Let’s face it: Takeaway sushi will never be as good as omakase sushi from gourmet Japanese restaurants.
But for times when we just want a quick and cheap fix, takeaway sushi can be a satisfying alternative. Convenient as a light meal on-the-go, it’s also an excellent choice for instant party food.
Using a benchmark of four popular sushi items–California maki, tamago (egg), unagi (eel), and raw salmon–we taste-test sushi from supermarket counters and takeaway shops. Which ones made us go “oiishi”?
Mr Sushi
Available at Meidi-Ya Supermarket, and selected Cold Storage and FairPrice supermarkets
Price: California maki ($4.90 for 6 pieces at Cold Storage); assorted sushi combo ($8.90 for 8 pieces at Meidi-Ya)
Rating: 4/5
Mr Sushi operates several sushi counters in major supermarket chains. For most counters, the sushi are freshly made on the premises. We sampled three different outlets: Meidi-Ya, Cold Storage (Takashimaya), and Fairprice Finest (Orchard). Standards were generally consistent, save for subtle differences in freshness as well as the seasoning of the rice.
Among all the brands we tried, Mr Sushi had the best rice. The grains were round, separate, and had an attractive sheen. Taste-wise, it was appetising and had great mouthfeel. The ratio of rice-to-toppings was also just right.
The toppings were just as outstanding, especially the flavourful and moist tamago. For the salmon, it tasted fresh and looked appetisingly bright, fatty and thick. Although the unagi was slightly dry, it was sufficiently tasty.
The California maki had a premium feel with the use of pricier tobiko (flying fish roe) instead of ebiko (shrimp roe). We were definitely impressed with this brand’s overall quality. At its best, Mr Sushi was worthy enough to rival certain conveyor-belt sushi restaurants.
*Soy sauce, wasabi, and pickled ginger (for selected outlets) provided.
68 Orchard Road
#01-10/22 Plaza Singapura
Opening hours: Sun-Thu: 10am-10.30pm; Fri-Sat: 10am-11pm
Price: California maki ($4.80); combo of tamago, unagi & salmon ($6.80)
Rating: 3.5/5
For best value sushi, Carrefour gets our vote. They also get our vote for best unagi sushi of all the brands reviewed here! Tender and nicely grilled, the unagi was glazed with delicious sauce, keeping the fish moist and tasty.
Although the salmon didn’t have much flavour, it was sufficiently fresh. The tamago, however, was a big letdown with its dry and crumbly texture. All the items had good rice-to-topping ratio, with decent quality rice grains.
If not for the overpowering vinegar taste in the sushi rice, we’d highly recommend the California maki. Coated with tobiko, it was generously portioned and very reasonably priced.
*Soy sauce, wasabi, and pickled ginger provided.
Marusui Fish Market
1 Harbourfront Walk
#B2-15 VivoCity
Opening hours: Daily: 11am-9.30pm
Price: mini California maki ($6.80 for 8 pieces); tamago ($0.70); unagi/ salmon ($0.90 each)
Rating: 3/5
Marusui specialises in sashimi, but they also have a small selection of popular sushi items. They used quality short-grain rice. Too bad it was cooked till a tad too soft.
Our favourite item was the mini California maki. It was generously filled with tamago, crabstick, cucumber and creamy ripe avocado. It was also heavily coated with ebiko, which made every bite a pop of briny delight!
As for the other items, the toppings were satisfactory, but could have been sliced thicker. The unagi looked dry, but was surprisingly smoky and tasty. The tamago had a pleasantly sweet and spongy texture, while the salmon was relatively fresh.
*Soy sauce, wasabi, pickled ginger (for platters), and chopsticks provided.
165 Tanjong Pagar Road
#01-08 Amara Shopping Centre
Opening hours: Mon-Sat: 10am-9pm
Price: mini California maki ($1.40 for 2 pieces); assorted sushi from $0.90 each
Rating: 2.5/5
Edo Sushi is a chain of takeaway sushi shops and counters. With a respectable number of branches, its existence proves that there’s a demand for cheap sushi by non-fussy eaters.
The only item that was passable was the tamago. The sliced egg was lightly sweet and pleasantly juicy. Too bad the sushi was ruined by the rice, which was dry and too tightly compressed. The grains weren’t properly seasoned and lacked gloss.
The rice was the same for the other items. The unagi was also very dry, while the salmon was thin, tasteless, and hard to chew. The California maki had potential, but was marred by lack of avocado. The sushi here may be pocket-friendly, but it’s just not worth it.
*Soy sauce and chopsticks provided.
350 Orchard Road
Basement, Isetan Scotts, Shaw House
Opening hours: Daily: 10am-9.30pm
Price: tamago ($0.50); salmon ($0.75); unagi ($1.00); mini California maki ($1.00 for 2 pieces)
Rating: 2/5
We had high hopes for this one. After all, this is a Japanese supermarket. But Isetan’s sushi turned out to be the biggest disappointment.
To start with, the rice was an epic failure with mushy texture and lackluster taste. The toppings were miserably thin. The tamago didn’t even have the requisite seaweed strip! There was no avocado in California maki, presumably since avocado is expensive.
The salmon was razor-thin, and had a slightly muddy taste. As for the unagi, it was actually rather tasty, but the fish was too thin and the rice spoilt everything. Nothing would entice us to return, period.
*No condiments provided.
