Sushi Zen

Sushi Zen is a small Japanese sushi restaurant at 1 Teck Lim Road, in the Keong Saik corner of Tanjong Pagar. It serves Edomae-style sushi as omakase, so the chef chooses each course for you. There are only eight seats, all at the counter.

The chef-owner is E Ran, a sushi chef who made his name in Beijing. He has worked with Edomae sushi since he was 17. The Singapore restaurant holds one diamond in the 2026 Black Pearl Restaurant Guide.

What to order

There is no à la carte menu. You pick a lunch or dinner omakase, and the chef handles the rest. Fish is flown in from Toyosu Market in Tokyo four times a week. The sushi rice is Nanatsuboshi, a variety grown in Hokkaido.

A typical lunch is ten pieces of nigiri with miso soup and dessert. A longer lunch adds a few appetisers. Dinner menus open with seasonal small plates before the nigiri. Dishes that reviewers have described include:

• Grilled nodoguro: blackthroat seaperch, a prized fish in Japan
• Fried tachiuo: crisp beltfish
• Tuna nigiri: otoro and chutoro, the richer cuts from the tuna belly
• Uni hand roll: sea urchin wrapped in seaweed
• Anago and tamago: sea eel and the sweet Japanese omelette that often close a sushi meal

The line-up changes with the seasons, so treat these as examples. The kitchen serves seafood only, with no meat dishes. Sake is available if you want a drink with the meal.

The setting

The room is built around a single counter. With so few seats, you can watch each piece being shaped and ask the chef about the fish. It feels more like a private dinner than a busy restaurant. That makes it a good choice for a birthday, an anniversary or a quiet date.

Good to know before you go

• Book ahead: reservations are taken through TableCheck, and eight seats fill up quickly.
• Age limit: diners must be 12 or older.
• Dress code: smart casual.
• Allergies: mention any dietary needs when you book, so the team can plan for them.
• Your own wine: you may bring a bottle, and a corkage fee applies.

Getting there

Teck Lim Road sits in the Keong Saik area, among old shophouses, bars and restaurants. The nearest MRT stations are Outram Park and Maxwell, and both are within walking distance.

Nearby

Keong Saik and Tanjong Pagar have many other Japanese counters. To compare, look at Hamamoto, Sushi Katori or Honō Omakase. You can also browse all Japanese restaurants in Singapore or our wider fine dining list. For a stylish hotel close by, see Mondrian Singapore Duxton. Our Tanjong Pagar and Keong Saik guide covers the rest of the area, and you can see every restaurant in Chinatown and Tanjong Pagar.