Hibiki - Cuppage Terrace

I recently tried the UOB 1for1 set meal at Hibiki, which is the rich relative of Sakae Sushi.

Sashimi - Salmon, Bontan Ebi (Giant sweet prawn), Uni (Sea Urchin)

The sashimi here was very fresh, and I was delighted to see a relatively huge pile of uni. Best of all, the uni is very fresh - not soggy at all, and it has the taste of the sea. Stale uni tastes terribly disgusting. I also liked the Bontan Ebi, cos somehow it's pretty hard to get Bontan ebi (maybe I'm not looking in the right places?). However, they don't ask if you want them to fry the bontan ebi head (I think that's what the better restaurants do? They deep fry it or something)Mentaiko Kabocha Salad (Salad with cod roe and deep fried pumpkin)

I quite liked this salad cos I really like eating pumpkin. The pumpkin was thinly sliced and fried, but was a bit too oily for my liking. I thought that the dressing was pretty weird - it's sesame based and didn't really go well with the mentaiko and pumpkin.

Nasu Dengaku (Eggplant with Miso Paste)

This is the western eggplant (the big kind, not the slim local variety) and it was baked (I think) and coated with sweet&salty miso paste and garnished with a prawn, leek and mushroom. The skin was nice and purple and the eggplant flesh was pulpy and soft.

Asari Osuimono (Clam Clear Soup) which was light and warming. Sumiyaki - Lamb, Asparagus pork belly, Shiitake and Tsukune (chicken meatball)

The lamb was very juicy and tender, and had a slight lamb smell (which I like). The pork belly was grilled to a crispy perfection, and was slightly salty. The Tsukune had little bits of shisho leaf and black sesame, which gave the chicken an interesting taste. Also, their sumiyaki isn't overly salty.

Onsen Sumi Udon (Charcoal Udon Noodle Soup)

This was served cold with a half boiled egg. Apparently charcoal is great for detoxification (not that I really care) and I suppose that there is some logic in this cos charcoal are used to treat certain types of poisoning. (Btw the charcoal drink used for this looks utterly disgusting - its completely black and looks extremely unappetising).

Dessert - Tofu Cheesecake

The cheesecake had a very distinct tofu taste, which I like. The restaurant was so kind as to give us a complimentary slice of cheesecake on top of the 2 portions included in the UOB set menu, cos there were 3 of us, and we ordered a UOB set for 2 and a normal Hibiki dinner set (which comes without dessert).
The UOB 1for1 dinner menu - $68++ for 2 people. This is the other set we had - I can't remember the exact number, but I think it's set 3 (if I'm not wrong). It comes with thin udon (I think it's inaniwa? not so sure though). The dinner sets here are pretty expensive - ranging from between $30 and up. So the UOB set is comparatively worth it. Sesame tofu, which was very tasty - the white sesame taste was very strong, and the tofu had the texture of pudding. It also came with sweetened light soy sauce.

Hibiki charges a whopping $2 for refillable hot green tea. And they don't serve tap water either. Other than being pricey, the service is pretty quick (maybe because the restaurant was pretty empty when I went), the dishes are well executed and they have great presentation.

Hibiki

21 Cuppage Road

Cuppage Terrace

Tel: 6736 0326