If your lunch options are primarily determined by what’s quick and close to the MRT, then this sushi house might meet your needs. Tucked away on the G/F of a building in the busiest part of Asoke, Shori only opened around the beginning of the year and has since gained a pretty big neighborhood following. With its simple wooden furnishing, Shori looks like your typical Japanese restaurant, only with a slightly more creative vibe given off by the sake bottle-styled ceiling lamps. The food, too, is not particularly inspiring, but does enough to leave you just about satisfied. The sushi counter occupies one side of the dining room with flat screen TVs showing the Japanese cooks at work. The sashimi set (B700) comprises all the usual suspects: tuna, salmon, aji (mackarel) and hamachi (yellow tail). The portions are generous but there’s little to get excited about, despite the restaurant claiming to serve “premium sushi.” The fact that the price is not as high as other top sushi places goes some way to justifying the distinctly average produce. This theory applies to the uni sushi (sea urchin, B350), a dish that’s supposed to carry a fresh ocean taste. Here it’s just mediocre. The engawa sushi (flounder’s fin sushi, B100) would be more enjoyable if it was more heavily seared, served as it is with only the one small burn mark. The kama bun shio yaki (grilled hamachi cheek, B390) is another let down. The texture of the fish is very dry, resembling grilled fish from the supermarket. Add to that the pedestrian sauce and it doesn’t exactly represent value for money. The spicy tuna roll (B250) is a different story altogether. The dish really stands out for its flavorful sauce and multi-dimensional texture in the one bite. We really want to like this place for its helpful service that aims to please, but the truth is Shori is not top-notch in terms of ingredients. If pressed for time, though, it represents a not unpleasant, affordable lunch option. Corkage B250.
