My second dinner in Tokyo is one of the greatest experience of my life. Once again, thanks to Rie, we got a dinner reservation at Kyubey, one of Japan's most famous sushi restaurants. The Tokyo Michelin Guide 2008 awarded Kyubey one star.
Kyubey is located near Shimbashi Station in Tokyo, bit away of the main Ginza avenue, and quite difficult to spot. This is ca. 70 years old restaurant!
In Tokyo, restaurant expansion over the years goes upwards and around. Now it has 5 stories and 3 annexes. We end up exactly in annex B1F, seated at the sushi counters with about 6 other customers and and two sushi chefs. Everyone was quite friendly to us, especially the chefs. This is quite different experience from the formal and uptight atmosphere in Sushi Mizutani (see other post).
Interior is minimalistic and perfect, and the wooden counter is so beautiful, that I start joke about where to install one in my kitchen.
We went with "omakase" course that is the chef's choice.
It starts with seaweed salad with spring onion dressed with vinegar, suzuki salad, and so on. Like all topnotch sushi places, one should not use any soy dipping; the chefs decide whatever sauce you need. Couple of things I've never tried before, like fried fish bone; it taste like a chips, daikon and shiso; very refreshing and cleansing feeling, grilled otoro nigiri; fatty, melting and just f.....g delicious!
The Uni (sea urchin) gunkanmaki were just fabulous.
After a while we were asked if we had enough... Of course me and Rickard were far from done! We had two more rounds of otoro nigiri (see the picture). I think the chefs were pleased from our enthusiasm and decided to pull out the big gun: grilled otoro nigiri! I honestly couldn't make a difference between Kobe beef and that otoro. It was incredible!
Obviously Kyubey is used to experiment and have introduced new stuff. Rickard told me this guys have invented gunkanmaki sushi... For example they used a bit tempered rice, but it had just right temperature and vinegariness.
Eating dinner in Kyubey and lunch in Sushi Mizutani, back-to-back, prompting the inevitable comparisons. Both are truly spectacular and different. For example Sushi Mizutani is more conservative and one can feel many different flavors in same moment, where in Kyubey, different flavor pop up each time I chewed sushi piece. There is a big difference in rice also. By my opinion, in Kyubey I've been kind of... not aware about the rice... it is just a supporting ingredient, texture if you like. In Sushi Mizutani, rice is a backbone.
Rating: 9.8 (out of 10.0)
It cost us about 150€ per person, including beer and sake, and I'll be back. I promise!
Kyubey
7-6, Ginza 8-chome, Chuo-ku
Tokyo
Kyubey is located near Shimbashi Station in Tokyo, bit away of the main Ginza avenue, and quite difficult to spot. This is ca. 70 years old restaurant!
In Tokyo, restaurant expansion over the years goes upwards and around. Now it has 5 stories and 3 annexes. We end up exactly in annex B1F, seated at the sushi counters with about 6 other customers and and two sushi chefs. Everyone was quite friendly to us, especially the chefs. This is quite different experience from the formal and uptight atmosphere in Sushi Mizutani (see other post).
Interior is minimalistic and perfect, and the wooden counter is so beautiful, that I start joke about where to install one in my kitchen.
We went with "omakase" course that is the chef's choice.
It starts with seaweed salad with spring onion dressed with vinegar, suzuki salad, and so on. Like all topnotch sushi places, one should not use any soy dipping; the chefs decide whatever sauce you need. Couple of things I've never tried before, like fried fish bone; it taste like a chips, daikon and shiso; very refreshing and cleansing feeling, grilled otoro nigiri; fatty, melting and just f.....g delicious!
The Uni (sea urchin) gunkanmaki were just fabulous.
After a while we were asked if we had enough... Of course me and Rickard were far from done! We had two more rounds of otoro nigiri (see the picture). I think the chefs were pleased from our enthusiasm and decided to pull out the big gun: grilled otoro nigiri! I honestly couldn't make a difference between Kobe beef and that otoro. It was incredible!
Obviously Kyubey is used to experiment and have introduced new stuff. Rickard told me this guys have invented gunkanmaki sushi... For example they used a bit tempered rice, but it had just right temperature and vinegariness.
Eating dinner in Kyubey and lunch in Sushi Mizutani, back-to-back, prompting the inevitable comparisons. Both are truly spectacular and different. For example Sushi Mizutani is more conservative and one can feel many different flavors in same moment, where in Kyubey, different flavor pop up each time I chewed sushi piece. There is a big difference in rice also. By my opinion, in Kyubey I've been kind of... not aware about the rice... it is just a supporting ingredient, texture if you like. In Sushi Mizutani, rice is a backbone.
Rating: 9.8 (out of 10.0)
It cost us about 150€ per person, including beer and sake, and I'll be back. I promise!
Kyubey
7-6, Ginza 8-chome, Chuo-ku
Tokyo
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