Ginza Shinto @ Mohamed Sultan Road - A New Contemporary Japanese Sushi & Omakase Establishment by Chef Ron Newton Leo

Ginza Shinto is a newly opened contemporary Japanese Sushi and Omakase restaurant, nestled in one of the shophouses on Mohamed Sultan Road. Helmed by Chef Ron who has over 30 years of sushi counter experience under his belt, he sources produce from Toyosu Fish Market in Tokyo to the markets in Hokkaido and Osaka depending on the season’s best. As such, the omakase menus change biweekly according to the seasonality of ingredients.

Sweet Cherry Tomatoes from Japan with crisp Ice Plant 3.5/5

Our dinner started off with Sweet Cherry Tomatoes from Japan accompanied by crisp ice plant with truffle oil. The ice plant gets its moniker from its cool frosted look, with crystalline beads covering its stems and leaves. Crisp and crunchy, it went really well with the juicy and sweet Cherry Tomato. With such fresh and delicate flavours, just a sprinkle of salt may do more justice to the ingredients than drizzling them with sesame sauce and truffle oil.

Amaebi topped with Uni, fresh Ikura and Caviar 4.2/5

2nd course was Amaebi topped with Uni, fresh Ikura and Caviar. The creamy uni was like a salted butter that melted over the sweet and almost crunchy amaebi, which was further flavoured with a burst of savouriness from fresh Ikura and Caviar. The herbaceous oba leaf not only added a dimension of aroma but also helped to balance out the brininess of the ingredients.

Flame-seared Hotate wrapped with Nori, and Botan-ebi 4.8/5

The next course was Flame-seared Hotate wrapped with Nori and Botan-ebi. The plumb and sweet Botan-ebi left a lasting impression on my taste buds that night. Its counterpart hotate echoed a similar satisfying crunch.

Kanpachi, Toro and Dashi-rolled Hirame 4.2/5

For Sashimi course, we had Kanpachi, Toro and Dashi-rolled Hirame with fresh Hanaho. The toro here was one of the finest I had tried. But other than the fresh ingredients, what I appreciate is that Chef Ron actually took the effort to teach his diners how to appreciate Hanaho. I always find it a pity to see people chucking it, and oba leaves aside as simply garnishes.

Miyazaki A5 Wagyu 4.5/5

Next up we had Miyazaki A5 Wagyu with a raw quail egg yolk and homemade beef sauce (consume by mixing the egg yolk in the beef sauce before dipping the beef in). Mine had been seared to perfection, rendering just enough fats to release its flavours.

Kanpachi Aburi with Bonito Flakes 4.2/5

The Sushi course reflected Chef Ron's creative take in contemporary Japanese dining. Kanpachi Aburi with Bonito Flakes was flavourful on its own without any dipping sauce, thanks to the savoury Bonito Flakes that was made in house. This extra touch also added an interesting dimension to the bite.

Aburi Amaebi with Foie Gras 4.5/5

Next sushi was my favourite of the evening - Aburi Amaebi with Foie Gras, sprinkled with grated yuzu zest. Torching the foie gras which melted over the amaebi, what surprised me was the hint of pepperiness exuding from the foie gras spread, which sang in harmony to the sweetness of the amaebi. The Aaburi amaebi had taken on a firmer texture, which made the sushi even more luscious and mouth-filling along with the fats lent from the foie gras.

“Forget Me Not” 3.8/5

“Forget Me Not” Nigiri Sushi is one of the restaurant's signatures. Focusing on textural contrast, in between the sushi rice and the top layer of fatty negitoro and creamy uni, Chef Ron inserted a layer of mini roasted, crisp rice puffs. That not only gives that desirable crunch, but they also release a nutty aroma to the sushi. However, I find the ingredients rather separated as the ingredients were gone much faster than the sushi rice itself.

Mini Ikura Uni Don 3.8/5

We also had a Mini Ikura Uni Don. What stood out other than the fine ingredients is the rice underneath, which has mini rice puffs mixed into it to provide that nutty flavour and textural contrast. However, with Ikura as the main ingredient, it got quite saltish towards the end. In conjunction with the grand opening, there is a Lunch Special, featuring a more luxurious version - $35 Negitoro Ikura Uni Don (U.P. $55). Each rice bowl will be served with a side of chawanmushi and miso soup. The Grand Opening Special is only available for dine-in during lunch from 12 October 2020 onward, while stocks last.

Botanebi Miso Soup 3/5

Dinner ended with a bowl of Botanebi Miso Soup with seaweed, tofu & egg. It was quite saltish, but the addition of fluffy egg helped to ease that out a little.

There are three omakase menu selections for dinner with a 5-course ‘Gin’ Menu at $150, 8-course ‘Ginza’ Menu at $220 and 9-course ‘Shinto’ Menu at $300. Otherwise, you can also go for Chef’s luxe tasting menu for lunch with the 7-course Mini Kaiseki menu ($65) that comprises of an appetiser, sashimi, yakimono, mushimono, sushi, soup and dessert.

Photos and words by Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Ginza Shinto
5 Mohamed Sultan Road
#01-01
Singapore 239014
Tel: +65 89388355/ +65 69708355
Facebook
Nearest MRT: Fort Canning (DT Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Sat: 12 - 230pm, 6 - 11pm
(Closed on Sun)

Direction:
1) Alight at Fort Canning MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk down River Valley Road to Mohammed Sultan Road. Turn left onto Mohammed Sultan Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 8 minutes. [Map]

Sushi Ayumu @ Mandarin Gallery - Celebration of Seasonal Edo Sushi

Ayumu which means walking towards a new beginning in Japanese, is a fitting name to the newly rebranded Japanese restaurant, Sushi Ayumu located on the 4th floor of Mandarin Gallery. With the rebrand, the restaurant will be focusing in traditional Tokyo (Edo) style sushi, helmed by Head Chef Ryoichi Nakatani and Senior Sushi Chef Yusuke Kawana. The restaurant offers both Omakase lunch and dinner menu starting from $120 and $280 respectively.

Mochi with Botan Ebi Paste 4/5

Our omakase dinner started with the Domyojiko - Mochi with Botan Ebi Paste. A round shaped glutinous rice ball sat in the middle of the plate complemented by the flavourful prawn paste and snow crab sauce. It is a light appetiser but packed with robust flavours.

Otoro in Bincho & Buri (Big Yellow Tail) 4/5

The Otoro is lightly torched on the surface with the binchotan (Japanese charcoal) to give it a tad of smokiness, while the delicate wild Big Yellow Tail is fatty and buttery.

Abura Bouzu with Miso 3.8/5

From the grill we had the Abura Bouzu served with Hoba miso. The in-house Hoba miso is made by grilling fermented soybean paste on magnolia leaves. It liven the whole appreciation of the fatty fish.

Before moving to the sushi, I was introduced to the rice they used for the sushi. Using the finest Japanese rice, it is seasoned with three types of red vinegar to best enhance the flavours of the different types of fish.

Akami Zuke (Marinated Tuna) Sushi 3.8/5

Moving on is the highlight of the omakase where diner get to savour a series of sushi using the freshest ingredients. We started with the Akami Zuke (Marinated Tuna) Sushi. The lean and red part of the Wild Blue Fin Tuna is marinated with a blend of in-house soya sauce, giving it another layer of flavour on top of the freshness. Personally, I prefer the natural flavour of the wild blue fin.

Kinmedai (Golden-eye Snapper) 4.8/5

My eyes brightened up when I had the Kinmedai (Golden-eye Snapper). The flesh was delicate and tender. With the skin lightly seared, the combination tasted like firework in my mouth.

Aki Sake 4/5

Next is Aki Sake. The seasonal trout is topped with fresh trout roe marinated in soya sauce and saikyo miso from Kyoto. It was really refreshing to see the fresh trout roe which sticks together like a block instead of those pre-processed one from the market.

Kohada (Gizzard Shad) Sushi 3.8/5

It is amazing watching the chef prepared the Kohada (Gizzard Shad) Sushi, braiding the thinly sliced stripes of Kohada together. The kohada has a stronger raw taste compared to others, hence I applauded the addition of yuzu zest for a refreshing touch.

Kamasu in Bincho Sushi 4/5

The binchotan made another entrance with the Kamasu Sushi. The Japanese barracuda is torched with the Japanese charcoal and garnished with homemade sea urchin salt. While I can't really taste the sea urchin flavour but the salt helps to enhance the appreciation of the barracuda.

Yellow Jack Shima Aji 4.5/5

Very clean tasting is the Yellow Jack Shima Aji with a brush of in-house blended soya sauce. It also comes with a delighful tender texture.

Chutoro Sushi 4.2/5

For hon-maguro lover, the Chutoro Sushi will leave you feeling satisfied with its medium-fatty texture. Nothing sophisticated, just pure appreciation of the fatty fish.

Gunkan Maki with Uni 4.5/5

Diners will be delight with the sight of the Hokkaido Bafun Uni for its sweet, briny and creamy flavour. However the real deal for the Gunkan Maki with Uni is the precious seaweed that is hard to come by. The restaurant has to bid for it in order to be able to put it on the menu.

Nodoguro (Black Throat Sea Perch) Sushi 4.2/5

A prized catch on the omakase menu is the Nodoguro (Black Throat Sea Perch) Sushi. Small in size but the whole fish is fatty throughout. It is known as the "king of white fish" for its fatty and tender flesh.

Ayumu Roll 4/5

A luscious combination is the Ayumu Roll. The signature sushi roll comprises of chutoro, bafun uni, buri and shiso leaf all wrapped together for an explosion of colours and taste.

Shijimi Miso Soup 4.5/5

Perfect for washing down all the sushi is the Shijimi Miso Soup. The sweet little Japanese clams in the miso soup added the seafood flavour for depth and robustness.

Tamagoyaki 4.2/5

Last but not least we have the Tamagoyaki. The tamagoyaki is slow-baked for an hour, made with shrimp paste, fish paste, mountain yam and egg, plus a dash of dashi. I have tried other versions which is more eggy but here I could still taste the fish paste, which somehow reminds us that this is still part of the Japanese omakase course.

Sushi Ayumu receives their hon-maguro and uni from the same venerated supplier as Michelin-starred sushi-yas Sushi Saito and Sushi Sawada. These suppliers are highly selective of the restaurants they work with and will personally pay the restaurant a visit to ensure top-notch food quality before agreeing the partnership. The restaurant has also developed close ties with Kyushu fishermen and suppliers, which gives them access to rare catches that may not be available in Toyosu Fish Market.

Note: This is an invited tasting.


Sushi Ayumu
Mandarin Gallery
333A Orchard Road
#04-16
Singapore 238897
Tel: +65 67332114
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Somerset (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Tue-Sun: 12pm - 3pm, 7pm - 10pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at Somerset MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to ground level. Turn left onto Orchard Road. Walk down Orchard Road. Cross the road and walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]