Tatsu Sushi spells “home” to Japanese visitors to Singapore , and brings a taste of Japan to Singaporean diners. Best known for their sashimi and sushi, Tatsu Sushi restaurant sets the benchmark for quality sashimi in Singapore .

• The Vibe
  The timeworn walls of CHIJMES serve to further amplify the authenticity of Tatsu Sushi restaurant. With an exterior sitting space made up of sleek and polished black table sets, its interior beckons with peace and warmth. Behind the wooden blinds reveals a cosier interior. Wooden furnishings complete the sushi counter, sake bottle displays and private dining rooms. To add a touch of “home”, Japanese paintings and décor displays personally brought in from Japan by the restaurant staff colour the walls and corners of the restaurant.

• The Food
  To win over sensitive taste-buds of Japanese customers, Tatsu ensures its ingredients were of the freshest, and the most authentic. With quality ingredients, even vegetables, air-flown from Japan almost daily, reflecting much effort from the people behind Tatsu Sushi. The combination of fresh food, their chefs' deft skills and experiences as well as precision in whipping up such delicacies keep Tatsu's customers returning for more. However, satisfaction comes at an expense – their Kaiseki set comes at a price of $58+++. Ala carte menu items range between $7 to $24 for sushi, sides, noodles, rice and soup.

  Pamper your taste-buds as chefs cater to one's personal likes and dislikes. For sashimi lovers, an assortment of different fishes is served on a platter with a string of mint seeds and a chrysanthemum flower. Mint seeds and petals of kiku (chrysanthemum) mixed with soya sauce enhance the taste of the soya sauce, a method not widely known amongst Japanese cuisines in Singapore .

  Kampachi (yellowtail fish) belly was the first on the menu. With the silkiness of a codfish and the firmness of its flesh, one can feel the chunks of fish bitten off rather than its meat flaking off on its own. More savory than sweet, combined with wasabi and soya sauce, it speaks for the rest of the platter and summarizes sashimi as simply heaven to fish lovers.

  Shiro Maguro (marinated white tuna) requires no soya sauce to enhance its taste. Pre-marinated in olive oil, soya sauce, a mixture of herbs and spices and left to soak for slightly more than a day, its natural salty taste amplifies its freshness. Rich and succulent, it is not to be missed. Needless to say, the Shiro Maguro sushi matches up in taste and texture.

  A highlight of the menu of warm dishes is Tatsu's silver cod fish. Deep fried and then grilled with mayonnaise and cod-roe cream, this dish tastes its best when eaten piping hot whilst it remains crispy on the exterior. Despite being deep-fried, it was a pleasant surprise to discover the fish was easy to remove using chopsticks. Natural fish oil contained within oozes out onto the tongue while the signature tender flesh of cod-fish literally melts in the mouth. Garnished with a tinge of lemon, one has to resist a second order.

  Tatsu's sushi platter includes an assortment of different kinds of fishes and other ingredients, with a particular preference towards raw fish like Hirame (flounder), Shiro Maguro and Nama Shirauo (white bait). True to the restaurant's reputation, the shine and firm flesh of these sliced raw fishes reflect their freshness and top quality ingredients. Common favourites amongst Japanese customers, these dishes tend to be a little overwhelming for local tastebuds who are not used to experiencing such raw, fishy taste with equally strong ginger masking effect. The chefs' confidence in raw sushi is seen in their preparation of sushi, fish sliced to near precision and high expectations of the quality of food.

• The Service
  Adhering to traditional Japanese customs and dining etiquettes, waitresses in Tatsu Sushi restaurant ensure prompt service and that customers are never neglected. Count on them to maintain a hot cup of green tea with steaming hot towels to freshen yourself up after a meal. These ladies, dressed in traditional Japanese outfits, are trained to maintain a high standard of tidiness, cleanliness and sensitivity towards social strata and etiquettes.

SD Food Advisor's take on Tatsu Sushi Restaurant
Tatsu definitely lives up to its reputation of topping the list of Japanese restaurants in Singapore with top-grade ingredients and stringent level of freshness in dishes served. Prices are steep, however, in exchange of quality service and food served fresh over the sushi bar counter. Nevertheless, with premium sashimi and sushi, as well as a selection boasting over 100 types of Japanese wine, one can consider scaling the walls of CHIJMES to experience a taste of Tatsu.