Sho-U, Central

This place at Central (The Central, #03-85 /102/108/109, 6 Eu Tong Sen Street, S059817, tel:65348066) sold itself a contemporary Japanese fine dining. While I agree with the contemporary description, I didn't think it was fine dining unless they were referring to the minute portions that were served. The minimalist decor of the interior from the plush red entrance led into two separate dining areas which were in black and white. The visual style had impact and a positive side to this place was the attentive service from the friendly wait staff. I didn't think so well of the food, especially when this place was pricey.


I admit that a number of the items from the menu did sound appealing; which was what prompted me to give them a go. The actual delivery however didn't leave a similar impression.

Mame soup ($8)

Tried mame soup which was described to be a creamy soup made from edamame. I thought that it might be something akin to chilled green pea soup. The actual soup wasn't quite like what I had in mind. Spart from being cloudy green, I wouldn't attribute the word 'cream' to the taste or consistency. At all. It tasted like a shio broth with only a slight hint of edamame. 

This was something that one can actually finish in 2-3 big mouthfuls. The photo doesn't but the bowl was actually thick and shallow.

Uni avocado tempura ($20)

As intriguing as it appeared on the menu, the uni avocado tempura didn't quite do it for me. Granted, it was sea urchin and avocado encased in a light batter and lightly fried as well, the dish arrived lukewarm. Both the uni and avocado actually turned up pretty dry. The green powder on the side as informed by the server was green tea salt. I couldn't really taste any of it. The tempura came in 3 bite size pieces and there's probably enough uni to make just one good uni sushi in there.

Ika onsen tempura ($12)

This squid tempura filled with egg was probably the best thing that was served. The server had said that they eggs were half boiled so I was thinking that they would be still somewhat runny, but the yolks were actually almost solid. Despite that, these were quite tasty, if pricey.

Foie gras brown rice in stone pot ($22)

tossed

The foie gras brown rice was pretty tasty, but for $22, I would pick on the foie gras being thin and in small pieces. What's more, they were overcooked. So it we didn't get any with creamy insides that dissolved in your mouth. Brown rice was pretty fragrant and came with some brown sauce which was poured into the stone bowl of rice and tossed before eating. The portion was enough to fill up two small bowls.

No doubt that effort has been put into the dishes in Sho-U and that the quality of the dishes are far from mediocre, but for the prices and pathetic portions, I will not be returning. I didn't even feel like dessert after the insubstantial food.