Located in the basement of Marina Square’s new retail wing, Emporium Shokuhin has eight dining outlets to choose from, but tuna lovers should make a beeline for Senmi Sushi.
Every Monday and Friday sees a huge shipment of bluefin tuna from Nagasaki – 50 kilograms of the fish, no less – making the chutoro ($6.80) Senmi’s pride and joy. The medium-fatty tuna is by far the best in its list of nigiri sushi – rich and buttery with just enough fat – with the in-season shima aji ($4.80) coming in a close second with its firm yet light texture. While the rice has a good bite and holds its shape well, it’s nowhere near vinegary enough. That’s not necessarily bad – perhaps the restaurant doesn’t want to mask the sweet profile of the Hokkaido Nanatsuboshi rice it uses.
Senmi’s soya sauce is brewed with dried bonito and aged in-house for three weeks, guaranteeing an umami burst. But the effort is let down by the wasabi – it’s your typical chalky, nostril-clearing paste.
Quash the temptation to order the wagyu beef nigiri ($5.80): the thin strip of lightly seared beef is flavourful but unmemorable compared to the others. Also hold off the salmon belly ($2.40). Our strangely bright orange sliver has hardly any fat. Another noteworthy section of the menu is the range of sake ($20-$168/bottle), with two out of eight available by the glass ($16-22).
