Update: Sushi chef Koike Koji recently resigned from Tamaya so the quality and dishes could be changing.

Let’s face it, the economy is a bit challenging these days and so we look of alternatives to get our sushi fix without breaking the bank. Tamaya Dining in Singapore’s “Japan Town” – essentially the area within and around Cuppage Plaza just off Orchard Road – is a good place to scratch that sushi itch.

This izakaya seats around 16 people downstairs around the counter and there are two private rooms. There are tables outside the restaurant in the covered Cuppage Terrace area as well where charcoal grilled yakitori (which I’ve not tried) are served. We were here for the sushi so we sat the counter where Tamaya’s executive chef Koike Koji prepares the sushi. Everyone else there that night was Japanese so our expectations were raised that the food was going to be good.

One of the nicest things about Tamaya Dining has to be Chef Koji-san as he is jovial and friendly and imbues the restaurant with a relaxed and casual air – so definitely more izakaya than sushiya in atmosphere. You can either order what you want at the counter or put your trust in Chef Koji-san. The omakase costs around SGD200 per person and consists of a fair share of quality fish but you can also manage the budget by ordering specifically. We did a mix – sushi alongside some orders of cooked food consisting of on the menu items as well as some seasonal specials. For fans of shirako (pictured above), the serving was very generous. Naturally, however, you can’t compare the quality and variety necessarily with the high end sushiyas in town but it’s also difficult parting with SGD400 for dinner per person excluding drinks whenever one has a craving for good sushi.

The fish that evening we were there included scallops, tuna (toro), yellow tail, and black throat sea perch (nodoguro – one of my favourites). Perhaps the one thing I would have liked a larger portion of was the sea urchin.

However, there was a good portion of monk fish liver, also in a ponzu sauce.

I enjoyed the seasonal vegetable that was served tempura style. Let’s face it tempura anything is good. I also liked the broiled eel – again decent sized portions – served with a nice yuzu pepper and wasabi.

Sticking with the deep fried foods – at Chef Koji-san’s recommendation, we also had the Japanese yam which was a specialty for the evening. This was excellent – nicely fried with a light batter.

To be honest, I’ve had better nodoguro – which I tend to prefer simply grilled. At Tamaya Dining this was prepared with a slightly sweet soy-sauce. It wasn’t bad but just didn’t compare to my very first introduction to the fish which I had in Michelin 3-star Chihana in Kyoto. So this is probably not a fair comparison. But it is better then the one I had in Itaru Honzen – a popular izakaya in Kanazawa (but that place is super cheap).

While we ordered a fair share of cooked dishes – which is a benefit that this is an izakaya and not just a sushiya – we did have quite a lot of sushi, most of which I chose not to photograph (I’ll call it sushi photo fatigue). We ended our meal with the ubiquitous fruit serving – melon and nice sweet strawberries.

Tamaya Dining has a decent selection of sake. The most expensive junmai daiginjo sake on the menu was around SGD150 for a 750ml bottle and there are cheaper choices. So I would say the pricing is moderate, generally in tune with the food. The choice of Japanese beer is also decent – there was a good Kirin dry draft on tap.

The restaurant doesn’t have a website but can be found on Facebook (link here). Reservations are recommended if you want a spot at the sushi counter in front of chef Koji-san. You won’t need a reservation if you sit in the terrace area but I recommend the counter. Tamaya Dining is open daily for dinner (no lunch).