Known as a difficult-to-reserve restaurant, I had the pleasure of visiting “Sushi Namba Hibiya” thanks to a friend who made the reservation. ✨- The head chef is Hidefumi Namba - He began his journey as a sushi chef at the age of 20 and became independent at 32. After working in Ogikubo and Asagaya, he opened his restaurant in Tokyo Midtown Hibiya in 2018.【What’s famous here is the meticulous temperature control of the rice and fish.】 When I looked at the omakase course menu placed at our seats, each piece of sushi had the temperature of both the rice and the fish noted.For example, the lean tuna is served with rice at 37°C and fish at 21°C, while the fatty tuna is at 38°C for the rice and 23°C for the fish, showing a detailed approach to each ingredient! ✨This is the first sushi restaurant I’ve encountered that is so thorough! I was excited to see what each piece would be like from the very beginning. ✨This time, I ordered the 【Omakase Course (JPY 48,000)】.Starting with appetizers!◾️ Mozuku, Mekabu, Abalone I was personally delighted to start with seaweed! ✨ At home, I always have mekabu first! The slippery texture of the mozuku and mekabu paired with the crunchy abalone was delightful.◾️ Octopus from Sagami Bay, Kanagawa Boiled octopus served with sudachi. It was firm yet easy to chew, and the acidity of the sudachi complemented it perfectly!◾️ Simmered Kinki This was truly delicious!! The fish was tasty, but the broth was exceptional! ✨ I found myself wanting to drink the broth.◾️ Nital Whale A rare opportunity to try Nital whale. It had a texture reminiscent of horse sashimi, and it was fantastic! So rare!◾️ Sardine Roll A sardine roll with perilla and karasumi. The richness of the sardine paired well with the aroma of the perilla! With karasumi included, I think those who enjoy drinking would love this! ✨◾️ Edamame Suzudaruma Firm edamame, this texture is great!◾️ Ankimo Pâté Rich!! This was delicious! ✨ The creamy flavor of the ankimo was thoroughly enjoyable, making it a perfect snack.◾️ Small Clams The dishes keep coming! There’s quite a variety on the menu!◾️ Fried Tuna I really liked this too! The contrast between the crispy outer layer and the texture of the tuna was interesting, and after one bite, I wanted another! ✨◾️ Grilled Eel The cooking was perfect! The outside was crispy while the inside was fluffy. You could taste the richness of the eel fat, and it was simply delicious!Now, onto the nigiri! ✨Looking at the menu again, each piece has a different temperature for the rice and fish.When I actually tasted them, the firmness of the rice was exactly to my liking! ✨◾️ Nigiri - White Squid - The first piece was amazing! The sticky texture of the squid paired perfectly with the rice.Just from the first piece, I thought this was incredible! ✨- Kue - The texture was very good! The elasticity when biting into it was just right!- Hiragai - A piece that truly showcases the texture of the shellfish.- Spring Child - The soft flesh paired wonderfully with the slightly firmer rice! Personally, I really love this rice!- Horse Mackerel - Visually stunning! ✨ The fish was quite large!I could enjoy the horse mackerel in every bite, and it was delicious!!- Bonito - Here comes the bonito. I didn’t drink sake that day, but this piece definitely made me want to pair it with sake! ✨- Nagasaki Mackerel - Richly fatty mackerel. It had fat but wasn’t overly greasy, and it was delicious!- Fukuoka Meichi Sea Bream - Marinated Meichi sea bream. The texture of the flesh was preserved, and I loved how it paired with the rice.◾️ Steamed Abalone and Sea Urchin Here’s another dish. After enjoying the steamed abalone, I saved the broth, adding rice and sea urchin to it! ✨There were two types of sea urchin: red and purple!With the abalone broth, rice, and rich sea urchin, it was simply too delicious!I finished every drop of the broth! ✨◾️ Nigiri - Botan Shrimp - This piece also had an impressive amount of fish! It was soft, with a sticky sweetness that was delightful.- Ooma Caught Red Meat - Red meat from Ooma. You could really taste the flavor of the red meat, and it was perfect to eat at this moment! ✨- Shimoda Toro - Delicious!! There’s nothing else to say.The sweetness of the fat paired perfectly with the rice.- Anago - I was reminded again here, the rice is truly delicious! Even when eaten with the fluffy anago, the presence of the rice was still felt.◾️ Tamago◾️ Red Miso Soup Ending with red miso soup. This was also delicious. Drinking warm red miso soup after a hearty meal is so comforting! ✨- Summary - As expected!! The first word that came to mind after finishing was this. The nigiri was, of course, fantastic, but the appetizers were truly delicious as well. Especially the simmered Kinki, fried tuna, and grilled eel were outstanding!【And above all, the rice was exactly to my taste!】 The firmness, temperature, and pairing with the fish were all carefully considered, with each piece’s temperature noted on the menu!It’s quite a substantial course, so I was full! Even so, what I thought after finishing was, 【Sushi is just so delicious!】 I was able to make a reservation for my next visit, so I asked without hesitation! ✨ I’m already looking forward to enjoying this rice and nigiri again!
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