Why so coz I ate charcoal udon!

Came all the way here to Singapore Flyer only coz I want a taste of novelty! Hey I’m not a food snob ok coz I actually ate at a restaurant whose parent company manages Sakae Sushi! If I’m not wrong, the only other restaurants in Singapore which serves sumi udon is Megumi at Sunset Way & East Coast no? yes? (pls correct me if I’m wrong!) I was curious about this black udon so here I am!

Came without any expectations coz…err…need I really spell out why…and sure enough the food weren’t spectacular! They just look tempting and pretty that’s all. The Sumi Udon ($12) just tastes like normal udon and that was the best thing I ate today! Frankly!

Tried also another of their signatures, the Pumpkin Soufflé ($10). Oh my! It’s really gorgeous looking but that’s about it. Nothing to shout about. Calling it a soufflé is really a misnomer too. It was really beautiful though, pumpkin flesh scooped out of a Japanese pumpkin and mixed with seafood and mustard, then topped with cheese and baked. Now if you would ask me where’s the soufflé part? I swear I don’t know lol. I think it’s just a little egg white mixed with the cheese topping. But be warned! This is a really heavy starter and gets stodgy after a while coz there’s so much pumpkin fibres! So please share! And how to get the best out of it? Eat it as and when you see it! Hot!

Besides teppanyaki, sumiyaki is supposedly what Hibiki specializes in, so I die die must try one stick to see what’s good up there! The Mochi Buta ($4) is just Japanese mochi wrapped with pork belly and grilled on their sumi (imported charcoal). It came out like marshmallow so gooey but err….I won’t eat it again haha. But kushiyaki lovers, maybe this place could be a new outfit to check out coz their selection (there’s chicken kawa ding ding ding) features a no. of unique items with really good prices to match! Most range from $3-$5/ stick, foie gras & duck costing $8, lamb $8, gyu tongue $5 and ribeye $5 only!

Oh yes the sushi and sashimi are really affordable too though I’m not so`sure about the quality coz I didn’t try any. Salmon cost $6 per pair and otoro’s only $16 per pair! So otoro lovers (ding ding ding!) this may be a place to get your fix of fatty tuna belly!

Hmm…what else did I miss? Oh yes! Dessert how could I miss out on desserts? The dessert selection seems very interesting and once again the good words end here. Tried the Carrot Pudding ($6) which is just vanilla panna cotta spotted with carrot bits. Very pretty indeed but I just can’t taste any carrot!

Sigh…I thought Hibiki would really be Sakae Sushi going upmarket. But me thinks it's really Sakae trying very hard…

The only thing spectacular about this place is that like in the Sakae Sushi outlets, Hibiki also uses the patented “Interactive Menu” for order taking, which imo is a damn good idea coz the waitress is simply clueless about the menu! That poor girl tells me she knows nothing lol. Luckily she was quite sweet about it so I’m not complaining coz she eventually reverted me to her manageress. I just think the company should invest a little more to train their staff! I’m not one who’s so particular about naïve service staff, what irks me more is snooty or rude service, so take this as a pinch of salt! Coz I know there’re a lot of people out there who will start complain about the service here…

Oh! They are offering an opening Special Promotion of 30% Rebate from now till 30 September 2008, but vouchers are only given in $10 denominations. If you’d do your math, you must spend at least $30 to get one $10 voucher!

Darn. I think the only food worth eating at Singapore Flyer is Popeye’s biscuit. Don’t get me wrong! It’s just that this place’s not my cup of tea! Go give it a try, maybe you’ll love them for their creativity! :)

But for now…hmm…it’s back to Nogawa for me. Haha no more Sakae Sushi Hibiki!