#02-01, CHIJMES
30 Victoria Street, 187996
Tel: 63363166
Have you Blurb?
Located within the picturesque and upmarket CHIJMES, some stair climbing is required in order to get to the main entrance of Sun. There, a classy and sombre interior awaits. Hanging lights coupled with stylish wooden partitions and ambient lighting make for a cosy affair. Together with plush cushions thrown in at corner tables, it is really cosiness personified. Sun practises an open kitchen concept, which allows customers to observe what goes on in the kitchen. In most cases, this would have been a disaster in the absence of a good ventilation system. But not at Sun. The ventilation system was excellent, allowing us to walk away at the end of the meal not reeking of oil fumes.
As you know, the Japanese are famed for their home made beancurd and rightly so. The Oboro Tofu was served on a bed of ice and was cold to the touch. Delightfully smooth yet firm, it slithered down my throat with great ease. No complaints about the texture. However, taste wise, it was nothing out of the ordinary, tasting merely like Tao Huay without the sugar syrup.
In all honesty, I've never seen Foie Gras in a Japanese menu. But that's probably because I don't go to many Japanese food places to begin with. The Foie Gras Lettuce - Teriyaki Foie Gras Canapé was quite well executed in the sense that the bread was extremely well toasted, the lettuce fresh and crisp and most importantly of all, the Foie Gras well seared. The resulting effect through the combination of the 3 items was a myriad of flavours that was accompanied by a crunching sound in every mouthful. Just one small fault though. The Foie Gras was a little too firm for my liking. I prefer ones that are quivery.
The Tontoro Yaki - Grilled Sliced Pork Cheek with Black Pepper was not too thickly sliced and nicely done with a homogeneous sprinkling of black pepper which sought to enhance the overall taste. The pork cheek was tender and held a little bite.
I've honestly had better California Rolls, but Sun's offering was still a cut above the rest. Think Sakae, Genki, Sushi Tei, Kushin Bo blah blah blah. The rice was firm yet not too coagulated and everything comes across as light on the palate and easily digestible.
I've never been a fan of Avocado but I simply couldn't resist the Avocado Soft Shell Roll. As with the California Roll, the rice was well done and the roll had a slightly smoky taste due to the soft shell crab (I'm guessing). Presentation wise was also aesthetically pleasing. You definitely want to try this if you do visit.
For all its aesthetics on display, the Sazae (From Yamaguchi) - Imported Fresh Top Shell didn't amount to much in terms of taste. Sure, it was something unique - you get a whole shell sitting atop a mound of flaming wax. Gimmicks aside, the top shell was fresh, but didn't exactly wow in taste. The tiny mushrooms that came with it actually tasted better, but that's just me.
The Yasai Tofu Steak - Tofu Steak with Vegetable was nothing fanciful and a waste of money. The tofu was rather bland and had this slight oil aftertaste which really marred the whole dish. The skin wasn't as chewy or crispy as I would have liked it to be.
US Kobe Style Beef Sirloin (Gold Grade) - Undoubtedly the star of the evening. The beef was so succulent and tender that I chewed on it ever so delicately. Every bite brings forth a burst of the wonderful juices that lie within the meat. Simply great! The accompanying side of bean sprouts were cooked in beef fat which gave it an irresistible flavour, at least for beef lovers. Pity about the small size of the beef slab though.
Sankai Tempura Mori - Assorted Tempura - Overall speaking, the tempura's batter was rather light which made eating all the more pleasurable. Nothing really stood out in this dish. Rather, all of them were slightly above average.
The Goma Pudding - Black Sesame Pudding tasted like Tao Huay texture wise, but with a black sesame taste. Not too bad, coming across as light and quivery. But too much of it can make you sick, especially when there seems to be traces of milk in it.
The dessert trio came with 3 desserts - Mango pudding, Green Tea Ice Cream and the Goma Pudding.
Right on the onset, the Mango Pudding had hints of peach in it, which made identifying it rather difficult. It was only after much deliberation that we all came to a consensus. It was jelly like and was really average. The only good thing about it was that it wasn't too sweet.
The Green Tea Ice Cream was slightly different from the normal ones you get outside. First of all, it wasn't sweet at all and had this biting aftertaste, just like normal green tea. Second, red bean paste is given to sweeten up the ice cream. A rather interesting combination if you ask me. The red bean paste and the ice cream complemented each other very well. Not much can be said about the texture of the ice cream though.
A staple dessert in any self respecting Japanese restaurant, Sun's rendition of the Tofu Cheesecake was nothing out of the blue, but somewhere along the lines of good. I couldn't make out any tofu taste and the texture seemed to lean more towards pudding than cake. Not that its bad though. On the contrary, it was quite good - fluffy and light. Look out for the minuscule portion though.
At long last, the bill. Standing at an exorbitant $400 for 5 pax (before discount. After discount was $350), it was a physically filling but none the satisfying dinner. Why so? Because portions were small and we had to resort to gorging on rice to fill our tummies. I recognize the quality of the food but for the price, I expect to have a hearty meal, not some dainty meal with pretty presentations to boot. In all honesty, 3 of us could have finished all the dishes without even breaking a sweat, not to mention 5. So unless you are feeling rich or are rich, you might want to think twice before eating here.
