I wouldn’t have know about Ikoi Japanese Restaurant if not for Michelle HuiMin, my bridal gown designer from Bridal Veil. I casually asked her about her favourite restaurant and on my next fitting session, she jio-ed me for dinner at Ikoi. Located in the lobby of Hotel Miramar, Ikoi serves Japanese buffet at $38++ with a good range of sashimi, sushi, handrolls, grilled dishes, fried dishes and noodles. I was taken aback by the crowd I see that day. We went for the second seating (8pm) and it was full house!

The sashimi is pretty good, with the raw fish expertly sliced and boasting clean, fresh flavours. We also ordered some side dishes of lightly battered prawn and apple tempura. The exterior of the tempura is attractively light, but our first order plate was cold and puts me off when I bite it. But our subsequent tempura dishes were served fresh and crispy, I like the apple tempura very much, it feels like I was having apple pie (in a good way). We also had some garlic ($6/2 sticks) and ginko nuts ($8). Trust me, order the stick of roasted garlic cloves. It smells delicious right out of the oven, and there is no smell at all!

Because we ordered a la carte, we requested for Salmon Skin Temaki without rice. The combination of the crispy salmon skin, crab meat, crunchy cucumber and tinge of mayonnaise makes it so addictive. We also had the fatty salmon belly sushi and grilled cheesy prawns.

Kama Shioyaki ($18.50) is a very simple dish. Kama is the ‘collar’ of a fish, and has the most succulent meat. It is sprinkled with salt and grilled till the skin becomes crispy and slightly charred, and the flesh inside is flaky, moist, juicy and the meat is gently teased out with chopsticks.

Dobinmushi is perfect for bringing out the delicious aroma of mushrooms. The dashi-based broth, served in a teapot, is delicate. Paper Fish ($5/pc) sounds fancy, but it’s just paper putting the fish in parchment paper which help to keep the flavour of the fish and make it moist and tender. Our final dish for the night was Zosui (Japanese Rice “Porridge”). It’s a wonderful, heart-warming dish, simple and yet so good. Indeed a taste of home.

Thank you Michelle HuiMin for the treat! As the restaurant is highly popular for its buffet, it is best recommended to make reservations at least one week in advance due to the limited seatings at Ikoi.

Ikoi Japanese Restaurant

Address: 401 Havelock Road, #01-01 Hotel Miramar Singapore 169631
Tel: 6887 3788
Opening Hours: Mon – Sun 11.30am – 2.30pm; 6pm – 11pm
Website: http://www.miramar.com.sg/ikoi-japanese-restaurant

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