Shinrai: New izakaya spot at Telok Ayer with value-for-money lunch sets & 1-for-1 sake

If you work in Telok Ayer, there’s a new spot for you to grab lunch at or for those post-work drinks. Shinrai, which means trust in Japanese, is a new sushi izakaya that promises affordable Japanese dishes and drinks. 

Shinrai was started by chef-owner Desmond Fong, who also owns Sushi Yujo at Amara Hotel in Tanjong Pagar, with head chef Haoey Cheah heading the kitchen. 

When it comes to izakayas along Telok Ayer, there are a handful. However Shinrai’s approach is more modern. 

Occupying the space that Thai restaurant Lapin once stood, the new sushi-izakaya spot is decked out with a dark interior, neon lights, bright lightboxes, and has a combination of low and high seating — a far cry from the warm lighting and barebones furnishing you’d expect of a traditional izakaya.

The approach is also extended to Shinrai’s menu. 

There, you’ll get the usuals of maki sushi, grilled and skewered items, which are par the course for any izakaya spot. 

However, you can also find more unique items such as salmon carpaccio (S$16.80), and amped-up Japanese classics such as seafood chawanmushi with truffle caviar (S$9.80) and hotate with foie gras sushi (S$23.80). 

We particularly enjoyed its ebi with mentaiko (S$21.80), which was extremely fresh, sweet and had a light crunch and also took well to the jazzed-up maki sushis.

The Shinrai royal maki (S$23.80) comes with torched salmon, deep-fried prawn, miso sauce and chicken floss, while the Shinrai signature maki (S$21.80) also has torched salmon, but additionally comes with unagi, avocado, cucumber, tobiko (flying fish roe), and chicken floss. 

Lest you think this signifies a pricey menu, the restaurant is well-aware of its CBD value-hunting crowd and also provides lunch sets from S$16.80 that come with a rice bowl, miso soup, salad and cheesecake. 

These sets are available on weekdays from 11.30am to 2.30pm and you can expect to find flavours such as chicken teriyaki don and bara chirashi dons, among others. 

Since its opening in late March, it has been offering 1-for-1 on its house sake (300ml, S$38), which you can enjoy until end-April. The current range of house pours include junmai ginjo and junmai daiginjo varietals and are available in hot and cold variations.  

This was a hosted tasting. 

For more new Japanese spots, check out Sake+, a Japanese-Italian fusion restaurant in Orchard, and Mashi No Mashi, a 100% wagyu-only restaurant, new in from Japan. 

Do explore the GrabFood Dine-in service for awesome deals. 

You can also book a ride to Shinrai at Telok Ayer.