Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Kuishin-Bo, Singapore

Yeah, we ate Japanese again, and it was the same Kuishin-Bo lunch buffet I had on my previous trip to Singapore about 6 months back. Hub's Uncle Bernard and wife insisted on treating us to the buffet again so there we were, at 12 noon when the office crowd streamed in and the whole place was like a funfair.

Kuishin-Bo specializes in buffets and the quality is not compromised by the variety. The nett price is S$26.90/RM65/US$17 for lunch and S$35.90/RM86/US$23 for dinner and I'm told that the major difference in the dinner buffet is the Hokkaido snow crabs and better sashimi. However, as buffet goes, too much of anything makes it loose some appeal so this time I just stuck to two plates of main and one dessert. And oh, I had 3 cups of the best chawan mushi ever ever and some beef nabe. I felt a little sick after that, and skipped dinner. Buffets are wasted on me.

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Those are topshells, which were chewy and rather bland unfortunately because I think they had been frozen. There were grilled sanma, saba, squid and tempura which I really had to pass as my waistband was cutting into my stomach.

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Beef nabe.

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There were many items from which you can choose to have teppan style. Beef shouldn't go wrong you'd think. But it was disappointing. The beef was bland and not as tender as I would've liked.

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Kushin-Bo makes the silkiest, softest chawan mushi (steamed egg) I have ever tasted, unusual for a buffet joint. I rejoiced at the silken texture with each spoonful. There were 2 gingko nuts at the bottom while on top was a slightly thickened sauce that was probably made with dashi and mirin. The amazing thing was you'd think the custard will harden with constant steaming because the cups were kept simmering in a bamboo steamer but I went back for another two cups (yes, I had 3 cups) and they were all out of this world. I was at Five Sails, Sutera Magellan last Sunday for lunch buffet and their chawan mushi had the firm texture of creme caramel. No good.

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I enjoy konyakku jelly for their bite, and those jelly 'caviar' are fun to eat. And I love jellies because they aren't fattening like cakes and creamy desserts.

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I was told that mochis made from Japanese glutinous rice flour taste best but these were quite ordinary.

Kushin-Bo's lunch buffet is definitely value for money. There were many more items, including dried scallops and ginseng congee, soba, somen plus the usual beverages and teas. Be sure to make a booking because they are full everyday.

Kushin-Bo, Tower 1 , Suntec City
Tel:6836 5877

23 comments:

Rei said...

Hi Terri, I actually considered mailing you those konnyaku caviar by post as I remembered you said you liked them in the previous entry. :D It would be a bad idea coz they are only available in packs, swirling in water/syrup. :p

ChopSuey said...

I hope I get to go to S'pore one day so I can eat at that buffet!

J2Kfm said...

this is interesting. VERY cheap for Spore's standards, and rather reasonable even after converting to RM.

somewhere loacted in a mall, so accessible. thanks for the post.

Ah King and Moon said...

Thanks for sharing, the buffet spread looks alluring and price is reasonable too considering the standard they serve. Don't think we could find similar standard in Malaysia with such price. I'm sure gonna check it out my next trip to Singapore. Oh yes, the Schnauzer, his name is Momo, very lively and playful. We have a clip of him, http://momoandmoon.blogspot.com, labelled as 吾家の爱犬

Unknown said...

Hi Terri. Kuishin-Bo has been one of the best japanese buffet restaurant around (IMHO) but that was like a few years back. Its my definite haunt if l have a craving to stuff myself w lotsa Jap food but alas the quality has dropped so much since ... say 5 years back? They used to have really premium stuffs and l would usually stuff myself crazy with the Unagi, plates after plates... I wonder how much Unagi I've whacked in one sitting and mind you, the Unagi in my plate stacked up as high as a regular kueh lapis!

I guess its because of people like me that they've decided to cut down on the Unagi. Oh, have you tried their once-in-a-blue-moon promotion of abalone, lobsters and stuffs? They would usually play some irritating Kuishin Bo theme music and announce that there will be premium items for the first 15 customers or so. Do let me know again the next time you're in Singapore. Hismawari in Mount Faber may be another option for japanese buffet. Cheers

Agnes @ rB said...

I like ur dessert platter!!! Such colourful konyaku jellies! :)

bryan said...

Loved the food here, was really surprised at how good the food was for the price. Buffets are lethal on my diet tho so I probably won't go again. >_<

bryan said...

Hey Terri, how do things look over there, lots of people still? My dad was there recently and he said things looked really quiet.

red | hongyi said...

i actually really enjoyed this buffet, and the jelly caviar was the highlight :D i think I had 4 bowls of them, before and after i tucked in for the mains. i miss u :(

ganache-ganache said...

Oh dear, I don't even know whereabout this restaurant is at Suntec, please tell me, am going home again next month !!

Big Boys Oven said...

oh my eyes just melt at me! this is bad bad bad! lol! :)

Anonymous said...

I have never seen konyaku caviar =(. How did you know the mochi was made with Japanese glutinous rice flour? Did they mention?

Jess said...

wow! beautiful pictures

Anonymous said...

this buffet seriously looks good. must try if i go singapore next time. thanks for sharing. we know there is much effort put in blogging reviews.

terri@adailyobsession said...

rei: wow, just the thought is good enough, thanx!

chopsuey:if u live in kk, there r now lots of cheap fares!i flew airasia but tiger air n jetstar also fly there

j2kfm: but if u don't eat very much, it's still expensive, no?

ak king:momo is cute!i couldn't get onto tt clip, i'll try again:)

johnathan:i'm not an unagi person, bc eels look like snakes! but once in a while i do take a teeny nibble. i agree with u, even tho i've only been to kushin-bo twice. buffet food smhow loose it's class...tt's really embarassing n funny, the wasy they announce the winners of the food auction. i think if my kids were there when they play tt irritating music, they'll laugh the whole place down!

agnes: i'm the typical asian, love colorful things:)

terri@adailyobsession said...

bryan: oh business is very very quiet in sing everywhere we went n even the ang mohs aren't many.tt mcD in centrepoint used to be full but now my hub could get a sit anytime while we shopped.

yi: u ate? like maybe 2 mouthfuls?

ganache: going home again? hey, the prociutto in carrefour is YUMMY, million times better than Tong Hing's which can stink smtimes. maybe too aged!

bbo: yes, buffets r bad, shd be banned!

anon: i just assumed, since the flour is easily available in sing n with so many jap restaurants, the competition is stiff n they usually use the authentic stuff, unilke in kk where restaurants always use the cheaper substitutes. in sing, sashimi is airflown in everyday n many jap rest. employ real jap chefs.

jess: hey, u have a blog on potatoes, how wonderful for ppl like me who only mash n roast them! n tt diamond ring looks gorgeous!! better keep ur eyes on the road girl.

nee: my pleasure :)

jimctang said...

so beautiful

Anonymous said...

Terri, I was just wondering. I don't know if I ever tasted mochi made with Japanese glutinous rice flour. I used to work part time in one of famous japanese restaurant in sydney. Their strawberry daifuku is very popular but they didn't use japanese glutinous rice flour and even the red bean paste was not japanese red bean paste. The reason is to cut cost and customer cannot tell the difference. I am not sure if Japanese customer can tell the difference.

Anonymous said...

Hi Yi's mum...kushin-bo...they have 3 outlets..Suntec City, Great World City and Jurong Point. I have tried JP and GWC. For dinner at GWC, you get free flow of baked cheese lobster served to you. i was there with friends last sat and had good time. The lamb chop is delicious...i had like 8 pcs (ahem...really yummy and no smell) Their dessert section is moschi, chocolate, cheese cake, fondue...aiyo...pengsan with so many choice of food. I enjoyed the crab. A trick i do when i go eat here is "i use the soup bowl and fill it with water from the drink fountain, and add lemon slices from the seafood section. I use that to rinse the hands after eating the crab. I tried tea and it works magic..no more seafoody smell after that." Going GWC monday for lunch. Will take photo. Have a good weekend... chrish

Anonymous said...

The food looks actually very vibrant and appealing, shame to hear the taste was bland..

Anonymous said...

i went there a few times and it was really GREAT!!! i love the food there!!!

Smart Payment Plan said...

That looks fantastic! Love those jellies too!

Unknown said...

Really a delicious dish , i went out there many times, i have found this
restaurant, Food, dine throught the blog. Thanks a lot

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