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Tabelog 4.16 🥉

1) Kita-murasaki Uni[北紫雲丹] from Hatate [羽立水產]

Our visit was in late Nov so we didn’t expect to see so many types of uni. Thanks to the special arrangement by Obana San, we got to try the no.1 kita-murasaki uni from 3 best producers. Without a shadow of a doubt, Hatate was textbook kita-murasaki uni, which was packed with ocean flavors and delicate sweetness to finish. The freshness was also outstanding as the uni was firm and creamy.

2) Kita-murasaki Uni from Tachibana [橘水產]

Tachibana has always been my favorite. The nicer ones usually come with a unique peanut butter attack and a floral finish. Again, it’s a completely new box. Hands down the best piece of uni of this winter trip.

3) Buri from Hokkaido [北海道], Ginger Shoyu

First time having buri zuked with ginger shoyu and it worked for me. To be frank, the ginger flavor was very mild but it managed to bring out more meaty flavors so that our palate would not be dominated by the fattiness of buri. The warmer shari was equally sensational.

4) Kuruma Ebi [車海老], Kuruma Ebi Shoyu

5) Kohada [小鰭]

6) Anago [穴子]

Crispy outside and velvety inside – my favorite rendition of anago nigiri.

8) Sawara Zuked with Secret Shoyu

Hard to explain the sensation – just imagine the meaty flavor of sawara crossing over with the finish of smoked salmon. The zuke process also softened the flesh. All of us were impressed by such an extraordinary interpretation of sawara.
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8) Uni Parfait

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Sushi Obana commenced its legend in Tatebayashi 32 years ago. Taisho, Obana San, is one of the most respected sushi chefs by industry people. In fact, Obana San was also one of the 3 masterminds behind Sushi Tokami [鮨とかみ]. Needless to say, Obana San has exclusive access to the best maguro offered by Yamayuki. Reservation is only open to regular customers only, and you are advised to make your reservation 9 months in advance.
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💴Budget: 33,000 yen⁣
🐟 Neta: 9.5
🍙 Shari: 9⠀⁣⁣
🦪 Tsumami: 8.5⠀⁣⁣
🍹Drinks: 10⠀⁣⁣
🏢 Vibes: 10⠀⁣⁣
⚖️ C/P: 10 Less

Tabelog 4.51 🥇⁣
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1) Kinmedai [金目鯛] from Shizuoka [靜岡], Urokoyaki [鱗焼き], Mizansho [実山椒] Shoyu⁣
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It is the signature dish of Onjaku which is also the only dish that exists throughout the year. It is my 4th time trying this dish and I was amused by the consistency of Chef Sugiyama’s cooking. Scales were savory and crispy whilst the meat was moist and cooked to perfection. The cooking process was also a joy to witness, which stimulated our sight and smell simultaneously. ⁣
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2) Shiro Amadai [白甘鯛] from Yaizu [燒津], Kamouri[冬瓜], Dashi [出汁]⁣
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Such a thick filet that’s packed with deep flavor and fattiness. The dashi was comforting, making it a magical match with the shiro amadai.⁣
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3) Ama-gatsuo [甘鰹], Tamanegi [新玉蔥] Shoyu⁣
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Relatively firm texture which demonstrated the freshness. The tamanegi shoyu was seasoned perfectly to neutralize the potential unpleasant blood aftertaste of katsuo. ⁣
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4) Charcoal Grilled Figs, Peanut Miso⁣
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This is the best piece of figs I have ever had in my life. So impressed by the synergy with the unconventional flavors of peanut miso.⁣
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5) Kabura [蕪菁]⁣
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6) Tachiuo [太刀魚] Renko Mochi [蓮根餅]⁣
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7) Aonori [青海苔] Senbei [仙貝], Hamaguri [蛤] Dashi [出汁]⁣
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Shizuoka Prefecture is hailed as the city of seafood as Suruga Bay [駿河湾], which is the deepest bay in Japan (approximately 2,500 m deep), lands all sorts of rare deep-sea fish and crustaceans. In particular, all seafood used at Onjaku is sourced from the nationally renowned Sasue Maeda Fish Shop, which has supplied fish to the restaurant since it was run by Chef Sugiyama’s grandfather. This fish shop is also a pioneer in shinkeijime [神經締] that maximises freshness of the catches when they arrive at the restaurant. I strongly recommend visiting Onjaku for lunch as the sunshine behind your back will make it a very pleasant dining experience.⁣
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🥘Food: 9⁣
🍹Drinks: 8.5⁣
🏢Vibes: 9.5⠀⁣⁣
⚖️C/P: 10 Less

Tabelog 4.40 🥈⁣
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Yamazaki San has a unique culinary background, spending 8 years at a traditional kaiseki restaurant called Morikawa [もりかわ] and some time at another 2 extremely famous fusion restaurants, Chiune and Aca. His culinary journey was indeed fully reflected in his food - the spot-on fusion influence was also one of the key reasons that I really love this restaurant. ⁣
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In my recent visit, the menu featured some of my favorite Japanese ingredients such as crab, kinmedai and unagi. Surprisingly, it was my first time trying Yamazaki San’s grilled unagi and it did live up to expectation. The surface was crispy, and the meat was perfectly grilled into a flaky texture like pastry. I also love the salinity of the sauce, allowing the intense unagi flavor to shine. ⁣
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The gohan has never repeated since my first visit. I particularly enjoy the crunchy mouthfeel of herring roes and the refreshing sweetness of nanohana. The secret egg yolk was definitely the hero, integrating all elements into one sumptuous bite. I would have added two bowls if I didn’t have Sugalabo for dinner.⁣
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As a tradition here, the meal always finishes with a show-stopping homemade gelato. Yamazaki San heard our needs – he is going to open a Gelato shop so everyone got the chance to try his amazing recipe! ⁣
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💴Budget: 55,000 yen⁣⁣
🥘Food: 9⁣⁣
🍹Drinks: 9⁣⁣
🏢Vibes: 10⁣
⚖️C/P: 9 Less

Tabelog 4.43 🥈⁣
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Chef Shimazu is currently one of the most esteemed young sushi chefs in Tokyo. He began his career at Sushidokoro Abe [寿し処阿部]. After 5 years of training, he became the head chef of Ranmaru, a popular high-ended sushiya among younger customers at Meguro, spending another 2 years there before opening his own sushiya at Shirokane [自金]. ⁣
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When I first entered the restaurant, I was immediately impressed by the energetic vibes of the staff which was quite similar to Ryujiro – Chef Shimazu was welcoming, he would command loudly but in a respectable manner at the counter. Sake selection was outstanding and priced reasonably – the Kokuryu Nizaemon I tried was in perfect condition!⁣
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Chef Shimazu’s skills are evident, proven by the consistent and al dente shari. His maguro and hikarimono were remarkable as well. Chef Shimazu’s tsumamis were very well-executed! I was particularly impressed by the complex mouthfeel and flavors of the nagaimo & maguro tsumami. The showstopper was definitely the mirugai that I added after the omakase menu. It was so sweet and juicy, finishing with a pleasant oceanic salinity!⁣
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Overall, it was an enjoyable and interactive sushi omakase. Definitely worth a visit if you are looking for a more relaxing dining experience.⁣
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💴Budget: 35,000 yen⁣⁣⁣
🐟 Neta: 9
🍙 Shari: 9⠀⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
🦪 Tsumami: 9
🍹Drinks: 9.5⠀⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
🏢 Vibes: 9⁣⁣
⚖️ C/P: 9 Less

🇭🇰

Sushi Hare is hands down my favorite sushiya in Hong Kong. Nigiris here were consistently crafted in terms of temperature and size. Neta was of very good quality and the prep work was equally outstanding. You just have to try the black pepper anago which i have never seen such a combo elsewhere. The kitchen staff also deserved a lot of credit for the perfectly executed and well-conceived tsumamis. ⁣
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The competitive price tag of Sushi Haré is another reason that makes it notoriously difficult to book. It’s fully booked until Q4 2024 so do follow their Instagram to catch last minute cancellations.
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💴Budget: 980 hkd Less

Tabelog 3.82 🇯🇵

Sushi Take is one of the very few sushiyas in Tokyo that’s helmed by a female chef. Chef Takeuchi was trained at a legendary sushi-ya, Shimbashi Shimizu, before going independent in 2014. There are quite a lot of similarities between Sushi Take and Shimbashi Shimizu as both of them offer very old school sushi experience. Nigiris curated by Chef Takeuchi are quite large and will be placed directly on the sushi counter without a plate. Neta-wise, you are expected to see a lot of traditional ones like hamaguri [蛤], kuruma ebi [車海老], kohada [小鰭] and anago [穴子]. Similar to Chef Shimizu, Chef Takeuchi applies nitsume more often than other sushiyas do on neta like shako [蝦蛄], anago, hamaguri and ni-ika [煮烏賊], and without a doubt, her homemade nitsume was absolutely delicious. I was particularly impressed by the awabi [鮑] nigiris as I really enjoyed the tenderness and lasting sweetness & umami from the neta.

Shimbashi Shimizu is definitely the pinnacle of old school sushi, but reservation is limited to Japanese speakers only. As a tourist, Sushi Take can be an alternative as it is relatively easy to reserve. I also recommend the nigiri-only course as tsumamis are usually quite simple as the kitchen of the restaurant is quite compact.
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💴Budget: 18,000 yen⁣⁣⁣⁣ Less

🇭🇰

Sushi Mori Tomoaki closed its door in Dec 2023 as Mori San decided to go on an adventure in Philippines. Prior to its closure, it was essentially the most coveted sushi restaurant in Hong Kong, thanks to the creative tsumami, high quality neta and fun
interaction at the counter.
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In my final visit in December last year, I was really happy to revisit a lot of classic dishes such as crab paella, sansho ankimo and iwashi isobemaki. Let me know if any of you knows the details of the next venture of Mori San!

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💴Budget: 3,500 hkd Less

🇭🇰

Sushi Hare is hands down my favorite sushiya in Hong Kong. Nigiris here were consistently crafted in terms of temperature and size. Neta was of very good quality and the prep work was equally outstanding. You just have to try the black pepper anago which i have never seen such a combo elsewhere. The kitchen staff also deserved a lot of credit for the perfectly executed and well-conceived tsumamis. ⁣
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The competitive price tag of Sushi Haré is another reason that makes it notoriously difficult to book. It’s fully booked until Q4 2024 so do follow their Instagram to catch last minute cancellations.
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💴Budget: 980 hkd Less

Tabelog 3.82 🇯🇵

Sushi Take is one of the very few sushiyas in Tokyo that’s helmed by a female chef. Chef Takeuchi was trained at a legendary sushi-ya, Shimbashi Shimizu, before going independent in 2014. There are quite a lot of similarities between Sushi Take and Shimbashi Shimizu as both of them offer very old school sushi experience. Nigiris curated by Chef Takeuchi are quite large and will be placed directly on the sushi counter without a plate. Neta-wise, you are expected to see a lot of traditional ones like hamaguri [蛤], kuruma ebi [車海老], kohada [小鰭] and anago [穴子]. Similar to Chef Shimizu, Chef Takeuchi applies nitsume more often than other sushiyas do on neta like shako [蝦蛄], anago, hamaguri and ni-ika [煮烏賊], and without a doubt, her homemade nitsume was absolutely delicious. I was particularly impressed by the awabi [鮑] nigiris as I really enjoyed the tenderness and lasting sweetness & umami from the neta.

Shimbashi Shimizu is definitely the pinnacle of old school sushi, but reservation is limited to Japanese speakers only. As a tourist, Sushi Take can be an alternative as it is relatively easy to reserve. I also recommend the nigiri-only course as tsumamis are usually quite simple as the kitchen of the restaurant is quite compact.
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💴Budget: 18,000 yen⁣⁣⁣⁣ Less

Tabelog 4.00⁣⁣ 🇯🇵
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Tomidokoro is one of the sushiyas that I would love to visit whenever I am in Tokyo. Customers are able to truly appreciate Taisho’s skills in terms of how to craft nigiris in a highly consistent manner and bring out the best from each type of neta. ⁣⁣
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Sato Taisho sources most of his neta from Nozomi, a subsidiary of Yamayuki Group. With all due respect, his neta might not be the most expensive ones but they truly stood out, especially the hikarimono and traditional netas. In particular, the acidity of Saba was spot on, went really well with the fatty finish. Sato San’s buri was the showstopper which was aged beautifully, bringing out layers of flavors and a silky mouthfeel. He also stepped up its sake game, the Jikon he offered was so fresh and appetising.⁣
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I honestly recommend this sushiya to every sushi-lover. Trust me, if you go for the nigiri only lunch, you’ll be impressed by the cost performance ratio when you receive the bill. ⁣⁣
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💴Budget: 20,000 yen⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
🐟 Neta: 9⁣⁣
🍙 Shari: 9⠀⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
🦪 Tsumami: N/A⁣⁣
🍹Drinks: 8.5⠀⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
🏢 Vibes: 8.5⁣⁣
⚖️ C/P: 10 Less