I visited Sushi Fujinaga in Azabu-Juban. This restaurant is exclusive to around 8,000 members, but it seems they are allowing a few new customers through Tabelog. I was one of those lucky ones! I finally got to experience it.The restaurant doesn’t have private rooms; it features a U-shaped counter that comfortably seats 12, and there are lockers for guests. At the back of the counter, there’s a Berkel ham slicer and a teppan-yaki grill, which are not typically found in regular sushi restaurants. Just by looking at it, one might not immediately recognize it as a sushi place. This unique setup showcases the strong craftsmanship of Chef Fujinaga, as reflected in the name of the restaurant.I was seated right in front of the chef! Since it was my first visit and I was alone, they seemed to have taken special care of me, surrounded by obvious celebrities. Thank you!Here’s what I enjoyed:- Drinker’s 4-item set: Karasumi (dried mullet roe), Shigure of Otoro (fatty tuna), ancient squid salted fish, and Nanban-zuke (sweet and sour marinated fish). All of these appetizers were delicious!- Kyoto Maizuru 236k medium and fatty tuna nigiri: The topping had 50 cuts, and between the rice, there was fatty tuna paste, which delivered a smooth texture and an overwhelming umami flavor as soon as it hit my mouth. The richness was unexpected for this season’s tuna.- Nodoguro (blackthroat seaperch) salted and kelp-marinated grilled fish.- Okose sashimi with soft roe and soy sauce.- Marinated bonito: Two pieces, completely free of any fishy smell, with a clear taste. If I closed my eyes, I wouldn’t even recognize it as bonito.- Seafood shumai: Filled with Seiko crab meat, inner roe, and outer roe. This was clearly on a different level compared to typical Chinese crab shumai.- Donchicchi horse mackerel: Completely free of any fishy smell, with 7 hours of preparation to eliminate any odor. This was unlike any horse mackerel I’ve had before—it was a first for me.- Hokkaido Kinki fish and white asparagus.- Red meat marinated: Two pieces.- Red squid: With salt and sudachi, cut crosswise on both sides.- Nodoguro with oyster in white wine sauce: I mixed the remaining sauce with red vinegar rice.- Prosciutto sliced to 1mm thickness, grilled Nodoguro.- Sweet shrimp: Cooked for 28 seconds, with a perfect rare texture. The oboro was white shrimp and sweet shrimp.- Eel and shrimp bisque soup.- Toro-taku caviar gunkan roll.- Saltwater sea urchin: Dried on washi paper, intensifying the flavor, perfectly combining with the rice and nori.- Shoyu ramen: 50% wheat, the rest paprika, making it half gluten-free. I never expected ramen to be served as a closing dish at a sushi restaurant instead of eggs or fruit!The bonito and horse mackerel completely changed my perception of their flavors. As the chef said, one must understand fish at a cellular level to excel in this craft, and it truly shows. Fish is dead, which means it’s already deteriorating; salt and vinegar only mask and delay that process! Only by restoring the fish to its original fresh state can we achieve this level of nigiri. It was profound yet incredibly delicious.Thank you for the wonderful meal; I will definitely return!
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