Initially held high expectations for their Tanuki Kaisen Chirashi ($24.90) - uni, tuna, negitoro, salmon sashimi, aburi, salmon belly, scallop, sea bream, swordfish, white tuna, yellowtail, ikura, tamago & ebiko over signature rice.
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Received a bowl overflowing with beautiful sashimi in approx. 5 minutes; amazed by the efficiency yet at the same time wondered if the sashimi were all pre-cut in advance before quick assembly.
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Thing about chirashi is how it makes us feel like we're opening a pandora box to examine each piece of gem carefully. However, the whole here didn't taste as good as the sum of its parts - & that's not what I usually expect from quality chirashi (which should be a good indicator of the quality of food) 😞It's as if there was a missing element despite the logical combination, & the grains were relatively dry. Mixing in a fair amount of soy sauce & wasabi did help, but $24.90 for those? Not saying it was horrible, it just wasn't anywhere near exceptional (overhyped) - much like the ones we can get at local Japanese chain restaurants.
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Food aside, I have my reservations about the ambience here, an aspect I always take for granted. The sound system basically gave me a headache all night. I can only blame myself for not being used to nightlife, sorry for simply wanting somewhere decent to enjoy my dinner 😪 & Not exactly sure if it's related (don't take my word for it) but my buddy also puked & fainted on the way back. Felt kind of bad for him since I brought him here to celebrate his birthday.
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Of course, there are many mixed reviews out there & I can't be bothered to debate. If you've tried & believe otherwise, good for you. Feel free to doubt my caption efforts but remember I paid to get headache.
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Seldom name competitors, but I'd choose @SushiroSingapore over this anytime. Brave attempts to the immensely long queue there for their quality has always exceeded my expectations. For someone rather impatient, I say they're worth the wait. & While I'm not a fan of their sweet rice, their chirashi's half the price ($12.80) with thicker, fleshier & sweeter cut of sashimi (p.s. not sponsored).