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Shima Restaurant Review: A Look At Singapore’s Oldest Japanese Restaurant

Taste the authenticity
By: Agnes / February 25, 2022

Shima Restaurant is conveniently located at Goodwood Park Hotel and is known as Singapore’s first Teppanyaki restaurant. They take pride in providing outstanding quality and freshness of food as well as a personal and caring level of service. Shima has been serving real Japanese Teppanyaki and exquisite Japanese cuisine since 1980. Furthermore, they have only been using the freshest and finest ingredients flown in from Japan once a week. If you’re thinking of paying Shima a visit, take a look at our Shima Restaurant review before you do so!

Getting To Know Shima Restaurant

Before we start our Shima Restaurant review, let’s get to know the hotspot and what they stand for. Shima has dedicated a substantial portion of its restaurant to authentic Teppanyaki eating, in keeping with its reputation. The restaurant generates a warm and pleasant atmosphere for that homely feeling. And it’s all thanks to the fitting décor of dark wood interior and marbled tabletops. Shima is a really peaceful restaurant that blends traditional values and culture with modern décor and operating methods. Thus, they provide customers with an unforgettable experience that they will remember. They work hard to realise their goal of providing a high-end teppanyaki experience; all of which include excellent food, service, and ambience.

Shima’s Teppanyaki chefs have been educated by Japanese Teppanyaki Master Chefs and display their dexterity behind the counters. Shima’s guests have been able to savour the professional manoeuvres of its chefs dishing out exquisite steak and tender chicken. Furthermore, you can also find exotic seafood like lobsters and air-flown huge oysters, among other dishes. Shima is committed to offering high-quality Teppanyaki to their loyal customers. Therefore, customers can enjoy the authentic Japanese exquisite flavours and tastes that have been reliably delivered at Shima for decades.

Shima’s Chef Hoshiba Fumihiko

Chef Hoshiba Fumihiko, an award-winning luminary with over 40 years of culinary expertise, is the Head Chef at Shima Restaurant. He has worked in a number of prestigious hotels and restaurants, including the Tokyo Dome Hotel Sapporo. Chef Hoshiba is considered as one of the top kaiseki chefs in Hokkaido, as well as the former Chairman of the National Culinary Society of Japan, and is known for his meticulousness. He ensures that every part of Shima is carefully choreographed to present customers with a holistic sensory experience that reflects the beauty of the four seasons as Head Chef. Each dish is intricately embellished with hand-carved ingredients fashioned like vivid flowers and foliage, such as a white radish sculpted to look like a chrysanthemum flower.

Shima Restaurant Review: What To Order

1. Norwegian Salmon ($10)

What’s a Japanese restaurant without salmon? Thus, it’s a no brainer that we would include the Norwegian salmon dish in our Shima Restaurant review. You can opt to order the salmon on its own or in a set. But those who choose to go for the buffet lunch can find this available as well. Personally, we would prefer a better sear on the fish. But in terms of flavour and texture, the salmon was buttery, flaky, and juicy. There was also no aftertaste which means the fish was fresh. In addition, the chef was skilled enough to not overcook the salmon. So that’s definitely a plus point for us!

2. Sea Urchin ($30)

Sugar, salt, and amino acids abound in sea urchins, giving them an umami-salty sweetness. They, like oysters, have a taste that is reminiscent of the water and the seaweed they eat. In our Shima Restaurant review, this dish is definitely one to be highlighted. If you’ve ever had kombu, which is a seaweed that sea urchins typically feed on, then it should taste like that. When it comes to sea urchins, or as some people like to call it: uni, minimal seasoning is given. Thus, the sea urchin will shine on its own if it’s really the freshest out there. Here at Shima Restaurant, we have to say that it’s definitely fresh. It was light, creamy, and absolutely beautiful. 

3. Japanese A5 Wagyu ($140)

Another highlight you should try in our Shima Restaurant review is the Japanese A5 Wagyu! I mean, what’s a Japanese restaurant without this luxurious cut of meat? But the Japanese A5 Wagyu is not a cut that’s easy to execute. However, lucky for us, Shima knows exactly how to cook this. Looking at the dish, you could easily distinguish the beautiful marbling and glossy sear. That’s when you know you’ve got the best of the best. As we place it into our mouths, it melted instantly. The juices were oozing and the bite was with ease. Hands down, we would come back here for the wagyu anytime!

4. Lobster ($40)

Aside from the Japanese A5 Wagyu, another luxurious ingredient we want to highlight in our Shima Restaurant review is lobster. But not just any lobster, it’s the Isebi live lobster. When you’re paying a high price, it’s not surprising that you will want the freshest ingredients. Thus, a frozen lobster will not suffice and Shima understands that. The lobster served here is fresh and alive. It is then skillfully grilled on the teppanyaki tabletop with seasoning and generous amounts of butter. What you get in the end is beautiful and tender lobster meat. Nevertheless, our only issue with this dish is that we felt like the meat was not fully extracted from the shell. We feel like this was slightly wasteful and also kind of troublesome as we had to extract the meat ourselves.

5. Assorted Sashimi ($45 / $75)

Of course, it would not be a Shima Restaurant review without some sashimi! At Shima Restaurant, you can get sashimi for $45 or $70 depending on how many variations you prefer. For $45, you can get up to four different kinds of sashimi variations. On the other hand, you can get seven variations of sashimi for $70. Furthermore, one thing to note is that the sashimi is directly imported from the fishery port in Japan. Therefore, we guarantee it’s a dish you will want to try. The cuts are of utmost quality and they taste amazing too! 

Shima Restaurant

Menu: Click here
Address:Goodwood Park Hotel, 22 Scotts Rd, Singapore 228221
Operating hours: Daily 12–2:30pm, 6–9:30pm
Contact details:+65 6734 6281

Location: