I found out about Bentenyama Miyakozushi from Oishinbo, where it was introduced as an Edomae sushi specialist, so I went to check it out. Edomae means traditional Japanese sushi where every topping is carefully prepared, and this place is apparently famous for not serving raw fish at all except on the cheap lunch menu. I wondered what it would taste like..

Beer

Nice and cold.

Gari

Ordinary

Otoshi

Simmered tuna, which was passable, nothing more.

Sea bream

Lightly cooked and brushed with soy sauce. Being a white fish, the flavor was very clean and mild. I was a little surprised at how little impact it had.

Akagai and akami zuke

Both were just so-so. Maybe I expected too much after reading Oishinbo..

Kohada, torigai

Maybe because they were past their season, just so-so.

Ebi, aji

The ebi had a nice sweetness and was delicious. The aji was good too.

Anago

The anago was truly superb. Anago that falls apart this softly is something you can only get at a top-class sushi place.

I can’t quite remember what this was..

Same with this one..

There weren’t many pieces that stood out as much as I had expected.

Tamago

This one was also just so-so..

Kanpyo maki and tekka maki

Overall, the food wasn’t all that great for the price. Maybe the menu changes a bit once you become a regular. What was really good about this place was the atmosphere rather than the taste. It felt like watching a model of shitamachi-style sushi shop hospitality. I hope it stays in business for a long, long time. Whether I’ll ever visit again, I’m not so sure..

한국어로 읽기日本語で読む