Japanese dining on the Bund

(smartshanghai.com)
Updated: 2006-12-19 09:05

For appetizers we ordered Maguro Harumaki (Fresh Tuna & Salad Wrapped in Rice Paper) and Zuwai Kani Salad (Snow Crab Meat with Seasonal Greens & Soft-boiled Egg). In appearance Maguro Harumaki resembled a Vietnamese rice roll but in taste it was unmistakably Japanese. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a Japanese cuisine expert, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to recognize freshness. And this tuna roll was fresh. De-li-ci-ous. I hesitated for a second when I spotted the soft boiled egg sprawled across the Zuwai Kani Salad, but I'm not one to be thrown off by unconventional food combinations. Because you never know, you might just be pleasantly surprised-as was the case with the salad, a delicious mix of textures and flavors. It was a bit a light on the snow crab meat, but yummy nonetheless.

This was followed by Tokusen Sashimi (Premium Assorted Sashimi), a lovely, colorful plate of various (fresh!) sashimi cuts. Perhaps my least favorite was the Aburi Sushi Mori (Assorted Half-broiled Sushi), I wasn't quite feeling the half-broiled fish, a little too oily for my taste. Apparently, my companion disagreed, for he polished off the rest of the plate down to the last grain of rice.

To switch it up, we ordered two hot dishes Gyu Negi Miso Yaki (Broiled Beef with Leek in Miso Paste) and Gindara Shioyaki (Salt Grilled Cod Fish). The Gyu Negi Miso Yaki comes in a mini-couldron, and we watched the raw beef strips slowly cook in the miso paste. The beef was tender and flavorful, having soaked up the miso. The grilled cod tied with the Maguro Harumaki as my favorite. A slab of white, the cod looked deceptively bland on the plate but a bite revealed a smokey crispy skin and tender, smooth, savory, almost buttery-tasting meat.

We decided to wrap up the night by making a stop by the bar-lounge across the hallway. They weren't kidding when they named the place Aquarium Bar, the first thing that struck us when we entered Aqua was a gigantic wall-to-wall fish tank, though at this scale I would not be exaggerating by calling it an aquarium. We were told that Mojitos were the Aqua specialty, so I went ahead and ordered the Grapefruit Mojito. It was one helluva mojito! Zesty and and tangy, it was so refreshing it almost tasted healthy! Well, it was a bit skimpy on the alcohol (it could just be me, though), but it was so darn good! Highly recommended.

With their beautiful presentation, fresh ingredients, and luscious atmosphere, Sun with Aqua makes for an extremely delightful dining experience.

Sun with Aqua
Tel: 021-63392779
Address: 2F, 6 on the Bund, Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, near Guangdong Lu