I had the pleasure of having a dinner at The Standing Sushi Bar on the first week of opening (Thanks Howard!) and brought along my ex-colleague who loved sushi as second reviewer.

Loved loved LOVED the balloon arrangement outside the shop as opposed to the usual congratulatory basket of flowers. I reckon those the balloons should be a permanent fixture! Too Cute!

So I was expecting to be standing for the whole course of dinner, but to our delight, they bring out high-chairs at dinner time. So after standing for about 10mins trying out some sake, we sat down for dinner. You can either order ala carte, or opt for the Omakase dinner.

Haven’t heard of the term before? It’s basically food roulette! You never know what you’re going to get. You pretty much leave it to the chef to come up with the night’s menu.

The omakase is based on your budget. You specify what the budget is and the chef will create the menu accordingly. It begins at S$50 per person. Omakase is by reservation only and the more advance notice you can give, the better – gives them time to talk to their Japan supplier and get special items for that omakase.

I did tell myself I’d be more adventurous this year with my food choice. “I’m game… bring it on!” The minute I said that, I just wanted to take it back and shove a sock in it.

First dish, Japanese sea snails!!!! *facepalm*

The Japanese Sea Snails were served chilled with a small slice of lemon on a ceramic plate. I made sure I had a dish of soy sauce and my green tea on standby.

“Tastes like squid… tastes like squid, it’s all in the mind Angela, you can do this”

Dug it out of the shell. Drown it in soy sauce. Pop. Chew. Chew. And Chew. Swallow.

Ok, that wasn’t bad at all… it does kinda taste like squid?! A bit chewy, but sweeter.

The next dish was the Hokkaido King Crab Leg with chef Roy’s home-made Miso paste (Joan said this was the must-try dish). The chilled crab meat was so sweet! And that miso paste…I’d buy a pot of that and stick my fingers in it like Winnie the Pooh does with honey. Nom nom nom.

Next up was the Sashimi Moriwase which consisted of Maguro (Tuna), Sake (Salmon), Mekajiki (Swordfish), Hamachi (Yellow Tail) and Hotate (Scallop). Fresh! Although I must admit, I would have loved it if they threw in a slice of Otoro in the mix just to bring it to the next level.

I wish the next dish tasted as good as it looked. Karubi Beef Tataki with Bonito Flakes and Spring Onions. The meat was slightly chewy, was gnawing away for a good minute or so. I love bonito flakes with anything, especially on my takopachi balls.

After that jaw exercise, I was too tired to sink my teeth into anything solid. Thank goodness next dish was Egg plant. Seemed like it was boiled, served in some soy sauce and grated ginger. Chef Roy mentioned that it’s a good palate cleanser.

Three more dishes to go, and I’m starting to feel full.

A little cup of Steamed Hotate Soup was a little too hot to handle, so I had to wait awhile for it to cool down. Soup/broth was very ‘scallopy’ and comforting. I could just imagine myself in snowing Japan, sipping a hot cup of Hotate soup. I’d imagine it would be as amazing as a frozen Margarita on Cottesloe Beach in summer.

Just when I thought the worse was over with the Sea Snails, a plate of Maguro, Hirame (Flat Fish) and Anago (Boiled Salt-water Eel) was placed in front of me. I guess I’m just not an Eel person, but that didn’t stop me from trying a corner.

Dessert was my favourite dish of the night: Matcha Ice-cream with Green Tea Cake Roll and Red Bean Paste. Chef Roy mentioned the roll was just flown in from Japan, which makes it feel even more special and exclusive to Omakase diners.

I liked the fact that everything was not too sweet, especially the matcha ice-cream. A lot of other restaurant’s matcha is mostly sugared too heavily, and they lose that green tea bitterness all together. If I wanted something sweet, I would have just ordered vanilla.

Overall verdict, food was fresh, tasty and affordable! Now you don’t see that combo often: Fresh and affordable.

And just as I was about to leave, I got handed over this cute Standing Sushi Bar badge. It’s like getting a sticker at the Dentist, but in this case I actually WANT to come back again!

The Standing Sushi Bar
1 Raffles Place
#B1-02B OUB Centre
Singapore 048616
www.standingsushibar.com
Follow them on twitter: www.twitter.com/thestandingsushibar

UPDATE:
They have just revamped the menu to offer more lunch sets and easy add-on’s like sashimi (for cheaper than a la carte price)

The revamped menu also features the special cargo they get in from Japan a few times a week (basically makes it more discoverable so you don’t have to ask the chef)

PROMOTIONS
Click here for the MSN Coupon promotion that gets you 1 free glass of sake

Here’s something a little more fun for Blursotong Blog readers:
Say “blursotong” at the register and get 15% off any ika (squid) nigiri or ika sashimi from their in-house a la carte menu. Valid during December!

Instead of trying the same ol tuna and salmon sashimi, try the squid! Be adventurous

Angela Food, Food & Travel Food, I Likey, Promotion, SSB, Standing Sushi bar, Sushi