Tsukiji Kaisendon

Got to hear quite a fair bit about the new Tsukiji Kaisendon that had recently opened within Holland Road Shopping Centre; the shopping mall has seen a bit of a shift in their F&B tenants in the past year — another recent opening there would be that of Frankie & Fern’s. Tsukiji Kaisendon is located at the second level of the shopping mall; these folks take up a pretty prominent space within the mall, with the store being located just right in front of the escalator landing at the second level of the mall. One thing worth noting about Tsukiji Kaisendon is how the frontage of the shop actually carries a stark typo error that says “Tukiji Kaisendon” instead. It seems that Tsukiji Kaisendon are opened by the very same folks behind Chirashizushi Shou which operates several outlets across the island — this would include Thomson Plaza, The Hillford, and Bukit Timah Plaza; for those whom have been following the local F&B scene for years, one might perhaps also recall Chirashizushi Shou being an establishment that is by the same folks behind the now-defunct Sumo-Ya at Far East Square. Occupying a store unit that is wider than being deep, the establishment features wooden furniture and fittings that is rather befitting of a look of a rustic Japanese eatery; the dining tables within the establishment being good for diners whom are visiting the establishment either in pairs or in groups of four (4) — the seating being a mix of dining chairs and booth seats. The food menu at Tsukiji Kaisendon is split across sections that are dedicated to Kaisen Don, Chirashi Don, Sushi & Makimono, Sashimi, A la Carte, and Ramen & Donburi. Beverages available includes a variety of alcoholic drinks, while non-alcoholic drinks include tea, soda and soft drinks.

We came to Tsukiji Kaisendon for the Kaisen Don but left the establishment being especially impressed with their Black Garlic Tori Ramen. The menu at Tsukiji Kaisendon describes their Black Garlic Tori Ramen to be a chicken broth ramen that comes with grilled chicken leg, black fungus and spring onions. Digging into the ramen, we went with the chicken broth first — we found the chicken broth to be pretty collagen-rich with a smooth and silky mouthfeel whilst also leaving us with a bit of a sticky lip situation which we very much enjoyed; we did find that the broth wasn’t too saltish, while the addition of black garlic also helps to provide a garlicky fragrance that runs at the back of the tongue giving the chicken broth a good contrast of flavours on its own. The noodles that came with the Black Garlic Tori Ramen were also of the thinner and springier sort that provided a good bite as well. Interestingly, the black fungus is also served in a way that bears almost the same look as the noodles with the exception of its colour. With the black fungus intertwined with the noodles, it helps to add an element of soft crunch amidst the slurpy noodles that comes with a bite. Meanwhile, the grilled chicken leg does come with a good savoury note while the chicken itself comes with juicy and tender meat with a slight hint of smokiness; definitely something that we wouldn’t even mind having as-is on its own. The Black Garlic Tori Ramen also does come with a whole ramen egg as well; the ramen egg does seem to come almost to the point of fully cooked whilst swimming around the hot broth, while the savoury notes of soy from the marination process also doesn’t seem to be particularly evident either.

During the same visit to Tsukiji Kaisendon, we had also given their Maguro Zanmai a go — this item can be found on their Kaisen Don section of the menu, and is described to consist of elements such as Maguro, Chutoro and mashed Toro whilst being served with sushi rice. We do feel that the sushi rice does come at a decent temperature being lukewarm so as to not warm up the raw fish that sits above it. All of the raw tuna featured within the bowl were pretty fresh as well; all coming with its different textures, the Chutoro providing a slightly fattier mouthfeel as compared to the Maguro — meanwhile, one can feel the fibres of the fish within the mashed Toro that somehow provided an element of bite, while the accompanying knob of wasabi that came with the dish does provide quite a numbing kick that goes straight up through the nose which provided quite the oomph for us. We also managed to have the Salmon Mentaiko Maki from the Sushi & Makimono section of the menu a go; while the menu does not describe on the elements that comes with the Salmon Mentaiko Maki, it can be observed from our order that the item does come with Tamago rolled within the Maki — there is also a bit of drizzling from the Mentaiko mayonnaise on the salmon which has been blowtorched considering how this is an “Aburi” dish. The Maki seems to be packed just tightly enough without any of the elements falling out; the sushi rice also coming suitably sweet while the Mentaiko mayonnaise comes all umami with the briny notes of Mentaiko with a slight smokiness from being blowtorched. Chirashizushi Shou is an establishment that one would expect some form of quality and consistency in their dishes considering how the have become a brand with a fairly established name over the years; we are glad that the folks behind the brand has managed to keep things the same with Tsukiji Kaisendon. We are especially impressed with how their Black Garlic Tori Ramen was done; had never really expected a Kaisen Don / Chirashi Don establishment to actually serve up quite a delicious bowl of ramen. Prices of the Kaisen Don / Chirashi Don are priced from $16.90 to $36.90, while the Rice / Noodle dishes are priced at $9.90 to $15.90. With how they are still relatively unknown, these folks do seem to be a hidden gem for Japanese fare in the Holland Village area at this current juncture — still pretty much a name that is worth keeping a look out for considering the strong foundations set by the folks at Chirashizushi Shou!