Sorry to burst the bubble, folks. But I did not have too great a dining experience at Kushigin and this is especially so as I had dined at Kazu previously. Kazu also serves yakitori and is located in the same building, 2 floors above, so the comparisons are inevitable.

Had a great but rather expensive meal at Kazu a week earlier, but decided to try Kushigin after reading the reviews and seeing that the prices of an average meal is generally cheaper than Kazu's. Had the thought that "Hey, if Kushigin can be as good as Kazu but at half its prices, I can have a more affordable place to satisfy my yakitori cravings!" But I guess sometimes, there's a reason why certain places are priced so, every extra penny paid makes a difference.

The meal got off to a bad start when we had to wait ages for the waitress to take our orders. We had to signal for the waitress' attention a couple of times and every time the waitress replied "gimme a minute". So we gave 10 minutes or more and after the second waitress replied "gimme 5 minutes", we were rather frustrated and were very tempted to walk out of the restaurant. The dictum "a hungry man is an angry man" could not be more true. The waitresses were too busy busing the tables, topping up drinks, chatting with regulars to take our orders. I feel that's a glaring flaw in the system. You should always be prompt in taking orders, that'll appease the (starving) customers as they can then have their drinks, chat and wait for their food orders, in the comfort of the knowledge that their food is being prepared.

To be fair, after the initial order stonewalling, service got more prompt. Food came after a fair amount of waiting time. There were still times when you have to remind the waiter twice or thrice before he remembers to top up your tea. But this is so common in Singapore restaurants (yes, it's tragic), that we're kinda numb to it and not particularly bothered by it.

To be honest, I'll still give this place a second shot if I find the food fantastic. But note, it has to be FANTASTIC. It's a high order, I know, but how else would it be worth the pain?

Tried the Today Specials of soft shell crab tempura and grilled Japanese sweet corn. They were OK only. The imported Japanese sweet corn is pretty much normal, tastes like the usual sweet corn to me and not as sweet as expected as we had previously tried unbelievably sweet ones in Hokkaido. But to be fair, it's the same as how the sashimi flown in especially from Tsukiji, will not always taste as fresh/great as dining in Tsukiji itself.

Then had a variety of the kushiyaki skewers - asparagus maki, chicken meatball, chicken gizzard, shisamo, garlic pork, hotate, chicken with mentaiko, special meatball and foie gras. Again, all were OK only and not particularly memorable, except recall an overly salty aftertaste for most of the items. Maybe the foie gras is better than Kazu’s as instead of skewered and salted like Kazu’s, theirs is served on a plate with side salad and drizzled with oil and balsamic vinegar (I think) and I feel this makes it less “ger lak”.

Had an OK Okonomiyaki. Enjoyed the Daikon Salad and the Chawanmushi the most. But part of the reason could be because the Daikon Salad came first and we devoured it out of sheer hunger.

Spent $101.60 in all, including 1 soft drink. It's way cheaper per pax than what I spent at Kazu previously, but I did order different stuff there. But at the end of the day, find Kushigin's food passable only and hence not worth the headache of sitting through painstakingly slow service.

We walked into Kazu sans reservation on a Friday night at 8.45pm - ok so I hear you say - what were you guys thinking? Dejected but not beaten, we proceeded to check out the other joints in Singapore's own "Little Tokyo" and were pleasantly to surprised to find Kushigin ("silver skewer" in Japanese) which greeted us with its open kitchen/ long chargrill facing the entrance. At least we could get a seat here if we were willing to return after 1/2 hour.

After some cold beers at Acid Bar, we were excited to find over 60 choices of yakitori offerings. Their succulent charcoal-grilled creations did not disappoint. Especially good were the tebasaki (grilled chicken wings at $2.80/stick), kawa (chicken skin at $2/stick) as well as the tomato cheese yaki (tomato wrapped in cheese and pork, at $4.20/stick). Also worth a special mention is the Tokusei Tsukene (their house special meatballs - a combi of beef, chicken at pork - at $6.50/ball) which was delicious and beautifully presented with grated radish to be mixed with a fresh quail's egg.

We also had our portion of carbs via the cold tororo soba (cold tea-flavoured soba with grated yam) which was very good.

The service was good, and I especially loved how the Japanese yakitori master behind the counter was only too kind to indulge me in practising my Japanese which I am currently taking (Hello! This is so pretty! When is your birthday?).

I would come back again and would say that their yakitori is largely on par with Kazu's, thought I do miss some of Kazu's offerings (eg pork belly with apple). Worth a visit especially if you belong to the "Kazu is overrated" camp. Ambience is laid-back and the place was full of Japanese businessmen who were there after work for a taste of home and not forgetting the alcohol.

All Foie Gras Lovers! Look Here!

Forget about those hazardous livers in fine French and Italian dining restaurants. For livers ˝ the price tag and 1000X more satisfaction, come HERE!

Disclaimer (I): This is my absolute first time at any kushiyaki joint so my assessment will be based on a virgin attempt at these Japanese satays. Anyway, meal was free :) and is certainly a change from my usual favorite sushi and sashimi nosh. And gosh! I really did enjoy everything!

So here goes, the items I tried:

1.daikon sarada ($5) – simple and clean, refreshing. I like.
2.foie gras ($12) – Phoar! Total Heavens In A Liver. So soft, quivery and wobbly and oh-so-oily! :) I must say I haven’t eaten such a darn good foie gras in ages! Japanese triumphs the French and Italians anytime! Boo!
3.chicken liver ($1.80) – still a little quivery at the centre, no foul smells. chicken liver on a stick is much better than chicken liver on chicken rice. :D
4.salmon belly ($6.50) – nicely done, not overly cooked and still pink at the innards. I always like salmon belly.
5.scallop ($6.30) – perfect doneness and still tender inside, not chewy like the overcooked ones. Sweet!
6.tomato cheese bacon yaki ($4.20) – juicy and gooey!
7.nasu ($1.80) – I <3 eggplant so this one’s definitely delicious!
8.quail eggs ($2) – haha so uninspiring but I like bird eggs! Though this is the 1st time I eat them grilled!
9.yaki onigiri ($3.50) – crusty, crispy rice at the exterior, insides were hot! A very enjoyable rice-on-a-stick.

hmm…maybe it’s time to climb a few floors up… :)

Disclaimer (II): The prices here seem a tad too expensive for a kushi stick but it’s coz I ordered the foie gras and seafood items. It’s possible to get a meal here for less than $20/pax depending on what you choose coz the chicken parts/some bacon items are in the range of $2-$3/ stick, with the seafood ones costing more. For the undecided, there’re also very affordable set dinners ($30+) and lunches ($12-$18) with the best-value-for-money being the Yakitoro Obento ($12.50) at lunch, which includes 5 of their best kushi sticks, coupled with a comforting bed of rice with chicken mince, soup and dessert. What better deal than this?

Go only if you love Yakitori. You can expect it to be better than the Taka basement Yakitori stall, but it's no where near culinary greatness. Also not a place for big eater. For the price, I felt like I didn't eat anything.

Visited twice after being rejected by Kazu for failing to make reservations. Reservations are still recommended here though; we were just lucky to get seats both times and the place was packed even though it was after 730. I have to caveat that we aren't big fans of yakitori but only went there as we were in the cuppage/centerpoint area and starving.

This is not a place to go if you're claustrophobic or worried about getting the smell of grilled food in your hair and clothes. It's tiny with very little walking space. Considering the confined space, small entrance/exit and the open grill/kitchen, one might wonder about the fire safety regulations...

Best dish was the garlic fried rice -- peppery and not oily, with the rice sticking just nicely. We suspect it's the pepper that we are addicted to. Ebi tempura was delish, with the batter remaining crispy even after an hour. If you're an egg lover, you'll love the omelette, sprinkled with bonito flakes and drizzled with mayo and a tart, brown sauce (which I can't remember its name).
Oyster with bacon was decadently good; the oyster retained its juiciness. Eel kushiyaki was tender except for the slightly tough skin.

The sashimi was mediocre at best. Try the salted octopus only if you are a big fan of salty stuff. Gyoza was disappointing - skin was too thick & oily, meat was almost non-existent. The large grilled squid was too chewy.

The other yakitori items eg chicken skin, japanese peppers, mushroom with chicken were all right but I wouldn't try them again. It's more a personal preference (disinclination towards yakitori) than a testament of the quality of the food.

Service was spotty, with our teas being refilled only after we asked repeatedly. But the food was served pretty quickly. Felt kinda sorry for the harried waitresses though. They looked as though they could do with some sake ~_~