Ashino is the latest in high-end specialty sushi restaurants in Singapore but is unique as some of its fish is cured leaving it tender but tasty. Much like counterparts in Japan, this restaurant only seats ten diners around a sushi master. While I also like the other sushi places in town, I think that Ashino ranks highest for me in terms of the quality of its sushi.
Sushi chef Taku Ashino, who was formerly at Marina Bay Sands’ Hide Yamamoto, now has full rein to unleash his sushi in a restaurant at Chijmes. Recently opened in June, the restaurant seats up to ten diners around him. He has another chef to help prepare the cooked dishes.
The main difference between his sushi and those of peers Shinji by Kanesaka (at Raffles and St Regis hotels) and Hashida (at Mandarin Gallery) – both of which are also good – is that chef Ashino cooks his sushi rice in an iron kettle using mountain water (from Mt. Fuji) and cures some of the fish. I think this helped remove some of that excessive fishiness that you can get in some clams and mackerel but at the same time, the fish is left fresh and tender. I also really liked his portion of fish to rice – less rice means you fell less stodgy at the end of the meal and it doesn’t overwhelm the delicacy of the fish.
I do think that Shinji still probably has the better abalone sushi and Hashida’s otoro, desserts and plating are more impressive but for the overall sushi, I’d recommend Ashino over the others. As we were celebrating a birthday, we went for the full omakase dinner (SGD400 per person). The lunch abbreviated omakase is SGD250. There is also a course menu at SGD120-SGD180 at lunch and SGD220-SGD300 at dinner. So yes, it’s as, if not more expensive, than a top sushi restaurant in Japan, but minus the cost of the plane ticket.
The photos here don’t show the complete meal. Ashino also served a delicious mackerel, junsai and leek soup that I really enjoyed. Junsai is water shield – a plant that resembles a small lily. Also not all sushi is shown – there are a few clam and shellfish sushi whose exact details I don’t have.
The grilled ayu was served with a fish liver and Japanese sweet corn paste. But I enjoyed the fish as it was – ayu has a sweetness and the skin is nicely crisp. The Shima Aji, pictured below, was surprising – I’m not a big fan of most mackerel due to its relative fishiness but the curing with salt left the fish tasting lighter and I really enjoyed it.
I liked the way Ashino presented the grilled unagi using a wild eel – it was simply grilled and served alongside a couple different salts and wasabi. I found the eel was good as it was and salt was not necessary.
The dessert, in keeping with the tradition of sushi restaurants in Japan was a simple ice cream or fruit. Of the sushi I’ve not pictured in this note, I have to make mention of the golden eye snapper sushi, which was also very good. There was also a bonito that was marinated in an onion sauce that made the sushi more tasty and special.
Unless you can wait until flying to Japan, I’d recommend Ashino to get your fix of good sushi. I note there are cheaper sushi places in town but I’d rather save up for a splurge at one of these high end sushi restaurants. It’s a completely different level of satisfaction.
Ashino is opened for lunch and dinner from Tuesday to Sunday. It’s open on Monday nights only as a sake bar with bites.
The Chijmes Ashino website: http://chijmes.com.sg/ashino/