Maki-San – Design Your Own Sushi and Salad

It is broadly agreed that Japanese food, especially sushi, is one of the most popular food in the world – and in Singapore this is no exception. Sushi joints can be found in every nook and cranny of the city. Maki-San is one Japanese-inspired venture that sets itself apart from others.

At Maki-San, sushi rolls and salads are fully customisable, comprising only the ingredients you like.

Your mood will instantly be lifted as soon as you enter the premises.

The décor is authentic and attractive; walls are splashed with vibrant colours and adorned with characteristic 3D pop art and humorous illustrated posters.

Well-designed packaging is becoming increasingly marketable to the modern consumer. Maki rolls are neatly placed in uniquely designed boxes that slide open like a little drawer. Many patrons actually keep these as collectibles after consuming the contents.

Design your own sushi

To get things started, simply grab an order form and place a tick beside the ingredients you want in your maki roll. The extensive variety will excite many palates.

1. Choose a size:
   • Little San (S$6.90) comprises 1 wrap, 1 rice, 3 essentials, 1 sprinkle and 1 house sauce.
   • Mega San (S$9.90) comprises 1 wrap, 1 rice, 5 essentials, 1 special, 1 sprinkle and 1 house sauce.
2. Choose a wrap: The traditional nori (seaweed) or the healthy soy with sesame (extra S$1) for those who’re not big on seaweed.

   

3. Choose a rice: Apart from the conventional vinegar Japanese white rice, a healthy unseasoned brown rice option is available.
4. Choose the essentials: Options include tamagoyaki (Japanese omelette), sweet corn, roasted tomato/mushroom, grilled zucchini/eggplant, various cheeses, boiled egg, shredded chicken, tuna mayo, silken tofu, tempura onion/enoki mushroom, avocado and more!
5. Choose the specials: Teriyaki chicken, smoked duck, roast beef, grilled eel, salmon (sashimi/smoked/tampura), tempura prawn and tempura soft-shell crab.
6. Choose the sprinkles: Chicken floss, roasted seeds/nuts, almond flakes, spring onion, turkey bacon bits, raisins, nori (seaweed), tempura crunch and bonito Japanese fish flakes are some of the options.
7. Choose the house sauce: The wide range of dressings include ponzu (Japanese mixed citrus), yuzu honey vinaigrette, honey mustard, balsamic vinaigrette, sweet Thai chilli, barbecue, Caesar, sesame, teriyaki, spicy mayo, garlic aioli, wasabi mayo, Japanese curry and more. Do check out the monthly special too!

The combinations are boundless! The adept chef makes sure every piece of sushi – sliced into bite-size pieces – consistently contains all the ingredients you choose.

For days when you’re not in a DIY mood, just look towards the signature items such as the Roast N’ Roll, California Dreaming and Keep On Shrimpin’.

Keep On Shrimpin’
S$9.90++

Keep On Shrimpin’ is highly recommended. The flavours hit the mark, though the simple appearance manifests otherwise. You’ll be pleasantly surprised!

Miso Hungry-San

Miso Hungry-San is an example of a quirky illustration turning into reality. The 3D pop art on the walls initially meant to depict various characters for display purposes, are now part of the menu, and customers refer to them when ordering.

Miso Hungry-San comprises a nori wrap, white rice, smoked duck, teriyaki chicken, salmon sashimi, tempura ebi, grilled unagi, roast beef and barbecue sauce. The different proteins do not overwhelm each other; the barbecue sauce binds them into one cohesive dish.

Design your own salad

There are a growing number of salad eateries but few that emphasise on Japanese ingredients. Here are the steps to creating your very own personalised salad packed with Japanese ingredients:

1. Choose a size:
   • For Little San (S$7.90), you get 1 base, 4 essentials, 1 sprinkle and 1 house dressing.
   • For Big San (S$9.90), you get 1 base, 4 essentials, 2 additionals, 1 sprinkle and 1 house dressing.
   • For Mega San (S$11.90), you get 1 base, 4 essentials, 2 additionals, 1 special, 1 sprinkle and 1 house dressing.
2. Choose a base: There are four bases to choose from: Mixed Lettuce, Mixed Greens, Cold Pasta and Healthy Brown Rice.
3. Choose 4 essentials: There are more than 20 essentials you can choose from. Options include caramelised Japanese sweet potato, roasted mixed peppers, roasted baby potatoes, roasted mushrooms, roasted pumpkin, grilled eggplant, grilled zucchini, cucumbers, silken tofu, various fruits and vegetables.
4. Choose the additionals: Avocado, boiled egg, dried fruits, tuna flakes, tobiko, tempura onion/enoki mushroom/calamari, anchovies and various cheese options.
5. Choose the specials: Teriyaki chicken, smoked duck, roast beef, grilled eel, salmon (sashimi/smoked/tempura), tempura prawn and tempura soft-shell crab.
6. Choose the sprinkles: Croutons, bonito flakes, various nuts, turkey bacon bits, nori, tempura crunch, raisins and chicken floss.
7. Choose the house dressing

Mega San
S$11.90++

Here’s our first customised salad: Mega San with mixed greens to form the base. For the essentials, we have grilled zucchini, roasted baby potatoes, roasted tomatoes and apple. For additionals, we chose avocado and tempura onion. Salmon sashimi is the special ingredient. And finally, a yuzu honey vinaigrette is used as the dressing.

Because we got to choose our favourite ingredients, we loved what we had. The tempura onion gives a nice crunch without excessive oiliness.

If choosing every single ingredient that goes into your salad gives you a headache, you can pick from any of the signature salads instead, such as A Thing For Tempura (S$11.90), What’s Your Beef (S$9.90) and Hail Caesar’s (S$9.90).

A Thing for Tempura
S$11.90++

Tempura lovers will love A Thing for Tempura. It comes with mixed tempura of enoki mushrooms, sweet potatoes, prawns and calamari served hot and crisp; the batter is neither greasy nor too thick. If greens are not your thing, opt for a brown rice or pasta base for a hearty meal.

What’s Your Beef
S$9.90++

What’s Your Beef comes with a veggie base, but if you’re hungry for carbohydrates, the cold pasta goes well with the beef. Thinly sliced and roasted to perfectly tender meat, carnivores will be pleased with this creation.

Tempura soft-shell crab
S$6.90++

For light snacks, options include tempura calamari, tempura enoki mushroom, Japanese hand-cut fries, chicken kara-age, tempura soft-shell crab and tempura ebi (prawn). You can choose one dip for each snack, such as Japanese mayo, smoky cheddar cheese and house paprika seasoning. Extra dips will cost S$1 each.

Let your imagination run wild and creative juices flow at Maki-San. You may discover new favourite combinations that you never knew could work!

What do you think of designing your own sushi rolls and salads? Share all your thoughts via Facebook or Twitter or by leaving a comment!