Latin-inspired Japanese food and fun at SUSHISAMBA

NEW RESTAURANT

SUSHISAMBA Singapore Level 52 Capital Tower 168 Robinson Road Singapore 068912 Tel: 6550 2290 Open for lunch and dinner Mon to Sat: 12 pm to 3 pm; 6 pm to 1 am (2 am on Sat). Dinner only on Sun

THERE are many ways to describe sushi. Elegant. Edomae. Traditional. Excitable? Not really. Loud? Even less so.

SUSHISAMBA is what happens when sushi gets kidnapped, sent to Brazil and develops Stockholm syndrome. It sheds whatever inhibitions or vows of authenticity it once made, and starts sashaying with a boldness that would make even Jiro Ono of non-stop sushi-making fame break his stride for one second.

Starting in New York, then travelling to London, Las Vegas, Edinburgh and Dubai with no stopover in Shinjuku, SUSHISAMBA arrives in Singapore like a party you pay to attend. But like the shebangs you sometimes find yourself at, you can choose your level of interaction – hide in a corner, or dance on the wild side.

On the surface, SUSHISAMBA has all the elements we fear in an imported theme restaurant: samba dancers attacking you with their feathers; manufactured conviviality; theatrical, over-the-top interior design. Even the name SUSHISAMBA is trademarked in caps – but from here on we will spell it as “Sushisamba” because our eyes can’t take the visual screaming.

So we’re somewhat relieved when we’re accosted by over-enthusiastic shrubbery rather than pumped-up devotees of samba-ism when we step out of Capital Tower’s 52nd floor lift. The hosts are dressed the part, but nobody makes you join a conga line on the way to your table.

The servers are polished and discreet, warming up when you engage them and showing the professionalism of an international operation without the attitude. The place is huge – this was the China Club before – and your attention is divided between the wall of not-so-real jungle on one side and the very-real 360-degree view of the Singapore Strait and Central Business District on the other.

The view comes at a price, and no wonder, since the target crowd seems to be after-work corporate elites from the building and around. The food starts from S$14 for a bowl of edamame, right up to S$2,200 for 100 g of beluga caviar.

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The menu is large, and spans Peruvian, Japanese, Brazilian and… Avocado-an. It’s as if someone typed in the relevant keywords into the brain of culinary director Moon Kyung Soo, added a bulk buy of avocados, and he dreamed up a ChatGPT’s worth of things you can do with the creamy fruit-vegetable besides smashing it on toast. 

But, trust Moon – the Japanese cuisine-trained chef who once helmed Mikuni in Singapore – to find a narrative within this jumble of cuisines and pull together a solid compilation of bar bites and hefty mains that hit the spot.

The quality is consistent, with a focus on raw seafood and warm comfort rather than fancy food theatrics.

Taquitos are very light, crisp taco shells filled with everything from pork to lobster. We pick yellowtail (S$22 for two) since it’s S$16 cheaper than the lobster version, and it’s a sunny mix of chopped slippery sashimi tossed in a vinaigrette and stuffed into the shell that’s been lined with avocado cream. Our first fish-avocado combo of the evening starts us off on a good note.

Samba tartare (S$36) is a carb-free fusion chirashi of chopped mixed sashimi and ikura on an avocado base (again) with a spicy aioli on the side. Scoop the mix into crisp nori sheets, add aioli and shiso leaf for a fresh zing in the mouth and a spicy kick from the aioli.

Hamachi tiradito (S$42) is a very pretty circle of overlapping sliced amberjack sashimi dotted with avocado cream and garnished with truffle slices and a dollop of caviar. Too much citrus-soy sauce poured over the fish is overpowering, so ask for it to be served on the side instead. It only needs a drizzle to balance out the nutty truffle and caviar.

Chilean sea bass anticuchos (S$39 for two) – broiled cod on skewers – has Nobu leanings in its sweet miso marinade and predictability. A better option is the marbled kurobuta pork belly (S$68) – its bouncy, roasted char siew-like goodness with a hint of char gets a boost from a squeeze of grilled lime.

Seafood cazuela rice (S$69) is a hearty, risotto-paella compromise of brothy al dente rice grains in a Peruvian yellow-pepper sauce ringed with mustard to cut the richness. The rice itself is packed with a mix of shrimp, scallop, octopus, and avocado cubes which seem to have a severe case of FOMO. 

Desserts are a strong finish, particularly the gooey, oozing molten chocolate fondant (S$22) with hazelnut ice cream that’s worth polishing off, and the winner of the evening: Japanese doughnuts (S$23). These little sugar-dusted fried dough balls release a spurt of milky caramel, and there’s a scoop of black sesame ice cream on the side. It won’t make you samba, but you might do a little happy jig.

If you’re there for cocktails and action, Sushisamba cranks up the party vibe later in the evening. And that, we reckon, sums up its appeal – quiet meal or salsa fun, it dances to every tune.

Rating: 7