Last weekend a foodie friend came over from Korea, so we had dinner together. When people visit from Korea it’s usually work-related, so they tend to come over a weekend, but places that are easy to get to, tasty and cheap are incredibly hard to book on weekends. I suppose that’s the same anywhere in the world… So after thinking it over a bit, I decided on Uogashi Zushi in the Marunouchi Building. For one thing, this place doesn’t take reservations at all, it’s inside the shiny new Marunouchi Building so the atmosphere is nice, and on top of that the food is excellent for the price. Of course there are places like Kyubey in Ginza where you can have the very best sushi, but those cost at least 30,000 yen a head -_-;, which is hard to put through as a business-trip expense.
First, a glass of Asahi draft beer
Everyone knows Japanese draft beer is delicious, and at a typical izakaya a little starter snack comes with your beer when you order. It’s nice for whetting your palate before you get into the food properly. This place served Kirin and Asahi. I’d say Kirin is mild and Asahi is crisp. I like both, but the average Korean tends to prefer Asahi, with its sharp, clean finish. Maybe because we’re used to strong flavors… Anyway, since I came with a Korean guest, I ordered Asahi.
Assorted sashimi
Amazing value for money. The sashimi is as good as ever. While I was taking pictures, the aji (horse mackerel) at the back kept twitching. I felt a bit sorry for it, but maybe because it had just been filleted, the flesh was firm and bouncy… It’s past its season so it wasn’t at its fattest, but still, this is plenty good…
Hearty sushi
Seeing sushi like this makes me not even want to remember how I used to eat sushi in Korea.
Overhead shot
The anago and the toro were very good. The amaebi looked good too… But this isn’t a place that chases the absolute peak of flavor, so I felt something was a little lacking. So I’m thinking of trying a really high-end sushi restaurant next time. (If I find someone to go with…)
Kani-jiru (crab miso soup)
There’s a whole crab in it… but the crab didn’t taste that great. The hairy crab I had before was incredibly good, but this one didn’t have much meat… Well… even so, at this price it’s still worth coming all the way here for.