Other photos

 

Green Tea

Green tea is ubiquitous in Japan and therefore is more commonly known simply as "tea". Sencha (decocted tea) was served at Sushi Tei and Ichiban Bento.

It is the first and second flush of green tea made from leaves that are exposed directly to sunlight. This is the most common green tea in Japan. The name describes the method for preparing the beverage. Sencha can be translated as "roasted tea", originally influenced by the Chinese tea processing methods. Sencha is noted for its delicate sweetness, mild astringency and flowery-green aroma. The quality of Sencha will vary depending on origin, time of harvest and leaf processing techniques. The early spring harvests, or first picking of the tea bush (known as ichi-ban cha), are considered to produce the highest quality Sencha. After a long period of dormancy during the winter, the spring crops are enriched with nutrients, especially amino acids, sugars and catechins, which enhance the flavor and aroma of spring-picked tea. At both restaurants, the hot green tea had a distinct lack of sweetness unlike the common bottled green tea available almost everywhere. The tea had a very soothing taste which was good as when we ate, we may have put too much chili powder in our dishes, thus the green tea tends to help us deal with the burning sensation in our mouths. The cooling taste of the green tea was an unexpected delight for our taste buds as it saved us from minutes of torture.

 

 

Chicken Katsu Toji

Chicken Katsu Toji is a Japanese rice dish not commonly found in Singapore. It consists of a deep fried chicken cutlet topped with scrambled eggs and usually accompanied with a light soya sauce to give it more taste. Some chefs like to add other condiments such as onions. 

Chicken Katsu Tji set

At Ichiban Bento, we ordered a Chicken Katsu Toji. The unique combination of chicken cutlet along with the light soya sauce was a very delightful surprise for our taste buds as the wonderful taste of fried chicken cutlet filled our mouths. The rough texture of the chicken skin when dipped in the light soya sauce was just amazing for us. The dish was almost as wonderful as the heavenly katsudon we had at Sushi Tei. The dish was accompanied with a chawanmushi, a salmon salad, a miso soup and slices of watermelons. Overall, it was a very balanced meal. This is set meal is very typical in Japan as they are very concerned with their food intake and vitamin consumption.

Miso Soup

Miso soup is a traditional Japanese soup consisting of traditional "dashi" stock along with softened miso paste although many people usually add some tofu and seaweed to spice up the taste. Many other ingredients are added according to regional and seasonal recipes, and the chef’s preference. The miso paste is one of the ingredients with the longest history. The choice of miso paste defines a great deal of character and flavor to the Japanese. There are many different variations but the most common is the Shinshu or Sendai miso. They are mainly made up of dried kelp, dried sardines or dried shitake. Miso soup is served hot, and usually accompanies a dish with rice. It taste’s salty and unlike western soups which are sometimes starchy, it is light and appetizing. At Sushi Tei, the miso soup was authentic, and was full of aroma.

Katsudon

Katsudon is a popular Japanese rice dish in which a bowl of rice is topped off with a deep fried pork cutlet along with other optional condiments such as egg or onions. The dish takes its name from the Japanese words Tonkatsu (for pork cutlet) and Donburi (for rice dish). There are different variations of it but the most common one will be shown in the picture.
 
At Sushi Tei,  I ordered a Katsudon. It came in a square bowl and was topped with shreds of Japanese seaweed. I was already completely mesmerized by the wonderful look and the strong pleasant aroma wafting around it as it was served to me, it was definitely “love at first sight”. I took a bite of the crispy golden-brown pork cutlet along with the sticky Japanese rice and fell completely in love with this dish. The crispy skin of the pork cutlet combined with the juicy, tender meat filled my mouth with ecstasy as the different, unique tastes came together in-sync to produce a mini orgasm in my mouth. All these wonderful feelings and it was only my first bite! There was definitely so much more to come. I slowly ate my hot piping bowl of Katsudon, cherishing every bite, every flavor of the dish, I felt like I was in heaven. . However, all good things have to come to an end. After 45 minutes of feasting on this wonderfully cooked dish, there was none left.  

Udon

Udon is a type of noodle dish of the Japanese cuisine. It is served in a mildly flavored broth. There are many variations of Udon, ranging from region to region, but the main concept is the same. At Sushi Tei. We ordered a bowl of Nabeyaki Udon. Nabeyaki Udon  is a Udon hot pot made with thick chewy Udon noodles, vegetables and a variety of toppings such as poached eggs, Tempura shrimp, fish cake and chicken. The Nabeyaki Udon was served in a clay pot. The broth was richly flavored with the many different ingredients. The Udon was chewy and tangy and it went well with the salty and tantalizing soup. The Tempura shrimp was not as crispy as we had expected it to be as it had been soaked in the soup, however, the prawn inside made up for it with its succulence and fresh taste. There were two slices of fishcakes and the pink “swirls” added a dash of color to the dish. The gooey egg cracked in the pot was exuding flavor. The dish was amazing as its variety of ingredients had given it a unique taste which had pleased our taste buds, so… “Compliments to the chef!”

Sashimi

Sashimi

The word sashimi originated in the Muromachi period and it means “pierced body”. Sashimi is often the first course of the meal as Japanese people consider it to be the finest dish of the Japanese cuisine as a result of its delicate texture and exquisite taste. Common fished used for Sashimi are Tuna, Salmon and Swordfish. The main parts of the fish used for Sashimi are its belly. In Japan, Sashimi is commonly eaten leading to a high demand of fished. Countless consumers have taken their taste buds on a roller coaster ride as they experience the different types of fishes. Some of the more adventurous people even take the risk of trying out poisonous fishes like the Puffer fish or the Sea Urchin.  The culinary step is so complicated that it used to be only done by Samurais, thus, the exquisite preparation must be executed with nothing short of perfection, otherwise, terrible consequences are most likely to follow.

            At Sushi Tei, we ordered a plate of Salmon Sashimi. It was the first time for some of us as we had not tried Sashimi before due to the obvious fact that it was raw and looked somewhat disgusting. However, never ever judge a book by its cover, for when we tried it, the taste was absolutely phenomenal! Along with the condiments, the unique taste of the raw fish accompanied by the burning sensation of wasabi, which can be eye-watering for first timers, had thrilled us.

 



A rather expensive and exquisite set of Sashimi from a previous visit at Sushi Tei

 

Salmon Belly at Sushi Tei