Irodori Japanese Buffet @ Four Points by Sheraton

I had a serious sushi craving on Saturday and decided to go to a Japanese buffet but it was a bit late in the day when I made this decision so many places were already fully booked. I managed to get a reservation at Irodori where they informed me that it will be a counter seat, which I didn't mind at all since it will provide a good view of what the sushi chefs are doing.

view from my counter seat

Prices

Orders were made a-la-carte to the waitress which was a bit awkward in my opinion since she stood there while I flipped through the extensive menu listing multiple orders of different things. There is a bit of a disconnect when the pictures are not next to the item they are depicting as I was naturally inclined to look at the photo first (with only a number next to it) and then try and match it to the number to check what it was and tell the waitress the name of what I want because they do not take the order by the number which would have been a lot more efficient. 

As a result there was a few order errors because the server inputted the wrong items into their device. I also found it a bit odd to order maki by the piece. 

Salmon head & mentai ebi were given as complimentary dishes. Seemed like a good start as both were tasty, but unfortunately the meal just kind of went downhill from there....

complimentary salmon head - surprised to see this as a complimentary dish but after seeing how they go through so much salmon it would make sense they have an excess of salmon heads and a good way to exceed customer expectations

complimentary mentai ebi - pretty tasty, would have liked to get another

"irodori special" - wayyy too much mayo going on, mixed salmon and mayo on the inside? (so much mayo it was difficult to even tell what kind of fish inside the roll)

Jitsuraku Junmai Sake 700ml (S$70.00) decent sake, lightly fruity
only offered alcohol menu upon request

Ebiko Temaki shrimp roe (left) | Spider Temaki soft shell crab (right)
enjoyed the crispiness of the soft shell crab but only got one leg in mine and the bottom half of the roll is actually just all rice so the leg only extended an inch down into the roll

Mekajiki Nigiri swordfish (top) | Kani Maki crab stick roll (bottom)
I had ordered kanpyo maki, waitress repeated several times with a confused look on her face and finally repeated correctly but kani maki arrived instead

Sashimi Moriase (mixed sashimi) Double order was put on the same plate which helped save space, came with Sake (salmon), Hamachi (yellowtail), Mekajiki (swordfish),Tako (octopus), Ika (squid).
Sashimi is definitely fresh, thick cut style which is common at japanese buffets although I normally prefer a thinner cut. Hamachi had thick bloodline left on which some may not enjoy, Mekajiki would have benefited from a thinner cut and was not cut with much thought to the angle/grain so while it was fresh there was a unpleasant chew to it. Ika was probably the oddest out of the bunch and the least fresh, was mushy to chew instead of firm. 

Tamago sweet egg omelette (left) | Saba mackerel (right)
Tamago was not tasty at all, overcooked, overly sweet, and discolored (discoloration is aesthetically unappealing but safe to eat - often due to reaction with cooking equipment or eggs held for too long). Saba was good. I was glad to see that they do not use too much rice in their sushi

Dobin Mushi teapot soup
Pretty way to serve soup, served with calamansi. Tastes strongly of hondashi/bonito wish there was more depth to the broth but the calamansi added a welcome citrus element

Bacon Maki - yummy bacon wrapped around crab stick, guilty pleasure 

Beef Shogayaki (top left) | Yakitori (top right) | Tonkatsu (bottom) 
Beef Shogayaki was pretty decent. I never ordered the Yakitori, but ate it anyways, chicken was dry. Tonkatsu was the worst out of the three being tough and dry

Shishamo Karaage (fried capelin) overfried and flavorless

Sanma Shioyaki (salt-grilled pike aka pacific saury) biggest disappointment of the evening for me, maybe they forgot the "shio" part of the shioyaki? was way overcooked and quite flavorless. They opted to serve the fish whole (did not remove guts) I normally do not mind but after a very mediocre dinner leading up to this moment - I found a worm in the guts of my fish, fine to eat if cooked properly and I understand can happen in whole fish but just put me off even more - I chose not to include the picture I took of said worm.

Not pictured: 

• Cha Wan Mushi  (so-so, bubbles in the custard - usually a sign of overly high heat)
• Shiitake Teriyaki (good grill aroma and strong shiitake flavor) 
• Age Dashi Tofu (pretty standard)
• Enoki Shiitake Butter Yaki  ( I enjoyed this, good flavor but heavy on the butter) 

Pros: 

• affordable
• extensive menu that includes cooked dishes
• fresh fish
• complimentary dishes
• food comes extremely quickly
• tea quickly refilled
• quick to clear dishes out of the way
• friendly service

Cons

• average selection variety for each section
• mediocre-not many dishes they do very well
• have to order each item with a server instead of marking a sheet - lending to some confusion, longer time spent ordering and constantly flipping through the menu.
• not all servers knowledgeable

Overall I found dinner to be painfully mediocre. I would recommend Irodori for those who are looking for an affordable buffet and is going to be ordering mostly sashimi/nigiri. However, I don't think I will be returning.

Food: 5/10
Service: 7/10
Ambiance: Buffet, Casual
Price: $$

Overall: 5.5/10

Irodori Japanese Restaurant
382 Havelock Road, Four Points by Sheraton Singapore.
Riverview #03-01
Singapore 169629
Tel: +65 6737 2002

Hours:
Lunch: 11:30 AM - 2:30 PM
Dinner: 6:00 PM - 10:30 PM