Get Tokyo’s viral Tsujihan seafood kaisendon at Kaunta Singapore
There are many popular restaurants in Tokyo for chirashi and kaisendon, but Tsujihan has always been a cut above the rest. The popular restaurant has several outlets around Tokyo, each sporting queues of up to an hour and a half with patrons waiting to try their viral loaded seafood kaisendon. Good news for Singaporeans, though, as you can now get your hands on the dish in Singapore, thanks to Kaunta, a Japanese restaurant in Tanjong Pagar.
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Kanuta is typically an omakase restaurant, but they’ve since branched out to offer their version of Tsujihan’s kaisendon in three different sizes: Ume ($19.90++), Hana ($29.90++), and Tokujo ($39.90++), or small, medium, and large respectively.Â
Each bowl comes with 10 different types of sashimi, which is then crowned with lobes of uni, as well as ikura pearls. If you order the Hana or Tokujo portions, you get shredded crabmeat as a topping as well.
Also, the sashimi is so finely chopped that when you mix everything and take a bite, it’s difficult to tell the ingredients apart. But it was exactly this medley of fresh sashimi that made the kaisendon incredibly delicious.Â
With each portion, you get three slices of aged hamachi sashimi as a side dish, and toppings such as fresh wasabi, ginger, and an egg yolk sauce. During our visit, we got to try the yellowfish sashimi with sesame dressing.
The ingredients were fresh and of premium quality, and each bowl was surprisingly affordable for the amount of seafood you get. I especially liked how fresh the ikura was—it was the perfect balance of briny and umami.Â
That’s not all that’s special about Kanuta’s Tsujihan bowls though—there’s a unique step-by-step process to enjoying your bowl. First, you’re asked to mix the wasabi into the egg yolk sauce. Then, dress the kaisendon with it, and dig in. Each bowl also comes with seaweed, which we had together with the kaisendon.Â
Once you’re about halfway done, beckon the chef to add some seafood stock, spring onions, and yuzu zest into your bowl, turning the dish into a seafoody ochazuke.Â
It’s quite similar to the way you’d eat unagi hitsumabushi! We were told that the seafood stock was cooked and simmered for half a day, which was no surprise given the almost creamy consistency. This broth didn’t taste fishy at all—in fact, it had discernible notes of onion and corn.
The restaurant is fairly compact, housing about 15 customers at once. There’s a row of 10 counter seats as well as a cosy, private dining area that seats about four people.Â
Fair warning that Kanuta is receiving a bit of buzz since they’ve launched their Tsujihan dupes, so you should definitely expect to queue a bit during peak hours. My colleague and I got there slightly before 6pm, and there was already a long queue of customers mostly in pairs.
We encourage you to arrive during off-peak hours to beat the line. Kanuta suggests diners come by before 12pm from Tuesday to Friday.
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For more Japanese food recommendations, check out our best Japanese restaurants guide. We also have a guide to the best chirashi don in Singapore.
Address: 11 Kee Seng Street, #01-12, Onze @ Tanjong Pagar, Singapore 089218
Opening hours: Mon 6pm to 10pm, Tue-Sat 12pm to 3pm, 6pm to 10pm
Tel: 87888 3535
Website
Kanuta is not a halal-certified eatery.
Photos taken by Hor Kia Ee.
This was a media tasting at Kaunta.
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