With the relocation of Maki Tori Shinkobe and the opening of Akasaka Shimabukuro, I've been visiting Akasaka Mitsuke more often. I had wanted to visit this restaurant for a while, but it seemed to only open for lunch and dinner starting at 6 PM, making it difficult to go except on Saturdays. Finally, I was able to visit.The restaurant is located on the 5th floor of an old building that looks like it has some history, right next to the building where Shimabukuro is located. There are 9 seats at a straight counter. Interestingly, there’s a curtain leading to the kitchen in the middle, with two ice rooms on either side, which makes for a unique layout.For dinner, there are both a nigiri course and an omakase course, and I made a reservation for the omakase course.- Tuna Hand Roll: This seems to be a greeting of sorts. The tuna at this time of year is light and easy to eat.- Assorted Platter: (From top) Abalone liver, uruka (sweetfish soft roe), and katsu's shuto (salted innards). The sweetfish soft roe is deliciously sweet. The shuto pairs perfectly with sake! You can order more of any of these, so I went ahead and ordered extra uruka and shuto!After this, the nigiri began, and it was unusual that no gari (pickled ginger) was served.- Mako Karei: It pairs well with the tangy rice.- Mebaru: It has been aged. Oh, the flesh is sweet!- Shima Aji: Just the right amount of fat, delicious!- Kombu-dried Kisu: Oh, this has a high umami flavor.- Kurodai: Salt-cured. The fat is rich and tasty!- Haruko Tai: Cured with a light touch. This is a young sea bream with a thick body, fluffy yet with a light crunch, very tasty.- Tsuyu Iwashi: Sardines from Choshi, Chiba. The good season lasts less than two weeks. Lightly vinegared.- Akami: Tuna caught in Aomori. The flesh is firm and delicious!- Chutoro: A lighter chutoro. Just the right amount of fat, nice! But it’s not back toro; the restaurant rarely buys back toro.- Shimofuri: Between otoro and chutoro. It’s not melting but has a good amount of fat.- Otoro: Rich in fat but refreshing and delicious.- Aji: This is also thick and tasty.- Sagochi: Young Spanish mackerel. Tender.- Kuruma Ebi: A bit on the smaller side. Freshly boiled kuruma ebi. It’s small, so the texture is a bit soft, but it has sweetness.- Murasaki Uni: So creamy!- Anago: Simmered in sauce, fluffy and delicious!- Miso Soup: Made with the fish of the day.This concludes the omakase course. What wasn’t served were the shime saba, akau uni, and rolls.- Extra: Shime Saba: Well-prepared and delicious.- Extra: Akau Uni: Kumamoto's Amakusa, Iitsuwa's akau uni. This is sweet and incredibly delicious!!- Extra: Gourd Roll (half): Please make it with wasabi.In our omakase course, aside from the greeting tuna hand roll and the three delicacies, everything else was nigiri. I guess that’s why it’s only 5,500 yen different from the nigiri course… I realize now that I hadn’t read the reviews at all, haha.The chef is from Iwatsuki, and he was chatting with other customers from Saitama about their hometown. He also loves ramen and joined in the conversation with some ramen enthusiasts, making for a very enjoyable experience. It was a great meal!
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