Maguro-Donya Miura-Misaki-Kou Sushi & Dining Tasting Session
3 Temasek Boulevard
#03-314 Suntec City - Eat At Seven
Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 10:30pm
https://www.facebook.com/MiuraMisakiKouSushiAndDiningSG/
http://www.neo-emotion.jp/
This was an invited media review. I did not pay for the meal during the free hosted tasting session, but I did pay the standard price during subsequent visits.
Attended with representatives from HungryGoWhere, Chubby Botak Koala, Purple Taste, and The Arctic Star.
Reserve a table with instant confirmation at HungryGoWhere Book A Table @ Maguro-Donya Miura-Misaki-Kou Sushi & Dining now!
The Best Bluefin Tuna Sashimi In Singapore
(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 9
Ambience & Setting: 8
Food & Beverage: 10
Service: 10
Value for Money: 9
Budget about SGD $50 ++ per person.
.....
In Tokyo, Japan, the Yazaemon & Megumi Kaiten Sushi brand is reowned as being among the best maguro / bluefin tuna and sashimi wholesale suppliers and eateries. Owning their own fleet of fishing trawlers and ships, and practising sustainable fishing, allows them to offer the absolute freshest seafood sashimi in their restaurants year round. In July 2015, they partnered All Nippon Airways (ANA) Trading (which flies in the supplies), Komars Group, and local veteran restaurateur Mr Andrew Tan from Tomo F&B Pte Ltd, to open their 1st overseas foray, Maguro-Donya Miura-Misaki-Kou Sushi & Dining.
Operating as part of the Eat At Seven dining concept in Suntec City, which is a collection of 7 famous Japanese restaurants who are expanding overseas for the 1st time, Maguro-Donya Miura-Misaki-Kou Sushi & Dining promises to offer the same high level of quality and freshness in their premium seafood. Exactly the same as what you'll get in Tokyo, Japan, but with much shorter queues! The fish are sourced from Miura-Misaki-Kou port, hence the long name of the restaurant!
 |
| Eat At Seven Signage |
 |
| Eat At Seven Floor Plan |
Ambience at Maguro-Donya Miura-Misaki-Kou Sushi & Dining resembles the traditional Japanese homes, with minimalist decor, and ample wooden furniture and panelling. Clean, simple lines, lit with warm lighting, an assortment of varying furniture to accomodate different customers depending on group size, as well as a brightly lit, open sushi / sashimi counter where you can watch as the 3 Japanese chefs prepare your orders. There is a sense of peaceful zen, a tranquil feeling when dining here, though I understand it can get somewhat noisy when it's crowded.
 |
| Maguro-Donya Miura-Misaki-Kou Sushi & Dining Signage |
 |
| Maguro-Donya Miura-Misaki-Kou Sushi & Dining Exterior |
 |
| Maguro-Donya Miura-Misaki-Kou Sushi & Dining Interior |
Service at Maguro-Donya Miura-Misaki-Kou Sushi & Dining befits a fine dining establishment. Heading up the team is former lecturer turned restaurant manager David Lim, a friendly and knowledgable gentlemen who spent time in Tokyo, Japan, learning all about sashimi. Seriously, the man is like a walking encyclopedia on sashimi, I came away from this visit having learnt more! He even has a custom made Bluefin Tuna Demo Kit, which he uses to demonstrate where the various cuts of maguro / bluefin tuna sashimi come from! Excellent! The other staff obviously aren't as knowledgable, but are still professional and friendly. Orders are fulfilled quickly, and empty / dirty tables are also cleared efficiently. You can also converse with the 3 Japanese chefs if you sit at the counter.
 |
| Seating Wall Panels |
 |
| Seating Communal |
 |
| Seating Booth |
 |
| Seating Sushi Counter |
 |
| Bluefin Tuna Demo Kit |
Food at Maguro-Donya Miura-Misaki-Kou Sushi & Dining is all about the freshest, premium cuts of sashimi, and excellent quality sushi. To ensure the same level of freshness and quality as their other restaurants in Tokyo, Japan, the freshly caught fish are prepared using shinkeijime, a technique which stops lactic acid from developing, and immediately kept deep frozen in -60°C. Flown directly to Singapore by All Nippon Airways (ANA) the same day, the fish are kept in this state until it's ready to be thawed for serving. Even their premium Hokkaido rice in their sushi is treated with such great care, when prepared, the Japanese chefs use a deliberate diagonal cutting technique which allows air to circulate through the rice, giving it a nice softness without it becoming mushy or clumpy. Each dish is absolutely fresh and tasty! And due to the strong partnership, prices are kept affordable, and cater to all market segments, from SGD $18 - $300 or more. Generally, budget about SGD $50 for a decent meal here, without drinks.
From the time the fish is caught, to the time it's served on your table, can be less than 24 hours! You cannot get it any fresher, unless you flew to Tokyo, Japan, and ate it on the spot! And even for those who don't like maguro / bluefin tuna, it's likely because you've been subjected to much lower quality versions all along, so it's worth visiting Maguro-Donya Miura-Misaki-Kou Sushi & Dining to eat the real deal!
 |
| Neko Neko Chopstick Holder |
 |
| Neko Neko Chopstick Holder |
 |
| Neko Neko Chopstick Holder |
 |
| Green Tea |
The 3 Cuts Of Hon Maguro / Bluefin Tuna - Akami / Top Loin, Chutoro / Bottom Loin, Otoro / Belly (SGD $38 Per Portion) is the star dish here. The maguro / bluefin tuna flesh of this 'Wagyu of Fish' is so naturally sweet, clean, and fresh, that I encourage eating it only with a small dab of Wasabi and a light touch of soy sauce, which has been flavoured with katsuobushi / bonito. Never dip the entire piece of sashimi into the soy sauce, which kind of destroys the taste!
The deep red Akami / Top Loin is the leanest, meatiest cut, with the most firm texture, savoury sweet with a light bitterness. The medium pink Chutoro / Bottom Loin has a fatty, velvety texture, with a more pronounced savoury sweet flavour. The most luxurious cut is the light pink Otoro / Belly, incredibly soft and tender, with a sweet, pleasant oily taste, super sublime! A portion (2 - 3 slices) of Otoro / Belly elsewhere can cost anywhere between SGD $20 - $40, so it's a testament to the buying power of the Eat At Seven group that the prices here are so cheap!
 |
| 3 Cuts Of Hon Maguro / Bluefin Tuna - Akami / Top Loin, Chutoro / Bottom Loin, Otoro / Belly (SGD $38 Per Portion, Pictured 2 Portions) |
 |
| 3 Cuts Of Hon Maguro / Bluefin Tuna - Akami / Top Loin, Chutoro / Bottom Loin, Otoro / Belly (SGD $38 Per Portion, Pictured 2 Portions) |
 |
| Hon Maguro / Bluefin Tuna - Akami / Top Loin |
 |
| Hon Maguro / Bluefin Tuna - Chutoro / Bottom Loin |
 |
| Hon Maguro / Bluefin Tuna - Otoro / Belly |
 |
| Wasabi |
The Hon Maguro / Bluefin Tuna - Tomi / Head (SGD $58 Per Portion) is something you may not even get in Tokyo, Japan! This incredibly rare cut of Tomi / Head comes from a small section just above the head, and the entire cut is only about 8 inches long, and 2 inches wide. As befitting its rare status, Tomi / Head is usually thinly sliced, and commands a premium price!
The way Tomi / Head is served here is unique. Super thin slices of Tomi / Head are frozen, and served within ice. We're warned that room temperature actually causes the Tomi / Head to melt, rather like ice cream, and thus should be consumed immediately. Small dab of wasabi, light touch of soy sauce, and the whole slice goes into the mouth. It's strange to describe fish having that melt-in-your-mouth texture, but that was really how it felt, the flesh was so luxurious, clean, sweet, and fresh, and so thin that you could actually feel it just dissolving away, without having to chew!
 |
| Hon Maguro / Bluefin Tuna - Tomi / Head (SGD $58 Per Portion, Pictured 4 Portions) |
 |
| Hon Maguro / Bluefin Tuna - Tomi / Head |
The Hon Maguro Yamamori Hikkaki Gunkan / Bluefin Tuna Scraped Mountain Battleship Sushi (SGD $12) was described by the staff as 'Wow' and 'Yum', and they were right! The presentation was 'Wow', the stack of scraped maguro / bluefin tuna was like a mountain! There's even a sequence to eating this, first, divide the little mountain of scraped maguro / bluefin tuna, bury a small dollop of wasabi within, then close up the mountain again. Second, use ginger slices to dab a little soy sauce across the top, then set the ginger aside. Finally, put the entire morsel into your mouth in 1 go! The staff were right about the taste as well, this was definitely 'Yum'!
 |
| Hon Maguro Yamamori Hikkaki Gunkan / Bluefin Tuna Scraped Mountain Battleship Sushi (SGD $12) |
 |
| Hon Maguro Yamamori Hikkaki Gunkan / Bluefin Tuna Scraped Mountain Battleship Sushi |
The Bara Chirashi Don / Mixed Happiness Rice Bowl (SGD $16) is among the best you'll find in Singapore. The premium Hokkaido rice is prepared with care, resulting in a texture that is soft and sticky, but not clumpy or mushy. So fragrant! The toppings are large and well mixed, with tamago / egg, aori ika / big fin reef squid, sake / salmon, maguro / bluefin tuna - akami / top loin, ikura / salmon roe, and wasabi infused tobiko / flying fish roe. Truly, it's happiness in a bowl!
 |
| Bara Chirashi Don / Mixed Happiness Rice Bowl (SGD $16) |
 |
| Bara Chirashi Don / Mixed Happiness Rice Bowl |
Was very pleased with the Kaisen Don / Seafood Sashimi Rice Bowl (SGD $17), with its 7 different varieties of seafood sashimi, sliced over that excellent sushi rice. Featuring 1 slice of anago / saltwater eel (sweeter and softer than unagi / freshwater eel), 1 slice of aori ika / big fin reef squid, 1 slice of sake / salmon, 1 slice of maguro / bluefin tuna - akami / top loin, 2 slices of botan ebi / jumbo Hokkaido shrimp / prawn, 1 slice of hotate / scallop, and 1 slice of hamachi / yellowtail fish. Delicious!
 |
| Kaisen Don / Seafood Sashimi Rice Bowl (SGD $17) |
 |
| Kaisen Don / Seafood Sashimi Rice Bowl |
The Hon Maguro Hikkaki Aburi Don / Bluefin Tuna Scraped Torched Rice Bowl (SGD $36) is a performance unto itself, the bowl is actually torched tableside, as part of the dining experience! Served over that excellent sushi rice, the duo of scraped and sliced maguro / bluefin tuna, with a light torching, gives it a whole additional depth of flavour! You can taste the savoury smoky flavour on the exterior of the fish, and that same excellent, fresh, savoury sweet flavour of the fish itself. Great!
 |
| Hon Maguro Hikkaki Aburi Don / Bluefin Tuna Scraped Torched Rice Bowl (SGD $36) |
 |
| Hon Maguro Hikkaki Aburi Don / Bluefin Tuna Scraped Torched Rice Bowl |
The Maguro Megumi Trio Set (SGD $49) is only available at lunch, and is a great value for money meal! Featuring 3 beautiful cuts of Hon Maguro / Bluefin Tuna, prepared in 3 different ways (sashimi, tataki, yaki / grilled), this filling meal is served with sides of white rice, chawanmushi / steamed egg custard, miso soup, pickles, watermelon and orange slices. I especially loved the Hon Maguro Kama Toro Yaki / Grilled Bluefin Tuna Collar, with its flaky, smoky salty savoury pieces of tuna fish meat.
 |
| Maguro Megumi Trio Set (SGD $49) |
 |
| Hon Maguro Kama Toro Yaki / Grilled Bluefin Tuna Collar |
 |
| Hon Maguro / Bluefin Tuna - Akami / Top Loin |
 |
| Hon Maguro Chutoro Tataki / Seared Bluefin Tuna Bottom Loin |
 |
| Chawanmushi & Miso Soup |
 |
| White Rice |
 |
| Watermelon & Orange |
 |
| Pickles |
While the front of house is ably led by Restaurant Manager David Lim, the kitchen is headed up by General Manager & Chef Souki Watanabe. Filling out the experience on the team is Executive Chef Shuji Sawada, who brings years of Japanese culinary experience to the table. Finally, there is the young-looking Sushi Chef Takuya Matsumoto, who came to shake hands with us. Only later did I discover that he normally doesn't shake hands with people, as his job requires that his hands are constantly cold, to be able to prepare and thaw the sashimi! Thanks chef! We were also told that his hands are super soft (they are), due to the near constant exposure to fish oil, rich in Omega-3 fatty acids!
 |
| Restaurant Manager David Lim & Kitchen Team |
 |
| General Manager & Chef Souki Watanabe |
 |
| Executive Chef Shuji Sawada |
 |
| Sushi Chef Takuya Matsumoto |
Overall, Maguro-Donya Miura-Misaki-Kou Sushi & Dining serves up the freshest, best tasting maguro / bluefin tuna sashimi in Singapore. More than just a meal, dining here is a learning experience, thanks to restaurant manager David Lim, and I walked away with a greater appreciation and understanding of sashimi, and Japanese culture. I urge anyone who has a passing interest or liking for either sashimi or Japanese culture to pay a visit to Maguro-Donya Miura-Misaki-Kou Sushi & Dining, you won't regret it!
Reserve a table with instant confirmation at HungryGoWhere Book A Table @ Maguro-Donya Miura-Misaki-Kou Sushi & Dining now!
.....
.....
.....
CONVERSATION