Ishizawa is a nine-seat Edomae sushi counter tucked inside a quiet corner of the Raffles Hotel. Chef Takahiro Ishizawa built his reputation at Shinji by Kanesaka, where he led the Carlton Hotel counter. He left the Kanesaka group to open his namesake restaurant in April 2025.
That history gives Ishizawa real pedigree, but this is his own expression of Japanese Omakase, not a Shinji branch, and Shinji’s Michelin star did not transfer with the chef. Ishizawa now has room to set his own course, from the rice to the balance of each piece. Japanese seafood arrives four times a week, while the shari uses Akita rice and a house vinegar blend.
The counter keeps the meal close to the chef. Chef Ishi was warm, funny and happy to chat with the guests. Lunch had a relaxed rhythm, with a few playful fake endings that kept the meal lively and exciting.
The restaurant itself is quite difficult to find, with the main door tucked away in a dark quiet corner of the hotel.
I was led through a darkened hallway to the nine seat counter where Chef Ishi was preparing the mise-en-place for service.
The opening course paired winter melon with shrimp and gingko nuts in a thick dashi sauce. The shrimp had a crisp finish, and the gingko brought a seasonal note.
Flounder came next, with warm rice and yuzu. The temperature contrast worked, while the citrus and a sharp, nose-clearing heat woke up the palate. The generous use of wasabi was a recurring theme with Chef Ishi that divides opinions. I personally quite enjoyed it.
Yellowjack followed with more wasabi heat. It was at this point I realized the complexity of the operation. Unlike most traditional omakase counters, where there’s a single seating being worked through at a time, Chef Ishi was juggling multiple staggered seatings with different menus, keeping pacing right for each of the nine patrons.
Smoked Spanish mackerel had a deeper, more complex flavour.
Ginger lifted the squid, which is not a cut I’m particularly fond of, but was well done nonetheless.
The grouper finished off the whitefish and kept the sequence moving into the tuna.
At first, I thought the piece was the lean tuna akami, but it turned out it was a chutoro cut. It looked a bit darker than what I think of when I imagine chutoro, but still tasted very rich.
Horse mackerel was oilier and more assertive, with a distinctly fishy finish.
Botan shrimp brought a sweeter note before lean akami reset the palate.
A giant piece of lean tuna akami, left to marinade in a soy dressing briefly before service.
A rice ball topped with uni stood out from the usual gunkan format. The sea urchin came from Aomori. It was an unusual, simple presentation that delicately balanced the uni on top of the rice ball.
I thought the next piece was otoro, but it was actually shimofuri, cut from between the tuna’s neck and cheek, and it was my favourite of the meal. The cut had more richness and texture than I expected. It was the lunch’s clear highlight.
Sweet pickle and egg custard signifying the end of meal.
That was a fake-out: a blazing-hot piece of grilled sea eel arrived on rice, its flesh soft and fluffy.
Miso soup to signify end of meal, but alas, another false finish.
A tuna mince handroll to finally finish the savory courses.
Yuzu ice cream with lemon jelly closed the meal on a clean, bright note.
Ishizawa’s style carries the discipline of his Kanesaka training, but the restaurant gives him space to make his own decisions. The intimate counter, frequent Japanese seafood shipments and Ishizawa’s easy manner made for a genuinely fun lunch. The restaurant is easy to miss inside the Raffles complex, and deserves more attention. I had a great meal and I’d happily return.
Total Damage: 192 SGD/1 person