Nihiki Bites - Sushi Airways

Happy White Day, everyone!

Valentine's Day was a month ago, and it definitely was the perfect excuse to spend some money on a good meal, especially since it was our (Derek and I) first proper dinner date together as fiancé and fiancée! D initially wanted to bring me to Joël Robuchon, and while I wholeheartedly appreciated the thought, I counter-proposed that we spend Valentine's Day somewhere more accessible, with the following day being a work day and all.

Themed cafés are by no means new to hipsters, foodies and, well, pretty much the entire Singaporean population. However, unlike many themed F&B outlets, Sushi Airways really has an impressive and unique concept that truly soars to great heights on the wings of good branding (multiple puns intended).

Nestled amidst the charming streets that spanned from Masjid Sultan in the Kampung Glam precinct off Bugis, Sushi Airways is an airline-themed Japanese restaurant that I first took notice of when I passed by on my way to tailor my wedding party dress at Bussorah Street. The name caught my attention and I Googled it shortly after. I was extremely impressed by their official website, which also showed their menu.

You can take a look at them both over HERE.

On their branding and design alone, I was floored, and made immediate plans to visit for a meal as soon as my wallet would allow. Obviously, I mean as soon as D's wallet would allow :') IT WAS OUR VALENTINE'S DAY DINNER AFTER ALL :') Point to note, we went there on the 13th instead of the 14th because we didn't want to fight with the 1 zillion other couples gunning to celebrate Valentine's Day too.

D made a booking for us, and upon claiming the booking, we were presented with a pair of air tickets.

Well. Except they can't be used to board any aircraft.

Nevertheless, it was an interesting and fun element that was very effective in facilitating diners with their immersion in the experience of the theme.

The décor served the same purpose, and was equally unique, as the whole restaurant unit was decked with metal-plated stairs and metal tables, with other signature features of an aircraft, from the service carts, to the galley-like design of their open kitchen, right down to the curtains that hid the toilet and washing area from view.

These elements pulled together a distinct reminiscence of the interior of a Douglas DC-3—one of the most iconic passenger airliners since the onset of the aviation industry (and incidentally also the first aircraft to include a planned galley for food service onboard a flight). They even have a stately scale model of the aircraft hanging above the staircase landing!

With the impeccable furnishing and design setting the bar, we sat down to order our dinner from their flight-manual-inspired menu, which again reflects really thoughtful design work. There aren't very many pictures, and it was largely just printed in black and white, with cross sections of different parts of a plane representing different courses of a meal. Simple, neat and very aesthetic.

Here are the dishes we ordered:

From top left: Shake Harasu (Ocean Salmon Belly) — $12; Tori Yasai Gyoza (Chicken & Veg Gyoza), 4pcs — $5; Air-Flown Uni (Sea Urchin Gonads, served with seaweed wraps) — $30; Ikura (Salmon Roe) Sushi, 2pcs — $13; Wagyu Beef Yakiniku — $15; Oyakodon — $13.

Not pictured above are our starters, Chuka Lidako (Seasoned Baby Octopus) — $7; and Chamame (Salted Soy Beans) — $5.

The food—while not amazing or life-changing—did not disappoint. As expected, the ingredients used were fresh and well-complemented by the seasoning in each dish, and the items on the menu were all reasonably priced. We were also very pleasantly surprised that they had a DBS card promotion, which took another 15% off our total bill :D

For those hankering for a chirashi don fix, Sushi Airways is also well-known for their Airways Bara Chirashi, which you can get at only $15 during weekday lunch hours!

In summary, I really liked the whole atmosphere of the place, and the tremendous effort put into branding and designing the Sushi Airways experience. I would definitely visit again in the near future, and perhaps with more people this time, so that we can fully explore their host of menu items!

Food: 7/10

Atmosphere: 8/10

Service: 8/10

Price: 8/10

Address: 20A Baghdad Street Tel: +65 62911151 Opening hours: Mon – Sun

12pm – 2.30pm; 6pm – 10.30pm