted of sea eel, fish roe and special wasabi sauce. Both were not a letdown and i highly recommend them. Thing is, they come in a row of eight pieces so i highly recommend this to be shared.

Chikusen is a new kid on the block, but with the skills from their chef, it won't be long before it gets recognition for the food they serve. Skip the starters if you are hungry and dive right into the Gindara, Beef and Maki if i were you. Parking is also available behind the restaurant in case you were wondering.



Chikusen Japanese Restaurant
309/311 Tanjong Katong Road
Singapore 437094
+65 6348 1966
www.chikusen.com.sg


This was an invited media tasting.