Uoshin Zushi Tasting Session
82 Amoy Street
Opening Hours:
Mon - Sat: 11:30am - 3pm (Lunch), 6pm - 10pm (Dinner),
Closed Sun
https://www.facebook.com/UoshinZushiSG/
This was an invited media review. I did not pay for the meal during the free hosted tasting session.
Attended with representatives from HungryGoWhere, Purple Taste, msginginly, and Food Gem.
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| Natsu Sashimi (SGD $32++) |
Decent, Affordable Japanese Dishes With A Family-Friendly Environment
(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 7
Ambience & Setting: 7
Food & Beverage: 6
Service: 7
Value for Money: 8
Budget about SGD $28 per person.
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Since May 2017, Uoshin Zushi has been quietly serving up decent, tasty Japanese dishes, in a family-friendly environment, all at affordable prices. The owners hail from Malaysia, where they run a successful Japanese restaurant, and the chefs are classically trained in Japanese cooking techniques. Uoshin Zushi has since become very popular, especially during weekday lunches, for their competitive prices and quick service.
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| Uoshin Zushi Signage |
Ambience at Uoshin Zushi stands in stark contrast to the other drinking places around Amoy Street... it's actually more family-friendly, being open, brightly lit, and spacious. Sturdy wooden furniture is neatly arranged within the good-sized floor space, and they're accomodating to children, though they don't have a play area. I notice diners like to sit around the open kitchen bar, and watch the chefs at work. However, the openess also means ambient noise levels can be bustling.
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| Uoshin Zushi Exterior |
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| Uoshin Zushi Interior |
Service at Uoshin Zushi is friendly, down-to-earth, and quick. Being family-owned, you'll actually have the owners come around and make conversation with you, and they're just as helpful when queried on dishes. However, their staff don't display the same level of product knowledge. Still, they're efficient at fulfilling orders, and proactively clear away empty / finished plates throughout your meal. They're particularly speedy at serving during lunch, yet still manage to produce consistently tasty dishes.
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| Open Kitchen & Bar |
Food at Uoshin Zushi is classic Japanese cuisine, with some modern house-made creations. Taste and quality is largely targetted to Singaporeans, coming across with mass market appeal. As such, they offer a wide variety of dishes, made with decently fresh ingredients. Portions are nicely sized for individuals, and they have a good range of small appetizers for sharing. Prices differ, the most value for money is weekday lunches, while dinner prices are higher but you get bigger portions. Budget about SGD $28 per person for a meal here.
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| Sake Bottles |
A cup of warm Green Tea (SGD $1.50) to accompany a meal, so satisfiying.
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| Green Tea (SGD $1.50) |
I don't usually go for Edamame (SGD $3), but these are pretty good. The immature soy beans in the pod have a light dusting of salt, giving it a nice addictive touch that compliments the crunchy texture.
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| Edamame (SGD $3) |
The Fish Skin Kaarage (SGD $3) is so good. Light, crisp, and not too greasy, with a delicate savoury salty flavour. I understand these are made from flash-fried salmon fish skin. Makes for a great drinking snack. Highly recommended!
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| Fish Skin Kaarage (SGD $3) |
The Miso Soup (SGD $2) is special, because beyond using quality miso paste, they've mixed the broth with dashi / seaweed soup / broth, resulting in layers of savoury and sweet notes that really stand out on the palate. Good!
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| Miso Soup (SGD $2) |
The Chawanmushi (SGD $3) here is average at best, the wobbly soft egg custard having a silky smooth texture with a delicate sweet eggy flavour.
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| Chawanmushi (SGD $3) |
The house made Potato Salad (SGD $2) actually contains more egg than potato, and the entire mixture has been finely mashed, making it easy to eat. Nice sweet savoury starchy flavours. Good choice for a side dish or appetizer.
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| Potato Salad (SGD $2) |
The Natsu Sashimi (SGD $32++) is served in an elaborate wooden bowl, with 5 different cuts of fish and seafood sashimi. The cuts depend on availability, and may include Akami Maguro / Bluefin Tuna Loin, Maguro Otoro / Tuna Belly, Shake / Salmon, Shake Harasu / Salmon Belly, Hamachi / Yellowtail, Kanpachi / Greater Amberjack, Hotate / Scallop, or Amaebi / Spot Prawn / Sweet Shrimp.
The sashimi is fresh, thickly sliced with a good chew. Delicate notes of sweet savoury flavour, so clean-tasting. Because this place targets Singaporeans, their salmon cuts tend to be of better quality than their tuna cuts. What surprised me the most was the Hamachi / Yellowtail, which had a lovely bite to it.
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| Natsu Sashimi (SGD $32++) |
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| Natsu Sashimi |
Decent Tamago Yaki Nigiri (SGD $1.40 per piece) here, the fluffy soft spongy Japanese egg omelette laid over a small ball of sticky fluffy sushi white rice, wrapped with a piece of seaweed. Alright quality.
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| Tamago Yaki Nigiri (SGD $1.40 per piece) |
The Uoshin Zushi Aburi Salmon Set (SGD $8 for 5 pieces) is a good sampler platter of aburi salmon fish, with each of the 5 pieces being garnished differently. Each piece features a slice of smoky savoury sweet torched salmon fish, over a small ball of fluffy sticky Japanese sushi white rice. The Roasted Salmon With Mayonnaise Nigiri has a garnish of lightly torched creamy mayonnaise, slightly caramelised with a soft crunch. The Roasted Salmon With Honey Lemon Nigiri is the most unique, with tangy zesty sour sweet burst of flavour from the honey lemon sauce, though this also somewhat negates the smoky aroma of the fish.
The Roasted Salmon With Mentai Nigiri has a mentaiko / Alaskan pollock fish roe sauce, which offers a burst of briny salty sweet notes. The Roasted Salmon With Sweet & Spicy Sauce Nigiri also carries a garnish of ginger, making this the most complex in flavour. The Roasted Salmon With Black Pepper Nigiri has a quick burst of sharp peppery spice flavour, but you still taste the natural flavours beneath. Of all, my favourite is the unique Roasted Salmon With Honey Lemon Nigiri, and the luxurious Roasted Salmon With Mentai Nigiri.
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| Uoshin Zushi Aburi Salmon Set (SGD $8 for 5 pieces) |
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| Uoshin Zushi Aburi Salmon Set |
The Salted Egg Tempura & Garlic Fried Rice (SGD $12++) is currently an off-menu, experimental dish that will soon be introduced. Nicely sized for individuals, the smoky grains of the garlic fried rice are savoury and enticing, while the crisp batter on the trio of tempura (prawn / shrimp, lady's finger / okra, pumpkin) crunch satisfiyingly, revealing the juicy sweet ingredients within. Generously coated with a house salted egg sauce, which is rich and savoury salty in flavour. Can see this being very popular with families.
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| Salted Egg Tempura & Garlic Fried Rice (SGD $12++) |
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| Salted Egg Tempura & Garlic Fried Rice |
A special lunch only offer, the Grilled Salmon Fin (SGD $2 for 2 pieces) features smoky tender juicy salmon fish fins. Meaty with bold savoury sweet flavour, a drizzle of lemon juice helps balance the ample fish oil within. Very satisfiying.
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| Grilled Salmon Fin (SGD $2 for 2 pieces) |
The Ice Cream (SGD $2) - Goma & Matcha was the weakest item we tried. Both have a powdery texture, a sign that it wasn't made properly. Also, the flavours are not as expected.
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| Ice Cream (SGD $2) - Goma & Matcha |
Overall, I feel Uoshin Zushi straddles the middle-of-the-road when it comes to ambience, service, and food. They're well worth a visit if you're in the area, especially during lunch when they offer great value for money dishes. On weekends, Uoshin Zushi is popular with families. I'm glad they're constantly striving to improve themselves.
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CONVERSATION