hits a home run: Kushigin Japanese Restaurant

Sudden craving for Japanese food?!

Well, that was exactly what Sow, Lynn and I felt on some random day!

After doing some research homework on the internet for worthy Japanese cuisine, I settled upon this highly-raved Japanese restaurant, Izakaya Nijumaru Restaurant, which was located at level 2 of Cuppage Plaza!

But alas, on the very day...

Izakaya was a full-house! You wouldn't believe it but there were even queues forming outside just to get into the restaurant!

Damn it, which reminded me that I should have listened to my instincts and made a reservation but I didn't have time to as I had my skin appointment till late afternoon before rushing back home to change and head back to Orchard again!

Oh yeah, in case you guys were wondering, why I can't just go down to Orchard straight after my dermatologist's appointment (since it's only at Mount E.), it's because my daddykins have this weird policy whereby we have to dress shabbily when we see the doctor so the doctor would deem us as poor and wouldn't even dream of overcharging us!

Which is lame, I know! But, I had to respect my dad's thinking especially since he's the one paying! Lol!

By the way, sidetrack a bit but before we finally decided to head down to Izakaya (after meeting up at 313@Somerset), Sow and I were stuck between Izakaya and this Japanese buffet restaurant at Heeren called Kiseki but we eventually stuck to Izakaya! Which was a bad decision since it was already full house! Aargh!

Anyway, my mind was stumped blank when I saw the crowd inside and outside the restaurant but thank goodness, Lynn, ever the clear-headed one, suggested we head down to the other Japanese restaurant we spotted earlier on as we made our way up!

Like woahs, way to go Lynn! Lol! Thought your eyes and mind were only whirled 'round that "orh nee" or rather yam paste we saw along the way!

And the other Japanese restaurant was none other than...Kushigin Japanese Restaurant!

Sow and Lynn!

Oh yeah, taken at the entrance of the restaurant!

Me and Sow!

Dressed like a working professional to complement Sow's outfit!

Anyway, knowing me, I'm always damn blur or getting into trouble and that day was no exception! Went into the restaurant first and I thought that guy in his orange polo tee was some staff or something since he was walking towards me!

So naturally, I stopped him in his tracks and said, "Hi, can we have a table for three please?" and that guy was dumbfounded and said blankly, "I'm not..." It was my turn then to feel stupid cause I looked down and saw the Visa receipt in the guy's hand and there it was, clear as day, that he wasn't working here! Uh-oh!

Thank goodness the guy was nice and just smiled nicely at me as he made his way out of the restaurant (although I'm not sure whether he rolled on the floor and laughed out loud at my bimbo-ness after that!)

Anyway, we were ushered into the restaurant (rather quickly) by this Japanese lady and given the menus! And woahs, the prices tagged were quite steep, not cheap at all!

Studied the menu for a while but I really wanted some freshly-sliced sashimi (afterall, you can eat the bentos and whatever all the time at food courts and Sakae Sushi right?) but the sashimi on the menu were exorbitantly-priced until...I spotted the promotion menu!

Wahahas! Cheapo me spotted this plate of swordfish sashimi going for S$14 and it looked like such a cheap steal as compared to the ones on the menu!

However, I was still quite cautious about the quality and asked the Japanese lady whether the sashimi was fresh and her response was super funny! She was like, "Ohhh very fresh! Just flew in, whoosh (complete with airplane diving action) from Japan!"

Of course when we heard this, we were instantaneously sold and so we ordered the swordfish sashimi to be shared amongst ourselves! In addition to this order, we also ordered the Sake Shioyaki Set (Grilled Salmon), Saba Shioyaki Set (Grilled Horse Mackerel) and some vegetable hotpot!

Some individual appetizer we were served immediately upon entering!
However, this appetizer isn't complimentary free (as stated in the menu)
But I really liked it as it really cleans your palate and
the vegetables were not too sour and still crispy!
Yummy Rating: 3.0/5

Our Swordfish Sashimi!
Erm which came in like five pathetic pieces!
It was very fresh though!
Although I can't tell whether it was really recently air-flown in or
whether they just have a really cold fridge!
Yummy Rating: 3.2/5

My Sake Shioyaki Set!
Check out the side dishes that came with it!
We all unanimously agreed that the vegetables side dishes at the top left hand corner
tasted like "Chap Chai" (or rather Stewed Mixed Vegetables)

Close up of my Salmon!
The salmon tasted very dry and oily!
Plus the grated radish couldn't help much when I ate it together!
The side dishes were passable though!
Yummy Rating: 2.7/5

The hot pot that we ordered was served up next! But I forgot to snap a photo of it! Oops!

Anyway, the hot pot was actually not too bad as it had plenty of vegetables and tofu inside! If you are a veggie and tofu lover like me, you would probably like it! However, the vegetable broth in the hot pot didn't tasted like soup instead it tasted more like gravy as I felt that it was too salty and thick for me!

Kimmie's verdict:

Oh yeah, the food wasn't that impressive though I guessed it would serve as a good alternative if Izakaya Nijumaru was crowded yet again!

But then again, this wasn't quite a fair verdict as I found out that (through my internet research) we ordered the relatively unknown dishes there and not the Yakitori dishes that Kushingin was truly renowned for, which I later realized!

Damn it! Never mind, shall head back there someday to try their critically acclaimed Yakitori Obento (which contained 5 yakitori and more!)

But overall, the dinner was made enjoyable by my lovely companions, Sow and Lynn, and we had a great time chatting about work, life, studies, lecturers, celebrities gossips and about criteria for our dream boyfriends!