For sashimi lovers who can’t get enough of their raw fish, Japanese restaurants offering buffets are the best places to satiate their cravings - that is if you don't wish to pay kaiseki prices for it.

 

Be spoilt for choice: the menu stretches to over 100 dishes at these eateries - sushi, yakitori, katsu, tempura, soups, udon, soba; you name it. The dishes might be free-flow, but the chefs take so much pride in the presentation of these dishes you might think you’ve ordered off the actual à la carte menu. Expect sashimi of good quality (though not the premium salmon belly) and melt-in-the-mouth freshness, at least at the places we've round up:

 

Chiso Zanmai

 

 

Restaurant atmosphere: An all-you-can-eat authentic Japanese buffet lunch at only $14.90++. Osaka-originated Chiso Zanmai buffet is well known for its seafood offers a wide spread of more than 100 seasonal selections including sushi, sashimi, yakitori, okonomiyaki and desserts. The buffet is split into four sections – sushi and sashimi, cold section, hot section, and desserts.

 

What to eat: Some of their specialty items are the Hokkaido salmon hotpot, okonomiyaki and matcha tofu. The okonomiyaki pancake fried with seafood, pork or vegetables is prepared à la minute. We liked that the outer layer was not too thick so we could taste the filling, which was drizzled with a sweet sauce, with every bite.

 

The salmon hotpot is brimming with ingredients such as salmon, oysters, mushrooms and carrots. A flame under the pot helped the miso-based soup stay piping hot. While there were some hits and misses in the food quality, its wide variety and reasonable price makes Chiso Zanmai a place to get one’s fill on Japanese food.

Prices: Lunch Mon-Fri $14.90++ per person; Sat, Sun & public holidays $19.90++ per person. Dinner Mon-Fri $24.90++ per person; Sat, Sun & public holidays $29.90++ per person.

Chiso Zanmai | Address: 6 Eu Tong Sen Street, #02-17 The Central @ Clarke Quay | Tel: 6221 3177 | Opening hours: Daily 2pm-3pm, 6pm-11pm

Kuishin Bo

 

 

Restaurant atmosphere:Kuishin Bo’s buffets are so popular the restaurant chain has spawned two other outlets since it first opened at Suntec City in 2001. The Great World City branch, has its own spacious patio area complete with a barbecue pit.

 

The long buffet spread is divided into different sections, and they include a fresh seafood station, sushi and sashimi offerings, starters and salads, a tempura and fried food corner. There is also a dessert department.

 

What to eat:  The variety of sashimi includes the usual suspects of salmon and tuna. They get wiped out quickly, but are replenished fast. The sushi selection has at least 24 varieties and they, too, fly off the buffet table in a jiffy. 

 

Kushin Bo fans also come here for the ultra-fresh and sweet Zuwaikani snow crabs. They are either served au naturel or marinated in sweet vinegar.

 

Do try the tobanyaki - you can take your pick of salmon, beef, chicken or gindara (cod fish) from the counter and then have it cooked in a special sauce for about 10 minutes in ceramic ware over a mini stove at you table.

Don't forget about the charcoal-grilled offerings waiting at the patio; the well-marinated lamb rack is a hit with diners, as are the juicy, buttery sweet corn.

 

Prices: Lunch Mon-Fri $32.90 per person; Sat, Sun & public holidays $34.90 per person. Dinner Mon-Thu $45.90 per person; Fri-Sun, public holidays and eve of public holidays $49.90 per person.

Kuishin Bo| Address: #02-41A/42 Great World City, 1 Kim Seng Promenade | Tel: 6836 5877 | Opening hours: Daily 11.30am-2.30pm, 6pm-9.30pm

En Japanese Dining Bar

 

 

Restaurant atmosphere:A small, intimate Japanese eatery that only opens for dinner on weekdays, En Japanese Dining Bar’s buzzy atmosphere oozes an izakaya vibe. The indoor area has about six tables, a small sushi counter with limited seats and three tatami rooms. Those who want a quieter dining environment usually park themselves at the eatery’s al fresco seating at its road-facing balcony.

 

What to eat: The à la carte buffet menu lists about 50 dishes, the shortest selection among the Japanese à la carte buffet restaurants in town. But itmakes up for the lack in variety with a choice of four kinds of hot pots on top of all the dishes you can order off the buffet menu. The hot pot selection includes beef shabu-shabu or sukiyaki, and chicken or kurobuta kimchi in a clear bonito soup base. Like the à la carte buffet dishes, the hot pot ingredients are free flow.

 

The sashimi moriwase is supremely fresh, but what tingled our taste buds are the Okinawa-style dishes, which focus a lot on pork. The tonshabu salad (sliced pork belly salad) is delightful with its zesty sesame seed dressing while the buta shoga yaki or stir-fried pork belly tantalises with its gingery flavours. The grilled homemade chicken meatballs and chicken wings are also perfectly barbecued with a lovely smoky hint.

 

This eatery also offers some interesting fusion touches, like the Mexican-inspired tako harumaki, a hearty deep-fried spring roll filled with taco-style beef. It is also the only one to include ice creams – green tea with red beans, chocolate and vanilla – as part of the à la carte buffet menu.

 

Prices: $48++ per person

 

En Japanese Dining Bar | Address: #01-14/16 Crown Centre, 557 Bukit Timah Road | Tel: 6468 5710 | Opening hours: Mon-Fri: 6pm-10pm; Sat & Sun: 12pm-2pm; 6pm-10pm

 

Irodori Japanese Restaurant

 

 

Restaurant atmosphere:Reservations are recommended at this mid-sized restaurant, which fills up quickly at both lunch and dinner. If you have a big group of about eight, you’d do well to book one of the three private dining rooms, the largest of which overlooks the Singapore River along Robertson Quay.

 

What to eat:The menu entices with some 108 dishes covering everything from sashimi, sushi to tempura, tonkatsu, yakitori, ramen and rice. The sashimi comes fresh and nicely plated. Irodori’s sushi selection is good, not just in variety but in quality too. Our favourite is the in-house creation, Irodori maki, a California roll-inspired morsel stuffed with lobster salad.

 

The grilled items don’t quite stand out as much and the yakitori dishes look like they haven’t spent enough time on the grill. Don’t miss the stir-fries, however. The nasu miso itame are thin eggplant strips lightly pan-fried and coated with a sweetish miso sauce – even those who swear off brinjal might take to it as it’s cooked to a perfect texture and not mushy. The kimchi pork belly is full of spicy, zingy flavours that also got us hooked. 

 

Prices: $35++ per person

 

Irodori Japanese Restaurant | Address: #03-01 Riverview Hotel, 382 Havelock Road | Tel: 6737 2002 | Opening hours: Lunch 11.30am-2.30pm; Dinner 6pm-10.30pm