The entrance of the restaurant is very minimalist and full of zen influences. It is just a stilted wooden door with a small rectangular lantern, which has "Sushi Kimura" written" on it, beside it. This is sophistication realized in simplicity. The same goes for the interior with the hinoki wood counter as the centrepiece. In fact, the food can be said to be culinary excellence realized in simplicity.
Let me first rave about the best and most beautiful salad actually comes hot on the trail of the best chawamushi, which I will talk about later. No sauce is needed. The ingredients of seaweed, leafy greens, root vegetables and tomato are left on their own to tell their stories through the myriad of subtle flavours stored within them. For a bit of kick, dab the vegetables into the colourful sesame seeds for small bursts of nutty aroma and saltiness. And the tomato is oh-so-sweet-and-juicy. I love how the chef creates something much more out of these seemingly usual starters of Japanese meal.
Appetizer is a refreshing concoction of ikura, yuzu jelly, bean curd skin, wasabi and a scattering of finely grated citrus peel. The aroma of citrus and yuzu compliments the intense briny flavour of the ikura very well. And the bean curd skin is amazingly smooth and silky. After finishing this appetizer, appetite is totally whetted at this point in time.
Next up after the salad is the best chawamushi made with spring water from Hokkaido. The taste of the custard is clean and packed with umami goodness due to the generous addition of hairy crab meat and cod fish milt, also known as shirako. And in case anyone wonders what is cod fish milt. Well, it is fish sperm. Yes, no typo error here. But I can testify it taste real good. It is a bit like mildly flavoured seafood paste with a dash of dairy added. I had tried shirako before at other establishments, and I had never been impressed with it, until now. This chawamushi looks unassuming and ordinary on the surface, yet it is one of the best chawamushi I have because the premium ingredients.
The cooked fish is kind of like intermission, it is fresh and well-cooked, but not exactly noteworthy. I kind of wish another sushi replaces this dish instead. The accompanying burdock is fantastic though since it is sweet and juicy.
The sushi pieces are, of course, the highlights of the meal. This is partly because the rice used is special A-grade Tsuya-hime organic rice soaked with organic premium vinegar from Kyoto. With a bit of tangy taste, the rice is incredibly fragrant and full of flavours. This got to be the best sushi rice I ever have. The fishes are without a doubt very fresh. I love it that the chef is very generous to serve up huge pieces of meticulously prepared, melt-in-your-mouth, umami rich fishes that almost cover the entire rice hidden underneath. In fact, the amount of fish to the rice feels that it defines the golden ration for sushi.
Every sushi here is of excellent quality, from Kanpachi, two types of snappers, maguro zuke to shima aji—this is the freshest and best prepared mackerel with absolutely no fishy smell that is usually present in this class of fishes.
And I got to make a special mention of the chutoro. The rich buttery taste of chutoro sends me melting in delight.
Charcoal-grilled scallop wrapped in Shin Nori, which is the highest grade nori from Ariake Sea, wins me over simply with the quality of its ingredients. The nori has the pronounced aroma of toasted seaweed and the perfect papery brittle texture. Unlike most nori, it is a star of its own when paired with the succulent scallop.
Uni is usually the last dish of the mains, and yes, we have Uni Ikura Rice Bowl, and with an onsen egg. This is obviously a very decadent dish, being incredibly rich in flavour due to the said ingredients, especially the sweet, creamy and briny uni. I like it a lot. But at the same time, while I am enjoying this dish, I have a very strong craving for just a simple uni sushi. I just want to savour a mound of oh-so-sinful uni stacked on top of the organic rice. I feel that the runny onsen egg coating the uni pieces is distracting my senses from fully appreciating the creaminess and sweetness of uni. So I end up feeling that this uni dish did not allow this dining experience to end on a high note like I had expected. Now I know why one of the customers requested to change this dish to negitoro roll, his companions did not though, so I guess this is up to personal taste.
The fantastic Hokkaido Onion Soup does bring some kind of nice closure to the meal though. I love the hints of sweetness and light pungent smell of onions present in the clear soup.
Dessert is consisted of delicately prepared rice crackers, sesame jelly, red bean paste and persimmon. The sesame jelly is so full of earthy goodness. The red bean and crackers compliment it very well.
The service here is exceptional. Perfection in every area.
If I really have to compare with Shinji, I say the quality of sushi of Sushi Kimura is always way above the bar, while it is kind of like a roller coaster ride in Shinji, where the sushi ranges from good to oh-so-good that it is mind-blowing—take note that this is only when I dine with my favourite chef in Shinji. I love that kind of anticipation when I see the chef in Shinji starting to prepare the sushi I have been waiting for. So with Sushi Kimura, I have that feeling when I see the Uni Ikura Rice Bowl being prepared, but after eating it, I know I will not have that feeling anymore if I visit again. Well, I will request to change to negitoro next time.
This restaurant stands out through bringing out the best in the premium ingredients through dedicated preparation of the food. No frills. Pure simplicity. And all the sushi pieces and dishes like appetizer, salad, chawamushi and onion soup are exceptionally good. This is the place to savour traditional, pure, awesome sushi.
My Thoughts: Excellent!
Nearest car park: Palais Renaissance's car park
Nearest MRT: Orchard, take note that the road junction at Ion is closed. So from MRT station, head to Wheelock through the underground Ion Link. Yes, stay underground till at Wheelock before getting out into the sun or rain
390 Orchard Road
#01-07 Palais Renaissance
Contact No: 67343520
