Ikoi Japanese Restaurant

Recently been there to give it a try after all the supposed hype I have heard in the past. However, sad to say, it was quite disappointing. When I got there, there so so many empty seats. And yet the staff were busy calling the guests to confirm their reservations, with no one paying any attention to us . That was one down, two to go.

Next, instead of giving us a table, we were given counter seats, which was a bit kinda cramped as compared to the other Japanese restaurants I have been before. That was Strike two,one last one to go.

Nervertheless, we settled down and started ordering the food. And like what Polarbear had said in his review, the portions of some of the food were really a tad too little and the service was slow as well. Even though the food was tasty, it was not enough to pacify me. And that was it, Strike Three!!! I would rather choose to go back to Minori anytime than this, where the variety is more and the service is much more better as well.

So all in all, this should be the first and last time that I would be coming to this Japanese restaurant to eat.

I have heard about this place from my colleague and such a coincident that one of my friends was nice enough to suggest Ikoi as the venue for my birthday treat (yes I know, I have been procrastinating about it). Apparently, this place is so well known that bookings have to be made 1-2 weeks in advance – talk about Kiasu Singaporeans! Located at the ground floor of Hotel Miramar, the outside of the entrance looks impressive, but a step into the restaurant revealed a cramped seating arrangement – definitely not a decent place to have your meals if you are the sort who wish to have conversation over dinner.

It did not help also that we were assigned to counter seats, as there were inadequate space for all the dishes we had ordered. Service was pretty inefficient that night as the place was packed with tons of hungry and noisy souls, and waiting time for certain dishes were slow as I suspect orders were consolidated before the food were prepared.

It was said Ikoi is the place for people who craves for Sashimi, as the serving they dished out was indeed generous.

However, I was not blown away by it. In fact I was left so unimpressed with the quality that I did not even ordered a second helping. Other dishes that left me indifferent were the Tempura and Shisamo.

Even though it was served hot, the batter for the Tempura was rough – not the best you would expect from a Japanese restaurant.

The Shisamo was dried up when it was served, and this I am pretty sure that they were prepared earlier and re-grilled when orders come in - the inside was also cold and the outside full of smoky flavour. The Yakitori was also slightly chewy for consumption.

To be fair, they have a decent number of dishes to order from but none really make an impression except for the Stewed Salmon Head that I ordered by accident.

Foodies would know that the flesh from the Salmon Head close to its belly is of course the most tender and delicious.

Occasionally, they would also dished out complimentary dishes like the Kaminabe and Salmon Sashimi – items that we did not request for.

However, only one out of many items that was of standard is just not good enough.

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