PUBLISHED May 6th, 2013 06:54 am | UPDATED April 14th, 2016 03:00 pm
In the Arab Street enclave where the entertainment de rigeur is more shisha than geisha, it’s as refreshing as it is bizarre to find a sushi bar-cum-restaurant amid the plethora of Middle Eastern and Muslim eateries. Nevertheless, this one is much more than an awkward anomaly – it’s a delightful, airport-themed Japanese haunt!
As you check in on the chrome-coloured second storey of this shophouse space, you will realise the pains that have gone into making sure that your gastronomic experience is matched with the realism of aviation. From in-character cabin crew with lashes the length of aloe vera, the galley meal carts to the overhead cabins in the kitchen, you’re in for an exciting culinary voyage.
Our affordably-priced omakase meal took off with an amuse bouche – a shot glass of Maguro Tuna topped with uni, sitting in a pond of soju mixed with sake. While the rich fattiness of the sea urchin smartly offset the leanness of the fish, we couldn’t be sure if we loved the alcoholic concoction which had unsightly bits of uni floating in the fishy one-mouther.
Apart from the rocky ascent, the rest of the meal in the cozy 33-seater was stellar. The Sashimi Moriwase ($58 for small, $98 for large) was a bounty of fresh seafood, displayed in an inexplicably immaculate arrangement that it was hard to convince ourselves to finally pick up our chopsticks to dig into the stunning visual tableau. Highlights included the thickly-sliced, mild-flavoured flounder and the discs of sweet hotate, both serving testament to the restaurant’s affinity for fresh, solid ingredients – thrice-weekly deliveries arrive direct from Japan.
Next came an inside-out roll of Mango Sushi ($38), whose perfumed rice had been rubbed with bonito flakes for a kiss of umami. Wrapped in julienned cucumber, tamago egg and avocado, the sushi wheels were topped with slices of thick mango and a smidge of lobster salad. The flavour construction was indeed daring, like some cross-breeding exercise between mango sticky rice and a California Roll. It worked well, ending with a tropical sweetness that lingered and titillated.
Head Chef Wong Eng Chu – a Grand Hyatt alum – clearly isn’t a coward when it comes to experimentation. An eight-piece Hani Mentai Cheese Sushi ($38) had looked like little multi-coloured ingots, but they were really tall rice balls with surprises of crab meat and a pink mentai sauce bursting with roe inside. The nuggets of fluffy rice were torched with parmesan cheese to finish, imparting a gooey richness that was irresistible. So was the hot lady crew Miso Soup ($6), extravagantly laden with amebi shrimp and scallops.
While a dish of Salmon Tataki ($15) was pedestrian save for the chrysanthemum garnish and the dessert ($3.50) was essentially a creamy tau huey in a shot glass, Sushi Airways impressed with its ernest service which was determined to please. We were offered balloons in the middle of our thoughtful meal, sculpted to our fancy, and every of our request was met with pleasure and geniality.
This is one flight you won’t want to miss.
Written by Mr Nom Nom.
On this occasion the meal was compliments of Sushi Airways.