Finally some Japanese cuisine at Isshin

We were just done with the third customer visit for the day, and our stomachs were roaring in anger. We couldn't really have waited any longer for dinner, and it helped that Raffles place was nearby. At 6:45 pm, this was certainly one of the earliest dinners I've had in a long time.

Walking down towards the Raffles MRT station, we spotted Isshin - a Japanese restaurant - and immediately agreed on it. Japanese is one cuisine I've normally been hesitant about, but I couldn't leave Singapore without trying it. My colleague, Charles, has been a fabulous culinary guide so far and, as before, his recommendations and insights on the local food was spot on.

Charles ordered the fish combo meal for himself, and the chicken combo meal for me. While we were waiting for the food to arrive, we were served some hot tea, or teah as they call it here. My meal wasn't only about chicken, as I soon found out. Along with fried sweetened chicken, I was served deep fried shrimps, pepper and baby corn, soup with fermented soybean (miso) and tofu, rice, sauces, and raw tuna and salmon! I was originally intimidated with the sight of raw fish, but jumped into the food soon enough. Of note here is that miso, the seasoning used in my soup, gradually improves with time, and like wine, gets more expensive to procure.

I bit into the raw salmon, which to my pleasant surprise was devoid of the usual fishy smell and tasted quite bland, but returned to the rest of my meal. That was delicious though, and I gobbled it up in quick time. Another cuisine off the list now; my eyes are set on Korean next. So long.