itadakimasu (いただきます?)

Japanese traditionally begin a meal with the phrase itadakimasu (いただきます^?)  which literally means "I humbly receive". So we found ourselves at Plaza Singapura one evening and N brought S to Itacho Sushi for dinner. (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Itacho-Sushi/158303486802)

We were drawn to their value-for-money menus (typical Singaporeans), freshness* (according to N*) and were educated on the ettiquette of sushi eating.

According to this "instruction" manual, Japanese generally do not mix the soya sauce with wasabi . (I am Chinese and I love my wasabi, so, fail) and you are supposed to dip the "raw" side of the sushi into the sauce and put that side into your mouth! (new things we learn everyday!) Oh and you put the whole sushi into your mouth to preserve the integrity of the sushi.

Right.

So here's a sneak peek of what we ordered from their menu, which has a rather impressive spread. There was a 50% off certain items too!


Smoked Salmon with Black Pepper & Salmon with Seafood & Veg Salad Roll



Yellow Tail Special in Original, Sea Salt, Citrus Junos Sauce, Black Truffle Sauce & Oil


 And here's more of what we ordered in "real" life.


Salmon Seafood & Veg Salad Sushi

The Yellow Tails and Smoked Salmon

The yellow tail sushi didn't really look as fantastic as they did on the poster, but they were so yummy! Because we've decided to split the different ones, S had the truffle oil one, which she noted that the hint of truffle was so light, it was barely taste-able. (yes, truffles are expensive.) The citrus one was bursting with flavour though! The fish was really fresh, and that really compensated for everything...

Mango Roll

 N had this allllll to himself! They disappeared really quick too, 2 pops and they were gone. The mango was well chilled, sweet and succulent, nicely contrasting to the thus-far savoury fare that was on the roll out.

Una (Sea Urchin) Sushi

S said the una tasted like the ocean, and meant it in a rather surprisingly amused way. It was very flavourful, and wonderfully fresh. It was just too oceany for N though...

Bluefin Fatty Tuna Belly

This was immaculately tasty (read: fatty) and sooo rich. S adored it totally while N felt that the cuts could be a little more chilled and generous (esp. with a $22 price tag for 3 smallish pieces) S was busy having a private moment savouring it (and ignoring N). S also noted that there were 'veins' found in the cuts, which deducted precious brownie points from the otherwise indulgent affair.
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Katsu Beef Rice (Curry Beef)

 Simple, starchy, and with a nicely made curry sauce. From all that they've seen so far, both N and S agreed that it was too simple a dish to over-rave about. There was too much rice, and the ingredients (beef  and sauce) were a little on the insufficient side. (We are being polite) One good thing about this though - it didn't have the salty, just-add-water feel to the sauce. It was sufficiently thick and jolly, which redeemed the dish a little.

Katsu Beef Rice (to be eaten)

The verdict?
Quality and freshness is always paramount, especially when raw food is involved. And in this case - sushi, Itacho doesn't disappoint on both counts. Packaged with reasonable pricing, there's definitely reason to come back again, which we most certainly will, with friends!

Score: 8/10