Nihon Mura 日本村 (Revenue House)

This place is ideal if you want to treat someone a "buffett" without having to pay overly excessive prices. The sushi plates at $1 a plate are a steal, but don't expect top notich quality sushi. But hey, beggars can't be choosers right? Nevertheless, I did not have any stomach problems after that so it certainly can't be bad. My friend on the other hand, produced lots of gas and is currently heading for an emergency at the nearest rest-room...*alert alert*

Be forewarned that there would be a bit of walking since there is no menu so one has to pick his or her orders from stations (like the former marche). The music though, does need some help as the oldies that were being played using sttringed instruments didn't seem to jive with the cuisine that we were eating.

I was introduced to this Japanese restaurant, Nihon Mura at Revenue House.

Part of the sister chain to Suki Group, who brought in Suki Sushi and Sakura, this new entrant is offering sushi dishes at 99 cents each.

It is made possible, according to their director, Mr Kelvin Ong, because their business strategy is to avoid malls, which are overflowing with other chains, and opt for less expensive venues in suburban areas to keep prices low.

However, despite offering cheap conveyor-belt sushi, the peeve is that none of the tables are located next to it; hence you have to walk over to help yourself to the sushi.

The restaurant also comprises of various sections including: Grills, Tempura, and Noodles, other than the Sushi - which is ready-made - all the other dishes are represented in placards placed in front of the stations, beside a batch of ice lolly sticks etched with the name of the dish.

Interestingly, to order, you collect the sticks of the dishes you want and hand them to a waiter with your table number, or simply drop these lolly sticks into a cup placed at your tables, and the waiter will collect it and take order.

With the amount of variety to choose from, the standard of the dishes were unexpectedly of a high standard.

Even the Sashimi were surprisingly fresh, so much so that we had a second order of the Akagai, or the Red Shell Fish, which is bigger version of what we commonly known as Cockles. The meat was so sweet and the texture was firm.

The other dish I enjoyed was the Salmon Belly Soup. A bowl of piping hot soup served in a ceramic pot with generous serving of vegetables and chunky pieces of Salmon Belly Meat was such a delight that we ordered a second serving as well.

For a lunch of 7 adults and 1 child, the whole meal was $220, which worked out to be slightly over $30 per person. My overall verdict is that for the price we are paying, all the dishes are pretty good. The only regret is that as most dishes are served at one go, such that some of the turned cold before we could have a chance to sample it. Nevertheless, this is definitely a good place to go for family gatherings and friends reunion dinner.

You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.

Ok, I have to write this after seeing (what I feel) is rather high ratings for this place. A friend of mine jio me to this place last week because someone told him very good and cheap. I was very skeptical but against my better judgment I gave it a shot.

The best way to describe this place is a "Marche - Jap Style". Frankly food republic looks and feel much better. Anyway, Nihon Mura serves most of the Japanese food Singaporeans typically go for. You just pick up an ice cream stick that has the item name on it and wait at your table for a server to get that order for you.

Sushi for 99cents, tempura, kushiyaki, dons, Katsu, etc. Sushi is cheap I can't argue with that but hey the sushi rice is badly done and the sushi on a super fast conveyor belt made me a little giddy. Unless you are a fan of Edo sushi (found in supermarkets) or you are so god damn hungry coming back from "Survivor China" I think 99cents sushi is not for you. Personally, I don't even eat Sakae Sushi so this is totally out.

My friend had a Chirashi Don and he said he felt like a stray dog/cat eating scraps. Looks bad, taste bad and fish so stale a cat won't touch it. I had 4 plates of sushi which I regret taking all at one shot and my friend had another few. Maybe there are some other dishes that is good? I doubt so though so if you are a picky eater do your self a big favor stay far away from Revenue House. If cheap is the the only thing that matters for you then Welcome to cheap sushi haven.

We both agreed we'll never go back.