PUBLISHED November 26th, 2014 04:00 pm | UPDATED May 19th, 2017 03:37 pm
Located on the roof terrace of Orchard Central, a mall that seems more like a labyrinth of the unknown than your standard Singaporean shopping mall, sits Sumiya, a relatively unassuming, casual Japanese restaurant that packs a surprising punch on the culinary front.
Having just changed over the menu and style from charcoal grill to a more fish-orientated, we went down to check out this new direction and see if Sumiya is a worthwhile stop on the Japanese food-lovers trail. Turns out it is one of those gems you find in a mall.
As part of the larger Japanese produce importer, they fly in fresh fish every week from Japan, including whole bluefin tuna! And we’re talking about the whole fish, not just pieces of tuna. If you’re lucky enough, you might get to see it if you time it right. Making use of this, the entire fish in all its glory is served on the menu, including the Nakaochi Sashimi with bones ($12.80), which essentially is a do-it-yourself dish where you scrape the tuna flesh straight off the spine. Not only is this a rather unique experience, the fish itself was delicious and ample. Not too shabby for $12.80!
Moving on to the greater part of the fish, we ordered the fresh bluefin tuna steak-style chunky sashimi ($58/98). As you can see from the picture below, this dish literally intersects the fish and gives the diner maguro (lean), chu-toro (medium fatty) and o-toro (most fatty). It’s a great way to try all three cuts side by side. And needless to say, the quality of the fish was excellent.
As for the cooked versions of the fish, we tried the Kinki Ichiyaboshi ($48/68). First things first, I love it when the fins and scales are thin enough and crispy to actually eat as well. Combined with some of the most collagen-buttery fish I’ve eaten in a while, this was a most impressive dish.
Other dishes such as the Japanese Wagyu beef skewers ($16.80 per stick) and the Mixed seafood value can ($52.00) were not as inspiring. However the finale, Buri Kama (Yellowtail cheek) Curry ($24.80/32), was superb. A massive meaty cheek of yellowtail in a sour, sweet and spicy Japanese curry accompanied by perfectly cooked rice. Just excellent.
Despite its nonstop Japanese pop music playlist and casual setting, Sumiya’s food has really surprised me and is definitely somewhere I’ll return.
Check out more Japanese fare at Go Crazy Over Fugu at Mikuni, Fairmont Singapore and Review: Tburu – the Triple Threat Japanese Restaurant