I took advantage of the long weekend for a quick trip to Tokyo. With the earthquake, the tsunami, the nuclear plant crisis and everything else, these are unsettled times, but since I’d made the trip anyway, I resolved to properly eat the Japanese food Tokyo is known for, and looked up places worth going to. So on the first day, lunch right after I arrived kicked things off with Edomae sushi.
When you think of famous sushi places in Tokyo, the first two that come to mind are Sukiyabashi Jiro and Kyubey, both in Ginza. Sukiyabashi Jiro is in a league of its own, so I’m not even considering it, but this time I had the time and a friend to split the bill with, so I boldly headed to Kyubey. Kyubey has tradition, a great reputation, and apart from being expensive there’s nothing it lacks. In Korea, Kyubey gala dinners are held at Sushi Cho in the Westin Chosun, so it’s probably more familiar than other sushi places. I’m in no position to go to pricey hotel gala dinners like that, so I used the affordable lunch set to get a small taste of what a high-end sushi place is like. Such is my life, bragging that I’ve been to Kyubey when all I had was lunch. It hurts even as I say it..
The entrance
Kyubey is in Ginza, but it’s actually closer to Shinbashi than to Yurakucho. As long as you don’t get lost, that is ^_^ Lunch service runs from 11:30 to 1:30, and they only take reservations for 11:30, but with my flight I expected to arrive around 12, so I went straight there without booking. It’s such a famous place that I worried I might not get to eat, but there was no need. Even if you’re late, you can wait in line and sit down as soon as a counter seat frees up. I hurried and got there around 12, waited about five minutes and went in, but had I known, I could have strolled in around 1. I figured an expensive place would be quiet, but it was packed. Couples on dates, ladies out for a weekend outing.. The atmosphere was cheerful and the service natural, just what you’d expect from a famous Ginza restaurant.. A place in Tokyo you should definitely remember.
Beer
It was Suntory The Premium Malt’s; for bottled beer, Asahi might be a little better. For draft, Suntory is definitely better.
Tsukidashi (appetizer)
Shirauo (icefish). Shirauo go really well with beer.
Wakame
Seaweed. My friend said it was good, but to me it was so-so..
Chutoro
We ordered the omakase course, and out comes sushi that’s properly Edomae. It’s not a mouth-filling flavor, but it stimulates the palate. Maybe because it had been a while since my last chutoro, I was all the more moved..
Chawanmushi
My friend ordered this. It comes in place of the tsukidashi. According to my friend, it was very satisfying.
Engawa
There’s a little shiso in it and it’s brushed with soy sauce. In other words.. you just eat it.. Convenient ^_^ Every piece of sushi here came already seasoned. The chewy texture with a slight tang whets the appetite.
Hirame (flounder)
Because it comes brushed with soy sauce the color is a bit dark, but as you’d expect from Edomae sushi, I could enjoy good-quality fish and the flavor of the shari. The rice portion is a little small; they say you can have it adjusted if you ask the chef, but for someone there to enjoy the flavor, this was just right.
Ika
Squid. It comes sprinkled with salt.
Uni gunkan maki
This is the house’s signature sushi, the uni gunkan maki. I may be biased knowing this is where it was invented, but it really does melt in your mouth differently from other places. It made me rethink how well nori and uni go together. I may never be able to eat gunkan maki anywhere else now..
Ikura
My friend ordered this one and said it was great. Slurp~
Kuruma ebi and akagai
They put them on the counter and asked how I’d like the shrimp. It was alive, so it was flicking its body and wiggling its legs. Somehow it felt a bit grotesque..
I asked for mine raw.
A firm, sticky texture. The flesh is very sweet, probably thanks to how well they look after their ingredients.
My friend had it cooked
And said it just tasted like regular shrimp sushi ^_^
Akagai
Freshness is to die for, as expected. Nothing on the menu here falls short. The fun never leaves your mouth.
Otoro
We’re slowly heading toward the finish. The way otoro melts away in an instant is the same as ever, but the impact is smaller than it used to be. I guess it’s because I’ve gotten used to sushi. These days I sometimes find plain akami tastier.
Katsuo
I ate this thinking of someone who’d be in Shikoku right about now. Ah, I wonder if this will make them jealous.
Miso soup
Out comes miso soup loaded with shijimi clams. Miso soup should be exactly like this ^_^
Daikon with shiso brushed with ume paste tucked inside…
The refreshing taste took me by surprise. Really delicious. What kind of daikon did they use to make it this refreshing?
Unagi, one with sauce and one with salt..
The unagi here is good enough to open an unagi restaurant. But they didn’t play up the melting texture.
Maki
Maki usually come at the end of a sushi course, but not many places serve maki of this quality. Eating them one by one as a snack with drinks was great fun. Seeing the care they put in right to the end, even into the little things, I can see a famous restaurant isn’t famous for nothing.
The head
They deep-fried just the head of the shrimp I had earlier and brought it out. Again, a snack for drinking.
Tamago sushi
Maybe it’s because I love desserts, but this tasted even better to me than the otoro. Is this what castella made from ice cream would taste like? It’s not just soft, it also has a springiness that gently pushes back against your tongue. I’m in awe!
Tsukemono (pickles)
It seemed to come out a little late. It really should have come with the miso soup and the maki. The taste itself was fine.
Watermelon
There were two desserts, and I ordered the watermelon. It tasted like watermelon..
Warabi mochi
My friend ordered warabi mochi, a rice-cake-like sweet you eat coated in kinako, and I got a piece too. And that day I saw a new frontier in mochi. How can mochi be this good! Chewy yet soft, with a slight coolness to it. When I asked on the way out, they said they make it themselves but don’t sell it separately. If they did, it would be a huge hit..
Kyubey is expensive, but it’s a place that satisfies you just as surely. If you’re not used to Edomae sushi, you’ll probably be very, very disappointed. So I can’t recommend it to just anyone, but if you think you’re reasonably familiar with sushi, I’d urge you to go at least once. Splitting the bill is a given, of course ^_^