In my ongoing quest to try out Life!'s 100 best dishes in Singapore, I came here for the wagyu beef set lunch, which was indeed very good. The decadent pat of butter on top of the slices of beef said it all...this isn't going to be healthy, but it's sure going to taste good.

Surprisingly, though, my favourite part of the set meal was the prawn sushi. I'm usually not a fan of raw prawns, but these were the sweetest, un-slimey-est prawns I'd ever tasted.

Service is attentive and the atmosphere is definitely not 'neighbourhood'...the liberal use of floor-to-ceiling drapes gives the place an almost theatrical feel.

Shiro is truly over-rated. The so-called famed door bell is really nothing to speak of. It's just a small bell near the door (!) and the shop front is so unimpressive-looking.

On the interior, it's kind of dark and gloomy - my friend had a headache due to the dim lighting. It wasn't an issue for me though although I would expect some folks to not be able to take to the dark interior. It's a really small place (20 seats max?) and you need to make reservations, else I hardly think you can get a seat by walking in. All the seats were filled up when I was there, even those at the sushi bar. I guess there are all regulars, as the chef seemed to be busy chatting with many of them.

Now on the food, it's truly average. We ordered the set, and overall, the sashimi is definitely not the freshest I have tested, and is at best average only. The appetizer was some concoction from the chef based on what he'd whip out, and that was pretty good. The main course is actually very similar to what you can get elsewhere though, without the high prices.

I must, however, complain on the lipstick mark on my friend's cup. Now, you may be wondering why I am kicking a fuss out of this, BUT my friend doesn't wear lipstick at all (!) so when told, the waitress just came back with another cup while muttering something which obviously was just a way to cover up for their unpardonable sin. A word to all high class fine dining places - you clean your cups and we mean CLEAN. It's truly unpardonable when you're charging such exorbitant prices.

one of the most overated restaurants in Singapore I think. Yes it has fantastic ambience and that its cool that you have to ring the bell for them to open the door for you. but other than that, there isn't really anything going for this restaurant.

Sashimi could have been fresher. It was fresh but def not the freshest I've had around here. The recommendations were sub par at best. I wanted to order a miso cod but was asked to try their rainbow trout which was not on the menu and one of their special seasonal items.
They forgot to add that the miso paste was very thick and that the fish was not a fillet but the entire entity. This thus became an archaelogical challenge as I had to ensure that I walked out of the restaurant with fish in my mouth and no bones in my throat. I gave up after a while.

But other than that, the quality of the food is seriously passe. There are def way better restaurants around for food like this and I'm not normally one to complain about value and all that but for the quality and the prices they charge, one needs to be seriously hoodwinked to go back multiple times. Either that or they just don't have very high standards.

Being lovers of Japanese cuisine, I've been dying to try this place for yonks. It should be noted that this place doesn't take walk-ins so you have got to call and reserve in advance. We drove right up to the doorsteps where we handed the keys to the valet and saundered into the restaurant in style (only to realise I lost the valet card within 5 mins of being seated!)

Anyway both of us ordered the Kaiseki menu (i.e. the chef's seasonal speciality) which came with 8-9 courses, albeit in small proportions (thankfully as this means that you get to taste different variants of food as opposed to just munching on salmon). I particularly loved their sashimi dish as it came with exotic raw fish and clam sashimi (includes geoduck (elephant clam), uni and ). They managed to serve up a good sashimi selection without a single piece of sake (salmon) which I think deserves some respect, given how orders of sashimi in restaurants always comes with salmon (how original). Other exotic dishes include fish roe, fish sperm in soup (that didn't go down too well with us), sashimi-sushi platter (with really good maguro, so good it rivals the ones found in Japan itself - because most of the maguro found in Singapore supermarkets are actually flown from Indonesian waters (a little known fact) which explains why the tuna is always so crass and dry), wagyu beef served with the most fragrant garlic fried rice and the famed Hokkaido honey melon (which was oozing with juice) at $100 a melon as dessert.

In addition to the Kaiseki menu (I was greedy) we also ordered the bamboo clams topped off with fish roe, all steamed. I reckoned that this particular ala carte topped some of the Kaiseki dishes we ordered.

All in all, if it's your first visit, you should definitely try the Kaiseki menu and then try their ala carte on your return visit. The price may be steep but you really get a taste of Japanese food, beyond the usual sake sashimi and agedashi tofu dishes. Service wise, it was fantastic - there were about 6 helpers- a good ratio considering the place only seats about 30 per night. Anyway the place is so cosy and small that you will definitely get the attention you need within 5 seconds of your waving your hand.

Price: $180nett per person for Kaiseki menu.

Guys, if you want to impress your first date, DO NOT BRING THEM HERE. This is simply such a great place, such a slick place, you do not want to already add to the pressure of your first date by bringing her here! Besides, you might not like her and then what, you come to such a great restaurant and have bad company.

Shiro is a favourite of mine. Something about the discretion of this place, the need to buzz in before they open the door, the quite ambience, and to top it off, being hidden at Greenwood avenue, makes it one of those insider type place which is more like a club than a restaurant. Just check out the usual lunching Japanese wives here and you know that it has the vote of the most discerning audience.

Food is creative, well presented, fresh, good, service is discreet, unfortunately this place is not cheap. But its not a rip off either. I hate to really rave about this place too much in case it becomes too busy!

Remember, not for a first date. Such treats should only be reserved for anniversaries and birthdays or if you need to close the deal with her.