Shunjuu

Shunjuu, an Izakaya and Sumiyaki place 

 

Located at the heart of Robertson Walk in quaint Robertson Quay is an Izakaya and Sumiyaki restaurant, Shunjuu. An Izakaya is a casual place for kicking back with friends after work; definitely plenty of sake, shochu and beer and a range of foods that complement them and Sumiyaki refers to charcoal roasted food items like Japanese style satays. The inside of this restaurant gives you the feel of being in a Japanese inn with real solid tables and wooden chairs….never been to one but have seen it on Japan Hour! You can also watch the chefs grilling the items when you sit at the bar counter. You have a choice of siting al fresco facing the Singapore River. Shunjuu has more than 40 types of sake by the glass and over 150 jaw dropping variety of comforting Japanese food including sashimi in its menu. Shunjuu serves one of the best Sumiyaki in Singapore and they've won several food accolades throughout the years. While the emphasis on sake, Japan’s traditional rice wine is strong, this restaurant has a friendly, comfortable atmosphere that appeals to adults and whole families alike. The night I was there, the restaurant was packed.

 

Since it is an Izakaya, one must try the drinks. We started off with Manzairaku Kaga Umeshu on the rocks - umeshu is a sweet plum infused alcoholic drink that has been aged for three years and has a nice, soft round and developed flavor. It is shochu-based and relatively sweet. We also had a glass of Calpis soda. My relationship with Calpis dates back to 1998 when I used to develop recipes for a Japanese company. The first time I tried Calpis I fell in love with it – just because I was told that it is carbonated yoghurt drink. The name Calpis was actually constructed by combining cal from calcium and pis from Sanskrit sarpis (good taste).

 

 

The cabbage appetiser with miso dip was a tasty way to awaken taste buds. The waitress suggested that I try the Pitan Tofu. It was an excellent chilled tofu dish with mashed century egg and topped with fish roe; I found it to be more a Chinese recipe and anyway the word “pitan” is Chinese for century egg. I am a fan of century egg and found the combination with tofu interesting. The sashimi of Silver Fish, Tuna and Salmon was one of the freshest I have tasted and it came along with sakura blossoms. The waitress Molly told me that the silver fish will be done two styles – one side of the fish will be sliced and served as sashimi and the other side will be served grilled. I thought this was pretty interesting.

 

My favorite dish of the day was Japanese Pumpkin with Fried Baby Sardines also known as Niboshi. The baby sardines looked and tasted like the small salted white anchovies. The roasted Japanese pumpkin laden with beta carotene was naturally sweet and earthy like russet potato and the crispy baby sardines was just too good to resist – the plate was empty off even the small bits and pieces of the baby sardines.

 

Molly, recommended that we try sake at this stage as this is what their restaurant is famous for. Since sake is traditionally brewed in wooden cask, it is served in a wooden box cup called Masu. This has a volume of 180 ml. But nowadays you can find sake being served in plastic, lacquer or ceramic wide mouth cups that looks more like little sauce bowls. At Shunjuu you get a choice of how you want the sake to be served. Molly gave us the three choices! Molly put a glass, ochoko inside the masu and then poured the sake until it overflows and spills into the wooden box – sure sign of prosperity! Just remember not to drink sake without food.

 

 

 

 

 

The lightly salted and peppered, grilled Black Pork Neck, Kuru Buta Kubi is another must try. Okay, I can see you saying “pork neck?” The pork neck is a well muscled and very flavorful cut of meat. The fat on the neck is throughout the cut, meaning that no matter how you prepare it, that fat will baste and flavor the meat deliciously. You don't have to eat the fat, but the meat beside the fat is just so heavenly!

 

The grilled swordfish, Yaki Mekajiki had a wonderful buttery taste and texture that was easy to appreciate. The Tsukeme, chicken meatballs on a skewer was tender and juicy, bursting with flavor with each bite. I find that people like interacting with their food especially so if it is skewered. Sometimes it is nice to see kids wielding the skewer like a sword! Because the meat is minced it retained some of its texture and this kind of preparation also allows the chicken to absorb the seasonings better, giving it a depth of flavor.

 

The Tebasaki, chicken wings were just boneless tasty crispy morsels that were hardly greasy. It must have been marinated with lots of sake. Do you know that chicken wings contain a large amount of collagen? Collagen makes veins stronger, and contains a lot of elastine and also Vitamin A and provides good nutrition to the skin. On the side, lots of my friends who eat chicken wings have good complexion.

 

The staple for the night was Garlic Fried Rice and Cold Udon. The Japanese style of frying garlic rice is peculiar – the rice and egg are mixed before they ever hit the pan. Nothing derails fried rice for me more than the egg and rice sticking to each other and clumping up. But the high heat and aggressive stirring solves that problem, and it allows each grain of rice to have its own coating and with lots of garlic slices – the result is fragrant, tasty rice. Just when I thought I have come to the end of the meal, Molly brought the grilled silver fish she promised at the beginning of the meal. The fish was very fresh and flaky.

 

After the marathon of eating all the finger foods, I just could not think of desserts but I gave way to a citrusy Yuzu Sorbet which is light, refreshing and tangy! Yuzu a rare expensive Japanese citrus fruit is the darling of all new chefs. This rough skinned fruit has a distinctive flavor and aroma like that of a combined lime, lemon and grapefruit. I wrapped up the evening with Japanese aromatic roasted Barley tea.

 

I would recommend Shunjuu to those who like fresh, tasty Japanese grilled food that is not so expensive. Service was attentive despite the busy night.