It’s back at Rusculler Omakase again, after 9 months after they moved out of their last place. I thought I should go back for a visit after such a long while and it was a good opportunity since my normal sushiya is closed for awhile. It was full house for lunch at Suguru with a few regulars and now there’s also a sous chef helping Chef Russell as well. Lunch started shortly after when everyone arrived so it’s otsumami first!

Baby Eels with Ponzu Sauce, Ponzu Jelly

This was really refreshing, just like a refreshing start to the meal

Suan La Chawanmushi

I thought this was interesting, in a good way. It’s something familiar you know with a touch of local taste. Flavoured with chinese pepper, you can taste the sweetness of the crab meat, the kick of the peppers and spice with the sweetness of the egg custard, all in one. And ending with yuba at the very end for a different kind of texture

Bamboo Shoot, Hamaguri Clam, Yuzu Zest

Clams were really good. Sweet, soft, chewy with a lingering taste in your mouth. Bamboo shoots were lightly grilled to mask the strong taste for those who don’t enjoy it. Broth was excellent. You could taste the sweetness and how flavourful it was with a touch of yuzu in it

Mahata, Aged 22 Days

Known as Sio Bak fish which was one of their signature, the grouper was good. You could taste the char in it and the skin was so crisp you would mistake for roast meat skin. Fish also had a firm texture to it, and I liked the mustard wasn’t too strong so it didn’t outshine the fish

Otsumami started on a good note, let’s move on to sushi proper! I was served by the sous chef and to be honest, I had a little bit of doubt

Mikan Tai

Rice not warm enough. That says alot

Sayori

And then I feedback. So they made sure there was warmth in the rice every time they served. This sayori actually not bad. The fish was sweet and chewy and the rice went really nicely with the fish. And I thought I spy the other side having a touch of lemon on their nigiri while ours was missing the lemon

Kasugodai

With a touch of sweet yolk powder to give it a little bit of sweetness. You can taste the chewiness of the fish with the sweetness that was really balanced

Shima Aji Toro

I thought this was a little too firm. I wold have preferred it a touch softer

Scallop, Sweet Potato Tempura

The sweet potato was really good, way better than the scallop. And it had a good batter that was light and easy on the palate. The sweet potato was really memorable

Tachiuo

You could really taste the aka shari in this and the fish was nicely done as well

Chutoro

I didn’t quite like the Chutoro. I felt like the fish and rice was quite distinct in their own character. The fish was fish, the rice was rice and that’s it

Otoro

It has a firm texture to it, with a slight oiliness. Just not quite the usual otoro I enjoy

Akami

Chef likes to serve Akami after chutoro and otoro cos he finds it most flavourful. Tuna all served from the same fish today, 184 kg, farm aged, less moisture. Somehow I had preferred the Shiro shari. The aka shari today felt a little more firm in texture

Kohada

Extra piece for me – Yay. The kohada must have aged for quite awhile cos you could really taste the sharpness in it

Aji

Went really nicely with the spring onion. Thought it was pretty balanced overall

XO Fish Soup w Cognac

Cognac was self-serve. You can press as many times as you want. You can really smell the fragrance, not much of the taste. lol. This was very comforting and you could taste the depth of the broth

Bafun Uni

Futomaki

Another of chef’s signature which was recommended to be eaten in one bite (but obviously quite difficult), I like the crunch and texture especially with the pickles and it was a maki that packed a punch

Tamago

The tamago was a little powdery in texture rather than the usual smooth texture. But they added sugar on top which made it a little crunchy when you bite into it

Returning after 9 months, I thought there was definitely improvement in the shiro shari. The aka shari was already pretty decent to start with. Chef Russell prefers his fish to have a firmer texture so majority of his nigiri as you savour, you could tell there was a certain firmness in them which not everyone will particularly enjoy. But at $168++, this was a pretty decent omakase with really nice otsumami. Though one thing I would highlight is not everyone sees the same being served by the main chef and sous chef cos there would be people that specially head down to eat omakase because it’s by the head chef. And if your sous chef is serving it, then you better made sure your sous chef is pretty damn good as well. So coming back to what I’ve said at my last review, regulars will always go back to the place just cos they enjoy the food, warmth and atmosphere and everyone has a different standard of judging it. And in my opinion, I would think this place is an omakase for locals, but not one a Japanese local will enjoy

Suguru Sushiya

192 Joo Chiat Rd, #01-01

Singapore 427463