Misho @ The Glasshouse at Sindhorn, Bangkok - มิโช @ เดอะกลาซเฮ้าส์ อาคารสินธร กรุงเทพฯ

Cuisine: Japanese

Map: Misho @ The Glasshouse at Sindhorn, Bangkok - มิโช @ เดอะกลาซเฮ้าส์ อาคารสินธร กรุงเทพฯ

Charged Price: THB500 per person without alcohol

Visited: 24 October 2015

Food: 6/10

Atmosphere: 7/10

Value for money: 6/10

Services: 6/10
Scale: [1=poor ---- 5=average/standard ---- 10=outstanding/exceptional]

Here is one other Japanese restaurant that is new to those who work in Witthayu Road area, "Misho @ The Glasshouse at Sindhorn Tower". The Glasshouse is the new concept situated right at the front of Sindhorn Tower which comes with its 2015 refurbishment after many years of being left old and laggard. There are 5 destinations at the Glasshouse and Misho is one of them.

Misho is headed by Hiroyuki San who I believe used to be a part of Suikin on Ploenchit Road. As for the concept of this place, they do not seem to concentrate especially on any part but more like an all-round player. Many new Japanese restaurant these days tend to be towards sushi venue. However, for Misho, sushi is just a part of restaurant that fulfills need from customers. Personally, I rather like the idea of this place. The overall atmosphere is relax and friendly. Thanks to the "Glasshouse" with high ceiling. It is a good destination to hang out really.

Misho @ The Glasshouse at Sindhorn

rather large and spacey

sushi counter for around 6 seats

concentration!!!

As for us, we happened to visit Misho on a fine Saturday lunch time in October. During lunch they do also serve lunch set. So we went for Jo Kaisen Don (7/10) and Jo Nigiri (6/10). In my humble opinion, they both were pretty good. Jo Kaisen, a bowl of soy sauce marinated sashimi on rice, is a bit more savoury due to the amount of rice on each piece of Nigiri. Too much rice for sushi can be overwhelming. Anyway, quality of ingredients and rice here were decent.

All in all, I rather like lunch set at Misho but I still cannot say much about a la carte. I would not mind at all to often visit Misho for lunch. Quality to price ration is good indeed. Not cheap but it comes with satisfaction. Lastly, I would like to say that staffs here look much friendlier and with more care than other new Japanese restaurants in town nowadays which seem to lack of service mind.

Jo Kaisen Don (THB500)

zooming on Kaisen Don

Jo Nigiri (THB680)

fresh ingredients at the sushi counter

Misho @ The Glasshouse at Sindhorn, Bangkok - มิโช @ เดอะกลาซเฮ้าส์ อาคารสินธร กรุงเทพฯ

The Glasshouse at Sindhorn Tower
130 Witthayu Road
Lumpini, Pathumwan
Bangkok 10330

Thailand

Open Hours: daily from 11:30am - 02:00pm for lunch and 05:30pm - 11:00pm for dinner

Tel: +66 (0) 2253 9552
FB: https://www.facebook.com/mishobangkok

Nippon Kai Market @ 9:53 Community Mall, Bangkok - นิปปอน ไกด์ มาร์เก็ต @ 9:53 Community Mall กรุงเทพฯ

Cuisine: Japanese (sushi)

Map: Nippon Kai Market @ 9:53 Community Mall, Bangkok - นิปปอน ไกด์ มาร์เก็ต @ 9:53 Community Mall กรุงเทพฯ

Charged Price: THB700 per person

Visited: 19 April 2015

Food: 5/10

Atmosphere: 5/10

Value for money: 4/10

Services: 4/10
Scale: [1=poor ---- 5=average/standard ---- 10=outstanding/exceptional]

Nippon Kai has been around for years with mostly in the form of small food stall in front of supermarkets. Here is another form of Nippon Kai chain, "Nippon Kai Market". It is located in 9:53 Community Mall which is in Soi Sukhumvit 53 and is right at the corner where Soi Sukhumvit 53 intersect Soi Thonglor 9. Basically, it is good to drive here with valet parking service available. However, BTS Thonglor station is not so far away: motorbike taxi from the station will do the job but walking is a little too far especially during very hot season. The place is just comfortably large with around 15 tables on the upper floor. On the lower floor, it is like a mini seafood stall where you can see and choose your favourite ingredients, and there is a sushi counter which can accommodate around 8 guests. In brief, you can do like a mini seafood shopping before stating how you'd like your dishes to be prepared.

Nippon Kai Market @ 9:53 Community Mall, Bangkok

sushi counter bar

seafood market style restaurant

I believe this sushi kind of Japanese restaurant is no different from other places in term of pricing. They are not priced steeply nor cheaply. But using marketing scheme of discounting occasionally probably does its job nicely in attracting customers.

What I had during the visit started with Salmon Sashimi (5/10) which was at standard quality. It was followed by Spicy Tuna Roll (6/10). They are quite generous with ingredients here. We kind of like the crunchy batters that came along with. In general, I am not a fan of modern sushi rolls but this spicy roll was enjoyable with balance between spicy touch and creamy mayonnaise. Tai Nigiri (5/10) or sea bream was another standard quality but rather fresh on the day. Lastly, it was Ama Ebi Nigiri (3/10) or sweet shrimp. I was disappointed with this one. Not really fresh in brief.

The point I would like to make about this place is that if possible, do ask for sushi counter seats especially on a busy day. There are only a few sushi chefs and your order can take a long while when the place is crowded. Anyway, service might not be so great here but be patient (^.^).

Salmon Sashimi (THB159 per 100 grams)

Spicy Tuna Roll (THB280)

Tai Nigiri (THB135)

Ama Ebi Nigiri (THB90)

Nippon Kai Market @ 9:53 Community Mall, Bangkok - นิปปอน ไกด์ มาร์เก็ต @ 9:53 Community Mall กรุงเทพฯ

124 Soi Sukhumvit 53
Sukhumvit Road
Khlong Tan Nuea, Watthana
Bangkok 10110

Thailand

Open Hours: daily from 11:00am - 11:00pm

Tel: +66 (0) 2662 5683
FB: https://www.facebook.com/nipponkaimarket/

Sushi Cyu (鮨忠) and Carnival Japanese BBQ Restaurant @ All Seasons Place, Bangkok - ซูชิชู แอนด์ คาร์นิวัล @ ออลล์ซีซั่นส์เพลส กรุงเทพฯ

Cuisine: Japanese (sushi / yakiniku)

Map: Sushi Cyu and Carnival Japanese BBQ Restaurant @ All Seasons Place, Bangkok - ซูชิชู แอนด์ คาร์นิวัล @ ออลล์ซีซั่นส์เพลส กรุงเทพฯ

Price: THB2,000 per person without alcohol (what we paid for)

Visited: 23 September2014

Food: 7/10

Atmosphere: 6/10

Value for money: 7/10

Services: 6/10
Scale: [1=poor ---- 5=average/standard ---- 10=outstanding/exceptional]

Sushi is something that has been in the high popularity in Thailand for quite a period of time. Recently, the trend of sushi omakase, meaning "leave it to the chef for the choice of sushi", has increase its footmarks rapidly for examples Sushi Kanda at Thonglor, Yashin by Tenyuu at Thonglor, Fillets at Portico, and Sushi Ichi at Erawan. Most of them, indeed, come at very high price tag that would cost around THB5,000 per person. I am, personally, not a fan of such "low value for money" fancy thing, apart from when visiting Japan.

Nevertheless, a good friend of mine had visited Sushi Cyu at All Seasons Place and it reminded me to give it a visit and review. I kind of recall that I previously had tried it before but that was many years back and it was not that impressive. However, the story of this visit was different and it was delightful to be more precise. Of course, I made a reservation a few days in advance. When I arrived at the sushi counter, there were around 5 customers during the meal (10 seats counter). Staffs were nice and polite throughout the course and sushi chefs were taking care well of their customers. By the way, there are 2 parts for this restaurant: one is sushi and the other side is Japanese BBQ.

Sushi Cyu (鮨忠)

Sushi Cyu and Carnival @ All Seasons Place, Bangkok

Japanese atmosphere

season for shells

Sanma or Pacific Saury (秋刀魚)

At the time of visit, it was September and September is the season of Sanma. In addition, 2014 is the year Sushi Cyu celebrates its 10th anniversary and they had sanma promotion. It was, hence, just why not. We went straight for both nigiri and sashimi: Sanma (Pacific Saury) - 秋刀魚 (7/10). In short, they were fatty and sweet, and pair pretty lovely with ponzu sauce.

While I usually opt for sushi, with rice to fulfil my appetite, Deadly Bunny would normally chooses to have sashimi. Once again she did miss to go for Omakase Sashimi (7/10). It comprised of 10 different kinds and they were pretty good. A particular attention should be paid to uni or sea urchin for the course. It was creamy, sweet, and fresh: pleasant quality indeed. If uni is not something you dislike, I would see no reason for ones not to like it. I wish the quality would be like this when I next visit.

Sanma Sashimi (THB120)

sanma dipped into ponzu

sanma nigiri (THB120)

Omakase Sashimi (THB1,300)

uni sashimi

For Omakase Nigiri (THB1,580), I would say that this was a rather good one. Knife skill and selection of sushi choice were good. Rice was at enjoyable temperature and texture. Sour taste from mixture of vinegar was balance, I would describe. It was milder than many top sushi places in Japan but at noticeable on palate. Below are what were served for the course in sequence.

Hirame (Flounder) - 平目 (7/10) : Mild and light with additional dimension of chewiness

Hirame (Flounder) - 平目

Aji (Horse Mackerel) - アジ (8/10) : Fatty, tender, and sweet. I just love it.

Aji (Horse Mackerel) - アジ

Koban Aji (Pompano) - 小判鯵 (6/10) : I am sure it was pompano but not sure whether the Japanese name was right. Anyway, I had tried this once a while back and absolutely love it but not so sure where. This time, it was still lovely, medium fatty, and savoury. However, I could still get a bit of fishy scent though.

Koban Aji (Pompano) - 小判鯵

Ikura (salmon roe) - いくら (7/10) : Darker in colour than usual. Sweet with mild natural saltiness. Like it.

Ikura (salmon roe) - いくら

Toro (fatty tuna) - とろ (7/10) : Ok, this was some good toro but not excellent. Flavour from fatty layers did not explode quite well as expected.

Toro (fatty tuna) - とろ

Uni (Sea Urchin) - 海胆 (8/10) : Once again, so good and in line with sashimi one.

Uni (Sea Urchin) - 海胆

Akami (red fillet of tuna) - 赤身 (6/10) : Marinated in mirin + shoyu, I suppose. Good flavour with sweetness balancing saltiness. But texture was too soft.

Akami (red fillet of tuna) - 赤身

Negi-toro Temaki (fatty tuna hand-roll) - ねぎとろ手巻き (7/10) : Delicious minced toro with chopped spring onion. Classic hand-roll definitely.

Negi-toro Temaki (fatty tuna hand-roll) - ねぎとろ手巻き

Anago (Sea Eel) - 穴子 (6/10) - Served with salt and a touch of lemon juice. Good flavour of salt but a little over grilled to my liking: i.e. lack of tenderness.

Anago (Sea Eel) - 穴子

Tamagoyaki (Japanese Omelette) - 卵焼き (7/10) : Good creamy tamagoyaki. Nice sweet palate but not overly sweet. A very good one in Thailand. But don't expect to see the level of those famous joints in Japan.

In short, I do like it and will sure return.

Tamagoyaki (Japanese Omelette) - 卵焼き

miso soup with clam

Sushi Cyu and Carnival Japanese BBQ Restaurant @ All Seasons Place, Bangkok - ซูชิชู แอนด์ คาร์นิวัล @ ออลล์ซีซั่นส์เพลส กรุงเทพฯ
Fl. 3, CRC Tower, All Seasons Place
87 Wireless Road
Lumphini, Pathum Wan
Bangkok 10330

Thailand

Open Hours: daily for lunch 11:30am - 02:00pm and for dinner 06:00pm - 10:30pm (05:30pm - 10:00pm for weekends)

Tel: +66 (0) 2251 1995
Web: http://www.sushicyu.com/

Umi Sushi Restaurant @ Piman 49, Sukhumvit 49, Bangkok - ร้านอาหาร อูมิ ซูชิ @ พิมาน 49 ซอยสุขุมวิท 49 กรุงเทพ

Cuisine: Japanese (sushi)

Map: Umi Sushi Restaurant @ Piman 49, Sukhumvit 49, Bangkok - ร้านอาหาร อูมิ ซูชิ @ พิมาน 49 ซอยสุขุมวิท 49 กรุงเทพ

Price: THB2,500 per person without alcohol (what we paid for)

Visited: 8 November 2014

Food: 7/10

Atmosphere: 6/10

Value for money: 4/10

Services: 6/10
Scale: [1=poor ---- 5=average/standard ---- 10=outstanding/exceptional]

Japanese restaurants have been the popular choice for Bangkokian during the last decade and undoubtedly sushi kind of restaurant is one at the top list. New stores have kept opening, especially in 2014, with omakase style of sushi and high end sushi as the new trend. Umi Sushi Restaurant, at Piman 49 Project (the same block of building as Saigon Recipe) in Soi Sukhumvit 49, is no exception one of the kind. Umi has just been launched recently at the beginning of November 2014. As for atmosphere, it has been kept in classic Japanese style of simplicity with mainly wooden furniture in soft tone. Once walking into the restaurant, there you would see a sushi counter which can accommodate around 10 guests comfortably. There are also normal seats inside but we did not have a chance to take a look. It was only during soft launch when we visited and even the menu was not completed. Only course menu was offered.

As for service, staffs are lovely and friendly. Though the service was slow (it took us almost 2 hours for lunch), it was still better than expected for newly launched restaurant. Perhaps sushi chefs need to have assistant in order to perform faster. Chef Poj, who is the head chef and co-owner, is skilful and was an apprentice at Sushi Cyu at All Seasons Place. I was rather impressed with sushi he made. Not entirely matched with those classy ones in Tokyo but enjoyable in the light of Thai sushi chef.

Just one little thing that other co-owners who were at the restaurant during the meal did not pay much attention to customers as ones would expect a newly opened restaurant to do. There were 2 other groups of a few guests, in which I believe to be owners' friends, dined at the same time. At first, they did not recognise my reservation and seemed surprise with our walk-in but one of the staffs did at least. Secondly, they seem to pay much attention with their friends and forgot all about taking care of other customers e.g. asking about how their food were or what could be improved and etc. Anyway, not a big deal but just would like to share impression.

Umi Sushi Restaurant @ Piman 49, Bangkok

ingredients for the day

a sushi counter for approx. 10 seats

Chef Poj performing his skill

It was only the soft launch period during our visit and as mentioned, there were still only course menu available ranging from THB1,800 for lunch and from THB2,500 for dinner. We were there for lunch and went for THB2,500 sushi course which comprised of 12 sushi (including maki). Just a little tip, some of lunch and dinner courses may look the same but are priced differently for example 12 sushi course would cost THB2,500 for lunch but THB3,500 for dinner. Many would have thought that it is only the different between lunch and dinner pricing scheme only. Well, it is not for Umi. Ingredients also get varied. Simply said the higher priced, i.e. dinner, does come with more expensive ingredients and vice versa. Management decision in such difference of lunch and dinner menu is questionable from the light of my view!!!!!

The mean began with a small appetiser of steamed egg (5/10) which was just on par with most of Japanese restaurants in town. There was a piece of prawn inside and nothing else special. A particular attention that should be made is the preserved ginger. It was made in-house with the style such that the level of sweetness and sourness are lower than usual. Spices' touch of ginger was still abundant. It was cut in thick pieces rather than this slices. Well, it was enjoyable in its own style but judge it for yourself though.

The first piece of sushi was Ika (Squid) - 烏賊 (8/10). It was served with a touch of salt and lime juice. Smooth, tender, and fresh in style. Not chewy nor fishy at all. Madai (Red Seabream) - 真鯛 (6/10) was then followed. Not an entirely wonderful bite. There was a trace of fishy aroma though served with grated yuzu and lime juice.

Before I forget, I better mention about rice. Of course, ingredients, which are mainly seafood, are largely imported from Japan. Rice is no exception. I was told that sushi rice at Umi is a blend of Akitakomachi and Koshihikari if I was not mistaken. Out of many sushi restaurants in Bangkok, this is perhaps one of the few that serves rather nice rice with almost al dente (I would say) kind of texture and sourness from vinegar still presents. Many places would serve rice that is too soft and soaky. Temperature was as well kept warm in rice cooker and only some part would be taken out at a time to be used.

steamed egg as appetiser

in house preserved ginger

Ika (Squid) - 烏賊

Madai (Red Seabream) - 真鯛

Next were fattier types of fillet. Akami (red fillet of tuna) - 赤身 (8/10), maguro zuke in this case, was marinated before being served and came along with grated yuzu. I like the lovely scent of citrus which cut through the sweet fattiness of tuna. This was a pleasant bite. Chutoro (medium fatty tuna) - 中とろ (7/10) had a nice fragrant of its own. Mild but compliment. However, the cutting proportion of fillet did look a little distorted for this piece. Then Shima Aji (White Trevally) - しま鯵 (6/10) was served. It was delicious but that was it for me. Only the balance between soft and firm texture that played their roles. On the palate, it was kind of bland. This was similar in the case of Aburi Kinmedai (Lightly Grilled Splendid Alfonsino) - 炙り金目鯛 (6/10). The texture and fattiness of kinmedai were wonderful. Nevertheless, the addition of momiji oroshi (condiments made from grated daikon radish and chilli) didn't seem to pair well with aburi kinmedai. Overwhelming, I would say.

Akami (red fillet of tuna) - 赤身

Chutoro (medium fatty tuna) - 中とろ

Shima Aji (White Trevally) - しま鯵

Aburi Kinmedai (Lightly Grilled Splendid Alfonsino) - 炙り金目鯛

Saba (鯖) or Mackerel (7/10) happened to be a surprise for me. It was nicely marinated that yielded mild flavour that incorporated with natural tenderness. But still a trace of saltiness and fishiness. Kohada (Gizzard Shad) - こはだ (6/10), on the other hand, was presented with primary taste of sourness from marination. Not my style but can be enjoyable. At this point, I started to notice that it was coming towards the end of the course when Uni (Sea Urchin) - 海胆 (7//10) was served. It was sure a nice piece with the expected sweetness and creaminess. Still, this was not a fantastic one just yet. Ikura (salmon roe) - いくら (6/10) is usually one of my favourite sushi choice. This time at Umi, it was served in a small bowl rather than in gunkan maki style. When asked whether this supposed to be sujiko (salmon roe in sac), Chef Poj honestly agreed without hesitation. Problem was the quality was not quite there and Chef Poj decided to take the sac off and served in this style. Well, it was still nice with the balance between sweetness and saltiness. The grated yuzu on top did also help bringing up the flavour.

Saba (鯖) or Mackerel

Kohada (Gizzard Shad) - こはだ

Uni (Sea Urchin) - 海胆

Ikura (salmon roe) - いくら

At this juncture, Chef Pof mentioned that tamago was not quite ready and he would serve something else instead. Aburi Toro (lightly grilled fatty tuna) - 炙りとろ (7/10) and Anago (Sea Eel) - 穴子 (8/10) were the final two pieces. Aburi toro was nice with the almost immediate melting effect as the key. The burnt aroma was pleasurable. Momiji oroshi did pair with this aburi toro better than the previous piece of kinmedai. Lastly, the anogo was served with the classic sweet tare sauce. Nice and soft texture, it possessed.

Negi-toro Temaki (fatty tuna hand-roll) - ねぎとろ手巻き was then served and followed by a soup that was made with minced toro as the main ingredients. Charcoal ice-cream was then served to end the meal. This was an enjoyable ice-cream with smooth and chewy texture but I could not really tell it was charcoal. Nice to have anyway. But not so sure which brand the ice-cream was though.

Well, Umi is a rather decent high end sushi at the end. Of course, it is very expensive with pricing almost in the same range as those in Japan. Surely there are some other more expensive out there in town. I am personally not a fan of this expensive trend in Bangkok though I do enjoy sushi a lot. But as an experience, I could not avoid experiencing, right?

P.S. Almost forget to mention that toro here would be preserved for 8 days before serving and 5 days for akami, in case you are curious.

Aburi Toro (lightly grilled fatty tuna) - 炙りとろ

Anago (Sea Eel) - 穴子

soup with toro as base ingredient

Negi-toro Temaki (fatty tuna hand-roll) - ねぎとろ手巻き

Charcoal Ice-cream

Umi Sushi Restaurant @ Piman 49, Sukhumvit 49, Bangkok - ร้านอาหาร อูมิ ซูชิ @ พิมาน 49 ซอยสุขุมวิท 49 กรุงเทพ
Floor 3, Piman 49 Project
Soi Sukhumvit 49
Sukhumvit Road
Khlongtan Nuea, Wattana
Bangkok 10110

Thailand

Open Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 11:30am - 02:30pm for lunch and 06:00pm - 11:00pm for dinner

Tel: +66 (0) 85 251 2200
FB: https://www.facebook.com/umi.49