Aoki

omg i'm so glad i FINALLY tried the chirashi don from Aoki ^^ i've been hearing about it for the longest time, about how it's the best chirashi don ever. well, actually before that i hadnt really tried chirashi don before, but just before i went to aoki, i ordered it twice at other restaurants, just so that i would be able to have some sort of basis for comparison.

the verdict? AOKI DOES HAVE THE BEST CHIRASHI DON EVER. :D  it is soooo super duper yummy, i now completely understand why people have been raving over it.

if you didnt know, Aoki is under the Les Amis Group, so you would expect the quality of the food to be of pretty good standard ^^ i've never tried les amis before (no money!!), but it is definitely one of the top of my wishlist if i can ever afford it next time haha. Aoki is really expensive for dinner - they only have omasake sets i think, which are above $100 per pax. their lunch sets on the other hand, are in comparison way more affordable. and for the quality i would say it was pretty worth the splurge once in awhile.

my mazechirashi was $35. sushi rice topped with mixed sashimi, that was super duper fresh (as compared to other places i've had the chirashi don where some of the fish were slightly fishy), beautifully sweet egg, plump roe and a spattering of vegetables. the flavour of all the ingredients blended so perfectly together it was such a wonderful combination of tastes! every mouthful was a surprise and joy :))) and the wasabi here is really good too! it's the authentic kind, which is grated from the wasabi root, so it's slightly coarser, and oh-so-fresh as well! :D

mummy ordered the shokado ($38) which is sashimi, nimono (steamed vegetables), tempura (it looks soooo crispy doesnt it!) and a very interesting-looking glutinous rice.

papa had the nigiri sushi jyo-sen ($30) which is 7 types of sushi roll. isnt the presentation pretty? ^^

all sets came with something like an amuse bouche at the start, which was something like a tuna marinated with sauce. quite interesting! (:

there was also a salad with a really lovely sesame oil dressing!

and their desserts are sooo adorable! (: i think it changes every day, so on the day i went, we had the plum wine jelly, white sesame pudding and mango sorbet to end off the meal :) i especially loved the latter two! haha that's not saying much isnt it :p but i loved how the sesame pudding was creamy, yet slightly grainy, giving it a really interesting texture, and there was a tinge of peanut taste which i liked! the mango sorbet was uber refreshing - perfect to cleanse the palate :)

Aoki is kinda hard to find, with a really inconspicuous entrance. when i went there, shaw centre was under renovation making it even more difficult to find -.- walk from the outside of the building, past the taxi stand, bistro du vin and les amis, and you'll see a brown door with blinds. that's aoki. haha. sit at the counter if you wanna watch the chefs at work, or get a table in a private room for a nice cosy ambience :)

Aoki

Shaw Centre $02-17

Tel.: +65 6333 8015

Mon-Sat 12pm-3pm

6.30pm-11pm