For a full run-down of my dining experience at Kuriya, please visit:
http://foodiepink.wordpress.com/2013/04/23/kuriya-dining-great-world-city/

Enjoy :)

We've eaten in Japan, at Kaisekis and many types of Restaurants but Kuriya is tops in terms of quality of ingredients in Singapore.

Ambience:  It's at the office block end of Great World city and is more accessible at that lobby, than from the car park.  Finished in grey / dark tones, it's pretty contemporary and pleasant.  There have dining areas for 6, and dining areas for 4.  We were offered the 6, but decided on a 4 seater dining place.

Food:  Started with a Jap salad, sesame and light vinegar dressing.  Interesting salad, but I've had better.

The main course was then the sashimi platter - loads of very very fresh fish, shrimps, clams, akagai.  Hey, but no swordfish ???  The presentation is very elegant, and the seafood very fresh, apparently they fly it in daily.  The toro was special in taste, oily with no hint of fishiness.  sweet prawns were firm and tasty ....  sweet.  The highlight was a fresh fish - seabream??  sliced up sashimi style and then served with the head on.  That was fresh.  4 pieces were rolled up with uni in it and that is a heady combination.

Nest was the neck of a yellowtail hamachi, the flesh is white and flaky, very tasty.  The fish from the sashimi was also fried up for us and it was like large ikan bilis.

We had a tuna flesh (scrapped) california roll,  2 pieces of uni each.  The uni is worth a mention.  I've tasted it at Tsukiji and at other places in Japan, but this uni is succulent, tasty and has a strong yolk taste.  Highlight of the meal.  We had a fish soup in teapot with a lime twist.

Ended with half a unagi grilled to perfection, taking me back to a street restaurant in Kyoto where we had eel prepared from the tank.  Delicious, unlike the China eels which has no taste.

Overall a tasty and fresh experience.

Value:  Meal for 4 came to $900, which is a high price to pay for a few pieces of seafood,  but if you value freshness, then it's a reasonable price.  Hard to find this freshness in other joints in Singapore.

Service:  I feel that although the staff knew our host,  they cut corners on service that should match the elegance and price point of this restaurant.  This needs to be improved to make it outstanding. Staff lacks humility in serving high end food.

May be after two years I visited this fine restaurant with my friend during lunch time without prior reservation. The restaurant seems doing very good business. We somehow got two seats at the counter.

I ordered Nigiri Sushi Zen, Matsutake (Pine Mushroom) Dobinmushi (soup in teapot) and Australian Uni Sushi.

The set lunch was just good, neither special not bad. Among sushi I likeed ebi which tasted quite nice. Chawanmushi looked beautiful with Zuwaigani (Chionoecetes opilio) on top of it but taste was not much felt.

As Matsutake was displayed on the Chef's counter I was tempted and asked one of waiters from where they got these Matsutake. He said they were from Japan. So I ordered it but there was no fragrance of that fine Matsutake at all. The soup tasted a bit salt less or rather bland. After sipping soup I picked two pieces of Matsutake from the teapot. There were just slight smell of it when I put them into my mouth. I was totally disappointed. I told the chef about this then he apologetically mentioned that Matsutake were from China and their smell is not like that of Japanese. I am not sure whether the smell of Chinese Matsutake does not smell like those of Japan.

Anyway I do not recommend this soup.

Then the promotion of Australian sea urchin is going on so I tried sea-urchin sushi. This was good.

Though I am fond of this restaurant. This time I have noticed their service was not good or attentive. First of all they served very lukewarm tea. So I had to specially ask for a hot one. Then after ordering sea-urchin the assistant chef(s) totally forgotten about my order so I had to wait for more than 15 minutes or more and I had to remind them of my order. But when two sea-urchin nigiri were served they tasted very good.