The very first time I was recommended Sushi Tei by an ex-GM, I recalled we dined at this outlet where I enjoyed sitting at the counter, watching the sushi chefs at work while indulging in some of the freshest sashimi you can find. I really like the entrance platform concept and the restaurant itself is also tastefully furbished to exude a modern Jap atmosphere that makes dining extremely pleasant.

For starters, we ordered the potato salad ($7.00), sashimi salad ($9.00), salmon ($8.00), mekajiki aka swordfish ($10.00) and tako ($7.00). The potato salad was merely a mountain of mashed potato with bacon bits on top and it wasn’t really worth that price comparing to its other cousin – the sashimi salad. We had the Sushi Tei dressing to go with the sashimi salad that came with assorted sashimi like salmon, tuna, swordfish, tako and ika. The sashimi were so fresh and sweet; the lettuce were crunchy and the dressing was refreshing and certainly whetted our appetite for the hot foods to come. At $9.00, this sashimi salad was a great find! Needless to say, the salmon, swordfish and tako sashimi were equally good. My favourite was the swordfish for sure. I loved its texture – a kind of bouncy toughness – yet as I took a bite, all the sweetness of the fish oozed out onto my tongue. If not for the price, I would have ordered a few more plates for myself!

Next, we had the Ebiten Floss Maki aka fried prawn with fish floss ($4.80), Soft Shell Crab Maki ($6.80), Ebi & Yasai Kakiage aka prawn & vegetable tempura ($5.80), chawanmushi ($4.00), Tonkatsu aka pork cutlet ($9.00) and Katsu Curry Rice aka chicken cutlet curry rice ($13.00). The ebiten floss maki was a winner! The prawn fillings were crunchy and the fish floss on the outside was so fragrant. It was so addictive! The soft shell crab maki was alright and could be better if the crab were freshly fried and served warm and crispy. The kakiage was a disappointment in size, presentation and taste. It was just greasy and wasn’t that crispy at all. Chawanmushi was not bad. Served hot and piping and light enough to remove that greasiness in us after the fried food. The tonkatsu was tender but the batter was a little too thick. The curry rice was ok, nothing to really rave about. I’d forget the fried stuffs next time, give me a kaisendon (sashimi rice bowl) instead! I’d be contented with its sashimi and a few more plates of swordfish :p

Dessert time! The Shiratama Azuki came in a clam-shell wafer filled with glutinous rice dumplings, red beans and matcha ice cream. I loved its cute presentation. It was heavenly to feed on matcha ice cream with a dumpling and some red beans all in one mouthful as all flavours exploded in my mouth yet went so well with one another. My favourite would have to be the taiyaki which is a Japanese fish-shaped wafer with vanilla ice cream lined with red bean paste. The combination was really really outstanding! I was happily munching on the fish like a little kid. Bring one more on, yummy! 🙂