Having worked around the Telok Ayer/Tanjong Pagar area for quite a while, I've always noticed crowds around ShuKuu Izakaya but never had the chance to dine there until yesterday. Upon entering the restaurant-bar, we were greeted by friendly service staff and a cosy ambience. I loved the decor and ambience of ShuKuu, finding it to be a great place for after-work drinks and chill sessions with friends and colleagues.

We ordered several dishes but the ones which really stood out to us were:

1) Gyu Tan - Not usually a fan of eating weird animal parts (read: innards), but this beef tongue was extremely delicious. Chewy, well-seasoned and paired well with the lemon, chilli spice and sea salt. Really surprising dish!

2) Mentai Salmon Sushi - AMAZING. I love mentaiko sauce and this was an amazing piece of sushi. Dipped in some wasabi and soy sauce, can't go wrong with this. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

3) Yakitori (5pc) - This set dish came with 5 types of yakitori (skewers?) and I especially loved the bacon-wrapped asparagus. Half-expecting it to be crunchy and tough, it was melt-in-your-mouth tender and really delicious. The chicken thigh and meatball skewers were also delicious with the teriyaki sauce coating.

Other recommended dishes would be the Potato Sarada, a flavour-packed ball of potato salad, and the Kani Gratin, crab meat gratin with mentaiko sauce in a crab shell (awesome presentation!).

Overall, a great dining experience over here at ShuKuu. The boss was extremely friendly and hospitable, and it was a very cosy environment to just relax and have a great meal. Would definitely come again next time now that I know about it!