Itacho Sushi, ION Orchard

I've been hearing quite a bit about Itacho Sushi (2 Orchard Turn, #B2-18 ION Orchard, tel : +65 6509 8911) which originated from Hong Kong from various people and decided to give them a try. Got some mixed feelings about the place because they were not quite there but yet I'm not ready to write them off. It did feel like a family restaurant but I think they've got more than what a family restaurant would serve. It's not exactly mid range as well. Prices were likewise somewhere in between, which means that it can get a little pricey, depending on what you order.

Mention worthy include the uni gunkans which were decent but I thought didn't match the value for the buck in comparison with Botan which costed the same. The anago on the sushi looked pretty impressive for a large but thin slice and the toro sashimi was also very edible. The latter wasn't really so much more affordable since the the individual pieces were quite small but the quality of the belly was surprisingly not bad at all. Aburi-ed items were a teaser as they lacked a fuller bodied scorch aroma. 

Didn't like the fish liver items. Wouldn't order again since they were in so tiny that they barely registered. The niku udon was nasty featuring not so thinly sliced meat that was overcooked to death. Udon wasn't as springy and had a mild starchy film. Definitely to be avoided. Service was also spotty as the waitresses barely understood English nor knew the Japanese names of the items on menu. There's an irony here since I'm not conversant in Japanese at all and I couldn't clarify if those items listed as dorsal fin sushi were engawa. They didn't seem to understand the word flounder and it took a while before someone could come up to clarify the items they had on menu which were in English. Sigh...... 

hotate sashimi

seared salmon with dill mayo?

some rolls with fish liver

the uni war ships

aburied hotate with fish liver

aburied wagyu, toro and engawa

anago sushi

pumpkin tempura

toro sashimi

niku udon