A yen for these
A new restaurant on the block, a two Michelin-starred hotspot and the return of a crowd favourite.
Pharmaceutical executive-turned-entrepreneur Hisamizu Takahashi’s first F&B venture, RIZU, isn't a traditional sushi restaurant. Instead, jazz music plays in the background of this dimly-lit 30-odd-seater in Duxton Hill as diners pick from a small but well-curated menu featuring assorted live fish sashimi, nigiri sushi, signature rolls and more. The latter two stand out, including the accessibly priced five-piece assorted nigiri ($30) and the spicy crunchy tuna roll (S$32), which comes with minced tuna, spicy mentaiko, tempura crumbs and spicy mayo. We say, skip the desserts and leave some room for carbs. Among the three types of rice bowls on the menu, the star is the indulgent and moreish Sea Eel, Urchin, Salmon Roe Foie Gras and Caviar Rice Bowl ($50). 39 Duxton Hill. Tel: 6904 8880
Sushi Hashida's new home is now a stately two-storey Mohamed Sultan shophouse, comprising a bar and three dining rooms on the ground floor. The upper dining hall hosts private events, meetings and weddings for those who want a more exclusive venue. The autumn menu highlights seafood prepared in exacting ways, such as kinmedai torched on skin side to release its oils, while the last of the summer bonito sashimi exudes succulent sweetness with clam liver sauce. Chef Kenjiro 'Hatch' Hashida has turned his thoughts to sustainability, in big and small ways. He takes wasabi root skins, normally discarded, to be cooked in soy sauce and combined with fresh wasabi for a textural condiment. All his ingredients are organically farmed, and free from genetically modified organisms or antibiotics. Under new parent company Cloud Eight, chef Hatch is also opening in Ellis Street, San Francisco in January and Tokyo in August 2019. Lunch from $80 and dinner from $300.
25 Mohamed Sultan Road. Tel: 8428 8787