I finally got to try Nishikane! And I was quite excited over it. With Kappo cuisine as focus, Chef Nishi and his team ain’t your usual stern and traditional chefs. Their friendliness puts you at ease and makes you feel less intimidating dining there which was a joyful and comfortable experience. Only one menu being served, which was priced at $320, it takes you through a journey of delightful culinary palates

Appetiser: Hamaguri Clams (right) and Bamboo Shoots with Beef (left)

The clams were good. Very clean, slight chewy texture with a deep seafood taste in broth. It was a good piece of clam

Simple presentation but interesting flavours. I love the beef. Served like minced beef kind of texture, it was sweet and salty at the same time with an depth of flavours to complement the slightly boring bamboo shoots

Sashimi: Chutoro, Ark Shell, Japanese Garoupa

I thought the sashimi was really good. The chutoro was so soft with a melt-in-mouth kind of texture, ark shell sweet and slightly crunchy and you can taste the freshness in the Garoupa

Soup: Asari Clams with Japanese Fish Cake served in a light Dashi Broth

I was quite impressed with this. How well-cooked it was and yet you can still taste the sweetness and texture of the clams. The dashi broth was really light with a slight ginger taste and I could probably understand how they want to create the balance without taking away the limelight from the seafood

Sushi time. First up, Akami

Well, the sashimi was good but the shari couldn’t make the mark. I felt like there wasn’t enough vinegar so it tasted rather underwhelming

I couldn’t catch the name of this. It tasted like scallop but more crunchy in texture. Though personally I thought it was just alright

Negitoro with Caviar

Aburi Otoro

I felt like it was a waste to aburi an otoro but.. that’s just my take

Kakiage – Sakura Ebi, Lobster & Lotus Root

A rather different kind kakiage. The addition of lotus root into this deep-fried tempura makes it slightly more crunchy. You can taste the sweetness of the seafood and the chopped lotus roots which was a nice combination together

A5 Wagyu with Balsamic Sauce

I was rather disappointed with the beef cos I thought it was slightly too fatty for my liking. I was anticipating the melt-in-the-mouth kind of texture but sadly it never came

This was a good bottle of sake. Even the chef agreed. HA

Chef’s Signature: Iced Somen with Ginger Flower and Vinegar

Served literally in ice. The somen was light, refreshing and I enjoyed the texture of the noodles. The only pity was they didn’t give me a spoon to drink the broth 😦

Chef’s Signature: Kuruma Ebi, Awabi, Uni with Awabi Liver Sauce

This left an impression on me. From the prawn to the abalone and the amazing liver sauce. This was probably one of the best liver sauce I’ve tasted

Last Dish: Hotaru Squid & Sawara Claypot Rice

The chef asked if I could still eat cos the whole bowl was mine. I GASPED. lol

And then they told me I could dabao home. Yeap, they really used the word ‘Dabao’ HA

I started with one bowl, and I went on to the next. I was full, but I was too tamchiak to stop. HA. This was quite an impressive pot of claypot rice and easily topped the list of one of the best Japanese claypot rice I’ve tried. The rice was nicely done, the squid was soft and chewy and the sawara was amazing

Desserts came in the form of buffet. You can go as many times as you like, and have as many pieces as you want

I took one of each and I thought I could have the stomach for another round. I totally died after 2 pieces. I was so so full. My favourite? The tamago 🙂

My breakfast the next day: Takeaway claypot rice which was in the form of onigiri. Added some seaweed along cos why not?

There’s definitely hits and misses in Nishikane but on the whole, I felt like the dishes were pretty stellar in my opinion. And the fact the team showed much hospitality and friendliness makes it feel like at least your money is well-spent in there. Wouldn’t mind a return here, but probably not anytime soon. lol

Nishikane

10 Stanley Street, #01-01, Singapore 068729