Sitting inconspicuously on street level in Clarke Quay, even Japanese omakase fans might be forgiven for not being familiar with eight-year old Shinzo, meaning heart in Japanese. Indeed, we get plenty heart and more at this intimate 18-seater sushi omakase restaurant.
Shinzo is helmed by Chef Patrick Tan and Chef Kevin Ho, who both trained under  Chef Yoshio Nogawa at his eponymous Nogowa in Orchard Road. With a mentor that opened Singapore’s first restaurant to serve sushi kaiseki-style, it’s clear that Shinzo takes great pride in their sushi craft, as we experienced with the Kasen (S$228++ per person) spring omakase.
Though the menu might read six courses, we definitely get more food that we bargained for. It’s also refreshing that Shinzo has gone completely transparent on the components of each course. For instance, as advertised, the Appetiser was more like a platter full of five starters assembled on the same plate. Juicy fruit tomato give way to savoury hotaru ika (firefly squid) and the freshness of tuna maki rolled in fresh beancurd skin. Creamy decadence follows with fresh shirako (sperm sacs of cod) and ankimo (monkfish liver).
Sashimi
Amongst the Sashimi, the most memorable was the tai (sea bream) livened up with a dab of yuzu kosho. Crowd-pleasing Botan ebi, chutoro and kanpachi (great amberjack) grace the sashimi plate as well, while the torched Hokkaido scallop carpaccio dressed with ikura, caviar, and fragrant sesame warranted its own platform.
Steamed Abalone
Contributing our Cooked Dishes is Shinzo’s hot kitchen, which lacks the exact finesse of their sushi artisans. The white cheese sauce accompanying the grilled oyster was a tad overpowering. It’s not a lost course though, the grilled taraba king crab was beautiful – so was the perfectly steamed abalone served with lightly cooked seasonal veggies like rapeseed, bamboo shoot, and ebi imo (a prawn-shaped taro).
The Kagoshima A4 wagyu is executed well and melt-in-your as you’d imagine, but its supporting actors of mushroom and peppers didn’t excite.
A4 Kagoshima Wagyu
It’s no surprise that the Nigiri is where Shinzo shines. Chef Xiang made our sushi with deft hands and a light touch with the fresh wasabi and soy. Highlights include the almost crunchy mirigai (geoduck) and straw-smoked sawara (Spanish mackerel). We enjoyed our first encounter with two meaty types of fish – ebisu daye (Japanese soldier fish) and the subtler-flavoured hobo (blue fin robin) – that tastes way better than it looks. The course rounds off with the popular bafun uni nigiri and torched anago (sea eel).
A piping hot bowl of hamaguri (common hard clam) clear soup settles the stomach before dessert. The requisite Japanese imported fruits – mush melon, strawberry, and kumquat – are as good as they come and are served with a bitter sweet housemate matcha sauce.
With narrow interiors, Shinzo’s 18 seats seem to fill up fairly quickly, mostly with regulars. They’re bustling even on Mondays and Tuesdays with a duo of unbeatable deals. Diners that start their work week right will get 20% off any omakase (from S$188++); Tuesdays see omakase diners enjoy complimentary sake pairings with three courses!
Shinzo is located at 17 Carpenter Street, #01-01, Singapore 059906, p. +65 6438 2921. Open Mon-Sat 12pm-3pm, 6.30pm-10.30pm. Closed Sun.
Emily heads the editorial team on City Nomads by being a stickler for details, a grammar Nazi, and a really picky eater. Born and bred in Singapore, she loves cats, the written word, and exploring new places. Can be bribed with quality booze across the board.
