Tsunao is a popular sushi joint in Tsukiji outer market (that survives and thrives despite the move of the main market). It was my first stop during a trip in late December 2019.
The visit
It is a relatively small eatery in one of the busy alleys constituting the outer market. It only has a Japanese sign, but the tuna imagery makes it easy to spot.
It can get cramped inside. They have also some tables upstairs.
It took some time for them to bring my order. It was a busy Saturday morning. But I was there for a reason and when my main dish arrived I was not disappointed. Tsunao is famous for their massive tuna sushi platter sporting 20 pieces of nigiri with six different varieties of tuna.
On the one side, there were 2 pieces of fatty tuna (o-toro), 2 pieces of seared fatty tuna with blowtorch, 4 pieces of medium fatty tuna (chu-toro). I now notice, by comparing what I got with their poster outside advertising the dish, that they shortchanged me by 2 pieces of fatty tuna (replaced by two more pieces of lean tuna). What a shame.
Then there were two pieces with negitoro (minced tuna) and 10 pieces of “normal” lean tuna, five of these soaked in sauce. I had no problem finishing the dish.
I also ordered their seared tuna takaki with miso. It was only lightly seared and that was good.
At the end I was offered a complementary miso soup.
Another signature dish of the restaurant was a bowl containing tuna collagen and covered with a meringue. I do appreciate their creativity.
The check
6,570 yen (61.5 USD) was the final check. The sushi platter was a whopping 5,500 yen. I am sure that you can find cheaper tuna sushi around. Still was a good start of the trip.
Where in Tokyo: 4-14-7 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku. In Japanese: 東京都 中央区 築地 4-14-17. Tip: it opens at 6.30am (and closes at 3pm), it is a good place for a sushi breakfast!
Tomisen is the epitome of the neighborhood sushi bar: a place where salarymen can crash after work for drinks and food and where locals can have their sushi fix. It was run by an old couple that I am sure has been keeping the place running for a long time.
The visit
I came across the place by accident as it was close to my hotel and Kyoto Station.
The classic storefront opened in a small restaurant with a counter and a few tables. It was pretty crowded, but it was the end of the evening and people were starting to leave.
They had a place for me at the counter.
Luckily they had a bilingual menu.
I started to order sushi like there was no tomorrow: prawns, tuna, scallops, crab, kanpachi (amberjack).
I spent 3,670 yen for 20 nigiri sushi, around 200 yent per nigiri. You can get cheaper sushi in a converyor-belt sushi restaurant for sure, but the price was good enough, except the tuna that was really expensive as compared to the rest. It was good “normal” sushi in an authentic joint. Open only at night after 5pm.
Where in Kyoto: 576-4-2 Kizuyabashi Dori Aburakoji Higashiiru Minamimachi, Shimogyo. In Japanese: 木津屋橋通油小路東入南町576−4−2.
Gion Sushi Tadayasu got one star in the 2019 Osaka Michelin Guide. I elected it to try a quality omakase in Kyoto.
The visit
I made the booking through an online service for lunch.
The restaurant is located in a quiet backstreet of the historic Gion district.
Above the storefront before the opening and after with the classic curtains (noren).
The room only seated twelve people. Two chefs were working serving the guests. It was full. I was the only non-Japanese.
The appetizer was a bowl of cold noodles in a yuzu flavored broth. On a summer day, it was very refreshing.
The first nigiri was with karei (Japanese flat fish). I immediately noticed the tendency of the chef to put too much wasabi.
The second nigiri was shiro ebi (white shrimp) with caviar. I guess this is the way to go to win a Michelin star for an omakase.
The third nigiri was shima aji (striped jack, a seasonal fish).
The fourth nigiri came with tairagai (a type of scallop, but with firmer meat, Japanese pen shell).
The fifth nigiri had ika (squid). The chef put some grains of fine salt (so little to be invisible).
Sixth was katsuo nigiri (skipjack tuna).
Seventh was a toro (fatty tuna) nigiri.
Eight was a kohada nigiri.
Ninth was a uni nigiri. With a lot of uni, which was good.
The tenth nigiri was anago (sea-water eel) grilled. With its sweetness, it was a classic conclusion for the main part of the omakase.
The last course was a piece of tamago (Japanese omelet) and a bowl of miso soup.
The chef finally included a handroll with pickles.
The chefs were serving three different menus at the same time. Mine was the cheapest and shortest. I was finished after 90 minutes. For the more expensive menus there were additional dishes and more elaborated appetizers. I was satisfied with my menu.
The check
No check to display because I paid in advance through a booking service. Since I only had green tea (complimentary and rapidly refilled throughout the meal) there was no extra charge. The total cost was 7,128 yen (which includes the reservation system fees) or 66 USD. If you book directly it may be even a bit cheaper. I found the charge reasonable considering the quality of the seafood used. Overall, I did not feel a big step up from Chiharu in Osaka that was “only” a Bib Gourmand.
Where in Osaka: 572-9 Gionmachi Minamigawa, Higashiyama Ward.
Ganko is a popular sushi restaurant in Osaka with multiple outlets throughout the city. Ganko Sushi started as a small 15-square-meter shop in Juso, Osaka, in 1963. This review is based on a visit to their Umeda outlet. The restaurant is part of a large group employing over 3,000 people with tens of restaurants around Kansai (49 just in Osaka, using multiple brands).
The visit
One night, summer 2018, I visited their larger location in Umeda.
The restaurant operates like a classic sushi bar with customers seated at the counter so that they can order directly from one of the chefs. They also have normal tables for larger groups and they had an English menu, so ordering was pretty straightforward.
I had their sushi platter with all the classic fish: squid, eel, prawn, scallop, salmon, etc.
I added a sashimi platter.
Then I tried their crab set with crab meat, roe, and more minced crab meat.
Just to keep to the crab’s theme, I also added grilled crab meat with cheese.
Finally I had a tangerine drink.
The check
Check was 6,441 yen (around 60 USD). It was really the cost for a dinner for two (for this reason I classify it as “everyday dining”). The sashimi and sushi platter cost around 20 USD each.
It was a pretty regular sushi restaurant experience. Certainly not the best in Osaka, but they run an efficient operation and, for a run-of-the-mill sushi meal, it is a reasonable choice.
Where in Osaka: 1-chome-5-11 Shibata Kita-ku. In Japanese: 大阪府 大阪市北区 芝田 1-5-11 猪井梅田ビル １F・２F・３F. Website: www.gankofood.co.jp/en/.
I listed Chiharu Sushi as one of my top dining experiences in 2018. It was just natural to go back during my summer 2019 trip to Osaka. This time I opted for the premium omakase dinner (they offer two different omakase for dinner, one in the downstairs room, that is cheaper, and one more expensive offered in the room upstairs, which was mine).
At the end of the dinner the chef spoke with the guests and provided more information about the restaurant. The venue is owned by a group that also runs a sushi school (both in Osaka and Bangkok). At any given time there are half dozen chefs working shifts in the restaurant and they are mostly fresh graduates from the school. This is quite radical: usually new cooking staff has to work for years cooking rice and cleaning fish before being allowed to serve the customers. The fact that the chefs are young did not compromise the experience in any way. The chef who worked on the evening of my visit was very professional and also spoke English to present the dishes (I was the only foreign customer).
The visit
I used their new booking website to make a reservation. It required a credit card hold, but it worked fine.
The upstairs dining room is more comfortable because has a low counter with normal chairs. Downstairs they have bar chairs around the counter.
The first appetizer was octopus sashimi, with some pepper and mustard.
A second appetizer was amaebi (sweet shrimp) with mandarin jelly and biwa (loquat).
The third appetizer was a piece of boiled abalone, with some roe and juice.
Next was a platter with red grouper and bluefin tuna, both offered raw and seared.
The series of opening dishes was completed by flat head fish boiled with a herbal soup.
The first sushi was amadai, a prized seasonal fish from the waters of Kansai.
The second nigiri was shard sushi completed with egg yolk and vinegar powder.
The third nigiri was kampachi (amberjack).
The fourth nigiri was a classic tuna with a bit of mustard.
At this point we were offered some cubes of ginger root. The flavor was actually the same as regular sliced pickled ginger.
The fifth nigiri was nodoguro, a new fish for me with a distinct powerful wild flavor. Very pleasant if you like raw flavors.
The sixth nigiri was shiro ebi (baby white shirimp); its flavor was very different from a classic shrimp, with a plummy texture.
The seventh nigiri was lightly torched golden eye snapper. Another powerful flavor.
The eight nigiri was anago (salt-water eel).
The ninth dish was a temaki (handroll) with tuna and uni (sea urchin). A good dose of freshly-grated wasabi (horseradish) was also added (but this kind of wasabi is not too hot). The nori (seaweed) was gently warmed.
At this point the end of the omakase was marked by the classic miso soup.
The tenth and final dish was the restaurant’s version of the Japanese omelet. This was almost a cake, with some sugar, and very fluffy.
The whole service took around 2 hours.
The check
The check was 8,600 yen (80 USD). It was sharply more expensive than the lunch, but not excessive as a dinner omakase. I was particularly impressed by the choice of seasonal and sought-after seafood. If you seek value, probably the dinner omakase served downstairs at 4,000 yen plus tax is a better deal, as it should be remarkably similar (just one fewer nigiri and one fewer opening dish and perhaps some changes in the types of fish used for the nigiri).
Where in Osaka 5-12-14, Fukushima, Fukushima-ku Osaka-shi, Osaka Address in Japanese: 所在地 〒553-0003 大阪府大阪市福島区福島5-12-14コーポ福島1 See their website for more information and link to the reservation system.
Kame Sushi is a very popular sushi joint in Osaka. It opened in 1954 and consists of two shops facing one another. For lunch I believe only the main shop is open. They were one of the first restaurants in Osaka combining fresh high-quality sushi with the atmosphere of a bar. It seems to be popular with tourists and locals alike.
The visit
I found myself in front of Kame sushi quite early, I believe around 11.15. And I decided to wait until the opening time at noon. I had read some good reviews and I thought it was an interesting place where to have a good sushi. Very soon, I found myself heading a queue of over two dozen people. It was that popular. You can see the door of the main restaurant above without the typical curtain with the shop’s name that is put up only during opening times.
Above is a view of the second shop that was closed for lunch when I visited.
I was one of the first to be seated and I started to order directly to the sushi chef in front of me. The first 20 minutes were super hectic, with the chefs trying to catch up with all the initial orders. An English menu was available. My first bite was sashimi: tuna, hamachi, and squid (ika): all super-fresh.
Then I started ordering nigiri sushi. My first order had prawns (ebi), khodama, aji, tai. Typically you order two nigiri pieces per type.
More: I had Japanese cockle (torigai) and scallops (hotate). The scallops could be raw or flame-torched, mine was seared. They had so many sushi type to choose from. Torigai is a type of shellfish that is not so common on sushi menus.
Next another special treat: two nigiri with the sweet anago (the Japanese saltwater eel),
To finish up I had two more prawns (they were so tasty) and razor-clam (shako).
You usually end a sushi meal with the Japanese omelet and miso soup. The omelet pieces came with some rice squeezed inside.
The miso soup was good, but it was an occupational hazard… it was boiling hot.
Everything was really fast, my meal did not last longer than 30 minutes. It was not the most comfortable meal as the small restaurant was very crowded. While leaving, people were still queuing.
The check
The check took the form of a pile of chips that were accumulated by the sushi chef that attended my orders. The total cost was around 6,000 yen (55 USD), for 27 pieces of sashimi/sushi plus the omelet and the miso soup.
Was it worth? In terms of quality, certainly they were a tad above the average and I do not mind the check. Everything was fresh and there were many exotic seafood varieties available. However I would not repeat the experience of waiting almost one hour. If you go, try perhaps odd times like in the mid-afternoon.
Where in Osaka: Sonezaki 2-14-2. Website: kamesushi.jp.
Vietnamese love Japanese food and there are new sushi restaurants springing up on a regular basis in Ho Chi Minh City. Omakase is another story. As you might already know, omakase means “I leave it to you” and indicates the next level of Japanese cuisine. The term is usually employed in relation to sushi and is a code word for a high-level dining experience.
The first restaurant to offer a serious omakase in Saigon, according to my knowledge, was Sushi Rei back in 2016 or so. It is still open at the time of this post. I never tried it as the cost is 3,000,000 VND (around 140 USD, probably excluding tax) and I am willing to spend that kind of money for an omakase only when I travel in Japan. Let’s say that this is the “ugly” one because of the price (but if price is no object, by all means try it and let me know!).
There are two very good omakase in Saigon that I enjoyed. One is Kiyota Sushi Sake Restaurant. Very nice atmosphere, you are served at the counter like in a real Japanese omakase restaurant and the seafood is top quality. I personally tried their 1,200,000 VND menu (52 USD) that included an appetizer, five kinds of sashimi, grilled fish, vinegar fish, steamed eggs, 8 kinds of nigiri sushi, miso soup, and dessert. They also had a more expensive and a cheaper menu. I must also say that the service was top-notch both during the meal and before in my communications on Facebook. Unfortunately my phone was unavailable during my dinner and I was not able to take pictures, so I cannot post a review. Another excellent omakase (but it is not sushi, it is tempura) is Hanabi Japanese Cuisine that I already reviewed and I continue to recommend. In both cases, a Japanese chef is behind the counter.
This long prologue to say that this review is about the bad omakase that I tried: Kasen.
The visit
I visited during my summer 2019 trip and I made a booking through their website for a lunch. It was not really necessary as I was the only customer. The restaurant is located not far from the central thoroughfares of District 1. On the paper, it was supposed to be a very good place. The owner is a Japanese-born chef, Shinji Murata, that established a successful sushi restaurant in Los Angeles. Actually this was the first red flag. The owner-chef did not live in Saigon.
The first disappointment was that no counter seating was available. I was informed that they were building one on the top floor, but at the time of my visit for a solo diner only the ground floor was available. The dishes came from the kitchen on the second floor (where also private rooms were available). This was the second red flag. But I was already there…
I chose their summer omakase that was a mix of sushi and other dishes. They also had a more affordable sushi-only omakase and a la carte ordering was possible.
Dishes were served and explained by a very professional waitress that could speak good English and actually knew the dishes inside out.
The first dish was beef taco with what I believe was white salsa and shrimp ceviche, all on the spicy side. American influence was all too evident.
Next was salmon sashimi with light chili dressing and wasabi, ginger, nori on the side.
I did not take pictures of the next three dishes. There was ikura with asparagus and egg yolk sauce. Then tuna tataki (actually one slice of sashimi tuna and negitoro on top, not sure why they called it takaki) with yuzu miso and rocket flower. The yuzu was not really distinct, but the flavor was disturbed by chili sauce on top. It was simply too spicy and killing the flavor. Definitely this chef likes it spicy. The appetizers were concluded by hamachi on a sauce mixing ponzu and minced radish. A jalapeno slice on top of each slice of hamachi completed the dish. Again, the fish flavor was overwhelmed by the sauce and condiments and personally I do not like it.
It was time for some nigiri sushi. On the website they stated that “sushi rice, which we believe is just as important as the fish, is served warm and loosely packed”. This was really great to my hear. Warm sushi rice is indeed one style adopted by some restaurants in Japan. So imagine my disappointment when it turned out that the rice actually was quite ordinary and not really warm.
The first trio of nigiri included lean tuna (akami), medium fatty tuna (chutoro), and fatty tuna (otoro). I can only say that the tuna came in very thin slices. Real thin. Not my favorite.
Next three sushi: seabream, foie gras, halibut, already finished with wasabi, soy sauce, and garnishes as it should be in an omakase. The foie gras was disappointing in terms of flavor (maybe overcooked?).
Then there was an unimpressive handroll with crab meat.
Next was a beef tenderloin dish on a potato mash with soy balsamic sauce (I suppose a house recipe). I wish the meat had been more tender. I do not think it was wagyu as you would expect. The sauce did not add much to the flavor. The potato mash was velvety and exquisite.
A final staple dish was a bowl of cold soba noodle that was ok. But again unremarkable.
Last was a scoop of matcha ice cream. This was very good (I believe it was supplied by Ralf’s Gelato).
The check
Final check was 1,672,000 VND (72 USD). It was my most expensive meal during my trip in HCMC in summer 2019 and it did not deliver (at least the tea came with free refills!). I appreciated the design behind the dishes, but in some cases an ingredient would take over and kill the rest of the flavors. I love seafood and I found the one served quite bland. Those thin slices on the nigiri where kind of sad. The problem was the execution. If the dishes were just a little bit better in terms of preparation and flavor, I would have had no issue with the check. Unfortunately most of the dishes were just disappointing and for this reason I cannot really recommend this restaurant.
Where in Ho Chi Minh City: 101 Le Thi Rieng, District 1. Website: www.kasen.vn.
In Ningbo, near In City shopping mall there is a cluster of Japanese restaurants. Some are really mediocre, but there is a group of eateries that stands out. They are located in the building pictured below: there is a yakiniku grill, a more formal kaiseki restaurant, and the omakase restaurant reviewed here (it is the located on the right corner near the entrance). On the left, not pictured, there is a good yakitori place called Bird Land. They all belong to the same owner.
The visit
The restaurant is the classic “hole in the wall”: it can host 9 guests around the counter. Two chefs were incessantly busy preparing sushi. I have been a couple of times for dinner.
I was welcomed with some inconspicuous marinated seaweed. Not sure whether it was meant as an appetizer or just a side dish.
The first dish was two pieces of sashimi: sweet shrimp and a white fish that looked like tai. All dishes were attentively garnished.
Then again a piece of white fish lightly seared.
The first piece of sushi was a large surf clam, very tender.
Then from the kitchen, I was served a piece of grilled fish, cod.
Next, Atlantic horse mackerel (aji) sushi.
A nice piece of o-toro with a tea scoop of sea urchin (uni), lightly seared with the blow torch.
A large scallop.
A maki roll with a generous portion of sea urchin.
An egg custard with salmon roe. It was very good.
A
A raw shrimp topped by sea urchin,
Salmon sushi.
A piece of wagyu beef sushi, the meat was seared with the blow torch.
Another white fish (maybe flounder).
There was a rice dish with foie gras.
Towards the end I got the classic miso soup.
The last dish was a serving of panna cotta.
The check
The omakase has a fixed price of 388 RMB (57.6 USD). It included 12 seafood dishes, a rice dish, a egg custard, the miso soup, and the dessert (that’s less than 25 RMB per dish and I am not counting the seaweed).
The omakase included top ingredients, they did not shortchange in me in any way. It was reasonably authentic and all seafood was excellent. It is a great little eatery.
It is also possible to order additional dishes a la carte.
Koko is the Japanese restaurant on the 5th floor of the Sofitel Wanda in Ningbo. The menu is available both a la carte and as a buffet (unlimited orders from the menu). See the review of the weekend buffet at Le Bistrot for another Sofitel restaurant in Ningbo.
The visit
I went to this restaurant a few times choosing the buffet option (it is just much more convenient).
My first order is usually a sashimi platter with salmon, swordfish, shrimps, ark-clams, mackerel, tuna, seabream.
Grilled oysters with cheese.
More tuna sashimi.
Miso soup.
Abalone.
Sushi set. The sushi is quite bland. I guess it is the rice.
Sushi with scallops.
Scallops grilled with cheese. A lot of cheese.
Grilled fish.
Some tempura.
Pan-seared goose liver.
Grilled salmon.
Some final dessert.
The check
The buffet has several costs depending whether you include or not a few high-end dishes. The cheapest is around 320 RMB for lunch (47 USD). After a 15% discount, I spent 261.8 RMB (39 USD). I wish the dishes were more tasty and probably I would be there on a regular basis. Also, on a couple of occasions I had some stomach problems afterwards… so I stopped going.
Where in Ningbo: Sofitel Wanda Hotel Ningbo, 5F 899 Si Ming Zhong Road Yinzhou District In Chinese: 四明中路899号 Information for booking (advisable on weekends and evenings).
You cannot splurge every day. In Saigon Center, Ho Chi Minh City, there is a sushi restaurant to keep in mind for a cheap but yet quality sushi meal.
The visit
The restaurant is located in the second basement of Saigon Centre, in the heart of Saigon and its full name is Ryoshi Sushi Ikeikemaru. It is a conveyor belt sushi restaurant (I reviewed a similar restaurant in Tokyo). From what I understand it is originally from Singapore.
They have two types of seating arrangements: counter and booths for groups.
Rules of the house.
What is notable is that they serve a lot of different types if sushi, like this gizzard shard known for its strong flavor.
Another very unusual sushi in Saigon, with a fluffy egg custard.
A shrimp croquette.
Another sushi with a strong flavor: mackerel, seared with vinegar.
I also ordered from the menu (they have reduced the number of dishes on the conveyor belt, but the number is still significant). The menu, by the way, comprises also many other Japanese food classics, such as ramen.
The first trio of sushi included tuna, tuna belly and negitoro (minced tuna). The second one included snapper, hamachi, and tuna again.
Finally I had some tuna sashimi. Not the best tuna in town, but very good value.
They serve over 100 types of sushi.
The check
Total check was 376,300 VND (or 16.20 USD). A single sushi dish from the conveyor belt was 27,500 VND (1.18 USD).
Ikeikemaru is good value for money and at the same time it provides a nice assortment of sushi that is difficult to come by even in higher end restaurants in Saigon.
Where in Ho Chi Minh City: 65 Le Loi, B2 Floor, Saigon Center.
Update 2020: After the March lockdown the restaurant did not re-open. Keep an eye on their FB page to see if they re-open.
