J T

🇭🇰

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. ⁣
⁣
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.
-—————⁣⁣
💴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.
⁡
-—————⁣⁣
💴Budget: 18,000 yen⁣⁣⁣⁣ Less

Tabelog 4.00⁣⁣ 🇯🇵
⁣⁣
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. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
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.⁣
⁣⁣
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. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
-—————⁣⁣⁣
💴Budget: 20,000 yen⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
🐟 Neta: 9⁣⁣
🍙 Shari: 9⠀⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
🦪 Tsumami: N/A⁣⁣
🍹Drinks: 8.5⠀⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
🏢 Vibes: 8.5⁣⁣
⚖️ C/P: 10 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.
⁡
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!

-—————
💴Budget: 3,500 hkd Less

Tabelog 3.98 🇯🇵

Kurosaki has long been on my to-go list since it was located at Shibuya. The new location at Aoyama was classy and aesthetic as if a modern gallery. The meal started off impressively with savory and impactful tsumamis like warayaki sawara, komochi yari-ika and fugu karaage, instantly igniting our desire for sake. The sake and wine selection was worth-mentioning, featuring various premium labels like Jikon and Kokuryu at very reasonable prices.

The nigiri session was one of the best I have ever had. Sometimes I do not need progression and the nigiris here were all flavor bombs from start to finish. Without a shadow of a doubt, the maguro trio was top-notch – akami zuke was saline, chutoro was balanced and the otoro was packed with fattiness and meatiness that lingered for a long time. Let’s not forget the shellfish – both mirugai and torigai were extremely sweet despite the fact that they weren’t in prime time yet. The showstopper was definitely the fugu shirako nigiri – so rich and creamy, pairing well with the warm and al-dente shari, absolutely an ingenious interpretation of fugu shirako!

In short, Kurosaki is the pinnacle of modern sushiya. The rating does not do him justice as it was recently relocated, erasing all of the previous credential that was built on Tabelog.

-—————
💴Budget: 50,000 yen⁣⁣⁣⁣
🐟 Neta: 9⁣.5
🍙 Shari: 9⠀⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
🦪 Tsumami: 9.5
🍹Drinks: 10⠀⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
🏢 Vibes: 9.5⁣
⚖️ C/P: 9 Less

Tabelog 4.43 🥈

Fuji is one of the biggest surprises of my gourmet trip in last winter. The dinner was entertaining, especially for solo diners, as there were a lot going on at the counter, including the making of fresh goma sauce and dashi tasting. Needless to say, the seafood sourced from Sasue Fish Shop was fresh and delectable. Local vege sourced by Chef Fujioka was equally impressive. The kaki [柿] with goma sauce worked magically, combining acidity, sweetness and toastiness perfectly. It’s simply a unique restaurant that showcases the beauty of the terroir of Shizuoka.
-—————
💴Budget: 20,000 yen⁣⁣⁣
🥘Food: 8.5⁣⁣
🍹Drinks: 8
🏢Vibes: 9
⚖️C/P: 10 Less

Tabelog 4.54 🥇⁣
⁣
Sushi Namba Hibiya is one of the only 6 Tabelog Gold sushiyas located in Tokyo. Chef Namba is known for being extremely meticulous in temperature management of shari and neta. I have been to Sushi Namba a few times - Namba San’s uni and maguro selection was consistently outstanding. Thanks to Namba San’s generosity, we were offered an off-menu toro temaki and a gigantic Murasaki Uni from Kyushu. The latter was one of the best Murasaki Uni I have had this year – its lasting yet delicate kombu flavor was to die for. Namba San also curated some unconventional, seasonal tsumamis like mixing matsutake with sanma. Flavors were indeed very bold and polarized. ⁣
⁣
Namba San is currently expanding his business by setting up a branch in Yotsuya and a members-only sushi restaurant in Miami. I genuinely hope he can scale up his business smoothly as it is always challenging to do so for a sushiya. ⁣
-—————⁣⁣
💴Budget: 45,000 yen⁣⁣⁣⁣ Less

Tabelog 4.54 🥇⁣
⁣
Ao Nishiazabu is one of the most unique innovative and ingredient-focused restaurants in Tokyo. Chef Minemura’s culinary background was very interesting. First, he started his career as a bartender during which he found his passion in cooking. He proceeded to self-learning through cookbooks before heading to Italy to embark on a professional cooking journey. Interestingly, he realized that his true love was French cuisine so he came back to Tokyo and started a bistro called Maru. That’s why it is not difficult to understand why Ao’s food is so international, featuring cooking techniques of Spanish, French and Italian cuisine with top-notch produces from Japan. ⁣
⁣
In short, Ao’s food is one-of-a-kind – plating looks simple but flavors were thought-provoking! Do starve yourself well enough if you manage to score a seat as the portion is also quite generous throughout the tasting menu. Service was a kind of a cult intentionally and the pace of the meal is one of the fastest as well. Overall, it’s a unique culinary destination that you should at least try once. ⁣
-—————⁣⁣
💴Budget: 50,000 yen⁣⁣⁣⁣ Less

Tabelog 4.00⁣
⁡⁣
Tomidokoro is one of the sushiyas that I would love to visit whenever I am in Tokyo. It is a place where we can 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. ⁣
⁣
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. My November 2024 visit was packed with surprises including the lingering sawara [鰆] zuke-d with tamanegi [新玉蔥] shoyu and tender & meaty hagashi [剥し]. The otoro and buri were also aged beautifully to soften the texture and deepen the flavors.⁣
⁣
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. ⁣
⁣
-—————⁣⁣
💴Budget: 20,000 yen⁣⁣⁣⁣
🐟 Neta: 9⁣
🍙 Shari: 9⠀⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
🦪 Tsumami: N/A⁣
🍹Drinks: 8⠀⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
🏢 Vibes: 8.5⁣
⚖️ C/P: 10 Less

Tabelog 4.55🥇⁣
⁣
Onjaku is perhaps my favorite place for lunch in Kanto because of its hearty food, ambiance, and experience. When you enter the restaurant, you will be escorted by the staff to the garden for a quick walk before being seated. Then, Chef Sugayama will introduce himself and welcome you with a simple opening speech before he commences his orchestra. ⁣
⁣
The food is very different from kanto kaiseki as the flavor is more mellow and hearty. Freshness of the seafood was also outstanding as Yaizu is very close to a lot of famous habitats for different kinds of seafood, including but not limited to kinmedai [金目鯛], aji and akaza-ebi [赤座海老]. ⁣
⁡⁣
In fact, 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. All seafood used at Onjaku is sourced from the nationally renowned Sasue Maeda Fish Shop [前田鮮魚佔], which has supplied fish to the restaurant since it was run by Chef Sugiyama’s grandfather. This fish shop was also a pioneer in shinkeijime [神經締] that maximizes freshness of the catches when they arrive at the restaurant. ⁣
⁡⁣
The meal finished with a soothing tea ceremony. If the weather is good, I guarantee you an enjoyable meal with sunshine behind your back throughout the meal.⁣
⁣
-—————⁣⁣
💴Budget: 20,000 yen⁣⁣⁣
🥘Food: 8.5⁣⁣
🍹Drinks: 8.5⁣⁣
🏢Vibes: 9.5⁣
⚖️C/P: 10 Less