Don Don Donki Opens Conveyor Belt Sushi Restaurant, Has Epic Shrimp Cocktail Chawanmushi

Don Don Donki has revamped its retail space at Jem — gone is the multi-stall food court there, and in its place is a brand new conveyor belt sushi restaurant opening tomorrow (28 Jul). 8days.sg went for a preview and tells you what to expect. Called Sen Sen Sushi, its made-to-order sushi concept is not new, as the Japanese discount chain previously launched it at its Jurong Point outlet last November before bringing it to the Paya Lebar Quarter store.

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Conveyor belt sushi

But what is new is the restaurant’s expanded, upscale-looking dine-in space and high-speed conveyor belt order delivery system. Instead of a few tables placed at a sectioned-off corner of a Don Don Donki store, Jem’s Sen Sen Sushi restaurant can fit 134 pax with an assortment of booth and counter seats.

‘Shinkansen’ sushi delivery 

Like at Sushiro or Genki Sushi, your orders are speedily delivered to you via a ‘Shinkansen’ rushing down the conveyor belt. While there isn’t ready-made sushi rotating around the belt, customers can order food by scanning a QR code.

And here is what it looks like at the kitchen end of the conveyor belt, before the train zooms out to the tables. For those who enjoy watching sushi chefs at work, you can also plonk yourself at the 12-seat counter where sushi is made on the spot and served directly to you.

House-made sushi rice

The shari (sushi rice) here is made with Koshiibuki grains (a premium type of Japanese rice). It is mixed with a proprietary blend of red vinegar and daiginjo vinegar, so the rice balls — which are formed by hand in-house — have a reddish brown hue.

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Sake on tap

Another new offering exclusive to Sen Sen Sushi is draught sake from a keg. You can order the restaurant’s own junmai ginjyo called Sou Jyunmaiginjyo Nama Gensyu.

The sake is made with rice that has been polished till about 60 per cent of the grains is left (the most premium daiginjyo is typically polished even further), which gives the alcohol a soft, fruity-floral finish that pairs well with sushi.

The menu prices

Prices start from $2.50 for a single piece of nigiri sushi topped with ingredients like Red Clam and Swordfish. But most of the a la carte, made-to-order sushi here average around $2.80 to $3.50 a piece, with picks like Seared Salmon with Mentaiko Mayo ($3.50/pc), Bluefin Tuna Akami ($3.50/pc), Scallops ($3.50/pc) and Salmon Roll ($3.50 for eight small pieces).

Wagyu and uni sushi

For more luxe options, there are sushi picks like Seared Wagyu with Sea Urchin (pictured, $8.80/pc), Tempura Squid ($4.80/pc), Seared Bluefin Tuna Otoro ($4.80/pc) and Fresh Sea Urchin with Ikura ($9.80/pc).

Set meals

There are reasonably-priced set meals too. Each set comes with a warm chawanmushi and clam miso soup, like the Tsukiji Set (pictured, $13.80), which gets you six pieces of sushi like Horse Mackerel, Tuna and Squid. 

You can also go for the Okinawa Set ($19.80), which has conger eel sushi and tamagoyaki.

Oshi Sushi Set, $6.80

The restaurant also serves Osaka-style oshi sushi, where rice and toppings are pressed into a long rectangular wooden box to create a distinctive compressed shape. You can get a la carte pieces or an Oshi Sushi Set ($6.80) with four kinds of toppings like eel, shrimp and salmon.

Shrimp chawanmushi

There is the typical sushi restaurant chawanmushi here ($2.80), but we are pretty entertained by this over-the-top Japanese Steamed Egg with Shrimp ($12.80), which arrives like a steakhouse shrimp cocktail with over a dozen shrimps and the scallop, crabstick and edamame-loaded chawanmushi hidden underneath. Hilariously epic. The Seared Salmon Belly ($5.80) here is not bad too. 

Baked sweet potato with ice cream 

For dessert, there is a selection of matcha ice cream and mille crepe cakes, but we say go for the Baked Sweet Potato with Vanilla Ice Cream ($5.80), which has half of Don Don Donki's famous baked tuber topped with torched caramelly creme brûlée-style custard and a scoop of ice cream. Very fun.

Sen Sen Sushi Jem opens 28 Jul, 2023, 11am at #03-27/29 Jem, 50 Jurong Gateaway Rd, S608549. Open daily 11am-10pm (last order at 9.30pm). www.dondondonki.com.

Photos: Yip Jieying

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