SENSHI Sushi & Grill @ Dorsett Singapore - All-You-Can-Eat A La Carte Japanese Buffet with Newly Expanded Menu

SENSHI Sushi & Grill sits in the corner of Dorsett Singapore, a stone's throw away from Outram Park MRT Station. The Japanese restaurant offers both a la carte dishes and an all-you-can-eat buffet that has recently introduced a refreshed selection. Diners can expect new dishes that include Aburi dishes, Kaki Fry, Kani Gratin, Niku Jaga Braised Beef, Buta Kakuni Braised Pork and Japanese Mochi.

The buffet rates are as follows:

Lunch (11.30am to 3pm)
Weekday: $40+/pax
Weekend: $48+/pax

Dinner (6pm to 10.30pm)
Weekday: $50+/pax
Weekend: $55+/pax

The buffet includes free-flow drinks of house tea, soda and juice. With an add-on of $38/pax, you can also enjoy free-flow alcohol.

Included in the buffet are free flow drinks of house tea, soda and juice. With an add on of $38/pax, you can also enjoy free flow alcohol.

We tried the Weekend Dinner menu here, which differs slightly from their Weekday and Lunch menus. The range includes appetisers, sashimi, maki sushi, nigiri sushi, aburi nigiri sushi, handrolls, grilled dishes, hot dishes, deep-fried dishes, rice and noodles, and shabu shabu.

Assorted Sashimi

It's not a Japanese buffet without sashimi! We started with an Assorted Sashimi platter with salmon, tuna, swordfish, yellowtail and octopus. Their quality was decent, though some of the cuts could be improved. You can order these individually too.

Hot Appetisers - Truffle Chawanmushi

There is a selection of both hot and cold appetisers. From the Hot Appetisers range, you can choose from dishes such as Truffle Chawanmushi, Mentaiko Fries, and Asari Tofu Soup.

Cold Appetisers - Pidan Tofu

There are Pidan Tofu, Wafu Seafood Salad, Cold Spinach, Edamame, and more from the Cold Appetisers. The Pidan Tofu was a little disappointing, as I hoped the Pidan sauce would be more distinct.

Sushi

We ordered a mix of different items from the extensive range of Sushi items, consisting of maki, aburi sushi and nigiri sushi. Our favourites from here were the salmon dishes, such as the Aburi Salmon Mentaiko, Aburi Salmon Cheese and Salmon Mentaiko Maki.

Other non-salmon dishes include Chicken Floss Maki, Tuna Truffle Sushi and Aburi Ebi Mentaiko.

Handrolls

There are six types of Handrolls. We had the Softshell Crab Handroll but did not like it as the crab filling came lukewarm and needed a crunch. I suggest skipping this and trying the others instead.

Grilled Dishes - Baked Half Shell Scallop

From the Grilled Dishes section, we tried the Baked Half Shell Scallop, Baked Half Shell Oyster and Kani Gratin. These were generously topped with torched cheese! While the Kani Gratin had little crab meat, the scallops and oysters were plump and fresh.

Hot Dishes - Niku Jaga (Braised Beef)

My dining companion had the Braised Beef, one of the newest items in the Hot Dishes section. While she appreciated the flavourful sauce, the beef slices were a tad tough.

Hot Dishes - Sea Clam Butter Monte

Other Hot Dishes include the garlicky Sea Clam Butter Monte, Beef Cubes, Eggplant in Miso, Pork Yakiniku and more.

Deep Fried - Kaki Fry

My dining companion and I recommend getting their Kaki Fry from the Deep Fried selection. The oysters were creamy and fried to a crunch, faring much better than we expected.

Shabu Shabu

Their Shabu Shabu comes in a sharing portion with the choice to add on Pork Slices, Beef Slices and Sea Clams. The base broth leans towards the bland side. Hence, I suggest adding meats and clams to provide better flavour.

Beverages

For Beverages, we had their Slushies from the a la carte menu - Strawberry Yuzu ($6) and Lychee Grapefruit ($6). Unfortunately, both of them were too sweet for my liking.

If you prefer alcohol, they have quite a range of alcoholic drinks, from wines, beers and sake to soju, umeshu and Japanese whisky. Non-alcoholic options include juices, coffee, tea, soft drinks and water.

Hokkaido Cheesecake with Soft Serve Ice Cream

Desserts are not included in the buffet. We picked two from the a la carte menu, the first being the Hokkaido Cheesecake with Soft Serve Ice Cream ($9). While the cheesecake was creamy and soft, the soft serve had quite an icy texture.

Fresh Melon

The second dessert we chose to end the night was the crunchy and sweet Fresh Melon ($6).

Overall, we appreciated SENSHI’s fast and warm service in serving orders, but the buffet dishes were a mix of hits and misses.

Photos and words by Jo. A girl who loves her Mala (麻辣) at Da La (大辣), discovering hidden food gems and a good cup of matcha latte. Note: This is an invited tasting.


SENSHI Sushi & Grill
Dorsett Singapore
#01-01
333 New Bridge Road
Singapore 088765
Tel: +65 8518 8616
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Nearest MRT: Outram Park MRT (EW, NE, TE Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 9pm

Direction:
1. Alight at Outram Park MRT station. Take Exit 4. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]

Musubi @ JEM - Unique Japanese Otsumami And Wappameshi

Musubi is a new casual dining concept at JEM offering unique Japanese Otsumami and Wappameshi. Diners can look forward to a delightful selection of Japanese rice bowls - Seiro Gohan, inspired by the traditional culinary art of Wappanmeshi. Complete the meal with a nibble of tasty Japanese otsumami (small plates) and Shabu Shabu.

Cheese Imo Mochi 4.2/5

Corn Butter Shoyu Mushi 4/5

The Cheese Imo Mochi ($7) and Corn Butter Shoyu Mushi ($5) are available for its winter promotion. The Cheese Imo Mochi, deep-fried to golden perfection, has a cheesy centre. It is crispy on the outside while chewy and fluffy inside, and umami pops from the ikura. As for the Corn Butter Shoyu Mushi, the corns are extremely sweet.

Oyster, Crab & Salmon 3 Kind Seiro Gohan 3.8/5

Known for its signature seiro gohan, the restaurant has put together the Oyster, Crab & Salmon 3 Kind Seiro Gohan ($26) for its winter promotion. The steamed flavoured rice comes with Shio-koji Aomori Salmon, Ikura, plump oyster, crab meat and Shishito pepper.

Steamed Ika Siu Mai 3/5

The Steamed Ika Siu Mai has a unique presentation, unlike the usual one in a Chinese restaurant. Though the appearance was appealing, the taste fell below my expectation. I still prefer the Chinese version over this.

Crab Gravy Chawanmushi 4/5

The Crab Gravy Chawanmushi is a smooth, silky and flavourful bowl of steamed rice topped with crab meat that complements the seiro gohan for a complete meal.

Melted Braised Pork Belly Seiro Gohan 3.8/5

Lemon-koji Chicken Seiro Gohan 3.8/5

Besides the Oyster, Crab & Salmon 3 Kind Seiro Gohan, We also tried two other seiro gohan on the menu - Melted Braised Pork Belly Seiro Gohan and Lemon-Koji Chicken Seiro Gohan. I preferred the melt-in-the-mouth braised pork belly with hanjuku egg among the two. On the other hand, the lemon-koji chicken is a healthier choice with tender chicken and fluffy rolled omelette.

Steamed Beef Shabu Shabu 4/5

Another delicious and healthy option is the Steamed Beef Shabu Shabu. The thinly sliced beef is laid on top of a bed of cabbage. If I am right, the meat and cabbage are steamed together, allowing the cabbage to soak up the delicious beef essence.

Homemade Kokuto Pudding 3/5

Yuzu Macaron 3/5

For dessert, we had the Homemade Kokuto Pudding and Yuzu Macaron. The homemade kokuto pudding was mildly sweet with a custard-like texture, topped with crunchy cacao. Those with a sweet tooth will enjoy the citrusy Yuzu Macaron.

Note: This is an invited tasting.


Musubi
JEM
50 Jurong Gateway Road
#04-13/14
Singapore 608549
Tel: +65 63341084
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Nearest MRT: Jurong East (EW, NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Jurong East MRT station. Take Exit C. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]

Gyutan-Tan @ Tras Street - Singapore's First-Ever Ox Tongue Specialty Restaurant

Gyutan-Tan is the newest kid on the block along Tras Street, which opened in November 2022. It is Singapore's first-ever gyutan (ox tongue) speciality restaurant, showing the ingredient in various forms such as delectable appetisers, chargrilled mains, donburi and teishoku.

Sumiyaki Gyutan Set 4.2/5

Not to be missed at Gyutan is its Sumikayi Gyutan Set ($20). The lunch set includes fluffy mugimeshi (a mix of rice and barley), two kinds of Japanese pickles, salad with lemon olive oil dressing, tororo (grated Japanese mountain yam, and a choice of oxtail or miso soup. The grilled 4mm thin cuts of gyutan are incredibly tender and cloaked in fragrant binchotan char. The pairing of grated Japanese mountain yam with the fluffy mugimeshi was new and enjoyable.

Cold Roasted Gyutan Carpaccio 3.5/5

We tried the Cold Roasted Gyutan Carpaccio ($15) under the chilled appetiser menu, which is only available during dinner. A delightful appetiser featuring thin slices of cold-roasted gyutan, arugula, crunchy pickled white radish, and parmesan and finished with a drizzle of sweet balsamic glaze.

Pork Kakuni 3.8/5

We tried a few a la carte dishes available only during dinner, starting with the Pork Kakuni ($18). While the 4-hour braised pork belly is richly flavoured, the texture can be more tender. It shows that other non-beef tongue dishes are also available on the menu.

Gyutan Demi-Glace Stew 4/5

The Gyutan Demi-Glace Stew ($20) is a classic French-braised gyutan chunk. Once again, the sauce is rich and robust. However, like the braised pork belly, I preferred it to be more tender.

Premium Gyutan Shabu Shabu 4.2/5

The highlight at Gyutan-Tan has to be the Premium Gyutan Shabu Shabu ($28). The dashi-based hotpot comes together with premium gyutan slices and vegetable platter. It is unique, as I don't remember ever having ox tongue for shabu shabu. It also demonstrates the versatility of the ingredients in different cooking methods.

Homemade Egg Pudding 3/5

Japanese Tiramisu Parfait 3.5/5

Complete the meal at Gyutan-Tan on a sweet note with the Homemade Egg Pudding ($4) and Japanese Tiramisu Parfait ($11.50). The egg pudding was smooth and silky, not overly sweet, same for the tiramisu parfait's sweetness level. Hence I enjoyed both desserts.

Matcha Affogato 4.2/5

The crowd's favourite was the Matcha Affogato ($11.50). The green tea is whisked at the tableside and then poured onto the plate of vanilla ice cream, warabimochi and white chocolate, paired with kuromitsu.

Note: This is an invited tasting.


Gyutan-Tan
41 Tras Street
Singapore 078980
Tel: +65 83213359
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Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Sat: 1130am - 330pm, 530pm - 10pm
(Closed on Sun)

Direction:
1) Alight at Tanjong Pagar MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to Tras Street. Turn right on Tras Street. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

MAI by Dashi Master Marusaya @ Bukit Pasoh - Discover The Dashi Difference

MAI by Dashi Master Marusaya at Bukit Pasoh is a new dining concept by Marusaya, an established wholesaler of Japanese katsuobushi (dried bonito) since 1962. Here at MAI, you will have a taste of its Satsuma 2-year-old hongare-honbushi, made from skipjack tuna that is dried and fermented over 2 years instead of 1 year, a fermentation period which is more commonly practised in the market for commercial use. From a range of speciality dishes featuring all-natural dashi prepared from their signature aged katsuobushi, MAI wants you to enjoy the more sophisticated flavour of its katsuobushi.

Shabu Shabu 3.8/5

The set lunches are meant to be relatively more affordable. $29 can get you a Shabu-Shabu Set with US Black Angus Beef or Hokkaido Pork. Among all the set lunches I tried, the Shabu-Shabu not only brings out the most of the dashi stock, but it also allows you to appreciate the meats as well. For the same price, I recommend getting the beef, which pairs really well with its house dips - dashi ponzu and sesame.

Each set lunch includes a variety of sides and condiments - Chawanmushi and Miso soup with seasonal topping, bonito flakes and a bowl of claypot rice cooked with dashi. To flavour your rice, there are wasabi-flavoured konbu, ikura and Japanese pickles.

A4 Japanese Beef Toban Yaki 3/5

A4 Japanese Beef Toban Yaki Set ($49) may be luxurious, but it's rich and buttery miso sauce overpowered everything on the plate, including my dashi rice. Bonito flakes were added upon serving, but they seemed to just add on to the saltiness of the sauce.

Prawn, Scallop & Oyster Toban Yaki 3.5/5

A much lighter option would be the Prawn, Scallop & Oyster Toban Yaki ($32), in which the seafood is seasoned with shoyu, sake, mirin and yuzu juice. The sauce that had the seafood sizzling in was rich with yuzu flavour and definitely paired better with the rice compared to the buttery miso sauce.

Donabe 3.8/5

For sharing, one of the mains to try is Donabe - a traditional Japanese claypot cooked with Hokkaido Yumepirika rice, dashi, soy sauce, Japanese sake, and simmered with ingredients such as unagi or salmon. The rice itself was delicious, with herbal nuances of Sansho pepper. It takes about 40 minutes to prepare each donabe, so please do pre-order it.

Fish Jerky 4/5

The dinner menu features speciality sides such as this moreish Half Dried Bonito Fish Jerky. Other than the Shabu Shabu, none of the other lunch items really showcases the beauty of Marusaya's aged skipjack tuna as much as this humble fish jerky. Perhaps the omakase lunches and dinners may be a better option, with more courses featuring the dashi broth.

Words and photos 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.


MAI by Dashi Master Marusaya
46 Bukit Pasoh Rd
Singapore 089858
Tel: +65 63278414
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Nearest MRT: Outram Park (EW Line, NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Sat: 12pm - 3pm, 6pm - 11pm
(Closed on Sun)

Direction:
1) Alight at Outram Park MRT station. Take Exit H. Turn right onto Teo Hong Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]

Teppan Kappou Kenji @ Tanjong Pagar Road - Summer Omakase Menu Showcasing In-Season Pike Conger Eel Fish And Ayu

This summer, Teppan Kappou Kenji at Tanjong Pagar introduces new delicacies and omakase selections that showcase ingredients in season, such as Pike Conger Eel fish and Ayu (Japanese sweetfish).

Watermelon Gazpacho 3.5/5

When temperatures start to pick up, and humidity rises, summer is the time for light and refreshing dishes. The first course to wake up our senses that evening was Watermelon Gazpacho, served with Japanese baby corn, Japanese water eggplant and smoked octopus.  Due to the use of ingredients such as plum, umeboshi that are more assertive in flavours, the soup was a lot more punchy than what I had expect from a cold watermelon soup.

Ayu Somen 3.8/5

The month of June is Ayu (Japanese sweetfish) season in Japan, and we had a taste of it in Ayu Somen in bonito dashi. Topped with a sauce made from boiled Japanese okra paste, the viscosity of the sauce made the somen smoother than it already was. But what delighted me the most were the citrus notes exuded from the use of yuzu and sudachi, which mingled well with the savoury bonito dashi broth.

Seasonal Sashimi 4.8/5

Seasonal Sashimi was the third course, and this dish set the anticipation up high of what was about to follow. The Uni with Japanese-spot prawn served in halved sea urchin shell comprising of Smoked Spanish Mackerel, Red Snapper, Toro (Tuna), Suzuki (Sea bass), Shima Aji (striped Jack)

Hassun 4.8/5

The fourth course was the most memorable - Hassun, part of a traditional multi-course (Kaiseki) Japanese dinner, all created from scratch by Chef Kenji. It was mesmerising. There were a total of eight courses, but each and every 'mini' course was distinct from one another and so intricate that they all intrigued and excited my senses. There is no specific sequence on how you should consume it, but I started the journey with the crunchy tempura of seasonal Japanese Sweet Corn and Edamame, followed by the Japanese Eggplant Rikyu-ni in a housemade sesame-based sauce. I like how the soft eggplant got a more luxurious texture from the creamy, nutty sauce. Another of my favourite is "Ishikawa Ko Imo Nopperi Ae" a type of Japanese small mountain yam. It is steamed and then cooked in a mix of katsuobushi, dashi, salt, sugar, shoyu, mirin before cutting into serving size, with the remaining portion being grated into a sticky paste (Nopperi-style) and mix with special white miso. We were advised to end the Hassum with Ao Ume (Japanese green plum) to cleanse our palate. It was no easy task to put this little plum onto our plate - boiled, soaked under running water for a day, before boiling for another hour, finally slow-cooking in a sweet sauce.

Isaki Cheek 3.5/5

Following that, we had a very tender Isaki Cheek (Gram fish), cooked on teppan in a saffron-style sauce made from katsuobushi, onion, capsicum. Served with "amana ga yasai" tempura, this Japanese green pepper served as a crunch element to this dish. Using herbs such as thyme and rosemary, this dish was also noted for its western flavours.

Hamo Shabu Shabu 3/5

Featuring Pike Conger Eel, we had Hamo Shabu Shabu. The soup is made from grilled Hamo (pike conger) bones, dashi, shoyu, mirin, and kombu. Served with Pike Conger Eel, another star item in this course was the homemade bean curd skin tofu. Its sweetness complemented the savoury soup really well.

Seasonal Kamameshi 4.5/5

A warm and hearty dish to conclude the meal is Seasonal Kamameshi. A mixture of different Japanese rice was cooked in a stock of bonito and assorted Japanese vegetable in the claypot, before adding in slices of A5 Ohmi Wagyu tenderloin and sea urchin (additional) into the kettle rice. The rice got much of its flavour from the bonito stock, with sweetness from the carrots, and those right underneath the tenderloin was rich with fats and juice from the Wagyu. I love the mushrooms in there too, which added lots of crunch and texture to the rice.

Musk Melon, Peach and Fig

Intentionally or not, I thought the dessert looked like a crystal ornament, with Musk melon, peach and fig resting on crushed ice, and crowned with housemade wine jelly that glittered under the lights. The attention to details was impeccable. The above Omakase is available at $150++.

Words and photos 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.


Teppan Kappou Kenji
99 Tanjong Pagar Road
#01-01
Singapore 088520
Tel: +65 91523118
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Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Sun: 1130am - 230pm, 6pm - 1030pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at Tanjong Pagar MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk towards Orchid Hotel. Turn right at Tanjong Pagar Road. Walk down Tanjong Pagar Road towards the row of shophouses. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]