When Shinji by Kanesaka opened its door in 2014, I was there in Raffles Hotel enjoying an omakase lunch helmed by Chef Koichiro Oshino. Since then, Chef Oshino has started his own sushi-ya, and Shinji has moved its flagship to Carlton. This is the second store under the brandname.

Watching the skilled Japanese chefs at work feels like an art, orchestra, and performance at the same time. An Osaka native, Head Chef Keiichi Kobayashi followed in the footsteps of his father to become a chef, moving to Tokyo to hone his craft. Only a few years later, he was appointed head chef of the restaurant, making his mark in a city that has produced some of the very best in the trade.

Past the entrance, the soft glow of andon lamps illuminates an interior that embodies the style and timeless beauty of classic Japanese teahouses. The subtle scent of hinoki (cypress), sugi (cedar) and karin (red oak) wafts across an ishidatami or cobbled stone pathway.

雪月花 | Setsugetsuka Sushi Course Sets 

Nigiri sushi, soup, dessert

An omakase menu is featured and skillfully executed by a native Japanese team of artisan chef’s. They have 3 or 4 set menus that one can choose from, most have a similar base of dishes with some add-ons. The chef asked us whether we wanted a selection of sashimi and sushi or just sushi. We opted for a 15-piece Yuki set.

Akami Zuké (本鮪の漬 / marinated tuna)

Tai (鯛 / Japanese Sea Bream)

The first piece of Edomae-style nigiri sushi was a very delicious Japanese sea bream. Nothing to fault about the fish, which came by plane from Toyosu wholesale market in Tokyo three times a week.

Hachibiki (ハチビキ / Pacific bonnetmouth)

The skin of the hachibiki was lightly scalded to give it some crunch. The white fish was very light and otherwise quite bland after the first sushi. The shari came through in this sushi though, a warm piece of sushi that you can taste every grain of rice.

Sake (鮭 / Salmon)

For the Japanese before the 90’s, salmon was part of the diet, but widely regarded as a garbage fish that you only ate cured or fully pan-fried or grilled that was used to fill out cheap meals.

It was never used in the traditional Edomae style of sushi and eaten raw, because of the Pacific salmon’s propensity for infection by parasites. Before modern refrigeration and aquaculture techniques were available, it’d be pretty risky to consume salmon raw.

It was the Norwegians that came up with the concept of salmon sushi, and spent the better part of a decade marketing and selling it in Japan. In fact, you could say salmon sushi is a Norwegian invention.

Buri (鰤 / Yellowtail)

My favourite neta is the buri or yellowtail, which can be eaten almost everywhere these days due to a wide variety of sources.

Kinmedai (金目鯛 / Splendid alfonsino)

The skin was aburi to force out the oil and gave the sushi a hint of smokiness. Otherwise, it would be quite a boring piece of sushi.

Maguro (鮪 / Tuna)

The first of a trio of tuna, starting with the lean cut (akami). It was not marinated beforehand, unlike the appetiser.

Chutoro (中トロ /Medium Fatty Tuna)

Next up, the chutoro, which was quite fatty, and Kobayashi-san had skilfully cut the veins apart for a really wonderful mouthfeel.

Otoro (大トロ / Fatty Tuna Belly)

And finally, everyone’s favourite cut of tuna, the otoro. Totally melted in my mouth as I chewed the whole piece in one bite.

Saba (鯖 / Mackerel)

Very fatty, and very flavourful, I like this.

Aji (鯵 / Japanese horse mackerel)

I could not differentiate this piece of aji with the previous saba, except maybe this is less intense in fishiness.

Torigai (鳥貝 / Japanese Cockle)

Lovely piece of Japanese cockle, crunchy and sweet.

Hamaguri (蛤 / Common Hard Clam)

Full of umami. But the texture was not what I expected.

Uni (ウニ / Sea Urchin)

This was so good I ordered a second helping. Bafun Uni (馬糞雲丹) is compact in size and comes from a smaller sea urchin harvested from much deeper ocean depth. This gives the uni a bolder taste that’s rich in umami. 

Kuruma Ebi (車海老 / Japanese Tiger Prawn)

My least favourite piece of sushi.

Anago (穴子 / Sea Eel)

I was disappointed in the size of this piece of anago. You need more to enjoy the flavour of the eel.

Miso Soup

Just a hot bowl of soup, nothing special.

Negitoro Maki

A treat for the eyes as Kobayashi-san skilfully sliced the leek and chopped up the slabs of fatty tuna right in front of us. No, he did not cut corners by mixing other cuts of tuna. The original name for negitoro was negitoru. This translates to scrape or chip away in Japanese. The name eventually evolved to negitoro. Toro is almost always used to make this sushi classic elsewhere, but in Japan it’s often a mix of tuna cuts. 

Tekka Maki (鉄火巻き / Tuna Sushi Roll)

This was an ala carte order. Tekka maki is believed to have originated in gambling dens (called tekkaba), where people used to consume it as a quick snack to eat. The meaning of the word tekka is ‘red hot iron‘ in Japanese, referring to the red colour of the tuna fish. And this was my favourite way to end any sushi meal.

Tamago (卵焼き / egg)

Unlike most tamago which are presented in a castella style, this was almost like a pudding. Reminded me of a Peranakan kueh kueh.

Monaka (最中 / Mochi Wafer)

And today’s dessert to round up a wonderful omakase was a sea salt milk ice cream filled monaka.

Monaka (最中) is a Japanese sweet traditionally made with azuki bean paste sandwiched between two thin crisp wafers made from mochi. These days, many chefs would use this thin but sturdy shells to fill in with anything there want.

Damage was (still) around $200 per person (for lunch!) but the quality was as fresh as it gets. Didn’t know why they lose a star as the meal was better than some other starred ones in my opinion. Maybe it’s because its honten in Carlton Hotel is still on the list or simply there were too many sushi-ya on the guide.

Shinji by Kanesaka すし道真次 (St Regis)
29 Tanglin Road, Lobby Floor, St Regis, Singapore 247911
Tel : +65 6884 8239

Visited May 2023

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Michelin Guide Singapore 1 Star 2016-2021