An omakase that pampers: Shunsui at Hongkong Street has overflowing ikura & ice cream freshly churned by hand

As a Japanese-food enthusiast, you’re probably always on the look-out for the next omakase to book — probably to treat yourself for a special occasion, or to impress a date.

And if you’ve kept a keen eye on Singapore’s Japanese restaurant scene, you’d undoubtedly also have heard of the Shunsui Group.

The group’s portfolio boasts a variety of renowned names, including Sakedokoro Eizaburo, which had its Fortune Centre outlet go viral a while back.

Another noteworthy name is Kappo Shunsui, which was located at Cuppage Plaza, where all things Japanese congregate.

While the name might ring a bell, Kappo Shunsui no longer exists, though. It merged with sibling concept Kyuu by Shunsui in September, 2023.

Prior to the merge, though, Kappo Shunsui was a five-time Michelin Plate awardee — that’s some impressive consistency.

Now, it operates simply as “Shunsui”, a cosy and elegantly decorated restaurant snuggled within a rustic building at Hongkong street, located near Clarke Quay.

Did those standards and quality control transfer over to its spiritual successor at Hongkong Street? We test it for ourselves.

You need uni?

Shunsui offers up four different omakase menus for dinner, starting from S$129 for the Kacho course, with prices going up to S$229 for the premium Shunsui course.

There’s also good news for those who have some time to spare during off-peak periods: The Shunsui and Fuga courses (U.P. S$179) can be enjoyed at a S$30 discount from Sunday to Thursday!

You can also come in at lunch, for Shunsui’s Kacho course, its giant unagi-don set (S$29.90) or the more wallet-friendly lunch omakase Botan (S$69.80).

During our visit, we went for the Shunsui course.

It started off strong with amadai kabura mushi (tilefish steamed with turnip) as an appetiser, jazzed up with sumptuous snow crab sauce and uni (sea urchin).

Flavours in this dish were on the milder side — it’s supported by a splash of crisp sweetness and is a delightful way to ease you into the omakase!

The strong opening act is followed by an ebi shinjo in clear soup, where a plump and bouncy shrimp ball is submerged in a crisp and clean broth.

You also get a cluster of fresh and juicy shimeji mushrooms and spinach, as well as a dose of yuzu for a burst of citrusness.

The Shunsui course then moved into the heavier flavours, with a motley of sashimi.

It’s a rather diverse selection of seven different varieties, and included more luxurious pieces such as akaebi (red shrimp), hotate (scallops) and chutoro (medium fatty tuna).

Shunsui flies its fish in four times a week, to ensure peak freshness, and it’s evident. We found no fault with the sashimi, but don’t go expecting two-Michelin-star standards..

The sashimi course then ended on a high with, once again, uni.

This time, it’s served as-is, but with seaweed to wrap with.

It seems Shunshui is fully cognisant of Singapore’s fixation with sea urchin and tries to spoil its guests with as much uni as possible.

That’s not a bad thing, per se — people book omakase dinners to be pampered, after all, and this tray of lightly briny and creamy uni was a welcome sight. 

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Hotpot, sushi and steak

After we demolished the uni in record time, we were presented with a cauldron of cloudy broth, with a huge oyster as its companion.

The oyster from Hyogo prefecture is meant to be dropped into the bubbling miso & soy milk hotpot, and cooked to your preferred doneness. 

Most people wouldn’t expect a hotpot dish to be the highlight of an omakase course, but this was indeed our favourite dish at Shunsui.

We were previously served a similar dish at Kyuu by Shunsui, but this rendition was even better. It was underscored by a tremendous depth of flavour from the miso soup, and coated the palate with its blissfully velvety mouthfeel.

If you thought that the sashimi was the last appearance of raw fish at this omakase, you’d be wrong. 

The hotpot was merely a red herring for the five-piece sushi ensemble that led up to the main course.

Of course, you’re not just getting more of the same — Shunsui really makes it a point to indulge you with variety, with chefs serving up classic nigiris such as mellower tasting hirame (flounder) and kinmedai (golden eye snapper).

And to cap it off: A gloriously decadent otoro (fatty tuna).

With that, we then progressed to the main course: Two thick wedges of A5 wagyu sirloin, seared over strawflame, and laid over a mound of homemade miso.

The wagyu beef is certainly succulent and robust, but, unfortunately, didn’t quite match up to the impressive quality of Shunsui’s earlier seafood dishes.

Not that it’s bad — we just enjoyed the preceding courses that little much more.

Shunsui’s overflowing ikura

Those familiar with formal Japanese omakases would know that the completion of the main course usually ushers in the final savoury course — usually in the form of a rice bowl.

Shunsui does it a bit differently, though. Some theatrics are in store, as you’re treated its signature overflowing ikura rice.

At this point, you’re probably on the cusp of an impending food coma, so there’s no shame in asking for less rice (or more, if you’re still up for it).

We were first served our rice before a chef heaved a box full of marinated salmon roe over to our corner. Spoon by spoon, he piled these glistening orange spheres of ikura decadence into our bowl, bellowing “yoshoi” with each flick of the wrist.

This continues until you think you’ve gotten enough ikura to enjoy with your rice, (Although theoretically, you could have an entire counter simply drowning in ikura, if you so desired.)

It’s a lavish avalanche of ikura over warm rice — the components by itself simple, but when put together, it makes for a fun Shunsui tradition. Who can resist mouth after mouth of explosive umami flavour?

With that savoury overload, it’s only natural we’d be excited for the desserts, for a sweet end to such a rich meal.

Well, Shunsui tries extra hard to get you to engage your dessert stomach with yet more flair.

A chef once again appears before you with more kitchen paraphernalia.

This time, it’s a huge metal bowl, some liquid nitrogen, and fresh peach puree, which are all hand-churned on the spot into some spectacularly silky and refreshing yellow peach ice cream.

It’s served in a glass bowl and adorned with unbelievably luscious grapes, too.

You’re once again enticed to activate your second dessert stomach with the final item — a chestnut monaka.

What a way to end: A light and crunchy wafer, and its delectably earthy and sweet contents comprising matcha cream, chestnut and red bean, as the final salvo.

Overall, we counted eleven courses (not all of them are shown here), including a seven-piece sashimi platter, a five-piece sushi ensemble, and a welcome Calpis sour drink — all for S$199, if you book your seat between Sunday and Thursday.

We can’t say Shunsui’s omakase is definitively the most affordable or value-for-money, but it’s quite a luxurious experience for its price, and a great treat for those special occasions. 

It’s not just all bells and whistles — but if you want those, Shunsui’s omakase has them in spades, too!

This was a hosted tasting.

For more ideas on what to eat, read our stories on Bjorn Shen pivoting his restaurant Artichoke into a pizza shop and the quirky matcha pit stop that opened at Maxwell Food Centre!