A Quick Lunch at Sushi Matsuo

[After 26 years in business, Sushi Matsuo is permanently closed as of 15 April 2021. Chef Matsuo has retired.]

When I needed to run errands at Velocity and the BFF could meet me for a quick lunch, she zoomed to put her name down on the waitlist at Sushi Matsuo at Goldhill Plaza. Wow, it has been years since I last stepped into this restaurant. Well, it has been opened since 1995. I remember having loads of meals here, but I couldn't remember how the food was, and anyway by now, everything would have changed. 

It's still crazy crowded. Reservations are only available at dinner via a phone call. Lunches are still walk-ins. Its current capacity holds about 36 diners, maybe fewer depending on group sizes. People queue even before the restaurant opens at 11.30am. The average wait is about 40 minutes. Averaging S$20 for a set lunch, there isn't anything to complain about, and the prices bring in the crowds. Their turnover at lunch is prompt and efficient. Our orders were taken outside while we waited in line for the next table, and the moment we walked in, our food was waiting. We weren't rushed through lunch, but it wasn't really a place to linger.

My zaru soba and sushi set was filling. The fish was fresh enough. Nothing to scream about, but they would do. I did grin at the slices of fish on my sushi. Wahhh, they're 'furry' at the edges. What happened to the knife?! Ah well, I'll take it as rough-chopped fish. I gave all my prawns and tuna to the BFF. She took a chirashi-don set and of course she tossed over all her white fish. She doesn't bother with them. This is why I don't bother heading to sushi restaurants with her, unless it's this type of more casual ones. There're very few things for her to eat in a sushi omakase experience! 😂

The zaru soba was normal, I suppose. It wasn't mind-blowing, and it was just normal-average. Decent enough. The tsuyu wasn't great. I loved the soup best out of the whole meal. I was surprised that they didn't just serve miso soup with tofu and seaweed. That would have met minimum requirements. But they bothered to beef up the soup. It was was quite delicious since they made it like a sanpeijiru (三平汁) of sorts. Seabass was used instead of salmon.