Apparently, IKOI's business is so good that you have to make reservations at least a week in advance if you want to secure a table reservation (as opposed to getting counter seats). I was lucky to be able to get us one of the two tables in their VIP room despite calling them up only a few days prior to our visit.
The VIP room is well-decorated with little Japanese dingdongs (that look like those that are sold in Daiso). Initially, I was a little concerned that we've to sit on the floor for dinner but thankfully there was more than sufficient legroom because the area underneath the tabletop was empty and hence we could sit normally.
That night, we sampled a wide range of dishes from their pink ala carte buffet menu. It's a pity that there are no pictures so we didn't order some of the dubious sounding dishes.
Simple table setting. One little complaint that I have is that the table is too small for all our dishes! We had to make some effort to clear certain dishes quickly so that more dishes can be placed on our table.
Pink ginger. Gumtoo absolutely ADORES pink Japanese ginger slices. She would have eaten the entire jar of ginger slices if she could!
Steamed peas in pods. I was first introduced to this nibbler a few years ago and I fell in love with it (: However, I don't get to eat this often because neither my family members nor Jeffrey likes eating this =( I was pleased that Ikoi served this as a complimentary dish. I happily finished an entire bowl!
Cucumber and carrot sticks. GT seemed to be the only one who likes this extremely awkward looking dish. Don't you think it's strange to see crushed ice stuck in the middle of a few sticks of vegetables?
2 plates of thick, juicy slices of fresh sashimi. Those people who told us that Ikoi's sashimi slices are SUPERB didn't exaggerate the quality of the sashimi afterall.. their sashimi was REALLY good! (: They were so good that even my brother, who's an ultra fussy eater, tried, tasted and fell in love with the fish slices! =)
This was one of the hot favourites of the night too: salmon slices with some kind of (magical) sauce. The combination was nothing short of perfect, seriously. Unfortunately, this is a complimentary dish that cannot be found on the menu so I doubt we can ask for more.
Their pretty average chawanmushi.
I never knew that these little teapots contain Japanese soup till my previous visit to Kuishinbo with my godparents and family! The soup is light and clear and it's a good substitute for green tea.
A tiny and very average bowl of ramen.
Another tiny bowl of udon that's plain enough to rival the ramen.
The smallest bowl of chicken katsu don that Jeffrey has even eaten in his life! It was so-so.
California maki - this was really good! Its quality definitely made up for its lack of aesthetic properties!
Salmon sushi with many mayo strips lined over it. Don't order this unless you're a mayo lover.
Fried tofu! It came in the smallest Japanese-looking bowl that we have ever seen! (: Thankfully we ordered one cube for each person because one cube was just enough for each person.
Mackerel and salmon fish. These were pretty well done - the meat was still soft and tender and the fish slices weren't lacking in flavour.
Chicken wings! Everyone loved these chicken wings! We were glad that we agreed to place an order for it when the waitress recommended this dish to us.
The yakitori/ Japanese "satay" was good too! (: The sauce gave the meat an extra kick.
Fried vegetable tempura - it was pretty normal.
Fried prawn tempura & fried mushrooms - these were amazingly well done. The prawns are pretty small so if you are a prawn lover, please double your order!
Potato croquettes - they were only average.
Crabmeat wrapped with bacon! What an interesting combination (: My sister thinks that anything with bacon tastes good.. well, what can I say!
Jeff decided to try their curry rice and found it less spicy than expected so he ate quite a bit of it. Like all the other 'main courses', the portion of this curry rice dish was unusually small.
Last but not least, we couldn't help but order this steamboat-ish thing. If you don't already know, I really dislike having steamboats so agreeing to share this was quite a big thing to me. Thankfully the soup base was deliciously tasty =)
Like my family friends and close friends, I will also recommend Ikoi to people who are keen on having (unlimited) good quality Japanese food for just $40/ pax on a weekend. I hope to return to Ikoi again soon for more good Japanese food! (:
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