Omakase-style sushi is a significant a part of the eating scene in Tokyo and Japan as an entire.
Omakase, that means “I’ll go away it as much as you” in Jap, is a eating enjoy without a menu to make a choice from. As an alternative, you set your accept as true with as a diner within the chef’s enjoy, talents, and figuring out of components to curate the easiest meal for you.
As an ardent fanatic of Jap delicacies, I’ve been prepared to dabble with omakase-style sushi for a while, in the end hoping to pattern one of the height high-end sushi stores in Tokyo.
Sadly, since I had deliberate my September 2022 Japan go back and forth slightly last-minute, there used to be little hope of having a hotly-contested reservation on the height institutions.
As an alternative, I made up our minds to begin my omakase adventure with a well-respected sushiya the place I may arrange to protected a reservation on quick realize, which led me to Ginza Sushiko Honten.
Ginza Sushiko Honten – In regards to the Eating place
Ginza Sushiko Honten is without doubt one of the oldest sushi eating places in Tokyo, with over 130 years in industry. The sushi store first opened its doorways again in 1885.
The eating place, tucked away in an unassuming Ginza back-alley, has most effective 10 seats at their sushi counter. This permits for an excessively interactive and intimate sushi enjoy with the cooks as they get ready your meals.
The sushi store has additionally made its approach into the sector of tv, showing on Anthony Bourdain: Portions Unknown, wherein Bourdain visited the store along the famend Jap chef Masa Takayama.
Ginza Sushiko Honten have been labelled as a one Michelin megastar eating place previously; alternatively, it sounds as if to have misplaced this popularity in 2016.
Ginza Sushiko Honten – Reserving
Reservations are really useful at Ginza Sushiko Honten, given its restricted seating. You’ll be able to both make one by means of calling the eating place, or in my case, I booked the use of the concierge carrier at Conrad Tokyo.
I had requested the concierge for a listing of really useful sushi choices, for the reason that probably the most town’s height institutions have been all booked for my dates.
After taking notes of my availability, the concierge offered a couple of choices, and I mentioned with them the kind of enjoy I used to be on the lookout for sooner than selecting Ginza Sushiko Honten. For the reason that resort had my bank card on report, they went forward and secured my dinner spot for that exact same night.
Your very best guess for many sushi institutions in Tokyo is to e book by means of a resort concierge. Many height eating places wish to paintings most effective with resort concierges or different concierge products and services at once, relatively than taking reservations from the general public (in the event that they even settle for out of doors reservations from non-regulars within the first position).
Additionally, word that the majority puts have strict cancellation insurance policies, so that you’ll need to be company on your plans sooner than creating a reservation. Ginza Sushiko Honton fees a price of ¥10,000 ($95 CAD) consistent with individual in case you cancel inside 3 days of your reservation.
Ginza Sushiko Honten – Location
This sushi eating place is tucked away within the alleyways of Ginza, one in all Tokyo’s liveliest neighbourhoods for high-end eating and buying groceries.
It’s nestled amongst many different eateries and leisure venues that line the backstreets, whilst the flashy retail shops are extra outstanding out entrance.
The distance is simple to leave out because of its discreet location, and is most effective marked by means of a small Jap signal illuminated to the left of the doorway.
The store is centrally situated only a 20-minute stroll from the Conrad Tokyo, and a snappy three- and seven-minute stroll to the Ginza and Shimbashi Tokyo Metro stations, respectively.
Observe that this eating place will also be simply perplexed with different venues additionally named “Sushiko” or “Sushiko Honten” in Tokyo, a few of which additionally occur to be positioned within the Ginza district. Be sure you examine the eating place’s cope with sooner than you e book.
Ginza Sushiko Honten – Menu
Ginza Sushiko Honten serves a standard Jap genre of sushi with slight hints of modernity.
Costs for omakase range considerably in Tokyo, however most often fall within the vary of 10,000–50,000 yen ($95–475 CAD) consistent with individual. Some puts rate extra for dinner than lunch, whilst others will rate a equivalent value for each foods.
This eating place basically serves omakase lunches and dinners for 25,000 yen ($240 CAD) consistent with individual. Moreover, the eating place serves a number of particular Jap sake from in all places the rustic.
I felt this used to be an affordable level on our omakase adventure, taking into consideration the store’s historical past, the concierge’s advice, and the former Michelin popularity. It’d indisputably be a splurge, however since this used to be our long-awaited first post-pandemic go back and forth to Japan, that’s precisely what I used to be within the temper for.
Ginza Sushiko Honten – Dinner Enjoy
We have been greeted by means of a cafe attendant upon arrival, who showed our reservation main points and kindly confirmed us to the steps resulting in the higher flooring.
A easy however conventional area surrounding the sushi counter awaited us upstairs.
10 seats would possibly appear intimate, but it surely’s if truth be told thought to be a bigger area in comparison to Tokyo’s among the finest stores, a lot of which can be restricted to simply six diners consistent with sitting.
Probably the most sushi cooks promptly greeted us, talking a couple of phrases in English. He requested us whether or not we’d choose to check out sushi, sashimi, or each (after all, we opted for each), after which introduced us a collection of beverages for the night.
We made up our minds to head with some sake, and have been offered with 3 other samplers of sake to make a choice from. We took a couple of sips and decided on our favorite, which used to be balanced and no longer too candy, and have been then offered a complete bottle with two cups.
Since we have been at omakase, the chef then merely went forward and started getting ready our custom designed dishes.
Over the process the night, we spotted that every set of visitors used to be handled to a somewhat other menu, whilst some Jap-speaking visitors (in all probability regulars) would discuss to the chef first to allow them to know what they have been within the temper for.
Right here at our first omakase meal, we have been having a look ahead to soaking up the enjoy because it used to be offered to us, relatively than dictating the complaints – so we merely sat again and awaited the primary dish.
For every dish, we keenly watched because the chef ready the thing in entrance people, from finely cutting a recent lower of fish, to wielding fireplace for the torched pieces, to scrupulously arranging the entirety at the plate.
The chef then positioned every plate at the countertop in entrance people and in short described every merchandise in English, sooner than we have been invited to carry the plates all the way down to our tables and dig in.
1. Crab
The meal started with a crab dish, which used to be executed with a creamy sauce and had pepper sprinkled excessive. It used to be a superbly positive introductory merchandise that unfolded our palates for extra to come back.
2. Abalone
Subsequent up, a chunk of abalone offered in a soy-based sauce, which used to be delectable. The abalone used to be company and had a refined style, which went effectively with the more potent flavours of the sauce.
3. Bonito, Amberjack, and Grilled Toro Sashimi
This plate of a sashimi trio used to be pleasant, and used to be one in all my favorite dishes of the night.
The bonito used to be already well seasoned with soy sauce and crowned with onion for an additional sprint of flavour.
The grilled toro used to be downright decadent, providing the easiest mix of wealthy flavour and butter-soft texture that forced me to near my eyes and slowly savour.
Finally, the amberjack used to be extra rubbery in texture and had an excessively gentle style that balanced out the opposite two.
4. Silverfish
A cooked piece to intersperse the uncooked pieces, the silverfish had a mild and fluffy texture, and used to be tasty if no longer overly memorable.
5. Tuna
I at all times respect a refreshing piece of tuna. The flavor used to be delicate with a slippery texture, and made for a pleasant chunk, environment the degree for the fattier piece to come back.
6. Toro
The toro (fatty tuna) used to be exquisitely wealthy and buttery, melting in my mouth superbly and leaving handing over wealthy pulses of umami flavour throughout my palate because it did so. The one-best merchandise of the meal.
7. Squid
The squid sushi used to be additional rubbery and a bit of gelatinous in texture. It used to be dressed with huge salt crystals on height and drizzled with lemon juice, punctuating the wealthy tuna flavours that got here up to now and the extra modest fish to come back.
I’d have to mention this used to be one in all my least favorite plate of the evening.
8. Mackerel
The mackerel used to be a pleasing trade from what we’d been served up to now. It used to be flaky and gingery, and the fish texture used to be candy however delicate.
9. Flounder
Following the mackerel, we have been offered with flounder, flippantly brushed with candy soy sauce. This merchandise used to be nonetheless tasty, however relatively unremarkable in comparison to the remaining.
10. Grilled Toro
We have been then handled to a couple grilled toro once more, this time served sushi-style. I used to be ecstatic to have yet one more chunk of that scrumptious grilled fatty tuna, and the wealthy and buttery tuna meat as soon as once more delivered a melt-in-mouth sensation.
11. Toro-taku
The toro-taku – a mix of toro fatty tuna and chopped takuan, or pickled daikons, rolled at the side of seaweed within the maki genre – used to be the most effective dishes of the night.
It used to be exceptionally decadent in flavour, and I specifically liked the crunchy texture right here as a welcome supplement to the slippery items up to now.
This merchandise wrapped up our sushi for the night, and I believed it used to be the easiest word on which to finish.
12. Miso Soup
We started wrapping up our meal with a pleasing bowl of heat and scrumptious miso soup, which used to be served with complete scallop items and spring onion jumbled together.
13. Grapes
Finally, we got some seedless grapes as a candy finale to our dinner, served in a easy presentation with a unmarried toothpick.
And to assist wash down our meal, we ended the evening with a scrumptious cup of inexperienced tea, offered in a gorgeous cup.
Even supposing the parts don’t look like a lot for my part piece-by-piece, they have been simply the correct amount in overall, and we left feeling happy however no longer too complete.
Our ultimate invoice got here to 59,400 yen ($566), together with the omakase dinner for 2 and our bottle of sake.
It’s one of the vital pricey dinner we’ll be having in this go back and forth, however we have been satisfied to in spite of everything kickstart our sushi omakase adventure on our go back to Tokyo, and we each concluded that we have been extremely inspired by means of with our meal.
Conclusion
In case you like Jap delicacies, sushi omakase is without a doubt some of the must-try gastronomic interests for your subsequent go back and forth to Japan, and Tokyo specifically with its excessive focus of top-tier sushiya.
We had a lovely nice first omakase enjoy right here at Ginza Sushiko Honten. In response to the eating place’s historical past, stature, and high quality, I’d suggest this position in case you’re ok with its value vary; alternatively, I without a doubt get the sense that there are less expensive Tokyo sushi stores that may additionally provide you with a positive advent to omakase and would possibly be offering higher price for cash.
Alternatively, I additionally look ahead to checking out extra omakase stores sooner or later, and thereby refining my palate and creating a greater skill to match and distinction the various omakase stories to be had all throughout the town.
