Sushi Nogawa

I will just come straight to the point and say this - I was disappointed. Maybe it was a case of overly high expectations. Maybe it was just that I went on the wrong day of the week. Or maybe that I wasn't a regular there. Whatever it is, surely restaurants, especially such a reputable one as Nogawa, should ensure a minimum quality for their set lunches? Moreover, since Chef Nogawa is known as the great-grand master of all sushi chefs in Singapore, it would not be unfair to expect pretty exceptional cusine at his eponymous restaurant.

Both my friend and I ordered the chirashi sushi set (SGD35). Now I had recently had a to-die-for chirashi at Aoki (SGD35) and a very good one at Inagiku just over the weekend (SGD30 after 50% Feed At Raffles discount), so the memories were still vivid in my mind.

In comparison, Nogawa's chirashi set (SGD35) simply did not inspire any raptures. The fish was not as fresh as I would have liked, although in all fairness Chef Kelvin did include a slice of chutoro in our selection. But this was still not enough to salvage the overall impression I had of mediocrity (e.g. the rest of the fish selection like salmon was kinda average…). While the chawanmushi was passably smooth and tasty, it also did not stand up to the gold standard set by Tatsuya’s – heck, I think even Kuriya’s version is better. And when the dessert of two slices of watermelon and one slice of honeydew melon came, I found myself thinking longingly of the trio of cute desserts served at Aoki….

In future, I would probably choose to spend my 35 bucks at Aoki or Tatsuya. Surely, one shouldn’t need to go omakase (and spend a lot) to have a nice meal?

Sushi Nogawa
Concorde Hotel, 100 Orchard Road
www.sushinogawa.com