Sakana has two meanings in Japanese; the first is さかな “fish” and usually refers to a restaurant that specialise in the fish cuisine; it also refers to 肴 “food served with drinks”. Eizou is the first sakana bar I found in Singapore.
Firstly Eizou is a bar – so drinking is compulsory. In Japan when alcohol is consumed, it is customary that the drinks are always accompanied with some sort of foodstuff. The term sakana traditionally refer to food served to accompany sake. And boys did we have some sake! I am not a connoisseur of sake but these three bad boys were great with the fish cuisine.
Eizou’s menu comprised of many little snacks to of with the sakes. It had many seasonal items that were mostly hand written across the many pages in different categories. I was too lazy to go through everything and let Chef Roger to decide what we were having that evening. Chef Fabio picked our sakes to go with the food.
What we ate (and drank) for dinner (omakase)
Chicken Clear Soup
I am used to getting this chicken clear soup from yakitori-ya and didn’t expect to get it from sakana-ya (seafood house). It requires a lot of chicken and a lot of patience to get to this thickness and sticky mouthfeel.
Chiyo Shuzo Shinomine Daiginjo Super Dry 千代酒造 篠峯 大吟醸 超辛口
The characteristic of Shinomine by Chiyo Shuzo from Nara is its sophisticated and layered umami. The “Yeast No.11” is the theme of 2020 of Shinomine. It’s a new label brewed using this yeast.
This yeast makes the taste of sake light and sharp.
It’s a challenge to create sharpness and cleanness with keeping the signature umami.
On top of the sharpness, the moderate sourness creates a long and comfortable aftertaste.
Shirako in Ponzu Sauce
Shirako (cod milt) was towards the tail-end of the season, and we managed to get the last portions. We have to wait to the next season for those fresh, creamy goodness.
Assorted Sashimi – Akagai, Kanpachi, Kinmedai
Sashimi served with freshly grated wasabi, and you can definitely taste the difference with freshly grated wasabi.
Stuffed Squid Cooked in Sweet Sauce (Ikameshi)
An izakaya classic and very delicious ikameshi (stuffed squid with sweet rice). The squid was cooked perfectly, but the rice was a bit too mushy for me.
Lotus Roots Stuffed with Mentaiko
Karashi Renkon (Spicy lotus root) is a traditional dish of Kumamoto Prefecture that is made from lotus root stuffed with Japanese mustard and miso paste; it is then coated with batter made from egg and flour, deep fried and sliced before serving. Chef Roger did the same with mentaiko (spicy cod roe) instead of miso+wasabi.
Mutsu Hassen Orange Label Junmai Ginjo 陸奥八仙 オレンジラベル 純米吟醸
Seasonal autumn edition sake Hachinohe Shuzo, Aomori prefecture – light and refreshing, pairs well with seafood.
The orange label was created with the image of autumn colors.
Hiyaoroshi ひやおろし (Autumn Sake ) enjoys how the new sake squeezed from winter to autumn has changed over the summer.
This orange label was the fruitiness and light taste that makes you feel the freshness like a green apple.
Three Pieces of Sushi
Three pieces of beautiful sushi using fresh fishes that came from Toyosu earlier that day. Eizuo imports fresh fish at least three times a week, and what they can get are always the freshest. So they cannot ensure what fish would be available. Just ask, or let them decide. We had kohada コハダ (gizzard shad), something that one can hardly find in Singapore. Anago 穴子 (Sea Eel) and kanpachi 間八 (great amberjack) rounded up the trio.
Truffle Chawanmushi
The interlude – chawanmushi with a generous black truffle glaze and a sprinkling of ebiko on the beautifully made egg custard.
Matsumoto Sawaya Shuhari Ultra 澤屋まつもと Ultra
And to round up the evening, Matsumoto Sawaya Shuhari Ultra from Kyoto. Their Daiginjo is usually 50% polished, but it was named “Urutora” because it is 40% polished. The carefully selected cork label was also different and first time I saw in a label of any kind.
The highest grade Yamada Nishiki 山田錦 from “Special A District” in Tojo-cho, Kato-gun, Hyogo Prefecture, was used to make this very rare sake.
It is characterised by a fresh feeling, refreshing acidity, pleasant mouth fragrance, and a gently cut back mouth.
Grilled Cod Fish
They grilled the cod fish with a teriyaki glaze instead of the usual miso glaze popularised by Nobu. This was the only course I did not enjoy, perhaps due to the fish drying out and turning cold while I ran to the other side of the restaurant to chat to an old schoolmate who was a regular.
Wagyu Beef Sukiyaki
Omi beef cattle 近江牛 are raised in the rich, natural environment of Shiga prefecture, and on the pristine waters that spring from the mountains surrounding the “mother lake”, Lake Biwa. The Omi Beef brand is the oldest in Japan, with a history that dates back more than 400 years, and is considered to be the world’s most delicious brand of wagyu beef. And yes, they were delicious and provided the needed fats after all those drinks. Chef Roger has outdone himself by doing some innovative addition of truffle foam and serving the sukiyaki nabe in a single bowl.
Somen with Bacon and Truffle
And to round up a wonderful meal was somen as carbo. Sōmen 素麺, as the name implies, is a very simple looking noodle, comprising of nothing by wheat, salt and water. It is usually served cold with dipping sauce or hot in a soup. This dry version, more akin to a pasta, was equally delicious. With bits of salty bacon and a salty sauce infused with truffle oil, this was the finale we were looking for and signal to get the bill.
I was not disappointed by the food and drinks we had that evening. The CP value was good, but it was the casual atmosphere and the friendly crew that made it stood out. The seafood was one of the better ones in Singapore, but they were more a drinking place than a restaurant in the first place.
Eizou Sakaba 栄三酒場
380 Jln Besar, #01-01 Arc 380, Singapore 209000
Tel : +65 9012 9069
Visited Jan 2024
#栄三酒場 #日本酒 #日本料理 #一人酒 #eizousakaba #eizou
#japanesesake #japanesefood
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