Cuppage Plaza had been one of those places around the Orchard / Somerset areas which are better known for being an enclave of independently-run Japanese dining establishments — the likes of Gyoza no Osho and Shinjuku Japanese Restaurant having been rather established names within the local F&B scene all these while. One of the latest additions to Cuppage Plaza is Tsukiji Sushi TEN — they have taken up quite a prominent shop unit within Cuppage Plaza with a dual frontage that is located right across from Gyoza no Osho and also beside the outlet of Isle Eating House there; one side facing out of the shopping mall, while the other side facing Gyoza no Ohsho. Turns out, Tsukiji Sushi TEN is opened by the same folks behind Dashi Master Marusaya; a Japanese establishment that had been operating from their location at Robertson Quay for a while. Whilst the space at Tsukiji Sushi TEN isn’t particularly large, there is still sufficient space for dining tables that cater for larger groups of up to six or eight pax — the interior being decked almost like a typical Japanese Izakaya with Japanese posters pasted around the walls, lanterns hanging from the ceiling that also act as lighting, as well as tables made from crates and wooden surfaces paired plastic chairs for its dine-in furniture. Unlike Dashi Master Marusaya where the emphasis is placed more on their cooked food offerings, Tsukiji Sushi TEN’s lunch menu is focused more on Donburi that comprises of raw fish — think items like the Seafood Donburi, Tri-coloured Tuna Donburi and the Marinated Salmon Donburi; just to name a few. For dinner, Tsukiji Sushi TEN operates more akin to an actual Japanese Izakaya, where one can also opt from the different types of alcohol and sakes which they have to offer.
Since we are always into affordable Barachirashi Don, it is needless to say that the item we had decided to go for during our visit to Tsukiji Sushi TEN on a weekend afternoon was the Barachirashi Don. Available only during lunch hours, patrons can also choose to opt for the various Donburi items to come in a Set if they wish — the items that come with the set includes a Chawanmushi, Salad and a bowl of Miso Soup; the set being priced at an additional $6 on top of the price of the respective Donburi which the patron decided to order. The menu at Tsukiji Sushi TEN does not describe the elements that come with their Barachirashi Don; that being said, we did observe from the bowl that came with our order that the Barachirashi Don comes with elements such as diced Tamago, diced cucumbers, a diced assortment of raw fish that includes what seems to be salmon, tuna and fatty tuna, Ebiko, pickled ginger, Takuan (i.e. Japanese yellow pickled radish), Wasabi and sliced cucumber — all of that above Japanese short-grain rice.
Giving the Barachirashi Don a first taste, it is noted that the rendition of the Barachirashi Don served up at Tsukiji Sushi TEN comes as-is; there are establishments out there which serves their Barachirashi Don with an assortment of marinated diced fish, but this is not the case at Tsukiji Sushi TEN — this also means one can actually taste the freshness of the assortment of diced fish here, with each type of fish carrying a texture and flavour of its own. The cubes of diced fish are sized a little smaller than what we would like them to be, but they are still of a sufficient size where one could taste the textures and flavours of the fish — one can also get quite a bit of fish and rice in a spoonful as well. Coming to the rice, the rice comes served at room temperature here; something which we prefer considering how some establishments seem to like to serve their rice warm and that tends to mess up the temperature and hence the texture of the raw fish somewhat. The Japanese short-grain rice also comes flavoured, though at just a light touch for that slight hint of vinegary sweetness to compliment with the assortment of diced raw fish. The addition of diced Tamago further enhances the sweetness of the entire bowl for a more balanced flavour; the Tamago also adding a soft bite that gives a good contrast to the chewier cubes of assorted raw fish, while the diced cucumbers add a refreshing crunch to balance things out. The knob of wasabi provided on the side comes especially “lethal” — sends a wave of unforgiving numbness to the tastebuds providing quite a bit of “oomph” factor that we really loved. The other elements like the pickled ginger slices and the Takuan provides a tang that refreshes the tastebuds. Overall, not the most memorable nor prettiest bowl of Barachirashi Don but one that is still pretty worthy of its price tag at $15.90++ especially considering the quality — definitely a dining option to consider about when in the area looking for some value-for-money Barachirashi Don to cure those cravings indeed!