S$88++ omakase by ex-Hide Yamamoto chef at new Japanese restaurant in Orchard

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If you're looking for your first omakase experience, Unkai Sushi may be a good place to start.

The new restaurant, ensconced in Orchard Hotel Rendezvous, is specifically aimed at young working adults who may not have as big a budget for omakase meals, said head chef Eugene Lam.

Photo by Mandy How

Photo by Mandy How

Despite being only 31, Lam already has 12 years of experience in Japanese restaurants, most notably at Hide Yamamoto, Ashino, and Sushi Mieda.

At Unkai Sushi, an omakase experience starts at S$88++ (~S$103). The price includes:

• Appetiser
• 10 sushi
• One handroll
• Soup and dessert

Elsewhere, the same meal might cost you more than S$100 before taxes.

Here's the menu for our media session:

Of the 10 sushi, item one to six are fixed, while the remaining four are seasonal.

We skipped the handroll to try items from other sets, and it's ice cream for dessert.

Thoughts from an omakase noob

For someone having omakase for the first time (yes me), the 30-seater restaurant was the right level of intimidating—nice enough but not too hoity-toity, if it makes sense.

Photo by Mandy How

Photo by Mandy How

Photo by Mandy How

For raw fish, my palate is quite conventional, with a hankering for salmon sashimi most of the time.

One concern I had due to my unsophisticated tastebuds was the wide variety of raw seafood, but I am happy to report that there is none of the fishy taste that might turn first-timers off.

Instead, you get flavours of fresh seafood sweetness, complemented by a loose mound of sticky grains.

Our appetiser of black snails. Photo by Mandy How.

Photo by Mandy How

Photo by Mandy How

Photo by Mandy How

Photo by Mandy How

Photo by Mandy How

Etiquette suggests that one should stuff the entire sushi into their mouth, but I found it hard for certain sushi, especially the hokkigai.

Photo by Mandy How

Photo by Mandy How

As the rice is seasoned in two distinct ways (depending on whether its paired with fish or seafood), and Lam uses a number of different seasonings, the flavour profile never gets boring despite the menu consisting largely of sushi.

Photo by Mandy How

Verdict? Unkai Sushi offers a value-for-money proposition on the popular omakase meal, without compromising on quality. This is coming from someone who hasn't had omakase elsewhere, however.

If you don't mind splurging more, there are two more omakase menus at Unkai.

The S$138++ set comes with:

• Appetiser
• Seasonal grill fish
• Hot dish
• 11 sushi
• Soup and dessert

While the S$188++ set is even more extensive:

• Appetiser
• Five-kind sashimi
• Seasonal grill dish
• 11 sushi
• Soup and dessert

The sushi for these sets are also different from the S$88++ menu.

From the S$188++ set, we got to try what Lam calls the "Peekaboo", a briny surprise of uni and chutoro (tuna), both ingredients coming together in an exceptional union.

Photo by Mandy How

Photo by Mandy How

Another highlight from the same menu is the braised abalone with abalone liver sauce.

It's hard to describe seafood so much without being repetitive, but we did eat it s l o w l y in order to savour it.

Photo by Mandy How

Photo by Mandy How

Photo by Mandy How

A la carte menu from S$18++

The sushi is good enough that we would return to try the restaurant's a la carte offerings, which start at S$18++ for a Kaisen Garlic Fried Rice (there's also just garlic fried rice for S$12++).

What we (I) really had my eye on, though, is the Pork Cheek Rice Bowl (S$26++) and Chirashi Don (S$30++), the latter a bowl of marinated salmon, mekajiki (swordfish), and tuna with homemade soya sauce.

Photo via Unkai Sushi

Unkai Sushi

Address: 1 Tanglin Road #01-10, Orchard Rendezvous Hotel, Singapore 247905

Opening Hours:

Monday to Sunday: 11.30am - 2:30pm, 6pm - 10pm (last order at 9pm)

Reservations: 9634 8508, CHOPE, Oddle Reserve.

Top image by Mandy How