Kaiho Sushi: Stick to the Aburi Sushi.

Hotate Mentaiyaki (Scallop grilled with Spicy Cod Roe Mayonnaise) $25

I love Cuppage Plaza despite its sleazy and seedy outlook, for it houses authentic Japanese Food and many local Japanese frequent the various joints here. With a good mix of Sushi-yas, Yakitori Restaurants and Izakayas, I can take my pick and select whatever I feel like having, and on this occasion, it was Sushi.

Taking a leap of faith, I ventured into Kaiho Sushi with a friend, but I decided not to go for Omakase and play it safe with a few ala carte items and a sushi set.

For starters, my friend ordered the Hotate Mentaiyaki and it arrived warm and moist. I tried a small teaspoon of it, and I was happy to find that the scallop was sweet and juicy and the Mentaiko was lip-smackingly savoury and creamy but did not overpower the shellfish. I particularly loved the bits that were charred which gave a nice contrast to the dish itself.

Aburi Salmon Nigiri ($5 a piece)

Aburi Sushi is always a delight to order and this was no different. The salmon was lightly cooked on the outside, but still retained its texture and flavour with the tsume (sauce that is put on sushi) bringing it up a notch.

Wagyu Aburi Nigiri ($15)

Blowtorched Wagyu on Sushi Rice. It's a no-brainer, impossible-to-fail sushi. The wagyu was smoky, juicy and evenly marbled and drizzled with a little tsume. If only it wasn't $15 a piece I would be popping this into my mouth freely.

Sushi Mori Set (9 pieces of assorted sushi.) $58
2 pieces Hirame (Flounder)
1 piece Otoro (Fatty Tuna Belly)
2 pieces Tai (Sea Bream/Snapper)
2 pieces Salmon
2 pieces Akagai (Red Clam)

Sadly, this was the disappointment of the entire meal.

The menu stated "9 pieces of assorted sushi". I naturally assumed it would mean 9 different kinds of sushi. But the chef gave me 2 pieces of 4 different types of sushi, with one single otoro. I could not help but feel shortchanged. The tai and hirame are not exactly the most expensive of fish, and I felt he could have given a better variety. The only saving graces were the Salmon and Otoro. The others were barely passable in my books. Suffice to say I was so unwilling to part with $58 for this set.

Oh, and a word of warning. By the 4th piece, the wasabi present in the nigiri was overwhelming and I started tearing, and this comes from a person with a high wasabi-spice tolerance level. This being my first time here, I did not know that the chef would be so liberal with the usage of his wasabi, so do tell him to go easy should you ever come here.

Kohada (Gizzard Shad) Nigiri. $9 a piece

Kohada is usually salted and cured in vinegar in order to kill bacteria and remove the "fishy smell" commonly found in fish of the Hikari Mono (shiny matter) category. To bring out the true flavour, it is up to the chef to determine how much to salt the fish, and how long he must leave it in the vinegar in order for the marinade to penetrate through the skin and flesh so that he can achieve the optimal quality.

Attempting to give Kaiho Sushi another shot at the Edomae Sushi, I went for the Kohada and I realized it was a mistake.

Once again, I was let down because the taste was simply negligible and the finish was not as long as I would have liked. The fact that the skin of the fish here was quite rough as well, served as another negative indicator.

Frankly, it is quite difficult to go wrong with Aburi Sushi, and many places offer it nowadays, even in the massive sushi chain shops. I was hoping that Kaiho Sushi would be able to offer at least passable Edomae sushi alongside its blowtorched specialities, and it was found wanting. Despite its competence in Aburi Sushi, I could probably get better value elsewhere. I left feeling discontented. My stomach had its fill, but my taste buds were still left hanging.

Singapore has come a long way in the quality and authenticity of the Sushi served here. But am I only able to get good Edomae Sushi in restaurants that charge up to $300 for Omakase? Is there no place here that can do decent, traditional sushi without burning a hole in my pocket? Alas, my search continues...

For Kaiho, my advice is just to stick to the Aburi Sushi, and maybe go for the cooked items if you are feeling adventurous.


Kaiho Sushi
#03-01 Cuppage Plaza
5 Koek Road
6738 1315

Operating Hours:
Tuesdays to Sundays
Lunch: 1200 - 1430
Dinner: 1830 - 2300
Closed on Mondays

Nearest MRT Station: Somerset