Firstly, don’t worry. There are seats in this Japanese restaurant despite its quirky name.

But jokes aside, you’re probably wondering how fresh Standing Sushi Bar’s salmon is.

Affordable sashimi, but how fresh is it really?

For context, Standing Sushi Bar offers daily promotions. On Thursdays, you can get a plate of five salmon sushi for just $3.9.

If you’re concerned about the quality of the salmon they’re serving at such affordable prices, you’re not alone. I was also skeptical at first, but ended up ordering 20 slices. We thought that the sashimi was pretty fresh, and was decently fatty.

Thursday promotions also include $3 for a glass of sake and $6 for beer, hot sake, wine and umeshu.

But, skip the other dishes

While the $3.9 salmon sashimi at Standing Sushi Bar was good, you could skip the other dishes.

Their menu comprises other sashimi, nigiri sushi, maki, udon, donburi, and more — your typical Japanese restaurant stuff.

While the photos of the makis look grandeur, the actual product was more than underwhelming.

For one, each piece was really small. The taste also lacked depth — it was just savoury on top of savoury. We got sick of it quickly.

Their Salmon Avocado Don ($19) surprised me with its western-styled plating.

The salmon was fresh, a nice bite, cool to the touch. Meanwhile, the avocado tasted exquisite. It was at the peak of its ripeness, resulting in a soft, with just enough bite, texture and the perfect sweetness. Furikake added to the rice for extra seasoning since the flavour profile was rather dull. I would prefer this with some kind of sauce though.

However, $19 for a few slices of salmon and avocado didn’t seem like a good deal to me, regardless of how good it tasted.

Our verdict

If I were to come back, it would only be for their salmon sashimi and sake promotion.

Although some may argue that Sushi Express offers salmon sashimi at half the price. But the quality is nowhere near comparable.

Furthermore, Standing Sushi Bar offers a more appropriate drinking environment with its Japanese bar designs. However, their maki and donburi was a little too expensive for me.

Standing Sushi Bar locations

Location: 331 North Bridge Road, Odeon Towers #01-04, Singapore 188720
Opening hours:
Mon-Fri: 12-2:30pm; 6-10:30pm
Sat-Sun: 12-10:30pm

Looking for the best Japanese food in Singapore? Here’s what we’ve tried:

• Daiyusan review – Viral Japanese restaurant at Tai Seng
• Unagiya Ichinoji review – Japanese eel rice bowl