Sushi Kimura Plus

When one-Michelin-starred Sushi Kimura closed its doors in 2024, it cited rising rent and manpower issues as reasons for the closure. Singapore mourned the loss of one of the best sushi experiences and chef Tomoo Kimura quietly spent 2025 travelling and refining his craft. After a year off, he returns to Singapore in a space that finally fits.

Gone is the larger 22-seat restaurant that required multiple chefs and inevitably changed the experience. In its place, an intimate eight-seat counter where every pieve of sushi is made by chef Tomoo himself.

The vibe

Forget the stiff, near-silent sushi temples where even the shuffle of a chair feels like a faux pas. Chef Tomoo runs a far warmer room. He listens. He chats. And he picks up on stray questions and gives you a short spiel on where the various ingredients come from. He knows everything about the ingredients he's serving and calls the farmers and fishermen who supply him his friends.

That said, the intimacy of the space means the room’s energy is shared. On my visit, a lively group (us) tipped the balance, perhaps to the discomfort of a couple seated nearby on what looked like a date night. That's the trade-off of a tiny counter, you never know who you're going to end up next to but you're pretty much locked in to have a meal with them for the next two to three hours.

The food

The meal begins with a series of cooked dishes that lean into seasonality, spotlighting ingredients sourced directly from farmers and producers Kimura has spent years building relationships with across Japan. These opening courses establish the quality of produce and the chef’s point of view before the sushi even begins. We're told the hotaru ika is now in its peak season (earlier than most years), as is the flounder we're served with chef Tomoo's housemade uni salt. The chawanmushi is served with fugu shirako instead of the usual cod and chef Tomoo adds that he almost took the grilled scallop "hamburger" off the menu because the scallops weren't big enough (in his opinion, though we all thought they were huge).

Then comes the main event: 10 pieces of perfectly crafted sushi. Each piece is presented on a glass counter with a mirrored underside – a setup that lets you inspect the sushi from every angle. You see the grain of the rice, the knife work, the structure and it matters, because the details are dialled in. The shari is the standout. Too often, sushi rice is either packed too tightly or falls apart at first touch. Here, it lands squarely in the middle – structured enough to hold, loose enough to dissolve gently on the palate.

Chef Tomoo's knife work is precise, almost effortless, and the fish speaks for itself. There’s a clarity to the flavours that comes from sourcing at this level with ingredients that don’t need any embellishment, just respect. Some of our favourite pieces from the evening were the impossibly sweet cockle clam, meltingly tender chutoro, expertly prepared aji and luxuriously soft anago.

The drinks

The sake list is extensive, but you’re better off handing over the reins. Tell Chef Tomoo what you like – sweet or dry, fruity or savoury – and he’ll guide you with a sake pick. For groups, sharing bottles works well, especially if you want to explore a few different profiles across the meal.

Time Out tip

If you can gather a group of eight, take the whole counter. The layout – six seats directly in front of the chef and a couple tucked to the side – works best when it’s a private session. Oh and if the ankimo (monkfish liver) is available as an optional add-on, get it.