For those of you who don't know already (an unlikely possibility given my penchant for food ranting) sushi is one of my all time favourites, and when it comes to sushi, Shiro tops my charts.
The minute you step through the giant wooden doors, you are transported into another world, where the towering Buddha statues, gentle sound of rippling water, and muted lighting only serve to contribute to the overall lounge-y and exotic ambience of the place, with its low seated tables and towering elevated dining section.
The menu selection for Shiro on the occasion of Restaurant Week had a decent number of alternatives – mostly for appetizers. Fortunately for us, and unfortunately for our server, who was thoroughly confused at the end of all the permutations and combinations of orders – being a large group, we got to try most of the menu.
Starting with the most important part of any meal of course – the drinks. I ordered a Shangai Sunset (melon vodka, cranberry and pineapple juice) which was pretty, yet tasted like it didn’t have a single drop of alcohol in it. Sad. My sister’s sparkling green apple cocktail was decidedly more potent.
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| Shangai Sunset + Green Apple Cocktail |
Our meal commenced with a choice of soup. Steaming hot thai kwai (seafood broth) and a clear, light chicken chilli lime soup were our options. While the thai kwai was definitely a feel good dish, with all the sore throats going around, the clear winner was the exquisitely flavoured clear soup, which was extremely tasty, and a much lighter option.
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| Clear chilli lemon soup |
It was agonizing to have to choose between the appetizers. Upon the recommendation of some foodie veterans who had been here for Restaurant Week last year, we decided to try the prawn with kaffir lime, the sesame encrusted sashimi, the chicken yakitori, and the spicy sushi.
Appetizer-thon:
Prawn with Kaffir lime : Interesting flavor, just a tad sweeter than I’d have liked but very good nonetheless. 7/10.
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| Prawn with kaffir lime |
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| Chicken yakitori |
Spicy maki / sushi : Beautifully presented, tasty enough, but I’ve been here before and this is definitely not their best sushi. 7/10
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| Spicy maki / sushi |
Sesame encrusted sashimi : Fish so fresh you’d slap it. Absolutely delicious, tender and gorgeously flavoured, accompanied with a light wasabi mayo. The clear winner. 9.5/10
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| Sesame crusted sashimi with wasabi mayonnaise |
For all the appetizers, the portions were just about enough to whet the appetite – though one might complain that they were just a leeeetle smaller than they should have been, the portions of main courses and desserts more than compensated.
Our choices for the main course were much more limited. The thai curry triumvirate (red, green, yellow) laksa (another seafood broth), or chicken in black bean sauce. All accompanied by steamed veggies and sticky rice. The vegetables were actually really gorgeously flavoured and not dry, as is the case with many Oriental places. A little more rice would have been nice.
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| Green thai curry with steamed vegetables |
The green and red thai curry were both fantastic – mildly spiced, with an adequate amount of chicken, and steaming hot. My personal favourite was the chicken in black bean sauce, a very distinct and interesting flavor, which went well with the sweetish udon noodles that were served along with it. The laksa was tasty, but having just eaten seafood, I didn’t really feel like having too much of it.
We were surprisingly full after our main course. Methinks it was the sticky rice. Sneaky rice, usually has a way of filling you up before you realize you are! But being foodies (and chindhis) we decided to plod bravely on through dessert.
Now this was the only part of the meal which I found lackluster. The chocolate volcano was prettily presented, and had a very tasty liquid filling, but the cake itself was too thick and dry to enjoy properly. The coconut and pecan tart too, was too hard to bite into and tasted like coconut oil. The manager did come by to ask, so we told him so, and received a complimentary platter of “chocolate sushi” which was superb! Well worth a try when you’re here next.
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| Chocolate Volcano |
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| Coconut Pecan Pie |
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| Chocolate Sushi |
Our overall experience was great – excellent service, though a little slow between courses, a decent selection, exquisite food and ambience. You remain, Shiro, one of my eternal favourites.
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