It was a usual Friday chilling out with food and drink. Other than eat and shop, I really can't think of anything better to do after a week's long work. I used to hang out, drinking and clubbing in town, on my off days, but, well, that was long long time ago, grandfather story.
Now I prefer to chill with hubby at good places to wine and dine, instead. Clubbing is a waste of money, and alcohol harms your body. Though I still miss the time once in a while.
OK...enough of the fairy tale. Days ago, hubby brought me to Akashi for some great sushi and sashimi. It was my second visit. As I said, great places will always attract their patrons coming back, begging for more! Though the bill will add up a bomb at the end of course! Those who are faint-hearted after seeing the bill, please keep an arm away, or better don't proceed reading further, coz I'm sure you will be tempted to try their BESTEST, FRESHEST sashimi at AKASHI, albeit the steep price! and DROOL all away while staring at the foodie pictures....:)
My bills added up more than $500, for both my visits to Akashi. So can I assume one will need to pay $500 for two pax?
Frankly, Akashi is the first Japanese restaurant with the longest sushi bar (not the conveyer type), which I ever encounter. The decor inside is bright and simple, yet elegant. You can see the sushi chefs standing in a row, moulding and slicing out perfect sushi/sashimi in front of your very eyes. That's why we prefer to have the sushi bar counter seats. Normally the chef will reserve the counter seats for their regular patrons. The chefs and their customers will share affinity, which is, LOVE towards Japanese cuisine of sashimi, sashimi, and nothing else BUT sashimi! Thats go the same for us, hubby and ME!
However, Akashi fascinates me a whole lot more, compares to other Japanese restaurants. The chefs here are very good drinkers. They
kampai-ing with the customers while rolling out the sushi and slicing sashimi with the sharpest knives in hands. How can they achieve this after gulping down more than 100 glasses of beer in a night??? This continues everyDAY! One of the chefs who I befriended with, told me that, the very first question during their interview for a chef vacancy, was 'Can you hold your drink well?' For me, I find this is amazing! Seriously....
The chefs here speak dialect, English, Japanese, and Malay (most of them are Malaysians ;))....super friendly ambience....no awkward feeling...as if you have known them for years. You can see the head chef, greeting his patrons in the loudest but most sincere tone in Japanese, once they step into Akashi. The waitress and the chefs will communicate in Japanese, and you will wondering to yourself if you are somewhere, dining away in a restaurant in Japan..hahaaa. The ambience here is so rowdy and loud, as if you were in
Tsukiji Fish Market, in center of busy Tokyo city. But thats the one thing which I like about Akashi.
This is Melvin, the head Japanese chef, who has a deep passion towards Japanese food.....therefore, during each visit, we don't bother to ask for the menu. We will just entrust our gastronomy delight in Akashi on his hand....and of course, each time, the price paid is worth the food served and created from Melvin's creativity...
He would serve the sashimi and at the same time explain to us what are the thing that we'd savoured.
The warm sake....with 58% alcohol content
The heavy stone tray with some wasabi, pickled ginger and kelp or
kombu, placed in front of us, where chef will serve the sashimi.
Kapachi....which is said much better than hamachi
Mackerel sashimi
I have fish roe before but not fish sperm...the texture was smooth and soft inside, just like eating brain, only the outer layer is more firm...with some sweet sour dressing to go along with this...really yummy...you must try if you dine here. Thats is why Akashi is so special, coz it serves exotic sashimi which you hardly find elsewhere. No wonder, quite a number of movie stars and ministers drop by just to dine in Akashi...
Fugu....the poisonous puffer fish. In Japan, a chef requires a licence to serve fugu and went through intensive training. The restaurants which serve fugu are strictly controlled by Japan's law. If one mishandled this deadly delicacy, those who consume will surely die instantly. Fugu is poisonous due to its
tetrodotoxin, thus, it must be carefully prepared to remove toxic parts and to avoid contaminating its meat.
The one below, was the seasoned fugu, just like BBQ pork, served with some mayo.
The fresh trout sashimi, not salmon. The chef joked that the quality of the trout resembled the SQ, aka Singapore Airline, while the salmon was the budget airline....what a comparison..
The
o-toro, tuna belly, with layers of fat, sandwiched in between the flesh....with fat oozing and melting in your mouth....aahhhh, SHIOK!
Akagai sashimi, sliced thinly, with some sweet sour topping
Soft shell crab maki
Asari chilli, aka lala
Sea bream sashimi
Kinki fillet....this piece costs $43, can you believe this?!
Fire-flamed tune, with faint burnt taste...yummeh!
Sea urchin (uni), sweet, fresh and not fishy at all...super nice
The chefs, Kenz and Andy, who were so friendly....Andy who loves to pose in front my camera!
Honestly, for a glutton like me, nothing will fill up my stomach, without some starchy serving of this
kani ramen, even with tons of sashimi and maki!
Lastly, some fruits and black sesame ice-cream to end the course.
Eventhough, we can always find fresh, yummiest Japanese cuisine in Singapore, with ingredients air-flown directly from Japan, but I still love to try all my FAVOURITE sashimi, sliced fresh from the fish market in Japan, or catch from the fish tanks or something. I contemplate to visit Japan (Tokyo and Hokkaido) in 5 years time....who cares about radioactive and all the nonsense! I just want my SASHIMI!
Thats all from Akashi....sayonara!
Before that, here is the address:
Akashi Japanese Restaurant
1 Tanglin Road, #01-01A Orchard Parade Hotel, Singapore
To make reservation, please call: +65 6732 4438
