What's in a name

They say, when in doubt, look for the place with the longest queue. And at ION mall, this place is without a doubt Itacho Sushi. Queues often leave us waiting for close to an hour during mealtimes and sometimes half an hour during tea time. In fact, this is no new joint nor a passing fad, but testimony to the consistent quality that has been served since its opening that draws a large crowd of regulars such as myself. It has long been one of my favourite Japanese restaurants and my absolute go to place when a craving for fresh sushi hits.

It is regrettable that I've not shared about this earlier as prices have gone up slightly since its earlier days. That being said, it's still value for money.

"Itacho" which means Chief Chef in Japanese, is a name reflective of the quality of the food served. Of course, knowing what to order always makes a difference. I tend to stay away from commonly found sushi and sashimi such as Sake, and Maguro and go for the seasonal items that are available. Fear not, this doesn't always break the bank.

There a few must have items when I visit Itacho, which sometimes vary with the company I'm with.

To start things off, the understated mackerel. Now, it is not recommended to have mackerel just anywhere as mackerel is known to be a very oily fish that tends to be rather fishy when it is not fresh. As such, most mackerel I've tasted, leaves me reeling in disappointment. The mackerel served at itacho is divine by comparison, it's oily without a fishy taste and paired with a little sweet ginger to sweeten the palate slightly. This is one sushi that everyone should try at least one. I've seen many astonished faces when they first bite into it expecting the usual fishy taste that they have gotten accustomed to, only to be rewarded with a delicate sweetness and smooth texture.

Next, the aburi sushi. Aburi is not a fish, it is in fact the method of preparation that is applied. Each piece of fish is flame seared leaving the inside raw and the outside grilled which creates a melt in the mouth effect that I absolutely adore. In fact, my record is 15 pieces of salmon aburi at this joint. On the menu, this item is found under roasted sushi. There are many varied types of sushi done aburi style, however I am of the opinion that it is a waste on these other unique pieces of freshness that are not so commonly found, hence I only opt for salmon aburi. This must be eaten immediately once served as it tastes best fresh off the grill.

The one that most of my dining partners really enjoy is the supreme sea eel, served in a gorgeous manner as you can see. The eel used is unlike the unagi which is more commonly found. The tender flesh of the sea eel boasts of a natural sweetness and is less rich and less oily in comparison to the unagi. It also has finer bones.
Again, this dish should be eaten warm.



A common favourite of many patrons is the seasonal promotions. This time it was the yellowtail. Available in 5 different styles, varying from truffled to citrus toppings, each is a rewarding mouthful. Since my dining partner was a huge fan of anything truffled, we had the versions with black truffle and truffle oil. As I recall, the citrus one lends an interesting twist which is worth a try as well.

In addition, scallops were also on offer, but instead of going with the topped varietals, we opted for the jumbo ones in its natural state. And we certainly did not regret our choice. The scallops were huge and moist as seen in the background of this plate. Each bite of the juicy succulent flesh left me wanting more and given that I'm not usually a huge fan of scallops, that does say plenty.

 
I'm sure by now, looking at the picture on the left, you'd be wondering what that beefy looking sushi is. It is Kagoshima Wagyu, a strange item to be used in sushi but it's a good call. Try it and you'll understand. The beautiful marbling on this piece simply melts in your mouth with a well what can I say, beefy punch.


And that brings me to my favourite creative roll lurking in the background. The icy cold mango slice that tops the roll is a sharp but welcoming contrast to the biting nature of the lobster salad on the palate. Please note that this dish contains a fair amount of wasabi mixed into the lobster salad.


If you think the spread above was incredible, you're right. But we haven't got to my favourite yet. The infamous uni(or more specifically, sea urchin gonads) rice is very reasonably priced, which means that this "rich man's dish" is now attainable without busting your pocket. To give you an idea, an uni sashimi of good quality in a high grade japanese restaurant here, may set you back close to a hundred dollars for a portion and in some more extreme cases, a few hundred per serving.

The uni served here is light and sweet, tinged with a briny flavour, just the way I like it. Its creamy consistency ensures that every mouth sends me straight to heaven and even then, that is a true understatement. And to many of my dining partners to whom this dish was introduced, they loved the experience. For some who had previous bad experiences with not so fresh uni, it was enough for them to rethink their opinions.

And to top it off, the chinese part of me requires something to warm the belly. And the roe chawanmushi is the perfect solution for me. A lover of the way each one bursts in my mouth as I roll it on my tongue paired with the warm egg custard  is sheer delight.

There's of course much more to savour at this gem, but that's for another time.

For a mind blowing experience, visit the Itacho Sushi @ION Mall Basement 2, next to the ION paterson link and if you order right, you won't be disappointed.