There really isn’t any need to introduce Koh Grill & Sushi Bar at this stage — we might as well be one of the last few batches of people whom have yet to give this fairly well-known “hidden gem” of the past a try before our most recent visit there. It wasn’t that long ago that Koh Grill & Sushi Bar is that go-to spot within Orchard for Japanese sushi rolls — there was, and still is usually a queue around Food Republic at Wisma Atria where hungry patrons patiently queue up for their turn to dine-in; this situation has still pretty much remained the same even after a particular section has been split off from Food Republic to add-on to the dine-in capacity of Koh Grill & Sushi Bar on top of the seating space within the mini restaurant itself. Despite probably best known for their sushi rolls, Koh Grill & Sushi Bar actually serves up quite a wide variety of Japanese fare to the extent that it good probably rival that of some pro-claimed “Izakaya”spots around — think food items that are spread across categories such as Sashimi & Chirashi, Sushi, Handroll, Sushi Roll, Grilled & Deep Fried, Hotplate & Soup, Noodle & Rice, Grilled Skewer and Side Dish. While the menu does seem a little fixed these days, Koh Grill & Sushi Bar does innovate from time to time — the introduction of the Shiok!!! Maki Gen 2 being testament to the statement that the folks of Koh Grill & Sushi Bar aren’t resting on their laurels. The list of beverages available at Koh Grill & Sushi Bar includes both hot / iced green tea, canned drinks and a small variety of Japanese alcohol — this includes Umeshu, Sake and Junmai as well.
There has been quite a bit of talk from those whom have visited Koh Grill & Sushi Bar previously that standards have been a little inconsistent these days, and that some opinions of the Shiok!!! Maki Gen 2 being not quite the same as the Shiok!!! Maki Gen 1. Since this was our very first visit to Koh Grill & Sushi Bar, we found ourselves going for the Shiok!!! Maki Gen 1 — the Shiok!!! Maki Gen 1 is being described on the menu to come with Eel, Avocado and Seared Salmon. Whilst being something that seems to be a little bit more common these days, having tried finally the Shiok!!! Maki Gen 1, we understood how the Shiok!!! Maki Gen 1 catapulted Koh Grill & Sushi Bar into fame within the F&B scene in Singapore. Often mentioned during the mid-2010s as an item that one must-try, the Shiok!!! Maki Gen 1 was everything a foodie could dream of during that era — that overflow of that housemade sauce that seems to have used some sort of mayonnaise as a base, what made it especially “shiok” was how that sauce and salmon beneath was torched using the flame-torch for that smoky note; something that is also synonymous with Aburi and Mentaiko that makes them a crowd favourite in this day and age. The sushi rice came tightly packed; no chances of the sushi rice and the condiments within falling apart here — the sushi rice being aptly sweetened, while one could taste that savouriness of the Unagi and accompanying sauce within. All these elements within the sushi rice are bound together with the avocado, which creates a creamy texture to bring all of these elements with the rice. No doubt some would think the combination to be somewhat common these days and nothing much to shout about, though we could imagine how this can be seen as revolutionary back then in its days — that “Aburi” factor with its smokiness and creaminess being a huge influencing factor for its popularity during that time.
We have also given a couple of other dishes a go since we were already at Koh Grill and Sushi Bar — these dishes include items like the Tofu Hotplate, Sake Sashimi and the Nasu Miso Yaki amongst others. Truth to be told, most of their dishes are fairly pedestrian — this would be especially so for the Chawanmushi, though we definitely have had worse from stalls serving up Japanese cuisine at food courts in the neighbourhoods. There were also items which we personally felt either missed the mark such as the Nasu Miso Yaki where there was just simply too much liquid coming out of the eggplant and thus making the entire dish taste rather flat and overly salty, as well as some dishes that saw unnecessary addition of elements such as that of the Tofu Hotplate where the citrusy element caused the entire dish to be too tangy instead of being refreshing, while the sauce was also absorbed into the fried batter of the tofu causing the batter to be a little too soggy for our liking. In fact, the only other dish that we liked would be the Sake Sashimi — thick cuts of salmon that we found to be be pretty worth the money. Perhaps Koh Grill & Sushi Bar is the sort of place where they are good for some dishes and not so strong at others — possibly the reason why the Shiok!!! Maki Gen 1 is the synonymous with the brand name itself. We are quite sure if we would be rushing to return to Koh Grill & Sushi Bar to experience the other dishes that they have to offer; that being said, we would definitely be saying “Shiok!!! Maki Gen 1” and “Sake Sashimi” if a friend decides to bring us there again.
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