Daiyusan Sushi Bar

I was looking for a restaurant for a birthday celebration for a friend when this popped up in my social media feed. Opened in late 2021, Daiyusan is a small and cosy Japanese restaurant in an area full of industrial offices and factories. Located in Precise Tree along Kim Chuan Drive, Daiyusan is a no-frills Japanese restaurant providing sushi, sashimi and donburi with fresh ingredients sourced locally

It wasn’t easy to find the entrance of the restaurant as my transport drop-off was at the back of the building while the main entrance faces the main road. The first thing that catches my eye is this pretty wall of pink flowers with the neon sign of Daiyusan which will be a delight for all Instagrammers

Stepping into the restaurant, the space is small and cosy with a distinctive ceiling decorated with Japanese-styled paper umbrellas which immediately brings an elegant Japanese feel to the entire space. There are only 9 tables seating a total of 20 plus customers

Famous for their fresh fish, I went straight to order Kaisen Don for myself as my main dish

I also ordered the chawanmushi of the day which changes according to the Chef’s daily mood. The one we had was the scallop chawanmushi which came with perfectly seared scallops and shimeiji mushrooms in a light broth. The egg needless to say was perfectly soft and smooth. The overall flavours were well balanced as you can taste the sweetness of the scallops with the tint of smokey taste combined with the savoury mushroom broth

The next item served was the kaki fry which is the fried oysters. Drizzled with a savoury tonkatsu-styled sauce, the oysters were pretty huge in size and juicy when you bite into them. The crispy coating was similar to the kind you find on Ebi fry and was perfectly fried till crisp and golden brown

Following the kaki fry, the Ebi fry was also served with the same golden crispy coating. The prawn was soft and smaller in size compared to the batter coating. This was one of dish that did not really leave an impression

When the main highlight of dinner; the sashimi platter was served, there were a few oohs and aahs in our group as each piece of fish was so artistically placed, it resembles a blossoming flower. Some of the items we have on the platter include hotate, hamachi, tai, maguro, chutoro and aged sake. Due to the deep taste of the aged salmon, we were advised to start eating from the lightest tasting item which is the scallops and move in a circular motion ending with the aged salmon. Overall, the fishes were extremely fresh with the perfect texture. The ratio of the tuna fats and meat was good guaranteeing a melt-in-your-mouth experience. Last but not least, the aged salmon had a pretty interesting taste and texture. It was very smooth and slightly chewier than the usual salmon and had a light shoyu flavour which was somewhere between fresh and smoked. It was not as salty as smoked salmon but had 2% of the texture. I wouldn’t say I hate it but it is not something I am used to

My Kaisen don finally arrived with quite a generous serving of fresh sashimi. The don itself was doused with a light sauce which was thicker than shoyu but lighter than unagi sauces. The fish was satisfying like the platter and the sauce complemented the rice generally well

I was leaving the restaurant when I spotted this cute neon sign of Daiyusan in Chinese which is translated loosely to ‘ Big Fish Unbrella’. Overall, the sashimi and don we ordered were decent although the prices were on the slightly higher side. Some of the highlights include the aged salmon which is not commonly found in other Japanese restaurants and the chawanmushi which is really delightful. For the price tag, I would say the sashimi and sushi are probably worth it but I’m not that convinced about the rest of the items. Personally, the distance from my house is really far so I will not be going there any time soon

Address: 55 Kim Chuan Drive #02-03 (Level 2) Precise Tree Building 2ND LEVEL MR, 537098

Opening hours: 11.30 am to 3 pm and 6 pm to 10 pm ( closed on Monday)