It has been quite a while since we heard about Sushi Kadohachi Izakaya which had opened its doors some time back in August 2023 at Circular Road — the Japanese dining establishment being by the same folks behind The Hitsuji Club, which specialises in Hokkaido-style BBQ that is also located just a few steps away from Sushi Kadohachi Izakaya in another shophouse unit along Circular Road. Sushi Kadohachi Izakaya takes over the former premises of the now-defunct Ramen Bar Suzuki — much of the interior and exterior of the shophouse had been reworked with Sushi Kadohachi Izakaya adopting a light colour palette despite its vast use of wooden furniture and fittings within the premises. Primarily operating as a Japanese Izakaya, Sushi Kadohachi Izakaya does offer quite a wide variety of items on its menu during the evening — think items that are spread across categories such as Cold Dish, Hot Dish, Our Recommend, Nigri-Sushi, Sushi, Sushi-Roll, Meal, Omakase Nigri etc. to be paired with their large selection of alcohol that includes Sharikin (i.e. Shari Shari Ice + Kinmiya Shochu), Shochu, Whisky, Beer, Wine, and Sake; just to name a few. That being said, Sushi Kadohachi Izakaya does offer lunch deals that are positioned to appeal to to the office crowds working in the Central Business District — apart from some individually-sized dishes like the Homemade Karaage Rice Bowl and the Original Sauce Yakisoba from the Lunch Menu, the highlight at Sushi Kadohachi Izakaya during lunch hours would be their Ochoko Don Combo. Available in Regular, Premium and Special, each Combo sees a serving of 6 to 10 “tiny and cute rice bowls” being served on the same tray.
For the Regular Ochoko Don Lunch Combo (6 kinds) fat costs $21.90++, it features the following:
1. Salmon Avocado Yukhoe;
2. Ebi-kani Zukushi;
3. Negitoro Tororo;
4. Shiromi-zakana to Negimentai;
5. Nianago Ten; and
6. Tori-mayo
All Ochoko Dun Lunch Combo does come with complimentary Japanese pickles, wasabi, Dashi stock (listed in the menu as “clear soup stock”)and Miso soup
; drinks are limited to non-alcoholic beverages ranging from green tea to canned beverages such as Coke. It would be pretty lengthy for us to describe each other six dons in detail; but for those whom are curious — the Salmon Avocado Yukhoe comprises of elements such as salmon, avocado, mayo, lemon and sweet & spicy sauce, while the Ebi-kani Zukushi features omelette strips, sweet shrimp, crab meat and crab butter. Meanwhile, the Negitoro Tororo comes with grated yam, Shiso herb, minced fatty tuna, green onions and shredded laver, while the Shiromi-zakana to Negimentai features fresh white fish of the day, green onion and spicy cod roe. The only two cooked tiny rice bowls offered in the Regular Ochoko Don Lunch Combo would be the Nianago Ten that includes shredded laver, simmered conger eel, and sweet & spicy sauce — this is also joined by the Tori-mayo that comes with lettuce, fried chicken and a mayo and ketchup-based sauce.
Each of the Donburi comes at a portion size that would probably last around four to five mouthfuls — of course, there are some which we felt were a little less impactful than the others like the Shiromi-zakana to Negimentai. That being said, the Ebi-kani Zukushi is probably one that is really impressed us — while there is no surprises for the shredded Tamago, the raw sweet shrimp included was definitely fresh and comes with light sweetness that is inherent of such shrimp; that being said, it is that umami-ness of the crab butter that is so full of flavour which powered up the entire bowl into something that we cannot forget. Another one of the dons that feature raw seafood that we really loved will be the Negitoro Tororo — sure, this might sound like an other Donburi that features minced fatty tuna; the part that really got to us for the Negitoro Tororo was how the slight sweetness of the grated yam just integrated so well with the numbing wasabi for a really umami flavour which we never knew could be such a great flavour combination. Both the Donburi featuring cooked components are also great; the Tori-mayo deserves a mention for the very well-executed Karaage Chicken — one that is not covered in an overly thick deep-fried batter, but also maintaining that crispness and juicy, tender flesh within that is easy to chew. Pouring in the Dashi soup into the bowl of rice helps add another dimension of umami-ness to the dishes — something which we only did for the cooked dishes since the Dashi soup served on the side is actually hot; did not wish to alter the consistency of the raw seafood items while at it despite the rice being pretty much plain white rice. Overall, a pretty interesting concept (though not unique; Keisuke Plus at Funan is offering the same) that allows one to satisfy their cravings for Japanese cuisine to their best in one seating at a decent price — something which we would recommend to try out at least once!
