Lunch at Sushi Kanazawa @ International Building

Having visited Sushi Kanazawa sometime ago (when it was named Sushi Kikuzawa), through reviews and recommendations of friends, I decided to pay them another visit as I remember the sushi there was fresh and palatable. This little Japanese restaurant is located at 360 Orchard Road #02-13 International Building, Singapore 238869 and the number for reservations is 6738 3833.

A traditionally-furnished Japanese food bar, Sushi Kanazawa only seats about 10-12 at one time, so do make your reservations to avoid disappointment. While diners are perched on the comfortable high seats, the friendly and attentive chefs prepare sushi items right in front of diners, and serve them fresh. We opted for the ala-carte buffet lunch, and awaited the surprises that awaited us.

We were first served appetizer items such as Edamane (Japanese green peas) lightly salted and a bowl of Nikijaga (stewed chicken, radish slice, fried tofu cube and mysterious-jelly broth) was tasty and welcoming since it was piping hot. 

A tantalizing platter of Sashimi Moriawase - raw tuna, shrimp, white fish and squid, was served next. I loved the fresh tastiness of it all, with slight hints of chewiness. My only qualms were that we were only allowed one serving of this dish, and they did not include my favorite salmon and swordfish sashimi.

Nonetheless, moving on, we savoured the Unagi Aburi (river eel) sushi served next - slightly crispy with hints of smokiness amongst the sweet eel taste. It was so, so buttery smooth and tender it melted in the mouth - nothing of the "boney" texture of unagi served by other Japanese restaurants. I had a second helping on this.

Next, the Saba (mackerel) - another tender creation that was quickly stuffed into the mouth to be devoured. The torched Shake Aburi (seared salmon) was the winner here - succulent and smokey on the top and chewy beneath - because only the top was torched. I loved the texture and taste of this delicacy.

The Ika (squid) sushi was next in line - a very chewy, smooth treasure with a light flavor.

Then we were served the Amaebi Mentai Aburi (seared sweet prawn with cod roe) - another expertly blowtorch application by the chef - the delicious blend of slightly charred, saltish roe that melted in the mouth stacked atop of the succulent raw sweet prawn was heavenly. I loved this divine dish - and had a second helping on this as well.

After the delicious sushi earlier on, the Aji (horse mackerel) tasted average - saltish, smooth and chewy. One thing about their sushi is that the rice is oh-so-soft, so easy to eat!

My Kajiki (Swordfish) was finally served - love the slightly creamy taste, chewy texture that is slightly sandy; it is my all time favorite.

Another variation of the Kajiki (swordfish) sushi was served - this one prepared a different way, and come with a refreshing strip of mint leaf beneath the swordfish. I loved how the minty-spiciness of the leaf complemented the saltiness of the swordfish.

The delicious Potato Salad with bacon bits was served next, a welcoming change from consuming too much fish at one go. The Chawanmushi (Japanese steamed egg) was hot, and filled to the brim with ingredients, but I thought it was a little rough in texture and bland in taste.

Next in line, an enigmatic fish which name I did not managed to catch, apologies. Rest assured that it was another delicacy.

And the Maguro (tuna) - prepared with an exotic sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds, this dish was scrumptious and I loved the soft, slightly chewy texture.

Last but not least, we had the Mentaiko Sushi - traditional good old seaweed-wrapped sushi with pearl rice, cucumber slices and roe - slightly spicy, but otherwise, just melted on the tongue seamlessly.

After a satisfactory meal with great service - never ending refill of hot green tea without preamble, and chef who pays attention to diners' preference for instance noted I did not really eat the rice so he made a smaller portion of rice for me - we skipped desserts since we were too full. Each of us paid SGD49.00 for this tantalizing ala carte buffet.