It's nice to treat yo'self every once in a while. Better yet, treat a loved one during this period of uncertainty (when people are staying home amid the rise in Covid-19 community cases). Consider buying him or her this photogenic heart-shaped uni sushi cake from Standing Sushi Bar. It's great for mini birthday celebrations, anniversaries or, well, just lunch. Here, the trappings of a typical cake — sponge and frosting — are replaced with vinegared rice, sashimi and other yummy savoury stuff.

The Uni Lover began as a Mother’s Day-themed sushi cake, says Lim Hui Nan, the 38-year-old co-owner of Empire Eats (the parent group of Standing Sushi Bar and other concepts like Tanuki Raw), though she decided to keep it on the menu after a “very promising” reception in light of the tightened restrictions over the Mother’s Day weekend. “It took a few attempts to get the flavours right as I wanted every bite to be tasty,” she says. To that end, the sushi rice here comes fortified with a savoury mix of tobiko (flying fish roe), shredded crab stick and dried Japanese seasoning, or furikake. It’s topped off with a little sakura denbu (a dainty, sweet-salty pink flaked fish condiment). It's framed like a heart with creamy sea urchin (about 60-70g), and then pimped up with ikura, salmon sashimi roses and amaebi (sweet shrimp).

As far as the joint’s cakes go, it’s a relatively small one: around 300g, a quarter the size of their other offerings. “It serves two diners nicely,” she says – perfect, then, for sharing with a fellow sea urchin lover during the current period of Phase 2 (Heightened Measures). Even Ya Hui is in on the hype - she recently celebrated her birthday with an uni cake of her own.

Photo: @renztan/Instagram

This family-friendly affair is the newest addition to SSB’s list of five sushi cakes. It’s the only one that’s completely devoid of raw fish. This comes adorned with slices of grilled unagi, a mango rose in lieu of the salmon one, and four of Standing Sushi Bar’s specialty rolls.

Highlights from the four include the lobster maki, which incorporates lobster chunks in wasabi mayo, avocado and cucumber, as well as the crabby chicken maki, comprising deep-fried soft-shell crab, avocado and a dusting of chicken floss. This sushi cake requires an advance order of six hours, so be sure to order early.

“Not everyone eats (or can eat) sashimi, such as young kids, pregnant women and elderly folk. We wanted to cater to all needs and ages, especially now that we’re all celebrating milestones at home,” says Hui Nan.

On a budget? The Mentai Lover is the most wallet-friendly sushi cake of the bunch. It’s adorned with slivers of salmon sashimi, a tuna rose and two of the establishment’s mentai-heavy rolls: namely, the Under the Sea, which features a crown of aburi hotate (seared scallop) and mentaiko (pollock roe) over a crab stick and avocado maki, and the Rockstar Roll, where aburi salmon and cheddar are similarly finished with the salty-savoury roe.

FYI, the Empire Eats group has also just launched a new delivery-only concept called Udon Samurai. Its speciality is kamatama udon (akin to Japanese carbonara), where sanuki noodles are seasoned with stuff like butter, an onsen egg and nori. It’s served alongside your choice of toppings, including aburi salmon, chicken karaage and avocado - just pick your base (there’s vegetarian-friendly ones as well as the ever-popular mentai mayo or mala) and go. It’s sort of like a grain bowl sans grain - especially their keto-friendly option that swaps out udon for low-carb konjac noodles.

Standing Sushi Bar’s Sushi Cakes are available via delivery. Or pick up at #01-04, Odeon Towers, 331 North Bridge Road, S188720. Tel: 6333-1335.

Photos: Standing Sushi Bar, Udon Samurai​​​​​​​