Kuishinbo
#03-002 Suntec City Tower 1
6238 7088

Lunch was with Yoke Yee, Kim and Jon for a joint birthday celebration. I’ve heard a lot of good comments about Kuishinbo from friends. Finally I have the chance to see for myself if the food is really as good as they say. A queue was already forming by the time we reached there but we didn’t have to wait as Yoke Yee made a reservation in advance.

The lunch buffet spread ($27.80++) has all the typical Japanese fare one would expect to find. There are an assortment of sushi, tempura, sashimi, shabu shabu and desserts.

The salmon sashimi was very fresh and tender. But the raw tuna and sea bream were a disappointment. They were too tough and had a strong unappetizing fishy smell.

I love the edamame! Fresh edamame are so hard to find in supermarkets and generally cost a bomb in Japanese restaurants. These Japanese soy beans are very addictive and I like the nice texture.

Since the only unagi I could find were unagi sushi, I asked the chef whether he could just let me have the unagi without the rice and he nicely agreed! But this is only after I’ve wasted a small mound of rice.

The dobin mushi (seafood soup in a tea pot) is quite nice. But a little too salty, I think.

Desserts were not as good as I expected. There were a chocolate fondue, soft serve ice cream, fresh fruits and a variety of cakes.

The tiramisu was a joke. It was just plain mascarpone cheese sprinkle with cocoa powder without the lady biscuits. Sitting on the counter for too long, the mango pudding and grass jelly were not chilled at all. Yoke Yee likes the cream puffs with chocolate cream. The red bean mochi was quite nice but I find that the glutinous rice covering was too thick.

Generally, the buffet is value for money if you eat more of the expensive stuff like sashimi. But I feel that this place is over rated. I think I would rather spend the money on ala carte meal in a good Japanese restaurant.

Also, I found out that I’m not suited for buffets since I tend to waste food! Once something is not nice, I won’t eat it. Kushinbo has an affordable lunch buffet and ladies’ night on weekdays and seems to be popular among Singaporeans.

Labels: Buffets, Japanese

12:14 PM