Have been looking forward to check out the above for awhile now ! And many thanks to my good lunch partner - KIE's idea to meet up @ Orchard Central & then decide on our lunch venue there,we somehow ended @ KURIYA PENTHOUSE ! ( It's actually saddening situation there where there already closure of several eateries and retail shops on the way up to the 12 / F ! And also when you take note of how many pax there are in some of the restaurants there,you definitely will not consider those that were either empty or only a few tables filled ! )
ADDRESS : 181 Orchard Road #12-02 Orchard Central Singapore 238896
CONTACT : +65 6509 3886
WEBSITE :
http://www.kuriyapenthouse.com.sg/
At KURIYA's entrance,there was a very polite & professional Manager - Paul Lui who greeted us & made us felt liked VIPs by letting us know that he will immediately arrange for "special table with a window view ( the roof of Centrepoint...but still it was a nice gesture ! )...guessed the latest trend is to enjoying your meals with a scenic view liked Salt Grill,Sky on 57,the China Club !"
Most of all i was most happy that i could finally get to taste of Chef Yoshihiko Koezuka's creations ( read ref -
http://www.cnngo.com/ - "He served Japan's emperor and now he's here to serve you" by Eve Ang )
The Decor is well designed & spacious but main dining area was rather "cramped" ! And the seating at the BAR area is actually felt more cosy & comfortable ( less glaring & cooler ! ) where they served us our coffee and desserts after our meal !
The Service - It's disappointing that with such quality high end Japanese cuisine "have points taken away" because from Captain to Crew level definitely need some attention for eg due to the foreign Crews' ( Japanese or Filipino or Indonesian ) accent,you may need them to speak a bit louder or clearer ! Because for my lunch partner is quite particular with his preferred selection of seafood for his Sushi & it's tough to hear and understand because the crew probably are trained well enough or tasted before to know the different types or the Japanese names,etc ! And another matter was that after ordering our Sushi Set and Tempura Set,we were actually left to "guesswork" after each servings ! My point - it would have been better if their Captain or the assigned Crew could have come forward with a introduction on every servings ( probably after my Sushi meals @ SHINJI...) since it was our 1st time there ! The best the Crew could do was to "keep pushing their complimentary welcome drink or kept changing our glasses of Cold Green Tea even when we hardly drank it ! ( so it's actually quite distracting if you were having a interesting chat or business discussion !...guessed maybe their Big Boss was only a table away that "really stressed them out !!!" ) But @ today's lunch - the place was almost packed & that's definitely so important for any high end Japanese restaurant ( but sadly for the owner, there was no table turnarounds vs my No.1 Fav Sushi -SHINJI - which is fully booked daily and also there's also waiting list daily ! )
Since it was my 1st time here & with not really much introductions from their Japanese Captain,i decided on their SUSHI SET - $80.00 - please have a look :
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Appetizer: "Fish Nanban"
( Liked The Taste ! ) |
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TEMPURA - Vegetable & Fish
( Liked The Quality & Standard ! ) |
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SUSHI Selection - Ikura / Tai / Shako / Minced Toro / Kampachi / Hirame / Hirame Engawa / Toro
( Liked The Freshness & Quality & Selection ! )
|
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| Desserts - "Japanese Pear & Persimmon simmered with Plum Wine " |
Fortunately the quality & standard of their food and cooking was good ! Personally i will still return to check out Chef Koezuka's Seasonal Course Menu or Seasonal offering or other Omakase Menu !
Cheers & Enjoy Life !!!
Andrew Ko ;-)
