Chanced upon the social media pages of IMA Sushi which has recently opened its doors within the campus of Singapore Management University — the location of where IMA Sushi is at is fairly close to Bras Basah MRT Station; and is situated just right beside Triplets by Bakery Cuisine that is most familiar with the students from Singapore Management University for serving up wallet-friendly neighbourhood-style Pandan Waffles. Occupying quite a large shop unit, there is plenty of space between tables — pretty much a luxury for dine-in restaurants these days; the space is being decked out in a minimalist style that carries an industrial look considering the concrete walls, metallic fittings and wooden furnishings, which is a look that we found to be rather fitting for a sushi joint situated in a campus environment. Being more of a casual sushi restaurant, IMA Sushi does serve up quite a good variety of sashimi and sushi in the menu here — think a Nigri Sushi, Gunkan Sushi, Makimono and Special Rolls for the different type of sushi which they are serving up. Those who are not into sushi or raw food can also opt for other items such as the Donburi and Noodle items as well. IMA-Sushi also attempts to also cater for a fuss-free experience for students who are looking for a quick grab-and-go sushi takeaway, offering takeaway sushi sets as well. Beverages available at IMA Sushi are however limited to canned drinks such as Coke, Sprite, and Ayataka.

Wanting to go for one of the Special Rolls that they have to offer, we went for the IMA Special Roll — something which we thought was an item that we should not miss considering it bears the namesake of the restaurant. The IMA Special Roll is essentially a Spicy Cheese Salmon Maki. Going for straight for one piece of the roll, the IMA Special Roll does seem to be pretty well-made; the sushi roll being held together firmly without bits of the elements filled within falling out when picked up with the chopstick. Chewing on the piece, we note the freshness of the salmon sashimi which was being used here; all that whilst the roll includes sushi rice that was mildly sweet which carried a decent flavour. There was quite a good portion of cream cheese that came filled within the roll for that slightly savoury, saltish touch that somehow gelled everything together with its creamy texture; this included the chunk of cucumber that is included for a good crunch. Being described as a spicy sushi, the addition of what seems to be a Lao Gan Ma chili of sorts atop the salmon with a brush of chili oil helped to add a hint of umami-ness and a very light hint of spiciness that gives a tingle to the tastebud. All in all, a rather competent sushi roll that is relatively well-made especially when compared to the commercial Japanese establishments that are catered to the mass market which are often found in shopping malls and the likes of it.

Having also tried several other items such as the Salmon Belly Sashimi and the Aburi Tamago Mentai Sushi, we felt that IMA Sushi is a spot that really suits its target demographic really well — a casual Japanese sushi restaurant that is meant to meet the cravings of the students studying at Singapore Management University. We were actually rather impressed with the quality of the Salmon Belly Sashimi especially; came with a sufficiently thick cut that gave it so much bite, yet immensely fresh and flavourful on its own — something which we would really recommend one to have should they make their visit to IMA Sushi. The Aburi Tamago Mentai Sushi is also pretty decent; again, we liked how there was structural integrity for how the sushi was made — nothing falling apart whilst we picked the sushi up with our chopsticks, while the sweet Tamago comes with a dollop of Mentaiko Mayo that has been blowtorched for that smoky, umami note which is a crowd pleaser on its own. Whilst we did not have many of the items which they serve up to give a fair verdict, we must say that the food quality does somewhat surpass what one would usually expect from a restaurant made to serve the mass market; something which we thought was pretty commendable for a restaurant within a campus. A spot that is likely to be both a favourite haunt for students and staff of Singapore Management University, as well as probably being so with the office folks within its immediate sushi for a simple fix to a sushi craving.

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