The Place Located in Telok Ayer Street is two months old Japanese Omakase restaurant, Sushi Kawasemi, which is a zen retreat from the hustle and bustle of CBD. The interior of Sushi Kawasemi is denominated by a long counter seating in wooden furnishings, as well as hand-drawn murals which include a kingfisher and two birds. In fact, Kawasemi means kingfisher in Japanese. 

Sushi Kawasemi is helmed by Chef Sam who has over a decade of experience (previously at Ashino), where his forte is traditional edomae-style sushi as reflected in their use of the age-old technique, Shinkei-jime. 

The Food There is only omakase set menus here where lunch Omakase starts from S$98++ while dinner is from S$268++. I had the Oboro Dinner Menu (S$268++) and here is what to expect: 

Seasonal Appetizer (Tako | Hotate | Ika) 
A trio of appetisers where my favourite is the Tako (octopus), which is first sous vide then topped with fried burdock. The Hokkaido Hotate (scallop) sits on a crispy tart; while the Ika (squid) is topped with egg yolk and plum powder.  

Seasonal Sashimi (2 kinds) 
The first sashimi I had was the Umeiro (Yellowtail blue snapper) which was aged for 8 days along with citrus sauce and grated radish. Light and refreshing flavours of the sashimi here, which also brings out the freshness of the fish.  

The second sashimi served is the Otoro Aburi which was aged for 13 days. A very flavourful piece of sashimi along with the egg yolk and seaweed sauce, where the tuna is also topped with Japanese onion and a tinge of yellow wasabi. 

Speciality Soup (Hamaguri) 
Most soups served at Omakase restaurants are quite normal, but I now know why this course is called a specialty soup. For one, the huge clams from Mie Prefecture is so good! Plump and fresh, it is nicely sliced so it makes it easy to enjoy it. The clear soup taste amazing, and it is made from Mt Fuji water and Sake, and you also have bits of junsai (a type of water weed) in the broth.  

Grilled Fish 
This course features a Charcoal Grilled Anago, where the giant conger eel is from Kyushu. Aged for 7 days, there is also onigiri with pickled radish and fermented leek sauce prepared for 5 days. I love the grilled, slightly charred and crisp texture of the eel, as well as the crisp texture of the onigiri.  

Nigiri Sushi (9 pieces) 
Special mention goes to the rice used here, a special grade of koshihikari along with the use of Fuji water for the cooking process. I like the Shari here which has a nice sweetness to it, and it is a mix of aged white vinegar and aged red vinegar.  

Akami (Tuna) 
Aged for 13 days. 

Shiro Ebi (White Shrimp) 
Brushed with soy sauce, this white shrimp melts in the mouth with its fresh and flavourful taste.  

Shirahoshi Fuedai (Snapper) 

Amadai (Sea Bream) 
Aged for 11days, the Amadai is from Amakusa in Kyushu.  

Chutoro (Medium Fatty Tuna) 
Aged for 13 days, I love how distinct the flavours of the Chutoro and the Shari is. The rice here has a nice, sweet flavour profile. 

Aji (Horse Mackerel) 

Kuromutsu (Blue Fish) 
The skin of the Nagasaki fish is smoked using binchotan, aged for 9 days. There is yuzu kosho within, so you get that tinge of peppery taste.  

Ika (Squid) 
Topped with yuzu salt, the squid spots a creamy texture, really good!  

Hokkaido Bafun Uni 
An incredibly creamy and fresh flavour of the Uni. No words.  

Tamago & Miso Soup 
The tamago is made in-house with just fish, egg, yamatoimo and sugar (without flour) and then grilled at 80-85 degrees over slow fire for a light char. 

Seasonal Fruits & Dessert 
For dessert, I love the Homemade Chestnut ice cream, and it is accompanied by fresh Japanese fruits like Champagne grapes and melon.  

Rants Other than the above average price for dinner omakase, nothing else.

Will I Return Again? Overall, I had a great meal at Sushi Kawasemi and this is one new omakase to check out especially if you love aged fish for nigiris. Every course is consistently good, and it is one of the better omakase meals I had this year.   

This was an invited tasting, though all opinions expressed are our own.

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 4/5
Hole in the pocket: 4.5/5
Ambience: 4/5
Overall Experience: 4/5

Sushi Kawasemi 
120 Telok Ayer Street 
Singapore 068589 
Tel: +65 8505 4288  

Opening Hours 
Monday to Friday: 12pm to 2.30pm; 6pm to 10.30pm 
Saturday: 6pm to 10.30pm  

Ranted by The Ranter