SIN: Shin Kushi-Ya

Juicy mixed kushiyaki grilled with imported charcoal!

Being a Japanese restaurant that specialises in kushiyaki (Japanese grilled skewered items), Shin Kushi-Ya is proud to present an enormous selection of mouth-watering skewered meat and vegetables. It also boasts the use of imported bincho charcoal which is said to "[enable] a crisp exterior whilst sealing the natural flavours [and] juice within" the skewered items.

Mixed Kushiyaki Platter S$13.00

Taste: 9/10

To sample without having to ponder what individual kushiyaki to try, we ordered the small platter of five items: pork, cherry tomatoes with bacon, prawn, black pepper chicken and stuffed mushrooms. The bincho charcoal did impart a savoury smokiness, and all of them were juicy. The chicken was my favourite do to its robust flavour and truly tender texture. The pork was melting-in-the-mouth sinful, having a little bit too much fatty content.

Pika's advice: For a complete experience, do try the kushiyaki with condiments such as tangy plum salt, as well as sweet and savoury curry salt.

Inaniwa Sticks S$6.60

Taste: 8/10

Probably a good snack to keep little kids occupied, the deep-fried thin udon (Japanese wheat-flour noodle) was light, crispy and adequately salted. Even though it was slightly oily, each stick was pretty much a delight, with or without dipping it into the sweet and tangy wasabi (Japanese horseradish) mayonnaise.

Kinoko Tofu S$8.20

Taste: 8.5/10

Another tasty light bite would be the velvety tofu coated with a chewy layer of cornstarch. Paired with a variety of fresh mushrooms, it came in a bowl of thick and flavourful gravy that was good till the last drop.

Spicy Tuna Maki S$14.80

Taste: 7/10

One would never go wrong with the marriage between bluefin tuna and prawn roe, adorned with spicy mayonnaise that had a unique taste with a faint smoky aroma. However, there was an issue with the Japanese rice, which happened to be somewhat lumpy that reduced the enjoyment of popping each roll into the mouth. Still, it was highly edible.

Tenzaru S$17.80

Taste: 8/10

To get the best of both worlds, we opted for the main course featuring soba (Japanese buckwheat noodle) and tempura (Japanese battered and deep-fried assortments). While the former wasn't adequately chilled, it was adequately springy. The latter came with a dipping sauce that was delectably sweeter than most that I've had elsewhere.

Unagi and Salmon Don S$19.20

Taste: 8.5/10

The other main course that we shared was the rice bowl with sliced salmon which was uber-fresh, as well as melt-in-the-mouth grilled eel that unfortunately had a sauce that was a tad too sweet for my liking. The short-grain rice was nicely seasoned with vinegar, even though it could be slightly stickier.

Earl Grey Jelly Crème Royale S$4.80

Taste: 8.5/10

In an attempt to be creative, I purposely asked my friend to pour the cream onto the tea jelly while I snapped a picture of it. The fragrance of Earl Grey tea was oh-so-evident in the jelly which was prepared without sugar. Even though the menu says "with sweet cream", the one that I had was apparently devoid of sugar. A little bit of sweetness would definitely make the dessert better.

Yuzu Sherbet with Homemade Tofu Cheesecake S$9.20

Taste: 8.5/10

The last dish for the day was the silky tofu cheesecake with a nice sweet and salty balance, contrasted by a layer of biscuit crumbs at the bottom. Served on the side was a scoop of zesty and refreshing yuzu (a species of aromatic Asiatic citron) sherbet. Besides strawberry sauce, there was also a yellow-coloured sauce which tasted somewhat familiar - passion fruit, I suppose.

Melon's Rating

Taste: 8.5/10

Ambience: 8/10

Service: 7.5/10

Overall: 8/10

I was generally pleased with the quality of the food offered, even though service could be faster in between the dishes. Their juicy skewers would keep me coming back for more.

Shin Kushi-Ya

1 HarbourFront Walk

#02-120 VivoCity

Singapore
(Mon-Thu: 11.30am - 10.00pm; Fri-Sat: 11.30am - 11.00pm; Sun: 11.30am - 10.30pm)

http://www.shinkushiya.com/

*Prices quoted are subject to 10% service charge and 7% GST.

Have a nice meal,

Cliff(y)