Cover Chilean seabass anticuchos grilled on a traditional Japanese robata (Photo: Sushisamba)
Chilean seabass anticuchos grilled on a traditional Japanese robata (Photo: Sushisamba)
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From London to Vegas and Dubai, Sushisamba’s addictive energy lands in Singapore as Sunset Hospitality Group opens its first Asian outpost
Take a ride all the way to the top of Capital Tower and feel your ears pop as you get ready for a dining experience of fiery live music, entertainment and, of course, an expertly crafted menu of innovative dishes all reflective of a balance of Peruvian, Brazilian, and Japanese cuisine. In under a week, Sushisamba Singapore has shimmied its way to the top of Singapore diners’ culinary bucket lists since its opening on July 18.
Born in New York City, with outposts in the world’s most electric cities like London and Dubai, Sushisamba, operated by Sunset Hospitality Group, has established its first location in Asia.
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Sat atop Capital Tower, like its crowning jewel, upon entrance you’ll be greeted by towering floor-to-ceiling windows that wrap around the whole restaurant giving an unobstructed view of Singapore’s glowing cityscape and sea. Turn left, and sunlight floods through the over 1,100 square metre space coloured by vibrant hues of orange, yellow, and green. The space is encased in Sushisamba’s signature 3D-printed bamboo installation that culminates in a cascading bamboo chandelier above the bar.
Above Sushisamba's dining room sat under a 3D bamboo installation with wrap around floor-to-ceiling windows (Photo: Sushisamba)
Sushisamba's dining room sat under a 3D bamboo installation with wrap around floor-to-ceiling windows (Photo: Sushisamba)
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In conversation with Tatler Dining, Sunset Hospitality Group’s vice president of Asia, James Burton, proudly described how Sushisamba is an adaptable space where diners can curate their preferred dining experience. The restaurant features a formal dining room with a view of the robata bar and seafood counter, a lounge and bar, and private dining rooms designed each with a nod to the restaurant’s Peruvian, Brazilian, and Japanese influences.
Sushisamba would not deserve its name without the Samba Room which sits above the main space on the mezzanine floor, featuring a bar with its own exclusive cocktail menu. As you walk up its steps, Sushisamba’s characteristic electric energy only builds, proving the perfect place to continue the night and put your samba moves into practice.
To top it all off, Burton explained how in-house performers like percussionists, violinists, a DJ, and samba dancers will be balanced throughout the restaurant to best enhance the energy of each space while maintaining Singapore’s sophisticated dining culture.
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Above Sushisamba's assortment of stand outs made expertly at the seafood counter (Photo: Sushisamba)
Sushisamba's assortment of stand outs made expertly at the seafood counter (Photo: Sushisamba)
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Helmed by Sunset Hospitality Group’s culinary director chef Kyung Soo Moon, and executive chef Paul Hallett, Sushisamba aims to create a “fun dining” experience that balances an offering of fine dining cuisine, with a vibrant, energised, and rhythmic experience to be shared amongst friends.
Hallet emphasised how the menu offerings are designed to work in rhythm with diners’ bespoke experience. “The menu is created in a way that it works in all those environments [featured in Sushisamba]. It can work in the dining room, but if you want to sit by the bar and eat but still have good food without knives and forks, the menu can be snacky. It has flexibility, a lot of thought has gone into the way the food is enjoyed by the guests.”
The passion runs rich through the menu as Moon told Tatler Dining that through Sushisamba, he encourages Singapore’s diners to take a step into rich Peruvian and Brazilian flavours. Hallett said that with favourites like seared foie gras and char siu-inspired kurobata pork belly on the menu, he also wants guests to explore other dishes that are less familiar, like their samba ceviche that features a beautiful presentation of assorted ceviche surrounding an ice sculpture of Capital Tower.
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With Sushisamba restaurants located all over the world, Moon and Hallett have diligently engineered the menu to be unique to Singapore’s palate while maintaining Sushisamba’s characteristic DNA. A look through the menu will reveal many of what Moon has identified as the five most popular opulent ingredients amongst Singapore’s diners—uni, Wagyu, pork, foie gras, and truffle—all while giving them a Sushisamba touch.
“I think it's important to say that we’re not trying to create a fusion menu,” explained Burton, “it’s about paying homage to the three cultures, so we take what we consider to be the best from each cuisine and merge them together in different ways.”
Sushisamba’s distinct ethos of cultural interplay is made evident in how they use cooking techniques from one culture to make dishes from another. The robata grill is a shining example of this. Sushisamba’s popular Peruvian anticuchos are grilled over the traditional Japanese charcoal grill. Slow grilling over charcoal while brushing on a white miso glaze layer by layer allows chef Hallett and his team to achieve the pillowy texture of the Chilean seabass that they dub the “marshmallow”.
Above Chilean seabass anticuchos grilled on a traditional Japanese robata (Photo: Sushisamba)
Above Singapore exclusive samba chilli crab featuring tempura softshell crab topped with a sweet chilli drizzle and yuzu mayo (Photo: Sushisamba)
Chilean seabass anticuchos grilled on a traditional Japanese robata (Photo: Sushisamba)
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“[At Sunset Hospitality Group] we are in the business of creating experiences, and I think when you truly do that with your clients and your guests, that’s when you connect,” said Burton. Sushisamba guarantees to give guests a dining experience they’ve never encountered before, by leveraging Singapore’s love for Japanese cuisine to expand diners’ palates towards the kicks of Peruvian and Brazilian culinary cultures, all while immersing them in a world of entertainment, excellent service, and most definitely, lots of samba.
Sushisamba Singapore
Address: 168 Robinson Road, Level 52 Capital Tower, S(068912), +65 6550 2290
