Sushi Saito Tokyo

The master at work. Staring with his otsumami he produces great food. First course was cured ikura. Hardly anybody serves you the perfect combination of popping ikura with a highly acidic sauce which matches perfectly the ikura. At Saito this is expected and will will be routinely served. Followed up by a wonderful dish of crab meat, shirako and an excellent kue (longtooth grouper). In between some succulent ankimo, but probably the highlight this time was the an anago. Spongy, but crispy, served with Japanese plum, fresh wasabi and some finely sliced cucumbers topped with a little sesame, it was one of the best anago I have eaten for a long while.
His nigiri are always top, the texture prefect, sometimes soft, sometimes a little chewy but always releasing plenty of umami.
Interesting fact, I noticed that he served the kohada earlier than normal. When asked, he said he does not have a fixed order. He decides on it when he thinks of the sequence and they way he would like to eat it. That simple, but always genial.
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Dinner at Saito is always a treat. The otsumami are fantastic, every changing with seasonal products. The neta, cut just before the nigiri part starts, are sublime. My all-time favorites are the kohada (コハダ, Gizzard Shad) and the aji (あじ, Horse Mackerel). Of course the various tuna cuts are delicious as well, but these two beat, for me, any o-toro. From the otsumami, the squid in a brown ginger sauce was outstanding and surprisingly a great pairing with the Selosse we drank at the time. Less

こちらのしゃり、とても好きです。

A strong, straight gaze comes through the curtain.The gaze of a craftsman.

When the TAISHO enters, the atmosphere changes drastically dramatically.
I like this atmosphere.
It spurs me on to expect more and more.

Snacks

Torigai
The sourness of the kabosu and the unique flavor of the mussel are sublimated into a fresh flavor in the mouth.

Octopus, Abalone
The best octopus is said to be from Kanagawa or Akashi.
Today's octopus was from Kanagawa. It was tender with just the right amount of sauce, and the abalone was, needless to say, excellent!
After the abalone, I had a bite of rice added to the liver sauce to make rice with abalone sauce.

Grilled Tokishirazu Salmon
Tokishirazu is the name of the salmon caught in summer. It is a chum salmon like autumn salmon, but it is not in the spawning season, so there are no eggs or milt in the flesh.
It will change your whole concept of salmon.
This is not a so-called salmon. This is a really special salmon.

beltfish　
It's a bit of an exaggeration to say that it's half-raw and half-tender, but the flavor of the fat and the excellent degree of cooking are impressive.

Chinese juniper and hairy crab

Slightly mild juncai and
and the vinegar that brings out the flavor of the hairy crab.
It was the best vinegared dish in between the fatty grilled dishes.

Tachi-fish
It is an exaggeration to say that the fish is half-raw, but the flavor of the fat and the outstanding degree of cooking are impressive.
In between the fat of the swordfish
Lightly pickled eggplant.
The perfect degree of pickling matches the fat of the swordfish.

Nigiri

Flathead flounder

This fish is called "star flounder" because its pattern looks like a starry sky.
I always remember Van Gogh's Starry Night.
It always reminds me of Van Gogh's Starry Night.
The unique flavor of the flounder and its slightly sticky taste are delicious!

The unique flavors of the flounder, especially the flavors created by the tuna and rice, are new to me.
I think this high mineral content comes from the Miyagi rock salt used in the rice.
Vinegared rice with Miyagi rock salt

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Fatty tuna
中トロ

下田産の鮪。この季節、生の近海物の本鮪は豊洲でも少なく、日によっては一本もないこともあるそう。

そんな中、この時期の鮪とは思えないくらいに脂が乗って力強い。

2021年2月

Sushi Saito | Roppongi Itchome, Tokyo
六本木一丁目「鮨 さいとう」

#sushisaito #tokyoeats #tokyosushi #sushi #chutoro #fattytuna #鮨さいとう #東京グルメ #東京鮨 #鮨 #中トロ
#michelin #tabelog #ミシュラン #食べログ #worlds50best #asias50best #アジアのベストレストラン50 #世界のベストレストラン50 #opinionatedaboutdining #threemichelinstars #ミシュラン三つ星
#美味しいもの好きな人と繋がりたい #旅好きな人と繋がりたい #食べるの好きな人と繋がりたい #レストラン好きな人と繋がりたい #外食好きな人と繋がりたい #鮨好きな人と繋がりたい Less

(Swipe for more pics) Some of the ecstatic moments Saito san had with this truly amazing panettone from @thisisfromroy , Saito san himself and everyone had a slice and the consensus was “oishii!” . The texture was lighter than most and not dense, but the flavor was rich and not cloying. Even the chocolate chips they used seemed to be better than most places. Not that I have had a lot of panettone but just by tasting, I think it was exceptional. They actually have a collaboration with Le Chocolat Alain Ducasse to make a 2KG Triple Chcolate Panettone!

It was because it was so good that I decided to research about it, and my friend @charleschen66 who gave me this Panettone told me that the creator chef Roy Shvartzapel was featured in the podcast of @davidchang , @davidchangshow , exactly a month ago. His story was as amazing as his panettone. Chef Roy was inspired to be a NBA player but changed career to become a baker. He learnt his craft from Thomas Keller, Ferran Adria, Pierre Herme, and became fascinated by the panettone by PH, to the point where he went to Italy, knocked on the door of panettone master Iginio Massari, Pierre Herme’s teacher for panettone, to learn about the craft and art.

Chef Roy’s panettone are produced in small batches and sold online, and even without much marketing at the beginning it became a sensation just by the word of mouth. Now it is internationally regarded as some of the best panettone in the world. But the most inspiring thing is his work ethics and attitude, which you can learn from the podcast. There are too many overhyped products nowadays, it almost made my day when you have something worth the hype. The food world will be better if we have more products and chefs like this. As @lutangforever put it, “Chef Roy is a shokunin through and through”

I put the link of the podcast in my profile -> @little_meg_siu_meg . #thankyoubrother for the best Christmas treat and thank you Saito san for the Christmas sushi! Less