Japanese sumiyaki restaurant San-Sui Sumiyaki & Bar bolsters its menu with new additions.
Contributed By Yong Yung Shin
Ebi To Karasumi
Having opened up a year ago, San-Sui Sumiyaki & Bar recently beefed up its menu to offer new creations. As denoted by its name, the bay-fronting restaurant specializes in sumiyaki (traditional charcoal grill) items, perfect for after-work late bites (the sumiyaki counters close at 1 a.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays and 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays).
We kicked off our tasting with a starter of Nagaimo Karaage (S$9), deep-fried Japanese long yam akin to gourmet fries—coated in a crispy salted crust, each golden stick is powdery perfection. The Ebi To Karasumi Ae (S$16) is a new addition that is rather unusual; instead of the sweet amaebi sashimi prawns, large Australian prawns are used. It is an acquired taste, but nevertheless an interesting one. Each serving comprises five raw prawns doused in black truffle oil and served with a slice of dried mullet roe—it is a savory combination of brine and earthiness that will cause your palate to do a double-take.
Buta Niku Maki Onigiri
The sumiyaki section, available for dinner only, features 50 varieties of skewered items. New additions include the Buta Niku Maki Onigiri (S$9) or grilled Kurobuta pork rice balls, and the Buta Ume Shiso (S$6), grilled pork belly marinated in tangy plum sauce. The latter is most interesting compared to variations elsewhere thanks to the slivers of shiso leaves wedged in between each layer of pork, giving a unique piquancy to each bite. Both dishes bear lovely charred overtones as a result of grilling over a binchotan fire—a smokeless white charcoal that burns well at very high temperatures, resulting in quick searing of ingredients to lock in the flavors.
While it offers a wide collection of Japanese beers and wines, its new Nihon-tini menu is worth a try too. Playing around with Japanese alcohol namely sake, shochu and umeshu, the bartenders serve up interesting cocktails such as My Sweet Basil (S$16), a blend of vodka, umeshu, strawberries and basil and R&R (S$18), a luscious concoction of rum, raisin-infused shochu, cream, honey and vanilla.
Hiyashi Ramen. PHOTOS COURTESY OF SAN-SUI SUMIYAKI & BAR.
New choice offerings on the mains menu include the Teppan Wagyu Suteeki (S$30), flavorful slices of pan-grilled grade 9 marbling wagyu beef, served with mixed mushrooms and burdock that have been sautéed in butter and Japanese soy sauce. If that’s too much to stomach after all the sumiyaki snacking, go for the Hiyashi Ramen (S$20), a cold vegetarian ramen dish topped with julienne of cucumber, tamago and aburaage (deep-fried tofu skin), drizzled with a light but tasty wasabi-sesame oil-soy sauce mix.
With direct vistas of the Singapore River and Marina Bay Sands, the restaurant’s alfresco section is the first pick of most patrons, but those who opt to sit indoors (from 8 p.m.) will enjoy a complimentary serving
of sake.
San-Sui Sumiyaki & Bar
One Fullerton,
One Fullerton Road, #01-05,
Singapore 049213
+65 6423 1555
