BEST OF JAPAN
Michelin- starred sushi in Tokyo
After a wait of about 10 minutes, most of which I spent trying to decide what to eat and what not, the first roll of sushi arrives from the chef. Eager to experience the flavours and textures of the first Michelin-starred sushi restaurant I had ever visited, I pick up the sushi. I dip it in the wasabi and soy sauce, but before the food reaches my mouth I hear chef Yoshimoto Nakaya start to say something in Japanese.
Was I eating something I wasn’t supposed to? I place the sushi back on the platter, only to see Nakaya-san take the sushi and throw it away. Then he takes the wasabi and soy sauce mix away from me as well.
“What happened?” I ask as the chef mumbles something in Japanese while the other eight people sitting at the counter burst out in laughter.
I pick up my Sake and take a few sips to steady my nerves and cover my embarrassment.
The receptionist, the only person in the room who understands English, walks over to my side and patiently explains what just happened. The sushi that was given to me as a first bite was not supposed to be dipped in soy sauce because “it’s just about right flavor” for eating.
I thank the receptionist, while contemplating how someone from Thailand, home to some of the spiciest food on earth, is supposed to eat sushi without a little flavour boost.
In any case, Nakaya-san forgives his foreign guest’s little misstep and proceeds to present each of the 12 assorted sushi varieties that were recommended to me. They make up the most widely ordered set menu at Kyubey, which was established in 1935 and is rated as a “must visit” restaurant in Tokyo.
Nakaya-san, who is 48 and has been working at Kyubey for 22 years, tells me (through the receptionist) that there are more than 200 sushi restaurants in Ginza alone. With all of them vying for customers for lunch and dinner every day of the week, it’s a very cut-throat competition. “Saturday is our busiest day when we make more than the normal 250 pieces of sushi per day,” says the chef.
“You really have to be the best or be among the also-rans,” he says, adding that on a good day he alone makes up to 200-odd servings. So successful is Kyubey that it opened a branch across from the original location about eight years ago. It now has a total of five restaurants in Tokyo and one in Osaka.
As my meal progresses, I get compensated for my earlier faux pas with extra fried shrimp heads. Others receive one each but I get three.
Each serving of sushi at Kyubey is individually made for each customer by three chefs, each with more than 10 years of experience. The servings are so individualised that a diner has to deal with a lot of choices. At one point I am asked if I want a fresh live shrimp for my next serving or one that is fresh but not live? My response: “Up to you.”
Next thing I know, the head of a live shrimp is plucked off and while the body and head continue to twist and turn, it is on my platter. Eyes popping out, I take a bite. It’s simply delicious. Finally, I see a broad smile on Nakaya-san’s face.
As the evening progresses, I notice that small portions of hot rice being cooked in the back kitchen are being served to the chefs who are preparing our sushi. They need to make sure that the texture of each batch is just right and matches the other ingredients in each piece.
Finally my last two portions are on their way to my platter — and I get my wasabi and soy sauce back. “Now you can dip these two and eat,” I am told.
After my initial embarrassment, the quality of food, the ambience and the casual conversation I enjoyed with the people next to me made for an enjoyable experience. I was also able to savour the real flavor of expertly prepared sushi without the distraction of dipping sauce.
A meal of this quality will cost you 10,000 yen (about 2,720 baht) for the chef’s selection. The total bill of 15,000 yen, including a small bottle of sake, was good value for money.
WALK-IN WELCOME OR NOT? Getting a seat at a top restaurant in Tokyo — home to more Michelin-starred restaurants than any other city in the world — is no easy thing. I was warned that at some sushi joints, even if they have seats, they won’t take a walk-in customer.
Just 15 metres away from Kyubey is Sushi Mizutani, which boasts two Michelin stars and is one of the most famous sushi restaurants in the city. The hotel concierge had told me that it was impossible to make a booking so I decided to stroll over and see if I could get in.
I saw four people seated, and two chefs. When I asked if there was a place for me to sit, a helper told me the restaurant was fully booked. I could see at least eight seats empty, but that didn’t matter. The booking policy is iron-clad. The restaurant is on record as stating that foreigners are more likely than locals to abandon their reservations, and it requires them to reserve through a hotel concierge or a credit card company.
Not to worry. There are many more quality sushi and sashimi restaurants in the Ginza area to serve a hungry stroller.
One such establishment that offers great value for money is Umegaoka Sushi no Midori Sohonten — everyone calls it Midori Sushi — which I make a point of visiting every time I am in Tokyo.
The sushi and sashimi here are world-renowned, which explains why people are willing to wait up to 45 minutes to get a seat. So famous is Midori Sushi that the Ginza branch now has a machine outside that dispenses queue numbers. Trouble is, you’ll need to understand Japanese to know when your number is up. Given the number of foreign guests, a small electronic display that shows patrons which number is being called would be a welcome addition.
The 45-minute wait that I experienced was not a total waste, as I was able to pass the time observing fresh fish being delivered to the restaurant. When my number finally was called, I got to experience the Chef’s Special that cost a mere 2,800 yen.
UNAGI PARADISE Dining in Japan isn’t all about raw fish, of course. With that in mind, I had made a booking for Nodaiwa, one of the world’s best Unagi (grilled eel) restaurants, more than a month before my departure from Thailand. However, when I reached Tokyo I realised that I had made the booking for a week later. Having mixed up my dates, I was prepared to face disappointment, but I decided to visit the restaurant anyway.
When I arrived, I faced the usual language barrier but eventually was able to explain my calendar problem to the staff faced. To my surprise and delight, they understood and allowed me in.
Guests have come to expect special treatment at Nodaiwa, a family-run business that has been serving unagi for more than five generations. It’s been so successful that it now has a restaurant in Paris apart from a few branches in Tokyo.
The ambience was very homey with just six tables that can seat no more than 16 people at full capacity. The original branch, located within walking distance from the Tokyo Tower, is where chef Masayoshi Ichikawa has been working for more than four decades. He is the main reason that Nodaiwa has a Michelin star.
There’s almost nothing that Chef Ichikawa doesn’t know about grilling and steaming eel fillets. The entire process takes just over an hour to complete, from the removal of the excess fat to the application of the sauce and grilling over charcoal, which allows the sauce to permeate into the fillets and enhance the flavour.
As usual I was given the touristy treatment and was asked to order the set. Sitting alone, I took the option of ordering the Unagi Sanraku course which consisted of an appetiser, shirayaki (grilled eel without sauce) and unaju which comprised soup with eel liver, pickled vegetables and grated Japanese radish, apart from the grilled eel, all for 6,400 yen.
The eels were served on a bed of steaming white rice in a lacquered box with very hot water on the bottom (tip: be careful when picking up the box). The softness of the eel after the grilling and steaming was so delectable that each bite simply melted in the mouth.
My unagi feast was a very satisfying conclusion to a brief Tokyo trip in which I managed to experience two Michelin-starred restaurants. The meals alone made this one of the best of the more than a dozen visits I have made to Japan in the past few years.
I will now look forward to the next trip, and I’m determined to plan my schedule months in advance to explore more of Tokyo’s many Michelin-starred restaurants.