THE BEST CALIFORNIA MAKI: KINKI RESTAURANT

My cousin recently visited Singapore, and together with my aunt, we met up by a Singapore icon, the Merlion. After taking the obligatory photos, we were faced with the dilemma of where to eat. When you're with a tourist, the dilemma becomes 100x more harder coz you want them to try something really good whereas when you're a local, you can chuck a bad dining experience to "everyday woes". I remembered rooftop bar Kinki had a restaurant and since our tummies were starting to growl, it was nearby and everyone loves Japanese food, we decided to give it a shot. We weren't disappointed.

Japanese restaurants often have this "distinct" look. Traditional design elements, wood details, and neutral tones. Kinki is not one of them. They serve Japanese food in a very cool and industrial ambience, there's even colorful graffiti on the wall!

We had several rounds of salmon sashimi. It was succulent and in my personal opinion, just the right portion and temperature. 

We also ordered some rolls, and oh my God, you should try their California maki. My aunt and I agree that it's the best California Maki we've ever had. Hint: they don't use those orange crab sticks. 

We also had Ebi Tempura which I liked - nice prawn to batter ratio, and it was fried just nice, crisp but not tough like some of the other tempuras I've tried here...

My aunt is allergic to most seafood, so we made sure we had ample meat. We tried the Kurobuta Katsu - minced black pork cutlets which were very filling. I kinda overlooked that the menu said "minced" so I was surprised when it crumbled under my fork, haha

This isn't your ordinary beef teriyaki. Using prime ribeye with a homemade soy reduction, this dish was sooo heavenly and ideal for a steak lover like me. 

The menu in Kinki is rather similar to menus of most Japanese restaurants. What sets them apart though is how they construct these. The restaurant boasts of an "Urban Attitude" not only in their interiors but also in their confidence in jazzing up the typical. Their awards are testament to that!

It can get pretty pricey though, at least for me and my employee's salary, but it's somewhere I'd love to go back to. My aunt and I still rave over the California Maki from time to time. :) And good news, they accept The Entertainer app too! I swear, that app has been my best friend this year! 

Should I find myself in the Merlion - Collyer Quay area again, I'd definitely love to go back! (And look like the sumo in the chopsticks case, haha!)

Kinki is located at 70 Collyer Quay, #02-02 Customs House, Singapore 049323