Affordable omakase

Ganko Sushi

If you are ever in the Dhoby Ghaut area and craving some quality sushi, head to the UBS Building on Penang Road, where you will find Ganko Sushi, a famed Japanese sushi chain with 101 outlets across Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore. It began as a small 15 sq m shop in Juso, Osaka in 1963, offering a complete menu of fresh sashimi, handcrafted sushi, rice bowls and innovative handrolls.

Ganko Singapore has expanded beyond its family-style restaurant roots in Japan, offering a diverse robatayaki menu and a 15-course sushi omakase experience for just $130.

The sushi omakase experience begins with a cold sesame pudding topped with sweet uni, followed by a soothing teapot soup featuring matsutake mushroom and seabream flavours. This sets the stage for the main event: 12 nigiri sushis and hand rolls, including skipjack, amaebi, otoro, and unique catches like grunt fish, black throat fish, gnome fish, sea eel, and pen shell. Each piece is delicately brushed with Marunaka Shoyu, crafted by one of Japan’s few remaining traditional breweries.

Aside from the fresh seafood flown in thrice weekly, what stood out for me was the warm shari. It has the perfect al dente bite with a flavour that lingers in the mouth thanks to the premium Chidori Vinegar folded into Niigata rice. This mellow and mild vinegar cuts out the sourness of ordinary white vinegar thanks to a two-hundred-year-old brewing recipe. Don’t be afraid to ask the chef for more (or less) rice in your nigiri sushi.

The omakase ends with a traditional prawn cake made with Japanese eggs, yam, scallops and prawns, followed by succulent musk melon and grapes. For a chain restaurant, the service here is quite stellar. Although a locally-trained sushi chef serves me, I still feel the same omotenashi hospitality I get from fine dining establishments. To book a table, call 8828 2280.