RIZU Modern Japanese Restaurant at Duxton wows with Sashimi & Sushi Platter
Duxton Hill is a food enclave with doors that would lead you to endless dining options. Whether you are there for chugging beer, a romantic date or after-work merry, there is something for everyone.
At Duxton, you can’t leave without a drink. And when a modern fine dining Japanese restaurant, RIZU, has an alfresco for under-the-stars booze paired with sushi, you know the people here do take their moments seriously.
Tucked away in the heart of Duxton is RIZU, newly opened by owner Hisamizu Takahashi san on 29th August 2018. RIZU specialises in fish and boasts a healthy selection of sashimi and sushi. Fishes are freshly flown in and even the lobsters are kept live in the kitchen. There are also signature rolls, hot/cold appetisers, mains and desserts on the menu.
On par with the food menu is a drinks list with varied choices. Enhance the flavours of your food with some sake tailored to your palette too.
Do you know that RI in RIZU refers to Lapis Lazuli (good luck and harmony) while ZU represents joy?
Besides Ala carte, RIZU appeals to the well-heeled crowd with not one, but three sophisticated Omakase namely Special Omakase ($200 per pax), Fresh Fish Omakase ($150 per pax) and Modern Style Omakase ($150 per pax). We tried the Special Omakase which counted to a ten-course meal.
The sake cups were beautiful and we got to pick one for our upcoming sake.
Pre-meal snack was the Edamame $5, served warm and lightly salted.
We started with the Caviar in Potato Foam, simple-looking yet impactful in taste. The creamy potato foam complemented the caviar’s savoury umami-ness such that none of the two overpowered one another.
The Assorted 3 Kinds Appetiser surprised with a play of different ingredient combinations such as the Oyster with Gelee and my favourite Squid topped with Uni and Ikura. I usually give squids a miss but these were so tender with a nice chewy bite.
5 Kinds Tomato Salad showcased a variety of tomatoes which were juicy but could be sweeter.
One of the highlights of the Omakase was the Ikedukuri (Live Fish Sashimi). Delicately arranged over a bed of ice, the five kinds of sashimi looked dress for a party with tossed leaves, neatly sliced carrots and other garnishes.
The Live Boston Lobster was superbly fresh, crunchy and thoughtfully sliced so that you and your partner could enjoy the pieces in bliss.
The Salmon, surprisingly, made it to my second favourite. It might seem common but the quality of the salmon here was mind-blowing with its fatty content and melt-in-the-mouth consistency. The whole piece was simply orgasm.
Others on ice included the Abalone from Korea, Strip Jack and Tuna.
The same platter is available as Ala carte at $95.
Another show-stopper was the Nigiri Sushi featuring five assorted pieces of fish either grilled or raw hand-pressed over vinegared Japanese rice.
The Golden Eye Snapper was worth a mention, being velvety smooth and tenderly sweet, while punctuated with a nuanced amount of wasabi slathered in between for an additional oomph. Even the Grilled Sea Eel caught my tongue with its soft whitish flesh and sweet sauce.
From left to right, we had the Sea Bream, Fatty Tuna, Golden Eye Snapper, Strip Jack and Grilled Sea Eel sushi.
The comforting Lobster Bisque showered us with more bites of the lobster meat.
Our hot appetiser was the Foie Gras sauté with Plum Sauce.
Easily one of the better tasting foie gras I had, very soft and elusively creamy, it spread across my tongue without hesitation. If a melba toast was in sight, I would have this slab plonked over and devoured straight.
A mini cup of Umeshu Sherbet was then served as a palette cleanser.
There were two mains, the Miso Marinated Black Cod and Wagyu Steak with Special Wasabi Sauce.
Presentation was on point with the multitude of colours priming my appetite for more. The Cod was beautiful and curled towards the skin. I would have found it more complete should the skin be pan-fried to give it a meaningful crisp. Flavours, though, were daring with the circles of sweet black miso and a dab of yuzu mayonnaise.
In juxtaposition to the cod, the hunks of Sendai Wagyu Steak felt restraint. Served medium rare, the centre of the beef was a glowering incarnadine with observable streaks of marbling; nonetheless, not as buttery and delicate as it should have been.
For rice, there is a choice of either Abalone Risotto or Sukiyaki Bowl with Miso Soup.
Abalone Risotto was extremely light tasting with mellow earthy notes. Dug deeper and you would find chopped abalone hidden within too.
The Sukiyaki beef bowl, on the other hand, comprised of streaky beef slices arranged around an onsen egg before being crowned with a luxurious topping of truffle shavings.
You won’t be getting any whiff of the fake truffle oil essence, instead enjoy it with real truffles!
Have it off the menu at $35.
It was a tough fight when the Miso Soup was as equally good tasting as its predecessors.
The generous amount of rice at the bottom of the beef bowl actually went really well with the soup. I see the reason for the combination.
Desserts were both fruity and refreshing, with the former consisting of Pear Gelee, Pear chunks and Crumbles over a vanilla ice cream and the later, a Mango Pavlova with Marshmallow fillings and Passionfruit on the side.
Pair with sparkling dessert wines too.
Some other sakes/wine we tried and they were smooth on the throat!
Rizu
39 Duxton Hill, Singapore 089617
Tel: +65 6904 8880
Tue to Sun: 6PM – 11PM
Closed on Mon
Website: http://rizu.com.sg/
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