Birthday lunch celebration ended up at Shinzo, a Japanese restaurant situated along Carpenter street near Clarke Quay mrt. The restaurant has many lunch sets option and I thought it would be good to try how their food fares, before I decide if I would like to go back for their omakase dinner

The restaurant has counter seatings, just like how some exquisite Japanese restaurants are, but in comparison lacked the elegance and ambience. It reminded me of those random restaurants in  Tsukiji market. I went for the sushi and tempura set ($68) while the friend picked the wagyu beef set ($38)

Drinking at lunch, on a weekday 😀

Salmon with egg yolk and vinegar

Honestly, it was a simple salmon dish. Nothing outstanding

Salad

I enjoyed the tempura sauce but than the tempura itself. They were average and the prawn lacked the sweetness

Platter of sushi – 8 nigiri sushi plus makimono

I thought the sushi was pretty decent. The rice was soft, decently vinegared though the proportion of rice is a little too big and the warmth seemed to come from the rice itself than the chef’s hand. Not all pieces were outstanding. The cooked octopus was so chewy I spent 15 minutes chewing it. The uni was my favourite. The negi toro was a little disappointing just cos I would prefer the tuna to be more smooth and blended. They have the basic sushi selection which I think was pretty okay for lunch

Moving on to the wagyu beef set

Comes with a platter of sashimi which was a little fishy

And chawanmushi

The wagyu beef was nicely marinated, tender and fragrant and having it together with the rice was simply delicious

Miso soup

Yuzu Icecream

Which tasted a little too citrusy for my liking

I thought their mains were acceptable. It’s probably a place I don’t mind going back for lunch at a reasonable price. You can consider their early omakase promotion which goes for $68++, or if not I think there are probably other places that serve better sushi if you are going to pay the full price

Shinzo Japanese Cuisine

17 Carpenter Street, S(059906)